Threshing Methods Research Articles

Comparative Evaluation of Performance of Traditional Method and Commercially Available Pedal Operated Paddy Thresher with the Developed Machine

Traditional method of threshing of the Paddy crop is categorized as very laborious, low output, high damage per cent, costly etc. The present study was conducted to design and develop a power operated paddy drum thresher cum winnower to increase the mechanization in paddy crop threshing process, reduce drudgery, and increase production and to make it cost effective etc. Different components of the power operated paddy drum thresher cum winnower were designed and developed at Department of Farm Machinery and Power Engineering, SVCAET and RS, FAE, IGKV RAIPUR. It consisted of threshing drum, blower, reciprocating sieve, lower sieve and upper sieve etc.The data were analyzed and optimized by Response Surface Method (RSM) using Design Expert 13.0 software. The optimum values of the independent variables of threshingunit viz., feed rate 275kg/h, peripheral speed 11 m/s and moisture 14.5% (db) the corresponding values of dependent parameters of threshing unit viz., threshing efficiency 98.7%, threshing capacity 210 kg/h, cleaning efficiency 90.1%and total grain loss percent1.96 were recorded. The total cost of operation was observed to be Rs. 1.04 per kg with breakeven point and payback period of 124.13hours per year and 2 years respectively.

纵轴流玉米锥形脱粒装置优化设计与仿真分析

Aiming at the high crushing rate and impurity rate of corn kernel machine harvesting in the Huanghuaihai region, a longitudinal flow conical variable pitch threshing device is designed, which adopts the combined threshing element of "plate teeth + ribs" and the combined threshing concave plate of "leftward round tube type + vertical round tube type". The cob model was established, and the force analysis of the cob threshing process was carried out, and the type of threshing drum and the installation angle of the threshing concave plate round tube were determined as the main influencing factors, and the collision force on the corn cob was taken as the test index. Using EDEM discrete element simulation software, simulation tests were carried out on different types of threshing drums and threshing concave plates with different installation angles of round tubes with corn cobs, and the better threshing method was finally determined: a conical threshing drum at a drum speed of 450 r/min, and a combination of left-facing round-tube-type+vertical round-tube-type threshing concave plates with an installation angle of 10° (front-sparse and back-dense type) were used. Compared with the vertical circular tube type threshing concave plate, the corn cob contact force decreased from 313.5N to 247.3N, which was optimal for threshing in the range allowed by the corn kernel destructive force.

Processing and quality evaluation of dry beans (Phaseolus vulgaris) in flexible pouches

AbstractDry beans are a nutrient‐dense food with a history of processing in metal cans to improve convenience for consumers. Flexible retort pouches have been gaining popularity as a food package to replace metal cans because they are lighter in weight and require less energy to process. While there are potential benefits of using pouches for processed bean products, a pilot‐scale pouch processing protocol for beans is needed for testing to expand to wider commercial applications. To address that need, the objectives of this study were to optimize a pouch processing method for dry beans and assess the subsequent quality of pouch‐processed beans. Black and kidney bean genotypes from different field trials and production years and harvested by different threshing methods were used in this study. Pouch processing was conducted with two types of pouches at a pilot facility, and processing quality included texture, appearance, and color. Cooking time of dry seeds was assessed to understand how variety and environmentally induced differences in cooking time influence pouch processing quality. Kidney beans that required longer dry seed cooking times had firmer texture when pouch processed (r = .72, p < .01). Both genotype and production year impacted cooking time and pouch processing quality. Threshing method had a significant impact on the appearance of processed kidney beans, while it had no significant impact on the processing quality of black beans. Pouch processing requires 42% (at 245°F/118.3°C retort temperature) or 60% (at 250°F/121°C) less retort processing time compared with canning. Both foil and non‐foil pouches can be used to differentiate varieties for processing quality, but the non‐foil pouches require much less effort to seal. This study provides a detailed methodology for pouch processing and quality evaluation of dry beans and useful information for researchers and processors in future applications of using pouches as alternative packaging for processed beans.

Ergonomic evaluation of different paddy threshing methods in Meghalaya

Ergonomic evaluation of different paddy threshing methods in Meghalaya

Response of Kenaf Varieties to Different Threshing Methods and Storage Environments

Abstract A study was conducted in the Seed Testing laboratory of the Institute of Agricultural Research and Training to determine the response of kenaf to different threshing and packaging materials. Experiment design was a 2 × 3 × 4 × 2 factorial arrangement in CRD with 3 replications. The factors were variety, threshing methods, packaging materials and storage environments. The results showed that kenaf seed stored in both Jute bag and muslin cloth under ambient condition recorded significantly higher germination percentage with 34% and 32.02% after six months in storage, respectively. Similar trend was followed under cold storage. Seed stored under jute bag recorded higher germination percentage of about 47% after six months in storage but not statistically significant from those stored under muslin cloth that recorded about 42% germination percentage. The rate of seed deterioration was lowest when both varieties were stored using jute bag with values of 18.03% (Cuba 108) and 17.87% (Ifeken 400). This was also followed by muslin cloth which recorded 31.2% (Cuba 108) and 25.6% (Ifeken 400). The result also showed that seed threshed mechanically and stored using jute bag obtained the highest level of germination in six-month.

Assessment of Seed Quality Loss of Soybean under Existing Threshing Methods

Quality seed production is an important pre requisite for the agricultural production. Soybean seeds are susceptible to mechanical injury due to its very thin seed coat which mediated damage during post-harvest handling. This injury leads to deterioration during storage. Threshing is an important postharvest operation. The purpose of this investigation was to evaluate the effects of different threshing methods (mechanical, Tractor, Stick, Cattle) on soybean seed quality. The results showed significant differences among threshing methods on soybean seed quality. The seeds sampled from stick beating threshing method recorded 88.5 percent germination (normal seedling) followed by seeds sampled from cattle threshing (77.5 percent). The lowest germination of 69.5 per cent was recorded by tractor threshing method. From this study, it could be inferred that among threshing methods, beating with sticks recorded less mechanical damage and maximum germination.

A multi-parameter control method for maize threshing based on machine learning algorithm optimisation

A complex field environment and differences in maize density cause feed rate fluctuations in the combine. Traditional threshing methods do not adjust multiple operating parameters based on the feed rate, resulting in low threshing performance and high power consumption. A multi-parameter control method for maize threshing based on the feed rate was proposed to overcome these problems. Random forest, support vector machine, and multiple linear regression machine learning algorithms were used to estimate the threshing performance indices for different feed rates. The algorithm (random forest) was used to construct a control model for the rotor speed, threshing gap, and top cover guide vane angle. The performance of the control system was compared with a threshing system with constant parameters to verify the control model's accuracy. The results demonstrated that the threshing unit with the control system outperformed the one without. The broken grain rate and the power consumption were 2.18% and 36.22% lower, respectively, whereas the unthreshed grain rate was not significantly different. Random forest was more suitable than the support vector machine and multiple linear regression models for establishing a multi-parameter control model for maize threshing. The adjustment of multiple threshing parameters significantly improved the operating performance for different feed rates.

Design modification of wheat and barley threshing machine

Wheat and barley provide over two-thirds of the human food in Ethiopia, with grain protein content similar to other cereals. In Ethiopia, barley and wheat research to date has focused mostly on breeding and on improving agronomic practices, Mechanization has not been widely researched; conventional methods of threshing wheat and barley crop is done on the special flat ground called ‘obdi’ which is usually plastered by cow dung. Nevertheless, considerable yield losses are incurred while threshing. The wheat and barley threshing process traditionally is tedious, labor-demanding, and most of the time causes children out of school while harvesting and threshing. Besides this, as the threshing is done on the ground, the quality of the wheat and barley crop is affected as it can become mixed with the soil, sand, and other contaminants. This affects the market value of wheat significantly as wheat becomes polluted by foreign matter, predominantly minute grains of sand and soil, which are not easy to clean and cause discomfort in the consumption of ‘Budena’. Generally, that is why this project focused on developing a complete wheat threshing machine to overcome wheat threshing and cleaning challenges, thereby decreasing tremendous wheat grain post-harvest loss because of the traditional method of threshing and cleaning, due to the lack of sole threshing machine of this Ethiopian golden crop. The thresher was evaluated and tested at drum speeds of 700, 750, and 800 rpm and feed rates of 23, 25, and 28 kg/min using simulation software. A split plot method of experimental design was used and the variables were replicated three times and a total of 27 observations were used to analyze data. The results showed that the minimum total grain losses of 2.706 %, threshing efficiency of 99.250%, and cleaning efficiency of 99.028 were recorded under a drum speed of 750 rpm and feed rate of 23kg/min.

Influence of Abamectin Treatment Against Parlatoria Blanchardii, on Entomological Diversity in the Palm Groves of Ouargla (Algerian Sahara)

Landscaping and agricultural practices are very essential to limit the damage of depredators, but unfortunately the latter affects the entomological diversity, especially when using chemicals products. The objective of our study is to determine the effect of abamectin on the balance of the entomological fauna, in three palm groves cultivated with two cultivars (Deghlet Nour and Ghars), during a control against Parlatoria blanchardi, using the date palm leaves threshing method. Indeed, the application of abamectin leads to significant difference in mortality rates (p-value 2.753*10-10), between the study stations, and between the two varieties. The inventory of enthomofauna before product use results in a total of 124 species in both varieties. However, we recorded the lowest number of species at the second station (Deghlet Nour: S=14 sp) and (Ghars: S= 16 sp). The use of the abamectin affects at first beneficial species (S= 10 sp), followed by indifferent species (S= 12 sp) during treatment time. The highest total richness is recorded in the pest group (S= 14 sp), followed by the groups of indifferent species (S=4 sp), then the useful species have disappeared after 72 hours of treatment. The results obtained clearly show that the insecticides used in palm groves constitute a real threat to fauna in general, and for useful species and auxiliaries of Parlatoria blanchardi in particular.

Economic analysis of threshing and shelling machine service provision to reduce post-harvest loss in Ethiopia

The Sasakawa Africa Association (SAA) has been addressing the neglected post-harvest sector in Ethiopia through promoting improved storage facilities and introducing handheld and motorized crop shelling and threshing machines. However, post-harvest technologies are poorly adopted by the farmers although the traditional threshing methods often result in high grain losses and low-quality produces due to low awareness of the farmers and service providers on the benefits of the technologies. This study, therefore, was conducted in May 2020 to determine the socio-economic benefits of the threshing/shelling machine so as to inform the service providers on how to improve the adoption of the machine. A total of eight youth group service providers in four woredas of Oromia and Amhara regions in Ethiopia were selected for the study. In a unimodal rainfall production region, the Bako model maize sheller and the dehusker machines were assessed, whereas in a bimodal production region the multi-crop thresher was evaluated. Primary data were sourced through Focus Group Discussions (FGD) and Key Informant Interviews (KII) and secondary data were extracted through document review. Discounted economic parameters such as Net Present Value (NPV), Internal Rate of Return (IRR) and Benefit Cost Ratio (BCR) were used for determining the profitability of the businesses. The result of the actual cashflow analysis in the unimodal area showed that the multi-crop thresher generated a negative NPV (USD -970) with IRR value of -6% and a BCR value of 0.87. On the contrary, in the bimodal area, the NPV was found to be positive (USD 1917.3) with a BCR of 1.21 and IRR value 36%. Congruently, the Bako model maize sheller machine resulted in NPV of USD 8227.5, BCR value of 3.51 with IRR value of 133%. On the other hand, the dehusker machine generated NPV of USD 2247.5 with a BCR of 1.45, and IRR of 24%. The partial budget analysis of the farmers revealed that the threshing machine reduced the threshing costs by USD158.2 (51.9%) per hectare of land compared to the traditional threshing method. On the basis of the minimum food energy requirement, in the two districts alone, the maize grain that was lost through traditional shelling would have fed 3,939 individuals or 788 households, whereas for teff crop, the loss would have fed 6,163 adults or 1233 households throughout the year. Based on the findings, the authors recommend to scale-up the introduction of the machines in the bimodal production areas where two harvesting seasons exist and increase the service charge and working hours- in the unimodal area to improve entrepreneurs’ profit and adoption of the machines. Key words: post-harvest loss, shelling, threshing, dehusking, economic analysis, food security

PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF A PORTABLE COMMON BEAN (PHASEOLUS VULGARIS L) THRESHER

Threshing and cleaning of common beans are some of the main post-harvest practices. Others are drying, grading and packaging. Threshing of beans can be done using heavy combine harvesters, use of stationary thresher or by use of traditional methods. The intercropping of beans combined with small scale farms in Kenya makes the use of combine harvesters unsuitable for beans threshing. Traditional threshing methods are also tedious, time consuming and labour intensive. Therefore, the focus of this study was to develop a portable common beans thresher customized to the needs of small-scale farmers in Kenya and other developing countries. The design process was through simulation, optimization, fabrication and evaluation. The thresher recorded a threshing efficiency of 99 % for all the drum speeds above 600 rpm at crop moisture content of 18% w.b. In addition, throughput capacity of 72 kg/hr and 125 kg/hr at a feed rate of 1 kg/min and 2.5 kg/min respectively was achieved at a drum speed of 800 rpm. Mechanical grain damage was less than 3.3% for drum speeds between 600 and 1000 rpm. At drum speed of 800 rpm and below, mechanical grain damage was 0.7%. The developed common beans thresher power requirement is 15.6 kWh per ton. Finally, the thresher had a cleaning efficiency of 78% at 800 rpm drum speed. Based on performance, the developed common beans thresher is recommended for use by small scale famers in beans production.

大白菜种子柔性脱粒装置设计与试验

In order to solve the problems of low efficiency of artificial harvesting method and high breakage rate and undepurated rate of traditional threshing method, a new flexible threshing device of Chinese cabbage seeds was designed, which was composed of flexible round head nail teeth and circular tube concave plate. Hertz contact collision theory was used to analyze and determine the structural parameters of the new threshing unit. The interaction force of different threshing elements materials were analyzed by using EDEM. The feasibility of the flexible threshing unit was verified by the comparison test of the distribution of threshed mixture. Finally, the orthogonal test was carried out to study the influence of the movement parameters of each structure on the cleaning rate and the rate of undepurated, and the weight matrix method was used to optimize it. The results indicate that under the condition the rotating speed of the threshing cylinder 750 rpm, the concave clearance 20 mm, and the feeding rate 1.4 kg/s, the threshing performance of the flexible threshing unit was the best. At this time, the breaking rate was 0.064%, and the un-threshing rate was 0.67%, which both met the relevant industry standards.

Drudgery assessment and ergonomic evaluation of pedal operated Ragi (Eleusine Coracana) thresher.

Ragi (Eleusine Coracana) is a major food crop for the tribal population of India. This study emphasizes the need to consider ergonomics aspects in the design and development of a pedal operated ragi thresher (PORT) for tribal people, and assesses the drudgery as well as ergonomic evaluation of a developed thresher against the conventional practice. Thirty subjects (male = 15 and female = 15) from the tribal region were evaluated ergonomically. The physiological responses of the subjects were studied and their performance was compared. The results revealed that the working heart rate, oxygen consumption rate and overall discomfort rating were significantly higher in case of traditional threshing as compared to those in case of PORT. Postural analysis identified the traditional method as the most fatigue one as the person has to lift the hand above shoulder level repeatedly and has to sit in a squatting posture for long period. The drudgery and occupational hazards to public health involved in the traditional method of threshing was reduced by using the PORT. Furthermore, the traditional method involved continuous stressed actions across the entire body, whereas the PORT involved only the lower limbs.

The impact of mineral nutrition on winter barley yields while using mustard as a precursor crop

The impact of mineral nutrition on winter barley yields while using mustard as a precursor crop

Harvesting and Threshing Methods on Seed Quality of Dhaincha (Sesbania aculeata)

Background: The present investigation is an attempt to study the effect of different harvesting and threshing methods on germination and seedling vigour of dhaincha. The use of a combine harvester to harvest dhaincha will be an effective alternative method that has not been widely tried. However, work on different methods of harvesting and threshing of dhaincha is limited. Hence, a study was conducted to evaluate the impact of various harvesting and threshing methods on germination and seedling vigour of dhaincha. Methods: This study was conducted at Anbil Dharmalingam Agricultural College and Research Institute, TNAU, Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu. The dhaincha crop was harvested and threshed using four different methods viz., manual harvesting and manual threshing, manual harvesting and threshing by tractor treading, manual harvesting and mechanical threshing and harvesting and threshing by combine harvester. The resultant seeds were tested for mechanical damage and germination potential. The experiment was laid in completely randomized block design. Germination was tested by roll towel method using 100 seeds in four replications. Germination percentage, root and shoot length were measured in seven days after sowing from ten randomly selected seedlings in each replication. For the estimation of dry matter production, ten seedlings were selected at random and kept in a hot air oven maintained at 85oC for 24 hours after measuring their root and shoot length and vigour index was calculated. Mechanical damage to seeds was observed by ferric chloride test. Seed recovery per cent was calculated based on the 100 kgs of dhaincha seeds were cleaned and graded treatment wise using cleaner cum grader and the seeds retained on the bottom sieve were weighed and expressed as per cent of total quantity of seed. Result: The results revealed that the significant difference was found among the different harvesting and threshing methods. The seeds harvested and threshed by manual method recorded 85 per cent germination followed by seeds harvested manually and threshed by mechanical threshing (84 per cent) and seeds harvested manually and threshed by tractor treading (80.5 per cent). The lowest germination of 80.0 per cent was recorded by combine harvesting. From this study, it could be inferred that combine harvester is a modern method for harvesting of dhaincha that saves time and labour when compared to all other methods.

Formation of the leaf surface and productivity of the chickling vetch (Lathyrus sativus L.) depending on the amounts of mineral fertilizers and pre-sowing inoculation of seeds

The aim of the study was to analyze the effect of different amounts of mineral fertilization, bacterization of seeds on the leaf surface area formation and the chickling vetch (Lathyrus sativus) productivity. The study engaged six NPK fertilization amounts (0 – the check (control) without fertilizers, N15P15K15, N30P30K30, N15P30K30 + N15 (top dressing), N45P45K45 and N30P45K45 + N15 (top dressing) on two backgrounds of pre-sowing seed treatment (the control, water seed treatment, seed treatment with microbiological preparation Rizogumin, which contains a suspension of nodule bacteria Rhizobium leguminosarum 31 and physiologically active substances of biological origin). The leaf surface area was determined by the cutting method (in the phase of the first trifoliate leaf, budding, flowering, pod formation), which includes the selection of 15 plants, where the leaves are quickly cut off, weighed and their wet weight is determined. After that, cuts are made with a probe of a known diameter, 5 pcs. from every leaf. The mass of all cuts was determined. After determining the surface area of the leaves of each plant, the average plant area was calculated for each variant of the experiment. The average leaf surface area was multiplied by the number of plants per square meter, and the result was multiplied by 10000 to convert it to the average leaf surface area per hectare. The yield accounting was maintained by the method of continuous threshing from the registration plot by a selected combine harvester, with cleaning from impurities, weighing and determining the moisture content of the harvested grain. The maximum leaf surface area (60.8 thousand m2 ha-1) was in the phase of grain filling when N30P45K45 + N15 was added to top dressing and seed treatment with Rizogumin. In the absence of inoculation, the leaf area was 4.1 thousand m2 ha-1 less.

Development and evaluation of a sesame thresher as influenced by crop, machine and operational parameters

The development of a sesame thresher for the purpose has clearly an edge over conventional methods of threshing and reduce the drudgery of work to a great extent. Due to the scarcity of daily labours, it is essential to bring in a sesame thresher, which is cost-effective, compact, reduce threshing losses and easy to use for sesame cultivars. The laboratory experiments were conducted with different levels of variables, from that the combination level of 11.0 ms-1 peripheral velocity of threshing cylinder, 15 mm concave clearance, spike tooth type cylinder and 16.8 % (d.b) moisture content of harvested sesame capsule were selected. The selected combination level yielding the maximum threshing efficiency of 99.0 %, maximum cleaning efficiency of 99.4 % and minimum % visible damage to threshed sesame grains of 0.79 %, was optimized for the development of prototype sesame thresher. A prototype sesame thresher consisting of a mainframe, threshing unit, blower and sieve assembly, feed chute, power transmission system and transport wheels was developed with optimized level of variables. The prototype sesame thresher was evaluated for its performance in comparison with the conventional method of sesame threshing. Compared with the manual method of threshing, the prototype sesame thresher resulted in 17, 12, and 1.2 % savings in threshing efficiency, cleaning efficiency, and % visible damage to threshed sesame grains. The prototype sesame thresher results in 87 % and 83 % saving in time and cost respectively when compared to the conventional method of manual threshing.

Improvement Of Engine Driven Sorghum Thresher By Incorporating Grain Cleaning System

The improved engine driven sorghum threshing machine was designed and produced at Fedis agricultural research center with the objectives of solving the critical threshing and cleaning problems of sorghum produce the farmers’ and subsequently, to reduce the drudgery of the farmers’, grain loss and cost of threshing, in comparison with traditional methods of manual threshing by using wood log. The developed machine was tested in east Hararghe Zone, Haramaya district, Horo Kebele. The variables considered includes two sorghum varieties (muria and fandisha), three levels of cylinder speed (500,700 and 900 rpm), three position of cylinder-concave clearances (13, 18 and 23 mm) and three feed rates of the un-threshed sorghum head (10 kg/min, 15 kg/min and 20 kg/min). The experimental design was split-split plot design with three replications. The result obtained indicated 87.28-95.30% threshing efficiency, 7-10 qt/h output capacity and 74%-88% cleaning efficiency at constant grain moisture contents of 15-17% for both varieties.

Variation among sorghum genotypes for reduction in popping caused by threshing-induced kernel damage

ABSTRACT Interest has increased in pop sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) as an alternative to popcorn as an ingredient in snack foods and as a confectionary snack per se. However, studies on the effect of sorghum genotype, agronomic production and grain processing on popping quality are limited and this has hindered the development of sorghum hybrids specifically for popping. This study assessed the effects of sorghum genotypes, threshing methods, environments and their interactions on sorghum popping quality. Grain from six sorghum genotypes previously documented to have good popping quality was produced in two Texas environments and was threshed using five methods which were expected to cause varying levels of kernel damage. Popping quality, measured as popping efficiency, expansion ratio and flake size was influenced primarily by threshing method, sorghum genotype and to a lesser extent by environment and the genotype × threshing method interaction. The results herein indicate that threshing methods can significantly reduce popping quality and that sorghum genotypes differ in their inclination to threshing-induced kernel damage. Based on these results, popping quality in sorghum is optimized by selecting genotypes for high popping quality and threshing the grain using a method that inflicts minimal damage to the kernel. Abbreviations: ER, Expansion Ration; FS, Flake Size; KHI, Kernel Hardness Index; PE, Popping Efficiency; TKW, Thousand Kernel Weight; UPK, Un-popped Kernels

Effects of Field Processing of Sorghum Grain on Popping Traits

Interest in the use of popped sorghum in food products has resulted in a niche market for sorghum hybrids with high popping quality but little work has been done to assess the relative effects of field processing methods of grain on popping quality. This study evaluated the relative effects of harvest moisture and threshing methods on the popping quality of sorghum grain. A grain sorghum hybrid with good popping quality was produced during two different years in Texas wherein it was harvested at two moisture levels (low and high) and grain was removed from panicles using five different threshing methods (hand, rubber belt, metal brushes and two metal concave bar systems). Years, harvest moisture content and threshing method influenced all three popping quality measurements (popping efficacy, expansion ratio and flake size), but threshing method had an order of magnitude larger effect than either moisture level or year. While many of the interactions were significant, they did not influence the general trends observed. As such, the threshing methods with less direct impact force on the grain (hand and rubber belt) had higher popping quality than those samples threshed with greater impact force on the grain (metal-based systems). The popping quality differences between threshing system are likely due to a reduction in kernel integrity caused by the impacts to the kernel that occurred while threshing the grain. The results herein indicate that field processing of the grain, notably threshing method has significant impacts on the popping quality and should be taken into consideration when grain sorghum is harvested for popping purposes.