Farm Machinery and Equipment-I 3(2+1)

Lesson 26. Transplanting machines for vegetables and paddy: working principles and constructional details

Paddy Transplanters:

 Transplanters are divided on the basis of

a) Source of Power

• Manual

• Self-propelled

• Fixed type finger

• Actuating type fingers

• Japanese rice transplanter

• Chinese rice transplanter

b) Type of nursery

• Mat type

• Root-wash type

Transplanters use special type of seedling i.e. mat type seedling.  But in some areas like North Korea root wash type of seedlings are popular.

            In case when transplanting is done with manual labour it requires Rs. 400/- to 500/- per acre or 5-8 man days.

Manual Rice Transplanter:   It consists of skid frame, movable tray and seed picking finger.  Mat type seedlings are placed on inclined trays.  When fingers are pushed downward they pick-up the seedlings and place them in ground.  Seedlings are left on the ground during return stroke.  Plant to plant spacing can be controlled by operator.  It may be 5-8 rows with comb type finger and working capacity 0.22-0.25 ha/8h.

Japanese or Chinese Rice Transplanter:

It is a self-propelled machine consisting of

1. Air-cooled gasoline clutch

2. Main clutch

3. Running clutch

4. Planting clutch

5. Seedling table

6. Float

7. Star-wheel

8. Accelerator lever

9. Ground wheel

10. Handle

11. Four-bar linkage mechanism

            Capacity for Chinese transplanter  = 2-3 acres/day

            Capacity for Japanese   transplanter = 4-5 acres/day

Seedlings:

• Seedling growing is the most tedious job for transplanters as it requires mat type of seedling which are grown with some special procedure and require extra attention and care.   

Procedure for Nursery Growing:

1) Level the field

2) Spread the polythene sheet over ground

3) Put frame over it. Width of frame is 15-18 mm

4) Sprinkle soil

5) Sprinkle seed

6) Cover the seed with soil

One frame will use 675 gm seeds.  In one acre 10-12 kg seed is required.  And in one acre 14-16 frames required in 20 m² area. 25-30 days old nursery is used for sowing with self-propelled rice transplanter.

Calibration:

Row to row spacing fixed = 23.5 cm.

Plant to plant spacing  =  10-12 cm

For adjusting plant to plant spacing:

• Measure ground wheel diameter and calculate perimeter.

• Give drive to ground wheel and count number of hills planted by actuating fingers.

• Plant-plant spacing = πd/number of times finger go down.