Agricultural Engineering International (E-Journal, CIGR - International Commission of Agricultural Engineering)
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Optimization of water distribution bed and its effects on water productivity, crop yield and nutritional indicators of pistachio trees: water productivity in pistachio trees
No full textThis research was carried out in Sarvestan city of Fars province in the southwest of Iran. Due to successive droughts, the groundwater resources of this city have decreased in terms of quantity and quality. Therefore, deficit irrigation in this area is inevitable and occurs mainly by increasing the irrigation cycle in pistachio orchards. Hence, a study was conducted in a pistachio orchard of Ahmad Aghaei cultivar in Sarvestan city during 2018-2020 with the aim of comparing irrigation water productivity, crop yield and machine farm efficiency in different water distribution substrates in the surface irrigation method with constant irrigation cycle. The experimental design was performed in the form of randomized complete blocks with 4 treatments of irrigation management in three replications. The treatments were: conventional flooding method with a strip width of 6 meters (Control treatment), the creek created on both sides of the tree row (Ditcher), reducing the strip width through the border created in the middle of the row of trees (Border) and the bed of Sine-Morghi created on both sides of the rows of trees (Kadval). The amount of irrigation water according to the inflow to each treatment and the time of cut off based on the management applied by the gardener in Control, Border, Kadval and Ditcher treatments was 8400, 4648, 4200 and 3080 cubic meters per hectare, respectively. The results showed that in both years of experiment in all treatments, irrigation water productivity increased compared to the control treatment. So that in the first year that the trees had good yield, the rate of increase in Ditcher, Kadval and Border treatments compared to the control treatment was 120, 91 and 62%, respectively. Also, according to the results of calculating the nutritional indices of pistachio leaf nutrients, it was observed that Ditcher treatment had the highest nutritional balance in the first year (1.6) and second (26.5) compared to the control. In terms of farm efficiency, there was no significant difference between the three types of Ditcher, Border, and Kadval machines, so there is no difference between their selection in the preparation of a water distribution bed for pistachio trees. Finally, Ditcher treatment was proposed as the best irrigation treatment for pistachio trees in the tested orchard
Physical, Cooking and Textural Properties of Composite Flour Noodles using Indigenous Food Grain of North-East India
Full text linkA study was conducted on the development of composite flour noodles using indigenous food grains of North-East India and assessment of their quality. The composite flour noodles were prepared in a single screw cold extruder using wheat flour (WF), black aromatic rice flour (BRF), white sticky rice flour (WRF), and millet flour (MF) in different proportions. The physical properties, cooking characteristics, textural characteristics, and sensory qualities of the noodle were examined. The results showed that the noodles' bulk density varied between 0.4 and 0.5 g/ml and their moisture content ranged from 8.63 to 8.91% (on a wet basis). The cooking loss, cooking yield and water absorption capacity of the noodles ranged from 7.9-13.4%, 271.5-370.9% and 1.72-2.71 g/g, respectively. As the amounts of MF and BRF decreased, a decrease in the hardness and adhesiveness of the noodles was observed. Based on the sensory evaluation, composite flour noodle having the maximum amount of BRF and MF was found to be the best-liked sample. In contrast to their lack of significance at the 95 percent confidence level for water absorption capacity, different proportions of WF, BRF, WRF, and MF have a substantial impact on colour difference, bulk density, cooking loss, and cooking yield
Optimized biodiesel production from Ricinus communis oil using CaO, C/CaO and KOH catalysts under conventional and ultrasonic conditions
Full text linkThis paper introduces a cheap local Ricinus communis, which grows in Jahrom, a warm region of southwest Iran, as a renewable energy source. Biodiesel production was investigated by employing CaO and C:CaO as heterogeneous catalysts and KOH as a homogenous catalyst. Conventional and ultrasonic-assisted methods were used considering different methanol to oil molar ratios (4:1, 6:1 and 8:1) and different temperatures (40 ˚C, 50 ˚C and 60 ˚C). The optimized production condition was assessed by response surface methodology (RSM). The results showed that the most suitable catalyst was C:CaO with a methanol to oil molar ratio of 6:1 and temperature of 60 ˚C. Using carbon with CaO increased biodiesel yield by around 20% compared to CaO alone. In all conditions, ultrasonic assistance improved biodiesel yield compared to the conventional method by around 11%. Furthermore, the biodiesel content increased with increasing ultrasonic power from 100 to 400 W. The properties of the produced biodiesel from Iranian castor oil meet the requirements of the EN 14214 biodiesel standard. Optimization of the biodiesel production under ultrasonic condition using RSM shows that the best temperature is 46.81 °C and the methanol to oil molar ratio is 5.25 by Cao:C catalyst
Evolution of sugar beet harvesters‘quality over the last decades, with special consideration of the methodical aspects of the test procedure
No full textThe publication comprises a description of a test method for sugar beet harvesting devices and presents the field test results from 1984 to 2012. Quality parameters examined for harvesters were beet mass losses (both surface and sub-surface), root breakage, soil tare, and topping quality (accuracy and crown retention). The tests were held at Seligenstadt Estate near Würzburg/Germany on a test plot with loess soil. The introduction together with the chapter methods focuses on the test method which is constituted as an international standard of the International Institute of Sugar Beet Research (IIRB) dedicated to unifying the assessment of the working quality of harvest machines. The results from the last test held in 2012 are introduced in more detail outlining the working quality of the participating harvesters representing the state of technique. As a review targeted to reveal the trend of the last decades the test results from the beginning in 1984 are presented with a preceding paragraph on the progress and changes in the design and functions of the harvest machines in this time range.
The test results outline a shift in the topping quality tending to a slighter topping of the beets to avoid mass losses due to excessive overtopping. The share of beets that are over-topped decreased in the last tests. Major mass losses over the entire time span originate from breakage of the root tips accounting for 2.7%, on the surface, and underground mass losses amount to 0.9%. Soil tare strongly depends on soil conditions (soil water content and soil type) having an average of 9.8% over test years. 
Design and Fabrication of a Low-Cost Drum Seeder for Paddy
No full textRice as a staple food crop, Bangladesh produces it extensively which raised the nation into the fourth-largest rice-grower in the world. Transplanting or direct seeding is a major task in rice cultivation where the manual transplanting method requires a huge labor cost which is beyond control in a peak season. Although mechanical rice transplanter becomes popularization the land preparation and seedling rising as a pre transplanting task is costly and labor-intensive. On the other hand, manual broadcasting and machine seeding direct method still exist due to the above method’s problem. Considering spacing accuracies for intercultural operation, drum seeders are an easy and convenient method for Bangladeshi farmers. This research was carried out to design and develop a drum seeder considering existing problems related to the spacing accuracies and cost optimization. It was tested for paddy seeds under laboratory setup. The developed drum seeder has double-rows with 20 cm row spacing which has a 2.4 m working width and weighing only 15 kg. The calibration test of the seeder reveals that the seed rate increased with the decrease in amount of seeds filled with hopper. Filling with one-fourth of drum’s full capacity results the optimum seed rate (86.33 kg/ha). On the other hand, non-acceptable seed rate was found (26.68 kg/ha) when the drum was filled of its full capacity. The performance of the seeder in the laboratory setup was satisfactory and the overall cost to fabricate the drum seeder was found BDT 2000 which is acceptable for farmers. An extension is needed to adopt the drum seeder to the Bangladeshi farmers
Effect mechanical on rice husking for test two machines
No full textThe experiment was conducted to evaluated Effect of husking process on the rice productivity for two cultivars Mashkhab (M-33) and Jasmine (JA). Two types of machines (S-KB40 and Y-ST50) were tested at three ranges of clearance between cylinders of 0.5 mm, 0.7mm and 0.9mm for two rice cultivars of JA and M-33. The experiments were carried out in a factorial experiment under complete randomized design with three replications, the study was of the characteristics following machine productivity, power required and husking efficiency, and the qualitative characteristics for two rice JA and M-33 cultivars included, broken rice ratio and head rice . The results showed that S-KB40 machine is better than Y-ST50 machine in all studied conditions for both two rice JA and M-33 cultivars. The clearance 0.9 was significantly superior to the other two levels of 0.5 and 0.7 mm in all studied condition except the husking efficiency for both two rice JA and M-33 cultivars
Prediction of Draft Force for Ard plows Using Dimensional Analysis in Silt Loam Soil
Full text linkThe aim of this research is to determine the draft force of Ard plough in silt loam soil. Field and laboratories test were taken to measure the actual draft force and utilize it as input for draft prediction. PI-Buckingham's pi theorem using dimensional analysis used to develop a mathematical model. IBM SPSS statistics software was applied to validate and verify the developed model. The relationship between the measured and predicted values of the draft force evaluated R2 is 0.91. The predicted draft force value of skewness and kurtosis is in the range of accepted values. The performance of the predicted draft force was checked using RRMSE and CRM. Investigation findings demonstrate that the derived mathematical equation was successful and viable for predicting the draft force of an ard plow in silt loam soil.
Keywords: Ard plow, Dimensional analysis, Draft force, Mathematical Equation, Silt loam soi
Potentials of Waste Cooking Oil from Vacuum Fryer as Biodiesel
Full text linkRenewable energy is necessary because of its potential in providing a steady supply of power without depleting natural resources. Analyzing the potential of converting waste cooking oil (WCO)from vacuum fryer into biodiesel is presented in this study as fuel source for daily use. Filtration of WCO was done before the process of biodiesel production with the use of granulated activated charcoal. This was done to remove the particles in the WCO. The conversion of WCO into biodiesel undergone the process of transesterification using sodium hydroxide (NaOH) as catalyst. Three-factor three-level complete factorial design was used in the study. The levels of catalyst concentration were 0.8 g, 1.0 g, and 1.2 g mixed with 250 mL of filtered WCO and 65 mL of methanol. On the other hand, the levels of reaction time were 30 min, 60 min, and 90 min while the level of agitation speed were set at 400 rpm, 600 rpm, and 800 rpm. Results showed that the combination of 0.8 g catalyst, 90 min reaction time, and 800 rpm agitation speed has the highest biodiesel yield of 262.33 mL. Statistical analysis showed that catalyst concentration is the only parameter that is significant. This sample was sent to a private laboratory for chemical analysis using ASTM D874 (sulfated ash), ASTM D445 (kinematic viscosity at 40oC), and ASTM D2709 (water and sediment in middle distillate fuel). Results of the chemical analysis showed that the sample was beyond maximum limit of the three methods used in testing, thus, was not suitable for engine used but can be used as fuel source for cooking
Design and manufacturing of cassava grater machine for cassava growers in Ethiopia
No full textThis study was conducted to design and fabricate the cassava grater machine from locally sourced materials. Ethiopia is one of the well-known producers of cassava in Africa as the source of food with an estimated annual yield. In this research work, stainless steel was entirely utilized for the fabrication of the machine. The fabricated machine primarily comprises a feeding hopper, housing, grating drum, discharge chute, frame, shaft, and power transmission unit. The cassava grater machine was powered by a five-horsepower (5 hp) engine which revolves at a continuous speed. The weight determination results indicated that the weight for the machine components of the grating drum, shaft, hopper, and pulley was determined as 146.2, 58.86, 10.20, and 29.92 N respectively. According to design analysis results, grating force, grating power, torque, belt tension, speed ratio, distance between driven and driving pulley, lap angle, and shaft diameter were found to be 293.3 N, 5 hp, 18.62 Nm, 1936.4 N, 1:4, 0.13 m, 2.86 rad, and 30 mm respectively. The preliminary test results showed that the operating speed of 1350 rpm had the maximum grating capacity with a mean of 386.2 kg h-1 followed by 1250 rpm and 1050 rpm with a mean of 341.6 kg h-1 and 248.5 kg h-1. It was also observed that the operating speeds of 1350 rpm had the maximum grating efficiency with a mean of 97.1% followed by 1250 rpm and 1050 rpm with the means of 94.9% and 87.9%, respectively. This cassava grater machine was accessible to Ethiopian farmers
Utilizing Solar Energy to Melt Beeswax
No full textThis research examines the potential of utilizing solar energy to melt recycled old combs and capping wax byproducts, aiming to produce raw beeswax. The solar-powered beeswax melter comprises a stainless steel tank, a lean-to structure with polycarbonate sheet covers, a wooden solar heater, and parallel rows of PV solar panels. The study compares three different beeswax melting methods: the traditional water bath method, melting solely using solar energy, and melting using solar energy combined with additional heat from solar panels. The efficiency of the melting process and the bulk temperature of the melted beeswax were measured during the conventional water bath method. For the solar-powered wax melters, the melting process efficiency, bulk temperature of the melted wax, and various macroclimatic factors such as sunlight radiation, temperature, and relative humidity were recorded. Based on the experimental findings, the beeswax melting efficiency was determined to be 73.4% for the traditional water bath method, while it reached 85.5% and 87.2% for the solar methods, respectively. Therefore, it is recommended to employ the solar methods for melting beeswax.