M. Israil Hossain
Farm Machinery & Postharvest Process Engineering Division Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute, Joydebpur, Gazipur-1701
M. Jakaria
Farm Machinery & Postharvest Process Engineering Division Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute, Joydebpur, Gazipur-1701
M. Jahidul Islam
Farm Machinery & Postharvest Process Engineering Division Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute, Joydebpur, Gazipur-1701
M. A Gulandaz
Farm Machinery & Postharvest Process Engineering Division Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute, Joydebpur, Gazipur-1701
BC Kundu
Farm Machinery & Postharvest Process Engineering Division Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute, Joydebpur, Gazipur-1701
H C Mohanta
Farm Machinery & Postharvest Process Engineering Division Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute, Joydebpur, Gazipur-1701
Potato harvester, Postharvest, Harvesting method, Low cost, Tractor
Farm Machinery & Postharvest Process Engineering Division of BARI, Gazipur, Bangladesh
Farm Mechanization
Tractor, Potato
There are two types of potato harvester has been developed: Belt pulley power transmission type (Model 1) and gear box power transmission type ( Model-2) respectively. Potato harvester was fabricated in FMPE workshop and tested in the research farm of TCRC, BARI during the crop season 2015-16. Potato harvester was also tested in the potato plot of IWM Division Gazipur.
Design consideration: The design considerations for the development of power tiller operated potato harvester were as follows.
- It should be single-row pull type and suitable for power tiller (12 hp), which is the most popular among the farmers.
Equipment should be multipurpose one i. e., suitable for
a) Row-to-row spacing of 610 mm and
b) Early crop (60-65 days) without haulms cutting and the main crop after haulms cutting.
- It should be simple in construction, and easy to operate and inexpensive to maintain.
It should be robust enough for digging under dry field conditions. Overall length, width and height of the digger are 900 mm, 850 mm and 850 mm, respectively. Flat iron columns are welded on the blade in such a way that blade is inclined to the ground at an angle of 200 when column is vertical. Blade is 540 mm long and 325 mm wide and 6 mm sharpen at front. It is provided with a 50 x 50 x 6 mm angle iron at the rear bottom to increase its strength against bending. Single ridge opening devices can be bolted through opener bases at a spacing of either 310 mm or 210 mm. In front of the conveyer chain there is high carbon steel shovels bolted. These can be replaced when worn out. Total set up can be moved forward or backward and also laterally depending upon the field conditions and row to row spacing of the crop. The operating power of the potato harvester comes from the flywheel through the belt pulley arrangement. Likewise, furrow guides, fitted on the sides of columns with the help of two bolts can also be moved up or down depending upon their wear status and field conditions. Furrow guides prevent the digger from lateral movement and keep the ridge opening devices exactly below the potato ridges. After removing the haulms, a potato harvester was used for digging potatoes. In this process, the blade enters the ridge below the potato zone and cuts the ridge slice from the main soil mass. The slice with tubers comes over the conveyer chain that opens the whole mass in such a way that the tubers are rolled and exposed. High rotating speed separated the tubers from soil and exposed on the soil surface. Tubers are collected manually. Potato harvester was tested in normal field moisture condition as well as dry field conditions at different forward speeds of operation at a single row spacing of 600 mm, which is most prevalent in the farmer’s fields. Three segments of two-meter length in five strips were marked. Exposed and unexposed potatoes were lifted manually and weighed. Collection time was also recorded. Potato harvester operation time for covering 30 m length was recorded three times at all the speeds, using a stopwatch. For harvesting, short-duration potato crop without haulms cutting, ridge opening, devices and furrow guides, and the bare blade was used. This blade runs through the ridges below the potato zone. Ridge soil gets loosened, while plants are slightly intact. Then manually, haulms are slightly turned to one side and polled out. This way most of the tubers get exposed and were lifted manually. Conventional manual potato harvesting method, indigenous plough used for digging and exposure the tubers. Data related to the number of potato tubers exposed per unit area, number of damaged/injured tubers, tubers collection time and potato harvester operation time were recorded. For cost calculation, potato harvester purchase price, life, salvage value, bank interest rates, number of labour requirement were considered.
Annual Research Report 2015-2016, Farm Machinery & Postharvest Process Engineering Division
Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute, Joydebpur, Gazipur-1701
Report/Proceedings