Development and Laboratory Testing of a Single-Row Maize Picker for Smallholder Farmers in Bangladesh

Öz

Maize harvesting is one of the most crucial field operations throughout maize cultivation. Despite the widespread adoption of mechanized maize harvesting globally, Bangladesh has not yet mechanized this stage, with the exception of the threshing process. To address this gap, this present study aimed to design and evaluate key components of a proposed single-row maize picker—specifically the picking rollers and the picking board—in a laboratory setting. Performance testing was conducted at a moisture content of 15.5% for maize kernels (wet basis) and maize plants with a moisture content of 80% (wet basis). Three types of inwardly rotating reversed picking rollers were tested: Type-1 (spiral-rib roller with a picking board), Type-2 (spiral rib with an extra pulling section), and Type-3 (straight fluted knife roller without a picking board). A 2.94 kW diesel engine was used for picking tests, and the tests were conducted at 450, 550, and 650 rpm. The tests used locally cultivated maize varieties Bijoy 71, 3355, and Power 55 and evaluated performance in terms of picking efficiency and ear blockage. The Type-1 roller achieved picking efficiencies of 0%, 60%, and 93.3% at 450, 550, and 650 rpm, respectively, with a picking board clearance of 24 mm and an edge angle of 14°. The Type-2 roller showed picking efficiencies of 0%, 53.3%, and 86.7%, while the Type-3 roller showed picking efficiencies of 73.3%, 93.3%, and 100% at the same speeds and with a roller clearance of 24 mm. Ear blockages were more frequent at lower speeds but decreased at higher speeds. These results provide important information for optimizing roller design and operational parameters, contributing to the development of an efficient and affordable maize picker suited to small-scale farming and local agro-climatic conditions in Bangladesh.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Agricultural mechanization
• Maize harvesting
• Small-scale farming
• Test bench
• Picking performance

Destekleyen Kurum

Institute of Research and Training (IRT), Hajee Mohammad Danesh Science and Technology University, Dinajpur-5200, Bangladesh

Etik Beyan

There is no need to obtain permission from the ethics committee for this study.

Teşekkür

This research was supported by the Institute of Research and Training (IRT), Hajee Mohammad Danesh Science and Technology University (HSTU), Dinajpur-5200, Bangladesh, under the fiscal year 2021-2022.

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