Abstract

A new machine system has been designed, developed and evaluated for extensive circle spraying of oil palms (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.) in an effort to overcome the inefficient spraying problem with the conventional spraying system. The machine system consists of a four-wheeled drive 4WD prime mover with front mounted machine attachments for the circle spraying operation. The configuration of the circle spraying attachment consists of a hexagonal curved spray boom, lifting arm, opening-tilting mechanism unit, storage tank, spray pump, solid cone nozzles, and associate hydraulic system. Field performance tests on the machine system showed an average effective field capacity of 7.89 ha per man per day and when compared to the earlier reported effective field capacity of the walking spray-operated equipment using Serena LT16 knapsack sprayer; a difference of 1.97 time for circle spraying of mature palms grove. Reduction in the human energy expenditure of 101.28 kJ man-1 h-1 or 10.68 % but an increase in the spraying cost of 1.53 USD ha-1 or 24.9 % were obtained with the machine system against the walking spraying-operated equipment using Serena LT16 knapsack sprayer. Justification for machine system to be cost effective could be satisfied if the present effective field capacity is increased to 1.263 time with good skilled operator or if the current R&D cost is reduced to 0.41 time. This is because the improved field capacity of new machine system could not rationalize its current R&D cost. Admittedly, the machine system has great potential to overcome the limitations with the current employed machine/equipment in the circle spraying operation of oil palms in the plantation.

Highlights

  • Good weed control around palms (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.) aims to reduce nutrients competition between the palms and surrounding weeds but could facilitate effective fertilising, harvesting, and infield fresh fruit bunch (FFB), and loose fruit collectiontransportation operations in the plantations (Turner and Gillbanks, 1974)

  • Field performance tests on the machine system showed an average effective field capacity of 7.89 ha per man per day and when compared to the earlier reported effective field capacity of the walking spray-operated equipment using Serena LT16 knapsack sprayer; a difference of 1.97 time for circle spraying of mature palms grove

  • Justification for machine system to be cost effective could be satisfied if the present effective field capacity is increased to 1.263 time with good skilled operator or if the current R&D cost is reduced to 0.41 time

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Summary

Introduction

Good weed control around palms (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.) aims to reduce nutrients competition between the palms and surrounding weeds but could facilitate effective fertilising, harvesting, and infield fresh fruit bunch (FFB), and loose fruit collectiontransportation operations in the plantations (Turner and Gillbanks, 1974). The walking spraying hand lever-operated knapsack sprayer has a tank of 18 L capacity and requires 450 L volume of water for a hectare spray area. The dry cell battery powered CDA knapsack sprayer has a tank of 10 L capacity and requires only 25 L volume of water for a hectare spray. The walking spraying rechargeable battery-powered “Serena” knapsack sprayer has a tank capacity of 16 L and requires 50 L volume of water for a hectare spray (Orme, 2001). For all the three systems, the field capacity for the spraying is still low since the operator while carrying the tank on his back has to walk from palm to palm do the spraying on each available palms within the specified spraying area He has to make frequent trips to the nearby refilling point in the field to refill the empty sprayer tank while at times he has to carrying water from a remote source to the refilling point for the preparation of the spray mixture. He has to make frequent trips to the nearby refilling point in the field to refill the empty sprayer tank while at times he has to carrying water from a remote source to the refilling point for the preparation of the spray mixture. Pebrian et al (2010) indicated that circle spraying using walking type Serena knapsack sprayer was the second most critical field operation among the twelve important field operations in the oil palm cultivation in Malaysia

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