Performance of a Battery-Powered Self-Propelled Coriander Harvester

Coriander is a significant crop, playing an essential role in daily life for various purposes, including flavouring curries and medicinal uses, among others. Despite its importance, coriander is still harvested manually. To address this, developed a self-propelled battery-operated coriander harvester, designed with ergonomics, environmental sustainability and affordability for small and marginal farmers in mind. The harvester is equipped with a main frame, a lead-acid battery, a BLDC motor, a reciprocating cutter bar, a PU conveyor belt, a collection bag, a handle, and transport wheels. The harvester was tested on the coriander crop, and the results were analyzed using Design Expert software to optimize various operational parameters. The harvester’s performance was evaluated at three forward speeds: 1.5 km/h, 2 km/h, and 2.5 km/h, resulting in covered areas of 0.114 ha, 0.164 ha, and 0.22 ha, with field efficiency values of 76%, 82%, and 88%, respectively. Optimal harvesting conditions were identified by design expert software at a forward speed of 1.64 km/h, with a conveyor driving pulley at level 3 (50.8 mm) and a cutting height at level 2 (75 mm). Under these conditions, the harvester achieved a harvesting efficiency of 97.24% and a cutting efficiency of 98.2%, with minimal conveying loss of 0.96%. The theoretical field capacity was 0.16 ha/h, the actual field capacity was 0.131 ha/h, and the overall field efficiency was 81.8%.