AGY 210 Introduction To General Agriculture (Crops) Lecture 1 PDF

AGY 210: INTRODUCTION TO GENERAL AGRICULTURE (CROPS) [AGRICULTURAL MECHANIZATION SECTION] Lecture 1 Course Lecturer O.A. SADIKU AGY 210: AGRICULTURAL MECH. SECTION 1.0 INTRODUCTION By definition, agricultural mechanization is simply the reduction or c...

AGY 210: INTRODUCTION TO GENERAL AGRICULTURE (CROPS) [AGRICULTURAL MECHANIZATION SECTION] Lecture 1 Course Lecturer O.A. SADIKU AGY 210: AGRICULTURAL MECH. SECTION 1.0 INTRODUCTION By definition, agricultural mechanization is simply the reduction or complete substitution of human labour in the production process with the aim of increasing productivity per man. By this definition, nothing is implied about the means for that reduction, the size of machine or scale of operation. Its governing philosophy is Appropriateness and Completeness. 2 Another definition of agric. Mechanization was given by Anzodo (1986) as: the process of development and introduction of mechanized assistance of all forms and at any level of sophistication in agricultural production in order to -reduce human drudgery; -Improve timeliness and efficiency of various farm operations; -bring more land under cultivation; -Provide better rural living conditions and markedly advance the economic growth of the rural sector. From this definition, agric. mech. Thus means more than availability and use of tractors and modern equipment in agriculture. 3 It also does not necessarily imply large scale mechanized farming. The basic aim is ‘more food and higher profits, not machines’. 1.1 Objectives of Mechanization To improve timeliness in critical operations like ploughing, planting, weeding and harvesting. To induce better management by providing more free time for study and planning [since it is labour saving]. To stimulate increased production through increased hectarages and through more thorough recovery of useful products. To enable the performance of tasks that would be impossible by hand e.g. application of toxic chemicals, land grading etc. 4  To increase the marketability and price of farm produce by facilitating processing.  To generate a rapid rate of social and economic development especially in the rural areas.  1.2 Essentials for successful farm mechanization These have the Farmer as an individual in focus.  Independence in decision making Basic decisions about the type of input, method of production, timing of operation and so on, should be left to the farmer. Advice may be given but the Farmer takes the final decision. 5  Complete control and mastery of the means of production The procurement of inputs like seeds, fertilizers, chemicals, tractors and implements and even sales of produce should be entirely left to the farmer(s) cooperatives. When these are Government controlled, agriculture declines because of remoteness or apathy of government officials. A good knowledge of the science of seeds, fertilizers, chemicals and the engineering of farm implements is important. The execution of various operations using various methods and machines, their effectiveness and relative costs, adjustments and minor repairs must be thoroughly imbibed by the farmer/agric. Manager. 6 It is through such mastery that the full potentials of seeds, fertilizer, chemicals and machines are realized. Painstaking and Far-sighted planning for needs and operations Timeliness in agric. operations deserves emphasis, and if possible, all inputs should be available before enterprise commences. For example, delays in planting, weeding and chemical applications depress yield by climatic escape, physiologic responses, pest and disease incidence etc.; while delays in harvesting and processing result in losses of some desired attributes due to over- ripening, over-drying, over-maturing, shattering, lodging, pest and disease attack etc. Each operation should fall in its proper sequence and itself be carefully planned. 7 The degree of thoroughness in performing an operation influences subsequent ones e.g ploughing and harrowing facilitates the performance of Planters and Cultivators. Comprehensive set of production machines, systems or methods Every one of the operations that are necessary for the production must be provided for in the size, magnitude and number envisaged. The least capacity often governs the size of farm operations, e.g. the capacity to plough large hectarages must be matched by equal capacity for planting, weeding, spraying, harvesting and storing. Otherwise, the enterprise bogs down. It is therefore necessary to discuss all the stages involved in agric. Production from bush clearing to storage. 8 2.1 The Agricultural Tractor The role of the agricultural tractor in food production cannot be over emphasized neither should it be underestimated. In the early days of tractor power, the standard tractor was designed principally for ploughing and other heavy draught applications. The present day all-purpose tractor has been designed to be capable of operating efficiently a very wide range of implements and machines other than those employed in cultivation. 9 Many devices have been incorporated in the mechanism of the tractor for this purpose. Thus apart from land cultivation, power can be tapped from the tractor for the following operations: Seed drilling and planting Spraying (chemical application) Harvesting Hauling and transporting Processing operations e.g. shelling, grinding, cleaning and sorting. Pumping irrigation or drainage water Electricity generating and many others. 10 Power available from the tractor can be used indefinitely, provided reasonable attention is paid to the lubrication and it is kept supplied with fuel. Although the operator will require his rest, it is not unusual for tractors to work around the clock when relief operators are available for shifts. 2.1.1 Tractor classification Tractors can be classified as follows: Fuel used: This could be Petrol, Diesel, Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) Biodiesel (a blend of diesel and ethanol) and electric (for industrial tractors mainly). Wheel arrangement & horse power rating: (a)2-wheel walking type; (b)4-wheel garden tractor (less than 15 kw); 11 A typical Electric Tractor 12 (c) 4-wheel regular (general purpose); (d) 4-high clearance (field cultivation); (e) 4-wheel tricycle front (field cultivation); (f) 3-wheel tricycle; ½-track; (g) 4WD-high horse power (100 – 200 hp). Permanent or selective front wheel drive (front wheel assisted, FWA); (h) Track-type-tracklayers sometimes referred to as ‘Crawlers’ are tractors of large horsepower rating and are usually used for heavy field work. Make and model: Just as there are several makes of tractors, there are also different models of each make. The newer models come as an improvement over the earlier ones. The model number comes after the make e.g. John Deere 1030, 1130,1630; David Brown 885 and 885G etc. 13 However, the following makes of tractors are available in Nigeria: Massey Ferguson, David Brown, John Deere, Ford, International, Steyr, Mark, Belarus, Zetor, Deutz etc. 2.1.2 Attributes of the Agricultural tractor a)Constant speed The tractor is a constant speed source up and down a slope. Field operations are done at specific speeds which have to be maintained (i.e. constant). Only the tractor can give this. Table 1 shows results obtained with Massey Ferguson, MF 260 at ½ throttle, up and down the slope. From the table, observe that the times at corresponding points are similar. A plot of distance (m) versus time (sec) is surely a straight line. 14  The tractor can be a constant output source with the use of devices like the automatic draft control and traction control. Table 1: Massey Ferguson 260 Speed Up and Down the Slope at ½ Throttle Distance Gear 2L [t sec] Gear 2H [t sec] Gear 3H [t sec] (m) Up Down Up Down Up Dowm 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 6 14 10 3.5 3.5 1.5 1.5 12 19 20 7 6.8 3 3 18 28 29 10.5 10 4 4 24 36 38 14 13 5 5.5 30 45.5 46.5 17.5 16.5 6.5 6.5 36 54 57 21 20.5 8 8 The throttle position determines tractor speed at any gear. Speed approximately doubles when throttle opening is doubled [see Table 2]. 15 It is therefore possible to select precise speed for the best performance of field and barn operations. Table 2: Speed ratio of throttle position: MF 260 Gear Speed ½ throttle Speed 1/1 throttle Speed ½ throttle m/sec m/sec Speed 1/1 throttle 1L 0.44 0.88 0.50 1H 1.74 3.08 0.57 2L 0.66 1.19 0.55 2H 2.58 4.69 0.55 3L 1.24 2.26 0.55 3H 5.08 - - The high position of the gears gives about four times greater speed than low position. For example, the ratio of gear 1H to gear 1L at ½ throttle is 3.95 while at 1/1 throttle it is 3.47. Similarly, gear ratio 2H/2L at ½ throttle is 3.91 while at 1/1 throttle it is 3.94 16  Gear 3H (and 2H on some models) is for transport and not for field operations. The recommended tractor speeds for some operations are as follows: Table 3: Recommended tractor speeds for field operations. Operation Speed (km/h) Tillage 4.7-9.7 Row-crop planting combined with fertilizer 4.7-10.0 and herbicide application Fertilizer application and spraying 4.7-7.9 Cultivation, forage harvesting 2.5-5.4 Combine 3.7-5.4 The speeds are however affected by the operator’s skill, quality of each operation, traction of tractor wheels i.e. achievable speed, landscape and condition (whether sloping, rough, rooty or stumpy etc. and the power (horsepower) available. 17  Other important provisions on the tractor are: (a)A live or independent power-take-off [PTO] shaft is provided for driving implements (i.e. provides rotary power) The normal operating standard speeds of the PTO are 540 and 1000 revolutions per minute [rpm]. (b)A hydraulic system for operating implements like tipping trailer. (c)Adjustable wheels for widths ranging from 1.2-2.0 m. (d)3-point linkage system for mounting implements. (e)Head and rear lights. 18  Tractor Draw bar 3-Point linkage system 19 Electric generator being driven by a tractor PTO drive. PTO shaft being connected via a Universal joint The PTO shaft 20