PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF PRECISION GROUNDNUT DIGGER-INVERTER

Conventional groundnut digger blades are labor-intensive, time-consuming, and have high yield losses (up to 30%). The objective of this study was to adopt a precision groundnut harvesting technology in the country to reduce groundnut harvesting losses and to compare its performance with the conventional digger blade. Agricultural Engineering Institute, NARC, PARC imported a precision groundnut digger-inverter from the USA. This machine was tested at farmer’s fields and its performance was compared with the conventional digger. Data from both machines were collected for total digging losses, viz exposed pod losses, unexposed pod losses, damaged pod losses, and undug pod losses from different locations in the Pothohar region of Punjab, Pakistan. Results revealed that total pod losses using an imported precision digger shaker harvesting machine were 4.76%, whereas the total losses of a conventional digger were 28.26%. The operational cost using a conventional digger was Rs. 4,400/a, which was reduced to Rs. 2,350/a using a precision digger-inverter. The net benefit in terms of recoverable losses was Rs. 14,050 per acre. It is concluded that a significant amount of losses is reduced and farmer profit increases by adopting precision groundnut digger-inverter. There is a need to upscale this technology in the country's groundnut growing areas to reduce harvesting losses.