Design, Development and Performance Evaluation of a Battery-Operated Cycle Weeder

Groundnut or peanut is one of the important legume crops in India. The initial 15-60 days period of crop growth is considered to be the most critical period for weeding. Weed intensification can reduce groundnut yield by 15% to 75%, depending on weed density and duration. Manual weeding using tools like a khurpi or hoe is effective, but it is labour-intensive, costly, and limited by labour shortages and weather conditions. Chemical methods save time and reduce labour costs but may cause environmental pollution, while biological control is not suitable for all fields. Engine-operated weeders often cause vibration, noise, drudgery, and exhaust emissions, while small farmers face difficulties in affording large machines. To provide a simple and eco-friendly alternative, a battery-operated cycle weeder was designed, developed and evaluated in groundnut fields. The developed battery-operated weeder consists of a 24V, 10.4 Ah lithium-ion battery, a 250 W permanent magnet DC (PMDC) motor, a speed controller, and a single pneumatic drive wheel driven through a three-stage chain and sprocket reduction system. The battery-operated weeder was evaluated with different tynes for comparing performance characteristics such as weeding efficiency, field efficiency and plant damage. The machine achieved a maximum weeding efficiency of 81.38% and a field efficiency of 81.51%. The V-type tyne recorded the lowest plant damage of 2.84% at low speed (0.5 km h-1), while the highest heart rate of 141 beats min-1 and oxygen consumption rate of 1.305 L min-1 were observed at full throttle speed (1.5 km h-1). The weeder requires 212.20 W to work properly in the field. The fabrication cost of the weeder was about ₹30,000, with operational costs of ₹ 78.22 h-1 and ₹ 3372 ha-1. The developed weeder is eco-friendly and well-suited for small to medium-scale and unskilled farmers.