Design, Fabrication And Performance Test Of Two Row Animal Drawn Maize Row Planter With Fertilizer Applicator

Abstract

This Study Focused On The Design, Fabrication And Performance Evaluation Of A Two Row Animal Drawn Maize Planter That Is Cheap, Easily Affordable By The Farmers, Easy To Maintain And Less Laborious To Use. The Planter Consists Of The Main Frame, Handle, Seed And Fertilizer Hopper, Seed Metering Device, Adjustable Furrow Opener, Adjustable Furrow Closer, Drive Wheels, Seed Tube And Ball Bearings. Most Of These Were Fabricated From Mild Steel Material. The Planter Is Simple To Use, The Various Adjustments Are Made With Ease, And It Is Maintenance Free, Except For The Bearings Which Needs To Be Lubricated. Physical Properties Of Maize Seeds Were Investigated To Optimize The Design Of The Planter?�?S Components. The Performances Were Evaluated In Terms Of Percent Seed Miss Index, Percent Seed Multiple Index, Percent Quality Seed Feed Index, Percent Seed Precision Index, Depth Of Planting, Plant Count/Stand, Field Capacity, Field Efficiency, Labour Cost And Economics Of Owning And Operating. The Experimental Design Used Was Factorial Design. The Result Showed That The Sphericity Of Seed, Percent Of Visible Mechanical Seed Damage And Mean Percent Of Seed Germination Were 71.56??7.10%, 1.01?? 0.37% And 94.58??0.21 Respectively. The Analysis Revealed That The Forward Operational Speed Of The Planter Had Significant Effect On Percent Seed Miss Index, Percent Seed Multiple Index, Percent Quality Seed Feed Index And Percent Seed Precision Index At P < 0.05. The Mean Field Capacity, Field Efficiency And Depth Were 0.21 Ha/Hr, 86 % And 4.6+ 0.3 Cm Respectively. The Cost Of Fabrication For The Development Of The Planter Was 8,053 Birr. Based On The Performance Evaluation Results, It Is Concluded That The Prototype Planter Was Easy, Efficient And Affordable By Maize Producing Farmers Of Ethiopia.