Technical and economical evaluation for a hand-pushed planter

Abstract EN

Terraces and Small Holdings represent the majority of total cultivated lands in Yemen.

Therefore, it is impractical to use heavy mechanization in place of the classical methods (animal and man power tools).

On the other hand, classical methods of planting could cause health problems such as poisoning and skin inflammation for people involved in hand seeding.

The objective of this study was, therefore, to design fabricate and evaluate an appropriate planting machine for Terraces and Small Holdings.

Time and labor savings and controlled seed delivery were achieved without seed mechanical damages.

Results of field experiments indicated that high efficiency in terms of even distribution of seeds with controlled of distances among them.

The data also revealed a 50 % decreasing in seed quantities used and 62.3 % increasing in crop yield.

The planter was superior in terms of actual field productivity (0.16 ha/h for new planter vs.

0.03 ha/h for traditional methods) and in operational costs (95.8 % reductions compared to traditional methods of seeding).