Performance evaluation of power tiller mounted turmeric harvester at optimized crop and operational parameters

Abstract

India is a major turmeric (Curcuma longa L.) growing country and Tamil Nadu is one among the major turmeric growingstates. Of the many problems identified in turmeric cultivation, harvesting is a major operation which needs to bemechanized. A power tiller (9 kW) mounted harvester with chisel type single digger blade for digging single row of turmeric crop with a rubber conveyor with vibrator to convey the dug turmeric rhizome was evaluated at optimized crop and operational parameters. The rake angle (20°) of the digging blade and conveying speed (4.5 km h-1) of the rubber type conveyer were optimized by experimentation. The mechanical harvester performed better with rhizome harvesting efficiency of 98 per cent at soil moisture of 15.5 per cent (d.b) with damage of 2 per cent with an effective field capacity of 0.08 ha h-1. The conventional method of manual digging had the average harvesting efficiency of 90.5 per cent and the damage caused to rhizome was 7.1 per cent. The saving in cost was 59.82 per cent by harvesting with mechanical harvester over manual harvesting. The breakeven point was 16 per cent of annual utility and the payback period was 0.5 year for the power tiller mounted turmeric harvester. The better harvesting efficiency by mechanical harvesting would enable the farmer to realize additional 6-7 per cent of the yield with less damage to the produce.