Development and evaluation of a power tiller operated planter for Maize
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A three row, power tiller operated planter was developed for planting of maize seeds. The major components were main frame with hitching unit, hopper, metering unit, furrow opener and power transmission unit. The planter was evaluated in the laboratory and in the field for planting of maize. Field performance tests revealed that the average draft requirement for the planter was 483 N, which was well within the capacity of a 9-12 hp power tiller. An average field capacity of 0.17 ha/h was obtained for continuous operation of the planter at an average speed of 1.93 km/h for planting maize. The field efficiency of the planter was observed to be 65.4 %, which was in the prescribed range of 65-75 % for a row crop planter. The average depth of placement of seed was 68 mm. The cost of the planter was Rs. 8,400/-and hourly cost of operation was Rs. 131/-. The man-h requirement for planting one hectare of land was 5.88. The cost of planting by planter was Rs. 770/- per hectare as compared to Rs. 1100/- required for manual planting. The savings in man hours and cost of planting were quite substantial and justified the use of the planter.
