Authors : S.I. Manuwa, O.O. Odubanjo, B.O. Malumi and S.G. Olofinkua
Abstract: Weed control is a major problem for peasant farmers in Nigeria. Majority of these farmers do control weed using hand tools like hoes and cutlasses and so on. Though, this method proves useful yet it is very demanding of labour and full of drudgery. This is further compounded by the low interest shown by the youth in agriculture in the last one-decade or so. To solve this problem, an engine powered row crop mechanical weeder was designed, fabricated and tested at the Federal University of Technology, Akure, Nigeria. The main features of the weeder were: a 5 hp Internal Combustion (IC) petrol engine as prime mover, power transmission system, three sets of weeding blades, main frame and ground wheels. The overall width, length and height of the weeder are: 0.32, 0.85 and 0.65 m, respectively. The width of cut of the machine was 0.24 m, while the speed of the cutting blades was 800 rpm. The average fuel consumption of the engine was 0.7 L h-1 at maximum speed. Field tests showed that under moist field condition, the weeding efficiency was 95% and effective weeding capacity was 0.053 ha h-1. The cost of producing the model weeder was estimated at about US$ 285 in 2007.
S.I. Manuwa, O.O. Odubanjo, B.O. Malumi and S.G. Olofinkua, 2009. Development and Performance Evaluation of a Row-Crop Mechanical Weeder. Journal of Engineering and Applied Sciences, 4: 236-239.