Development and evaluation of a semi-automatic pepper seedling transplanter

Manual transplanting of pepper seedlings is a common among smallholder farmers in Ghana and other countries in sub-Saharan Africa. This limits productivity and affects the health of the farmers. Hence in this study, a single-row semi-automatic transplanting machine suitable for transplanting pepper (Capsicum annuum L) seedlings was developed and evaluated under field conditions. The underlying planting mechanism is a combination of crank-rocker and actuator-cam mechanisms. The device allows the seedlings to be placed on a tray holder while being hitched to a power tiller for operation. In evaluating the performance of the transplanter, a 2 × 3 factorial arrangement in a randomised complete block design (RCBD) with three replicate blocks was used. The factors considered include transplanting depth (4 cm, 6 cm and 8 cm) and method (manual and machine transplanting). The transplanter performed best at 8 cm depth, achieving 84.44 % transplanting success, 72.33 % field efficiency, and 97.43 % seedling survival, while the 4 cm depth resulted in the lowest performance. The transplanter was estimated to have saved 67 % time in comparison to doing so manually.