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Development and Adoption of Two Wheel Tractor Operated Potato Harvester (2017 - 2018)

M A Hoque,
Farm Machinery and postharvest Processing Engineering Division

M I Hossain and
Farm Machinery and postharvest Processing Engineering Division

B C Kundu
Farm Machinery and postharvest Processing Engineering Division

Abstract/ Executive Summary:

A low cost two-wheel tractor driven potato harvester has been developed and improved with locally available materials in Farm Machinery & Postharvest Process Engineering Division of BARI, Gazipur to facilitate small farmers to harvest their potatoes at low cost. The developed potato harvester is a semi-automatic digging machine consisting of (i) digging blade (ii) conveyer flat chain (iii) Guide plate and (iv) Power transmission arrangement with a dimension of 900 mm x 850 mm x 950 mm. Potato harvester was tested in the research farm of FMPE, Gazipur and economic performance was also evaluated. Field performance was evaluated at Regional Agricultural Research Station (RARS), Bogura and Jessore and Breeder Seed Production Station, Panchagarh during the crop season 2017–18. The field capacity of the potato harvester covered a daily average of 1.2 ha land depending on operator’s skill. Potato harvester required 21 labours per ha only instead of 60 labours per ha in traditional manual method. Total cost of potato harvesting by the potato harvester was Tk. 11,935 per ha but manually harvesting cost was Tk. 29,600 per ha. Moreover, no potatoes remained under the soil when harvested by the machine. Potato damage percentage was found less than 1.2%. Potato farmers always face risks from bad weather, especially, during harvesting time. Potato harvester can cover large areas within a short period of time, escape unpredicted bad weather, and sustain potato production stable.

Keywords: Harvester, Potato, Manual harvesting, Tractor operated

Location:

Start Date: 00-00-2017

End Date: 00-00-2018

Program Area: Farm Mechanization

Commodity: Harvester, Potato

Objectives:

An attempt was made to develop a potato harvester and to test its harvesting performance and, to compare the cost of harvesting of the potato harvester with the manual harvesting method

Methodology:

BARI has developed a potato planter. Transmission system of that potato harvester was belt pulley power transmission type. The potato planter was improved in power transmission systems. The new system was gear box power transmission type. Schematic views of the both previous and improved potato planters. The design considerations for the development of power tiller operated potato harvester were i) it should be single-row pull type and suitable for power tiller (12 hp), which is the most popular among the farmers; ii) Equipment should be multipurpose one i. e., suitable for row-to-row spacing of 610 mm, early crop (60–65 days) cutting without haulms and main crop after haulms cutting; iii) it should be simple in construction, and easy to operate and inexpensive to maintain; iv) it should be robust enough for digging under dry field conditions. The designed potato harvester was fabricated in FMPE workshop. The construction materials and corresponding dimensions are shown in Table 2. 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 20° 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 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. Operating power of potato harvester comes from fly wheel through 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, potato harvester was used for digging potatoes (Fig. 1). In the process, blade entered the ridge below the potato zone and cut the ridge part from the main soil mass. The cut slice with tubers came over the conveyer chain that opened the whole mass in such a way that tubers were rolled and exposed. High rotating speed separated the tubers from soil and exposed on the soil surface. Tubers were collected manually. Potato harvester was tested in zoa field moisture condition as well as dry field conditions at different forward speeds of operation at 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 stop watch. For harvesting short duration potato crop without haulms cutting, ridge opening devices and furrow guides, and 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. In conventional manual potato harvesting method, indigenous plough was used for digging and exposure of the tubers. Data related to number of potato tubers exposed per unit area, number of damaged/injured tubers, tuber collection time and the harvester operating time were recorded. For cost calculation, potato harvester purchase price, life, salvage value, bank interest rates, labour requirement were considered. Detail cost calculation of the potato harvester

Potato harvester was tested in the research farm of FMPE, Gazipur and economic performance was also evaluated. Field performance was evaluated at Regional Agricultural Research Station (RARS), Bogura and Jashore and Breeder Seed Production Station, Panchagarh during the crop season 2017–18.

Source of Information: Annual Research Report (2017 - 2018), Farm Machinery and postharvest Processing Engineering Division

Article Link (Online Journal):

Funding Source:

Budget:

Total Budget (Tk.) :

Achievement/Findings:

Potato harvester can cover 1.2 ha of land per day depending on operator’s skills. It requires 21 man-days/ha only instead of 60 man-days/ha in traditional manual method.
Harvesting cost by potato harvester was Tk. 11935 per ha but manual harvesting required Tk. 29, 600 per ha. No potato was left under the soil when dug by the new machine. In this method, potato damage percentage was found only 1.2 %.
Potato harvester can sustain potato production in economic level and reduce labour dependency in peak harvesting period. It can cope well with the labour requirements in peak harvesting period.

Knowledge Management: Report/Proceedings