Assessment of the Working Performance of an Innovative Prototype to Harvest Hemp Seed in Two Different Conditions of Terrain Slope

After many decades when its cultivation was prohibited, hemp is regaining its position as one of the most versatile cultivated crops. Multiplication of monoecious hemp varieties requires manual male plants rouging to keep a high share of monoecious plants in the population. It forces relatively small multiplication fields usually oscillating around 5 ha, where the use of big harvesting machines is not economically feasible. The B-800 mower prototype for hemp panicles proved to be a good alternative to harvest seeds of tall fibrous hemp. The test results of the mower analyzed in this study show that although seed loss on a moderate slope (0.37%) was significantly higher than on a flat slope (0.13%), it was still much lower than in the case of harvesting hemp seed with a combined harvester. Moreover, the field efficiency of 93% is very satisfactory as it is reported for much bigger machines. Finally, the harvesting costs proved to be much lower than most of the machines used for harvesting hemp seed.

Pruning harvesting with modular towed chipper: Little effect of the machine setting and configuration on performance despite strong impact on wood chip quality

Pruning residues can have a high quality as feedstock for energy purposes and are largely available in Europe. However, it is still an untapped resource. Such scarce use is due to the need to optimize their supply chain in term of collection machines and the associate cost of collection. A modular chipper (prototype PC50) for pruning harvest was developed. Such prototype is adaptable to various harvesting logistics and may produce a higher quality woodchip compared with the one produced by shredders available in the market. In this work, we tested the performance and quality of the product delivered by the prototype PC50 in various conditions and plant species, after a modulation of the machine settings (counter-rotating toothed rollers [CRR] speed), loading systems ([LS], either big bag or container), and knife types ([KT], either discontinuous hoe shaped knives or continuous helicoidal knives). To take into account of the covariates in the experiment (Cropping season and plant species), LSmeans were computed to have an unbiased estimate of the treatments means. The modulation of LS and KT scarcely affected the performance of the machine. In particular, the choice of the KT affected the field efficiency when the LS was a Tilting box but not a Big Bag. Whereas the continuous knife resulted in a 97% higher material capacity compared to hoe shape knives, the last of which the amount of short sized (<16 mm) fractions compared to helicoidal knives. No role of the CCR was found on the machine performance, but increasing CRR speed reduced the chip apparent bulk density and the fraction chips with a size <8 mm.

Prediction the Performance Rate of Chain Type Trenching Machine

The mathematical analysis for estimating the performance rate "RP" of chain-type trenching machine was studied. The mathematical analysis ended with an equation for this type. This mathematical equation was checked under different operating conditions. The practical study of the performance rate showed that the deviation of the theoretical performance rate from the actual performance rate ranged from -3.4 to +2% only for the 150.7 cm and 120.7 cm trench depth respectively. The machine field efficiency ranged from 46.7 to 57% for the 150.7 cm and 120.7 cm depth respectively. It also showed an increase in machine field efficiency by decreasing the trench depth.

Technical performance evaluation of a double row tractor operated yam minisett planter

Uniformity in plant spacing, evenness of dropping, planter capacity and among others has been identified as constraints facing planter performance. The main objective of the study was to evaluate the technical performance of the developed double row yam minisett (DRYM) planter. Category (I) tractor 50 hp was used to carry out field trials to determine the metering efficiency, effective field capacity, evenness of dropping, fuel consumption and wheel slippage. Three (3) yam varieties (pona, dente and CRI afase biri) of the average weight of 50 g with moisture content (82 %) were used for the test. Multivariate and (ANOVA) statistical method was used for analyzing the similarities among the tractor speed using OriginPro 2018 software. Metering efficiency (80.4%), effective field capacity (3.84 h/ha), field efficiency (66.6%), evenness of dropping (81.00%), and wheel slip (3.39%) were recorded. The use of developed planter will be expected to reduce human drudgery and also timeliness improvement. The study concluded that planter should be used on relatively flat (ploughed-harrowed) land to avoid wheel not touching the ground.

Anti-fertility effect of three inorganic salts against land snail, Massylaea vermiculata, (O.F. Müller1774) and their field efficiency

Background The ovotestis gland (the hermaphrodite gland) is a reproductive system organ that affects fertility of land snails. Thus, the present study was conducted to evaluate the effect of three inorganic salts (sodium carbonate, sodium benzoate, and sodium nitrate) against the land snail, Massylaea vermiculata under laboratory and field conditions. Snails were treated with serial concentrations of the tested salts for seven days using thin-layer film technique. The LC50 of each salt was determined, and the effect of ½ LC50 of each was tested on egg-laying. In addition, LPO enzyme was determined, and the histological effect of the ovotestis gland was inspected. The field efficiency of sodium carbonate and sodium nitrate were evaluated as a spray for 21 days on pomegranate nursery trees at Giza Governorate. The effects of inorganic salts were compared with methomyl (the compound recommended by the Egyptian Ministry of Agriculture against land snails in the field). Results The laboratory results revealed that sodium carbonate and sodium nitrate were more toxic than sodium benzoate, whereas the LC50 were 2.4, 9.6, and 11.8% for the three inorganic salts, respectively. Sodium carbonate and sodium nitrate achieved complete inhibition for egg production, while sodium benzoate gave 37.7% compared to 96.8% for hatchability control. Sodium carbonate and sodium benzoate exhibited significant effect on LPO enzyme, while a non-significant effect was recorded by sodium nitrite compared with control. Regarding the histological effect, sodium carbonate and sodium nitrate had the same effect on ovotestis, as a necrobiotic change was observed in the ova, and diminishing in spermatozoal concentration, while sodium benzoate caused decreasing in spermatozoal concentration without any alteration in the ovarian compared with control. Regarding the field results, sodium carbonate and sodium nitrate achieved 78.4 and 79.0% reduction in land snail populations, respectively, compared with 75% for methomyl compound. Conclusions The tested inorganic salts have highly toxic effect against the land snail, M. vermiculata, and they can be used in field control programs, after conducting more studies on their effect on the soil and other environmental components.

Development of a Cassava Harvester

Cassava is a major source of food and raw material for domestic and industrial uses in Nigeria. Consequently, the technologies involved in its cultivation from planting to harvesting require proper development. This paper reports the development of a labour-saving technology for harvesting cassava using standard procedures for designing soil engaging implements. Locally available materials were also used in the fabrication of the harvester. Results of trial tests indicate a digging efficiency of 58.9%, fuel consumption of 16 l/ha, field capacity of 0.11 ha/hr, field efficiency of 67.9% and root damage of 43.03%. The total cost of fabricating the machine was 184,000 naira only. Further tests under various soil and operational conditions for improvement and optimization were recommended for the purpose of patenting for commercialization.

NUMERICAL INVESTIGATION OF A SOLAR-DRIVEN ORGANIC RANKINE CYCLE COUPLED TO A GEOTHERMAL FIELD

The objective of this work is to investigate a solar-driven Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) for power production with a geothermal well as the heat sink for the ORC condenser. The examined unit combines the exploitation of two renewable energy sources. Solar irradiation is exploited by using solar dish concentrators with spiral absorbers, while the geothermal field includes vertical boreholes with U-tubes. The system is investigated parametrically with a developed model in Engineering Equation Solver, and the examined parameters are the solar beam irradiation level, the total thermal conductivity of the ORC condenser, the borehole length, the number of the boreholes and the mean ground temperature. For the default scenario, it is found that system electrical efficiency is 21.45%, the ORC’s thermodynamic efficiency is 35.99%, and the solar field efficiency is 61.30%. Moreover, it is found that the examined system is 5.7% more efficient than a conventional air-cooled condenser system.

Development and Performance Evaluation of a Hand-Pushed Tiger Nut Harvester

Harvesting is one of the major problems encountered by tiger nut farmers in Nigeria. Manual harvesting system is the most commonly used method. This process is costly, labour intensive and time-consuming. The process does not also give farmers adequate returns to enable them to break even due to huge losses encountered. The objective of this study was to design, construct and evaluate a hand-pushed harvester that would eliminate the challenges being faced by small and medium tiger nut farmers during harvesting. Materials selection for constructing the harvester were based on their durability and availability, affordability and ease of replacement if damaged. They include mild steel (3 mm, 5 mm), 30 mm galvanized steel hollow pipe, 10 mm diameter steel rod, and 400 mm steel tyre. The developed harvester was evaluated at the experimental farm of the Institute for Agricultural Research (IAR). Results of the study show that the average field capacity ranges from 0.28 – 0.33 ha/h while the average field efficiency was between 77.78 – 80.49% depending on operating speed, moisture content and other properties of the soil. No field damage was recorded when the harvester was used as against an approximate 10.50% damage recorded in the manual harvesting method.

Unjuk Kerja Mesin Pemanen Padi (Oryza sativa) Kombinasi Mini (Mini Combine Harvester)

Mini combine harvester is a modern machine used for cutting rice, threshing and cleaning grain while walking in the field. This machine helps farmers where, time and energy to harvest more efficiently and does not require a large amount of labor like traditional (manual) harvesting. This study aimed to calculate and determine the working capacity of the mini combine harvester machine and calculated the work efficiency of the mini combine harvester machine. The method used in this research was experimental using a mini combine harvester type Yanmar model YH150 with Ciherang 32 rice varieties ready to harvest. The results of this study indicated that the effective field capacity is 0.125 ha/hour or 8.028 hour/ha, while the theoretical field capacity was 0.234 ha/hour so that the field efficiency is 53.23%. Keywords: field efficiency, field capacity, rice, mini combine harvester

DESEMPENHO OPERACIONAL NA SEMEADURA DO MILHO SAFRINHA EM SISTEMA DE SEMEADURA DIRETA

DESEMPENHO OPERACIONAL NA SEMEADURA DO MILHO SAFRINHA EM SISTEMA DE SEMEADURA DIRETA MÁRCIA DE ALMEIDA CARNEIRO1, FELIPE ADOLFO LITTER1, FRANCIELLE MORELLI FERREIRA2,3, FRANCIELE MORLIN CARNEIRO3, LEONARDO LUIZ OSS1 1Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Biológicas, Universidade do Estado de Mato Grosso, Campus Universitário de Alta Floresta (Av. Perimetral Rogério Silva, Norte-2, Cep 78580-000, Alta Floresta - MT, Brasil), e-mails: [email protected], [email protected] , [email protected] 2Faculdade de Ciências Sociais, Aplicadas e Agrárias, Universidade do Estado de Mato Grosso, Campus Universitário de Nova Mutum (Av. das Garças, N° 1192 N, Jd. das Orquídeas, Cep: 78450-000, Nova Mutum - MT, Brasil), e-mail: [email protected] 3Departamento de Engenharia Rural, Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias, Universidade Estadual Paulista, Via de Acesso Prof. Paulo Donato Castellane, s/n, Vila Industrial, Cep 14884-900, Jaboticabal - SP, Brasil), e-mail: [email protected] . RESUMO: A semeadura do milho está sujeita a fatores que podem interferir na qualidade da operação, principalmente fatores climáticos que afetam diretamente a colheita da soja e consequentemente a semeadura do milho, portanto é necessário que ambas as operações sejam eficientes, garantindo o sucesso da produção agrícola. Diante ao exposto, objetivou-se avaliar o desempenho operacional na semeadura de milho safrinha na Fazenda Chopim em Novo Mundo – MT. Foram realizadas avaliações em três dias de semeadura em talhões de formatos distintos, um com formato trapezoidal e outro com formato irregular, ambos com topografia levemente inclinada. Foram coletados os tempos produtivos, de interrupções e o de preparo, além da distância percorrida. Para a condução do ensaio foi utilizado um trator BH180, marca Valtra, ano 2008 e uma semeadora da Tatu Marchesan, modelo Ultra Flex, de 28 linhas. Foram avaliadas a capacidade de campo teórica, efetiva, operacional e a eficiência de campo. O desempenho operacional do conjunto da Fazenda Chopim apresentou média de capacidade de campo efetiva igual a capacidade de campo teórica (12 ha h-1). A semeadura na Fazenda Chopim foi considerada eficiente, pois apresentou valores médios (65,66 %) dentro dos valores considerados eficientes pela literatura (50-75%). Palavras-chave: eficiência, mecanização, conjunto trator-semeadora. OPERATIONAL PERFORMANCE IN THE CORN SOWING IN THE DIRECT SOWING SYSTEM ABSTRACT: The corn sowing is subject to factors that may affect the quality of the operation, mainly climatic factors that directly affect the soybean harvest and consequently the corn sowing, so it is necessary that both operations are efficient, ensuring the success of agricultural production. Faced with the above, aimed to evaluate the operating performance in sowing winter corn in Fazenda Chopim in Novo Mundo – MT. Evaluations were conducted in three days of sowing in plots of different shapes, one with a trapezoidal shape and the other with irregular shape, both with slightly inclined topography. The productive, interruption and preparation times were collected, in addition to the distance covered. A BH180 tractor, Valtra, 2008 and a Tatu Marchesan seeder, Ultra Flex model, 28 rows, was used to conduct the test. Theoretical, effective, operational field capacity and field efficiency was evaluated. The operational performance of the Fazenda Chopim set showed an average effective field capacity equal to the theoretical field capacity (12 ha h-1). Sowing at Fazenda Chopim was considered efficient, as it presented average values (65.66%) within the values considered efficient by the literature (50-75%). Keywords: efficiency, mechanization, tractor-Seeder Set.