2. Role and use of improved agricultural implements in drylands – Contd.
Transcript
Hi friends, welcome back to the lecture. In the previous lecture we were discussing about the farm mechanization. The role and use of improved implements in dryland agriculture. So in dryland agriculture the availability of moisture will be for a very limited period and it is very critical also. So in this respect use of improved implements is very much essential. And also we have studied what are all the implements with high energy sources that are being used to perform the tillage operations. In this lecture let us study about the improved implements that are being used to perform other types of operations in case of dryland agriculture.
The other types of operations,
Sowing and Fertilizer Equipments
that is sowing and fertilizer equipments. So sowing time, the way it is done, decisively influences the seed germination and later growth of the seedling. This in turn affects the effectiveness of subsequent weeding and inter-cultivation operation and finally the crop yield. So sowing time is very important. So what time; at the correct, appropriate time, we have to take up sowing operations, which helps in proper germination and also later crop establishment. It not only helps in germination and establishment but also helps in weeding and inter-culturing operations. And finally it affects and influences the crop yield. So we have to carry out the sowing operations at the right time, and using the right type of implements.
In this respect we have a seed cum fertilizer drill. This implement drops the seeds and fertilizes simultaneously. At the desired depths, provision is made to drop the fertilizers about 35 millimeter below, and 35 millimeter side of the seed. It does the work of 2 labors, who are otherwise required for dropping fertilizers behind the seed drill. The name itself indicates, it is seed cum fertilizer drill. That means it performs two operations simultaneously. Otherwise by manually, these two operations would have been done separately. But with the use of this implement, sowing and the fertilization will be done simultaneously. What happens in this implement. Provision is made to drop the fertilizer beside the seed and also down the seed, so that the seeds which have been dropped by the implement will not be affected by the fertilizer. So it does the work of 2 labor and its efficiency is very high.
So these are the seed cum fertilizer drill. So this is the bowl wherein separate provision has been made for the seed and a separate provision has been made for the fertilizer in each of the holes. The seeds are being dropped down in the open furrows and by the side of the seed and below the seed the fertilizer will be dropped. This is one of the very important implement that is being used in the dryland agriculture.
Coming to the next operation after the seeding and the fertilization.
Weeding and Inter-cultivation Implements
It is the inter-cultural operations or the weeding operations. This weeding operations are very much essential, because weeds compete with the main crop for the resources. For example sunlight, nutrients and other resources, when they compete with the main crop by virtue of their aggressiveness, these weeds rob away all the resources that are being meant for the main crop. So weeding by way of interculturing operations has to be done at the right time. For this we have implements, that are hand weeder or cycle weeders. Very efficient in row crops particularly in sandy and loamy soils. Can be operated easily by a single person. The fatigue in operating long handled weeders is considerably low because the operator works in a standing posture.
As you know manual weeding is a very drudgery related operation. Back bending and all that the efficiency is very less. So the use of hand weeder or cycle weeder, they are the simple implements which can perform the operations very easily. This is being carried out in the row crops, wherein between the rows sufficient space is available to perform this types of operations. You can have a look at this picture. So these are the cycle weeders. These are the hand weeders, in which whatever the weeds are there in the middle of the row, they can be easily uprooted by these implements.
Coming to the inter-cultural hoe. This is a hoe implement, which is a combination of blade fitted across the tynes. This helps in loosen the topsoil, uproot the shallow rooted weeds by the projected tynes, and forms furrows and ridges, by simultaneously throwing the soil on either side in one operation. That you can see in this picture. This is the inter-cultural hoe, that is being performed. So it forms the rows also along both the sides and also uproot the weeds.
Plant Protection Equipments
So plant protection equipment. So in case of dryland soils, there will be weed infestation, and also pest and disease attack. For weeds uprooting there are some of the chemicals which have to be sprayed with the sprayers. And also for the control of insects and also diseases, the chemicals have to be sprayed. So we are using many plant protection equipments, so as to perform these tasks.
- Manually operated knapsack sprayer
- Compression sprayers
- Foot sprayers
- Rocker sprayers
- Knapsack power sprayers
- And hand rotary dusters.
So these are all the different types of sprayer available to perform plant protection assignment. You can see this is a manually operated knapsack sprayer, wherein it will be tied on to the back and it can be operated. It is the compression sprayer, wherein by the use of the air deposited we can use the sprayer. This is the foot sprayer. This is used very frequently in the dryland agriculture, where it can be operated by the foot and thus pressure is created, and that pressure will be used for spraying the chemicals. A power sprayer; so by the fatigue involved in the manually operated sprayer, these power sprayers they avoid the fatigue, and perform with the battery operated power, that can be used to create a pressure, and so as to spray the chemicals on to the crop plant.
And this is the rotary duster. This rotary duster is usually commonly used for spraying on the crop plants, wherein as a remedial measure, as a plant protection measure, to control some of the diseases. So to control some of the diseases, we have to dust the chemicals. So in such cases this is being used as a rotary duster.
Harvesting and Threshing Equipments
So next harvesting and threshing equipments. So harvesting has to be taken at a right time. And harvested produce has to be threshed at the right time also. So we have to have harvesting and threshing simultaneously. So in this, to quote an example; groundnut and potato digger. These are efficient implements for digging groundnut and potato. The transport cum depth gauge wheels are provided for easy transport and uniform depth. Lift rods are provided behind the plate to facilitate separation of soil from groundnut and potato. As you all know in groundnut and potato, the economical part is underground stem. So the economical part has to be extracted from the soil. It has to be digged out from the soil. So to perform these operations, the groundnut digger or the potato diggers are being used. So this is the one in which the soil is be-scooped to the certain depth, and whatever the plant parts or whatever the parts or the potato tubers are digged out. These digged out tubers are being rolled down here. So this is the operation being done by the use of the groundnut and potato digger.
Coming to the multipurpose thresher. It is suitable for threshing cereals, pulses and oilseeds. Operates through threshing cylinder and electric motor. Then equipment is provided with grain cleaning arrangement. The output capacity is about 40 kg to 300 kg per hour depending upon the power sources used. You can see this in this picture. Simultaneously the crop is harvested and it is threshed also. Threshing means, the separation of the grains from the plant parts. So multi-purpose threshers are used at a time, so as to harvest and also separate the grain from the plant.
So these are very good highly efficient implements, that are being used in the dryland agriculture. The maize sheller. As you know the maize is one of the important dryland crops, wherein it is being grown for the purpose of poultry feeds. So maize sheller, it is a power operated equipment used for separating the grain from the de-husked maize crops, and the output capacity is around 40 kg to 300 kg per hour. As you can see from the photo. Here the crops are fed and from the crops the grains are being detached and will be thrown away, separate here and the barren crops are being left over here.
So this is a very important operation, wherein from the maize crops the grains will be separated at a faster rate. So in this way in the dryland agriculture, various operations being performed by use of improved implements.
- As you already know the timeliness of operations is the key to the success of crop production. Improved agricultural implements are essential components of the dryland crop production system, so as to save time and also to perform operations in a proper time.
- So in deciding the mechanization in farm areas, where farmers are generally poor. Their socioeconomic condition should also be kept in mind. This is very important. At one point, we are telling that the improved implements have to be used. But these improved implements on account of higher doses of energy; they are costly. But on the other hand the dryland farmers are very poor; generally resource poor. But what is the way out. So while advocating the implements, their socioeconomic conditions has to be looked into, or while designing these types of implements, the cost effectiveness should also be kept in mind, in view of the dryland farmers.
So with this conclusion I am concluding this topic, that is ‘Role and Use of Improved Implements in Dryland Agriculture’.
Thank You.