Modification and Performance Evaluation of Soil Loosening System of a Cassava Harvester

Year 2024, Volume: 8 Issue: 2, 49 - 57, 30.06.2024

Johnson Fasinmirin , Olufemi Adetola , Ayobami Oni

Abstract

Cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) provides food and income to approximately 500 million farmers, but the most significant barrier to commercial production is the harvesting of cassava, hence this research aimed to investigate the impact of disc properties on the performance of a cassava harvester's soil loosening system. The materials used for the modification entail a double chain system, P30 bearing, two shafts of 40mm diameter and 2ft in length. The cassava harvester was attached to a tractor using the 3-point linkage system and 4 turns were carried out on the field (sandy-clay soil) both on cassava planted on a ridge and flat manual clearing using TMS 419 and TMC 419 cassava varieties at an angle of 30°, 45°, 60°, and 90° at depth of 10 cm, 20 cm, and 30 cm. The best results were seen in field testing utilizing the cassava harvester/soil loosening device on manual ridging, which have greater tuber yields and root tuber orientation with little or no damage to cassava tubers than flat manual clearing. Due to its bunchy form, TMS 419 was found to adapt itself more easily to mechanized harvesting than TMC 419 cassava variety. The cassava harvester performed best in fields with little trash or weeds and relatively dry soils with a moisture content of 13.57 % and a penetration depth of 20 cm. With a tractor speed of 4.2 km/h, soil bulk density of 1.36 g/cm, and a field capacity of 1.9 to 2.5 h/ha, the best harvesting performance was achieved. The field is left plowed after mechanized harvesting, conserving fuel, time, and money. However, to select acceptable regions for mechanical harvesting and to promote widespread adoption, it is advised that the harvester be tested on the field in all agroecological zones and under a variety of soil moisture regimes.

Keywords

Design, disc, fabricated, impact, investigate, properties, properties

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