Design, Development and Testing of 6-Row Compost Applicator Machine

The study was conducted in the month of January during the year 2022–23 at G. B Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Pantnagar, Uttarakhand, India (29° 02’ 60.00” N, 79° 30’ 59.99” E). In this machine a screw conveyor metering mechanism was developed for disposed the manure into the subsoil. Hence a mechanism was designed which could mixed the vermicompost properly and then disposed it in correct ratio So a screw flight of pitch 90 mm and a thickness of screw of 3 mm was welded over the solid shaft. The length of the shaft was 1800 mm with a pitch angle of 29⁰. The metering mechanism was evaluated for three screw flight outer diameters (96, 106, and 116 mm) were selected and tested in the workshop for performance evaluation of screw mechanism at four different moisture contents (13,21, 31, and 43%) respectively. Therefore, the result pertained that for handling of vermicompost manure at a discharge rate of 10 t ha⁻¹, the screw conveyor flight of outer diameter 116 mm, vermicompost moisture of 43 % (dry basis) and the tractor forward speed was normally maintained between 2.0 to 3.0 km h⁻¹ were recommended respectively. In the field evaluation, the average width of operation, row to row spacing, depth of operation, field capacity, and field efficiency were 1.2 m, 0.2 m, 0.1 m, 0.4 ha h⁻¹, 81.17% at 3 km h⁻¹. The developed machine was found suitable for placing the manure in row at certain depth.

Vermicompost manure is considered a high rich organic nitrogen manure which improves soil fertility.

The study was aimed that to design a 6-row compost applicator machine for easy application of vermicompost manure below the soil surface and reduces the global warming due to ammonia emission from the fertilizer to the atmosphere.

The study revealed that machine improves the field conditions.

The developed machine suitable for placing the compost in row at certain depth.