Design, fabrication and performance evaluation of a self-propelled three-tined mechanical onion (Allium cepa L.) furrow cultivator [manuscript]
| dc.contributor.author | Menard A. Soni | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2026-02-24T00:34:23Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2026-02-24T00:34:23Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2019 | |
| dc.description.abstract | This study was conducted to design, fabricate and evaluate the performance of a self-propelled three-timed mechanical furrow cultivation for onion. The machine was designed with the aim of reducing the man-hour requirement of weeding and furrow cultivation of onions. It also increased the timeliness of operation due to a readily available machine as compared to the manual labor who may not always be available when needed. The machine was dfabricated using locally available materials. The furrow cultivator machine's overall dimension is 1838mm x 1400mm x 900mm (LxWxH) with a gross weight of about 77 kg. The machine, powered by a 4.8kW gasoline engine (air-cooled) has 7 major components, namely: prime mover, transmission system, handle, shank assembly, implement frame, power unit frame traction wheel. The working performance of the machine was evaluated at varying depths of cut (Ti: 2cm, T2: 4cm, T3: 6cm) with three replicates arranged in completely randomized design. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to determine the signficant differences among treatment means. The Tukey Test was used to determine which among the means would be significantly different from each other. Results of the performance test showed that operating the machine at 2cm depth of cut exhibited the highest effective field capacity (0.291ha/hr) and field efficiency (80.48%). However, lowest values for weeding efficiency (51.89%), wheel slip (40.18%) and fuel consumption (0.341L/hr) were recorded on this treatment. Highest values for weeding efficiency (70.40%), fuel consumption (0.67L/hr) and wheel slip (70.89%) was recorded on 6cm depth of cut. There was no recorded damaged plant on any of the treatments. Percentage error for mean depth was found statistically comparable to each other. Hence, the machine can be operated at any depth setting from 2 to 6 cm depending on the needs of the farmer. Comparison between machine and manual furrow cultivation showed that the machine capacity (0.291ha/hr) is almost four times higher than the manual capacity (0.075ha/hr). Percentage damaged plant on the manual method (3.81%) is almost four times higher than that of the machine (0%). Weeding efficiency was found not significantly different from each other. Cost analysis of operating the machine indicated a break-even point of 5.78 ha/yr based on the investment cost of ₱25,837.00 (covering materials and labor cost), machine capacity of 0.291ha/hr and custom rate of ₱1600 per hectare. The annual net income that can be generated is ₱152,161.57. The projected time needed to recover acquisition cost based on the machine capacity of 0.291ha/hr and operating time of 400hrs/yr was 0.17 year or 2 months. Results of this study also assessed a 75% decrease in manpower requirement on the traditional manually operated furrow cultivator of 4 man-days/ha to 1 man-day/ha when using the mechanical furrow cultivator. | |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://granarium.clsu.edu.ph/handle/123456789/997 | |
| dc.language.iso | en_US | |
| dc.relation.supervisor | HELEN F. GAVINO, Ph.D. | |
| dc.title | Design, fabrication and performance evaluation of a self-propelled three-tined mechanical onion (Allium cepa L.) furrow cultivator [manuscript] | |
| dc.type | Thesis |