Manufacturing of a Lateral Conveyor Head Suitable for Mowing Seed-Producing Alfalfa

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Agric. Eng. Res. Inst. Dokki, Giza 12611, Egypt

Abstract

Replacing the header of the reaper-binder with an alternative head suitable for mowing the dry clover crop (specifically alfalfa bred to retain seeds) aims to enhance operational efficiency by reducing mowing losses, labor costs, and saving time. The study examined several variables including reaper forward speeds, lateral velocities of the transport catenary, moisture contents in seed bolls, and plant stems. It then evaluated their impact on seed loss, machine capacity, field efficiency, specific energy, and operational costs. The research documented that the most favorable results were attained at a forward speed of 2.52 km/h, a lateral transport velocity of 0.8 m/s, and a seed boll moisture content of 18%. At these parameters, seed loss amounted to 1.94%, while achieving a field efficiency of 90.17% and a field capacity of 1.32 fed/h. The specific energy required was 9.95 kW.h/fed, and the operational cost totaled 800 EGP/fed, demonstrating a decrease of 21.5% compared to the traditional method.

Keywords

Journal of Soil Sciences and Agricultural Engineering
Volume 14, Issue 12
December 2023
Pages 431-436

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