1Department of Agricultural Engineering, N.D.U.A.T., Kumarganj, Faizabad (U.P.) - 224229.
2Department of Vegetable Science, N.D.U.A.T., Kumarganj, Faizabad (U.P.) - 224229.
Potato is one of the major cash crops grown in rice-potata-wheat, maize-potata-wheat and rice-potato cropping sequences in eastern part of U.P. Most of the operations in potato farming areas are done manually engaging enormous man-power. If suitable planting and harvesting machines are used, labour requirement, sowing time and input cost can be minimized and production as well as productivity can be increased. A study was undertaken to compare the two-row semi-automatic belt type potato planter ridger with manual planting and earthing by spade and manual planting and earthing twice by Kudali (local method) at three farmers' fields during 1998–99.
The results indicated that there was a significant difference in crop yield amongst three treatments at 1% level of significance. However, location and interaction effects were not statistically significant. The analysis also revealed that the percentage of green potato in the yield was significantly higher in manual planting per hectares than potato planter ridger. Again the location and combination effects were not significant. The minimum man-hours (544 m-h/ha) were there in potato planter ridger and the maximum (2142 m-h/ha) in manual planting and earthing twice by Kudali. The input-output ratios were 1:1.80, 1:1.26 and 1:1.23 in tractor operated potato planter ridger, manual planting and earthing by spade and manual planting with earthing twice by Kudali, respectively.
