Design, Development And Performance Evaluation Of Two Wheel Tractor Drawn One Row Potato Digger

Abstract

Ethiopia Has The Highest Potential For Potato Production Than Any Country In Africa With 70% Of The 13.5 Million Ha Of Arable Land Suitable For Potato Cultivation. Potato Harvesting In Ethiopia Has Been Accomplished By Hand Using A Hoe And Fork Digger Leading Low Yield Of Potato Per Hectare. The Most Strenuous And Backbreaking Task Is Digging The Tubers Using A Hand Tool Such As A Hoe And Fork, Followed By Manual Collection. Therefore, This Study Aimed To Develop A Two-Wheel Tractor-Drawn One-Row Potato Digger For Harvesting Potatoes As Well As Separating And Transporting Them Over Soil Surface With Minimum Losses And Mechanical Damage. The Digger Encompasses The Support Frame, Blade, Separating Unit (Apron), Transmission System (Belt, Pulley, Cam, Arm, And Shaft), And Fifteen-Horse Power Two-Wheel Tractor. Physical Properties Of Potato Seed Were Investigated To Optimize The Design Of The Components Of The Digger. Every Component Of The Digger Was Designed Using Catiav5 Software. The Materials Used For The Fabrication Of Various Components Were Selected Considering Their Function And Strength Requirements. The Prototype Was Fabricated And Assembled In The Mekelle Agricultural Mechanization Of A Research Center. The Developed Digger Was Tested At Three Levels Of Forwarding Speeds (1.4, 2, And 2.5 Km/H) In Sandy Loam Soil. The Theoretical Field Capacity, Effective Field Capacity, Field Efficiency, Percent Losses, And Percent Damage At 1.4 Km/Hr Were 0.19 Ha/Hr, 0.162 Ha/Hr, 85.26%, 8%, And 5.3% Respectively. The Result Showed That The Sphericity Of Seed, Mean Percent Of Undug Potato, And Percent Of Potato Seed Damage Were 88.38%, 8%, And 5.3% Respectively. The Field Test Was Conducted At Speeds Of 1.4, 2, And 2.5 Km/H Speed On Sandy Loam Soil And Shows Good Digging Performance But 1.4 Km/H Speed Gave Better Operation Results Than Other Operating Speeds. The Cost Of Fabrication For The Development Of The Potato Digger Was 29073.43 Etb. According To The Performance Evaluation Results, It Is Concluded That The Prototype Harvester Was Easy, Efficient, And Affordable By Potato Producing Farmers Of The Tigray Region.