Improving Farm Tractor-Implement Management Using Decision Support System (Dss): The Case Of Wonji-Shoa Sugar Factory, Ethiopia

Abstract

A Huge Number Of Farm Tractors And Implements Of Various Types And Sizes Are Owned By Wonji-Shoa Sugar Factory. Selection Of Farm Machinery Based On Soil Type, Farm Size, And Crop Type Is Essential To Reduce Operation And Fixed Costs Which Wssf Lacks. The Absence Of Proper Farm Machinery Selection Also Resulted In An Unbalanced Distribution Of Machinery And Agricultural Operations Throughout The Years. The Other Crucial Element Of Farm Machinery Management Is The Decision Of When To Replace The Old, Worn-Out Farm Equipment With New Ones. Piles Of Scrap Indicate A Lack Of Maintenance Facilities And Farm Machinery Replacement Strategies At Wonji Shoa Sugar Factory. The Objective Of This Study Was To Improve Tractor- Implement Management System Of Wonji-Shoa Sugar Factory By Developing The Decision Support System (Dss).To Evaluate Machinery Selection, Thre A Huge Number Of Farm Tractors And Implements Of Various Types And Sizes Are Owned By Wonji-Shoa Sugar Factory. Selection Of Farm Machinery Based On Soil Type, Farm Size, And Crop Type Is Essential To Reduce Operation And Fixed Costs Which Wssf Lacks. The Absence Of Proper Farm Machinery Selection Also Resulted In An Unbalanced Distribution Of Machinery And Agricultural Operations Throughout The Years. The Other Crucial Element Of Farm Machinery Management Is The Decision Of When To Replace The Old, Worn-Out Farm Equipment With New Ones. Piles Of Scrap Indicate A Lack Of Maintenance Facilities And Farm Machinery Replacement Strategies At Wonji Shoa Sugar Factory. The Objective Of This Study Was To Improve Tractor- Implement Management System Of Wonji-Shoa Sugar Factory By Developing The Decision Support System (Dss).To Evaluate Machinery Selection, Three Soil Types; Heavy Clay, Vertisol, And Sandy Loam Were Selected With Four Activities. The Draft Force, The Drawbar Power, Fuel Consumption, Oee, And Pur Were DeterMined At Different Speeds. At A 95 % Level Of Confidence For Each Approach, The Statistical Analysis Program "Ibm Spss Statistics 26" Was Used To Undertake The Anova, CorrelaTion, And Multiple Linear Regressions Of The Obtained Data. The Results Revealed That The Furrowing Operation Had The Lowest Draft Force, Drawbar Power, Fuel Consumption, And Energy Efficiency Of 14 Kn, 12.65 Kw, 13 Lit/Hr, And 8.7 % Respectively In Sandy Loam Soil Type. The Maximum Draft Force Of 79.8 Kn And Drawbar Power Of 131 Kw Were Noted For Sub soiling Operation In Heavy Clay Soil. The Results Also Indicate That Surplus Tractor Power Was Observed For All Field Activities. To Evaluate The Maintenance And Replacement Strategies, Tractors Were Categorized Into Different Groups Based On Their Make And CaPacity Rating. The Period (In Years) When The Total Annual Cost Reached Its Minimum Value, Was Decided As The Economic Life Of A Tractor. Accordingly, It Was Observed That The Total Annual Cost Is Determined To Be Lowest In The Fifth Year (17859.63 Usd), Seventh Year (10729.63 Usd), Sixth Year (4502.7usd), And Eighth Year (4581.6 Usd), For John Deere 333, Same 130, New Holland 80 And Massey Ferguson 150, Tractors Respectively For Optimum Replacement Years. The Field Experimental Validated Dss Result Indicated That It Was Possible To Save A Total Of 5,925 Birr/Ha Fuel Cost And 592.2 Birr/Ha Lubrication Cost For All Tillage Activities Studied. It Was Concluded That The Tractors Considered In This Study For Land Preparation Were Not Compatible With The Implement Attached To Them And Were Overpowered. It Is Recommended To Use The Dss Before Planning Any Field Activity And Study The Soil Type And Condition For Better Tractor-Implement Selection As It Affects Overall Machinery Management, Performance And, Operation Costs.e Soil Types; Heavy Clay, Vertisol, And Sandy Loam Were Selected With Four Activities. The Draft Force, The Drawbar Power, Fuel Consumption, Oee, And Pur Were Determined At Different Speeds. At A 95 % Level Of Confidence For Each Approach, The Statistical Analysis Program "Ibm Spss Statistics 26" Was Used To Undertake The Anova, Correlation, And Multiple Linear Regressions Of The Obtained Data. The Results Revealed That The Furrowing Operation Had The Lowest Draft Force, Drawbar Power, Fuel Consumption, And Energy Efficiency Of 14 Kn, 12.65 Kw, 13 Lit/Hr, And 8.7 % Respectively In Sandy Loam Soil Type. The Maximum Draft Force Of 79.8 Kn And Drawbar Power Of 131 Kw Were Noted For Subsoiling Operation In Heavy Clay Soil. The Results Also Indicate That Surplus Tractor Power Was Observed For All Field Activities. To Evaluate The Maintenance And Replacement Strategies, Tractors Were Categorized Into Different Groups Based On Their Make And CaPacity Rating. The Period (In Years) When The Total Annual Cost Reached Its Minimum Value, Was Decided As The Economic Life Of A Tractor. Accordingly, It Was Observed That The Total Annual Cost Is Determined To Be Lowest In The Fifth Year (17859.63 Usd), Seventh Year (10729.63 Usd), Sixth Year (4502.7usd), And Eighth Year (4581.6 Usd), For John Deere 333, Same 130, New Holland 80 And Massey Ferguson 150, Tractors Respectively For Optimum Replacement Years. The Field Experimental Validated Dss Result Indicated That It Was Possible To Save A Total Of 5,925 Birr/Ha Fuel Cost And 592.2 Birr/Ha Lubrication Cost For All Tillage Activities Studied. It Was Concluded That The Tractors Considered In This Study For Land Preparation Were Not Compatible With The Implement Attached To Them And Were Overpowered. It Is Recommended To Use The Dss Before Planning Any Field Activity And Study The Soil Type And Condition For Better Tractor-Implement Selection As It Affects OverAll Machinery Management, Performance And, Operation Costs.