1Project Coordinator, ICAR-Central Institute of Agricultural Engineering, Bhopal-462038, India
2ADG (Farm Engg.), Indian Council of Agricultural Research, KAB-II, New Delhi-110012
3Research Associate, ICAR-Central Institute of Agricultural Engineering, Bhopal-462038, India
4Senior Research Fellow, AICRP on Farm Implements and Machinery, ICAR-Central Institute of Agricultural Engineering, Bhopal-462038, India
*Corresponding author's E-mail: crmehta65@yahoo.co.in; cr.mehta@icar.gov.in
Online published on 2 January, 2019.
Potato is a major food crop grown in the world and nearly a third of the world's potatoes are harvested in China and India. It is a highly voluminous and labour intensive crop requiring about 600man-h/ha for different operations. Some basic machines like semi-automatic planters, inter-row cultivators, ridgers, sprayers, digger ploughs, digger elevators etc are being used in Punjab, Haryana and Western Uttar Pradesh in India for last couple of decades. However, the mechanization level in potato cultivation is very low in India. This paper discusses the status of mechanisation of potato cultivation in India. It also discusses improved tools and machinery developed and available for potato cultivation during last few years such as laser guided land leveller, vertical belt paired row and picker wheel type automatic potato planters, micro-irrigation methods such as drips and sprinklers, selfpropelled power weeder, potato combine etc adopted by a few farmers. It also highlights the need to develop light weight farm tools and equipment to mechanize potato cultivation in hilly region and low cost potato digger cum elevator or potato combine for plain region.
