EVALUATION THE PERFORMANCE OF THE SOLAR-POWERED SEED DRILL

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Assist. Prof., Ag. and Biosystem Eng. Dept. Fac. of Ag., Menoufia U., Shebin EL-Kom, Egypt.

2 Prof., Ag. and Biosystem Eng. Dept., Fac. of Ag., Menoufia U., Shebin EL-Kom, Egypt.

3 Assoc. Prof., Ag. and Biosystem Eng. Dept., Fac. of Ag., Menoufia U., Shebin EL-Kom, Egypt.

Abstract

The division of land into small holdings presents an obstacle to the use of large agricultural machinery due to the difficulty of maneuvering in limited spaces and the high operating costs. Therefore, the importance of small agricultural machinery lies in enhancing efficiency and productivity, facilitating the management and cultivation of small holdings more effectively. Solar energy is one of the renewable energy sources utilized to mitigate the impacts of climate change and the rising energy prices. The aim of this study is to evaluate the performance of a solar-powered seed drill. This machine is considered one of the modern applications of renewable energy in agriculture and offers numerous advantages. The prototype solar-powered seed drill consists of the main frame, hopper, seed metering device, seed delivery tube, furrow openers, ground wheel, solar power system, remote control unit, and self-directed unit. The results indicate that increasing forward speed and the number of planting rows raised power requirements, wheel slip, and field capacity, while reducing specific energy and field efficiency. Similarly, increasing planting depth led to an increase in power requirements, slip, and specific energy but decreased field capacity and efficiency. The highest value of required power and slip percentage 0.173 kW and 26.18 % respectively were recorded at 5 cm of the planting depth and 5 of planting rows at 1.23 km/h of forward speed. General studies suggest that electrical energy generated from photovoltaic solar energy can help reduce high energy costs and can be utilized in various agricultural production applications.

Keywords

Main Subjects

References

Ani, O., Uzoejinwa B., and Anochili N., (2016). Design, construction and evaluation of a vertical plate maize seed planter for garden and small holder farmers. Nigerian J. tech. 35, (3): 647 – 655.
Bashiri, M., Ode A. and U. Ogwuche., (2013). Development of a hand planter. JORIND. 11(2):1-6.
Behera, B. K., Swain,S., Sahoo, P. K. and Behera, D., (1995). Evaluation of seeding device for dry Land paddy. A.M.A. 26(4):17-21
Disa A. F. and Braide F. G., )2012(. Design and development of template row planter, Transnational J. of Sci. & Tec. August ed. 2, (7): 27-33
Jat, R.S., Shivran A.C. and Mehta J. P., (2004). Growth and yield of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) as affected by weed control and method of sowing. Res. on crop, 5(1): 18-21.
Kepener, R. A., Roy B. and Barger, E. L., (1978). Principals of Farm Machinery 8th ed. CBS Publishers and Distributors, New Delhi, India.
Khan, K., Moses S., and Kumar A., (2015). The Design and fabrication of a manually operated single row multi - crops planter. J. Agric. and Vet. Sc. (IOSR-JAVS) 8(10) II:147-158.
Moussa, S. A )2019(. DETERMINATION OF OPTIMUM SEEDING RATE FOR SOME BREAD WHEAT CULTIVARS. Central Laboratory for Design and Statistical Analysis Research (CLDSAR). Cairo University Street, Giza.
Omar, M.N., Samak A. A.  and Elsisi S. F., (2022). Effect of the solar evaporative cooling and reducing the cover permeability on the production and quality of greenhouse cucumber. Misr Journal of Agricultural Engineering., 39 (3): 425 – 448 DOI: 10.21608/mjae.2022.133228.1071
Omar, M.N., Taha A.T., Samak A.A., Keshek M.H., Gomaa E.M. and Elsisi S.F. (2021). Simulation and validation model of cooling greenhouse by solar energy (P V) integrated with painting its cover and its effect on the cucumber production. Renewable Energy 172 (July 2021) 1154-1173, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.renene.2021.03.092
Rabbani, M. A., Hossain M. M., Asha J. F. and Khan N. A., (2016). Design and development of a low-cost planter for maize establishment. J. Sci. Technol. Environ. Inform. 04(01): 270-279
Ruiz J., Martínez P., Sadafi H., Aguilar F.J., Vicente P.G. and Lucas M., (2020). Experimental characterization of a photovoltaic solar-driven cooling system based on an evaporative chimney. Renewable Energy 161 (December 2020) 43 – 54. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.renene.2020.06.111
.Samak, A. A., Omar M. N. and Elsisi S. F. (2022). Developing and evaluating a multi nozzle spraying machine powered by solar energy for agricultural smallholdings. Misr Journal of Agricultural Engineering., 39 (3): 353 – 374.
UNDP (2013). Raised-bed planting in Egypt: an affordable technology to rationalize water use and enhance water productivity. Science Impacts Oct,4.
USDA (2023). United States Department of Agriculture. Egypt: Grain and Feed Annual. EG2023-0003. https://fas.usda.gov/data/egypt-grain-and-feed-annual-7.
Varnmakhasti, M. G., Mehdi G. V., Hossein M., Ali J., Shahin R., Mohsen H. and Kamran K., (2007). Some engineering properties of Paddy (var. Sazandagi). International J. of Agriculture and Biology, 9(5): 763-766.

Files

Share

How to cite

Statistics