Harvesting Tools Research Articles

Fostering adaptation to climate change among farmers in Pakistan: the influential role of farmers’ climate change knowledge and adaptive capacity

IntroductionAdaptation to climate change (ACC) is imperative to avoid deleterious consequences of climate change in agriculture. However, the uptake of adaptation measures has been slow among farmers because of low adaptive capacity (AC) in developing countries, particularly in Pakistan. Farmers and their supporting institutions have been successful in introducing technological innovations to respond and adapt to environmental challenges. The present study intended to determine the impact of farming technologies, along with human, financial, social, physical, natural, and climate information resources that support AC and hence ACC.MethodsThe study collected data from 360 farmers in Punjab through a multi-stage random sampling technique. A binary logit model and odds ratio were used to identify the factors affecting ACC. The study also utilized correlation tests to show the correlation between each pair of variables included in the analysis.ResultsThe results indicated that physical capital such as ownership of tube wells, transportation, and sowing and harvesting tools by the farmers builds farmers’ AC and consequently determines the ACC such as change crop variety (CCV), change crop type (CCT), change planting date (CPD), soil conservation (SC), water conservation (WC), and diversification strategies (DSs). The findings also revealed that human capital (age, education, family size, and labor), financial capital (off-farm employment, access to the marketing of produce, and agricultural credit), social capital (farmers-to-farmers extensions, access to extension services, and the farm association membership), and natural capital (land ownership, tenancy status, and the location of the farm) were importantly related to farm households’ ACC strategies. The odds (likelihood) of adaptation were higher for the users of farm technology as compared to non-users.DiscussionThe analysis conducted in this study showed that climate information resources amplify the adaptation to climate change: technology allows farming to be much more efficient, while climate change knowledge (CCK) self-motivates farmers to adopt more ACC measures. Our findings provide evidence that suggests the need to provide credits and financial support for farming technologies that speed up the ACC in the long run, while in the short run, climate information should be spread among farming communities.

Navigating the Landscape of Precision Horticulture: Sustainable Agriculture in the Digital Age

Automation, autonomy, and precision play vital roles in modern technology and procedures, especially in response to the rising global population and the need for improved fruit production technologies. The quality criteria for fruit yield are becoming increasingly complex, necessitating fundamental upgrades. Sensor-based technologies pave the way for more rational and efficient soil usage. Precision farming, an advanced agricultural approach, employs software technologies and principles to optimize various aspects of horticultural production. Its goal is to enhance crop yields and promote environmental sustainability by managing spatial and temporal variations. Precision horticulture, a cutting-edge farming method, focuses on increasing crop yields and quality while minimizing environmental impact. This approach leverages advanced technology and data-driven decision-making. By utilizing sensors, robots, drones, and other innovative tools for yield mapping, irrigation control, robotic harvesting, nutrient and pesticide application, soil sensing, and crop growth analysis, growers can monitor plant growth and health, identify potential issues, and make informed crop management decisions. Tailoring practices to specific plant needs can lead to higher yields, improved product quality, and reduced environmental impact. Overall, precision horticulture holds significant promise for promoting sustainable agricultural practices while meeting the increasing demand for food production.

Understanding Farmers Problem and Training Needs on Apricot Production in Trans Himalayan Ladakh, India

A survey was conducted among 500 apricot growers in Ladakh to identify constraints faced in their production system and their grassroots training needs.Of the growers surveyed, 47.8 % of respondents were having less than 20 apricot trees. Most (53.8 %) grew apricots for drying, 31.2 % for fresh consumption, and 15 % for kernel oil. A significantly high number of respondents(44.8 %) reported 11-30 % fruit wastage, while 31.4 % reported 31-50 % fruit wastage. Lack of marketing opportunities and harvesting tools were cited as the main reasons for fruit wastage. The growers do not follow the standard growing practices, and the knowledge about insect pests and diseases is poor in the region. The most significant constraints in apricot production were lack of appropriate fruit drying technology, followed by high insect pest infestation, lack of marketing opportunities, lack of fencing around the field, insufficient water for irrigation purposes, and non-availability of nursery plants. Growers were open to a wide variety of sources of information on apricot production, with the most commonly selected response being friends/ relatives (53.2 %), followed by television (22.4 %), training and awareness camps (15.8 %), and radio (3.6%). The findings will help researchers, extension personnel, administrators, and policymakers to bring reforms to the apricot industry.

Designing harvesting tools for olive trees: Methodological reflections on exploring and incorporating plant perspectives in the early stages of design process

Sustainability-focused design research is witnessing a change in approach with the emergence of More-than-human Design (MTHD), which challenges human-centered thinking by incorporating nonhuman perspectives into the design process. However, implementing MTHD presents challenges for design researchers and practitioners, such as understanding non-verbal species. Despite the techniques developed to facilitate such an understanding (e.g. contact zone), the growing literature on MTHD lacks studies reflecting on how these techniques are utilized in the design process. In this paper, we present a case study on designing olive harvesting tools from a MTH lens, where designers used contact zone, plant interviews, plant persona, and experience map to explore the perspectives of olive trees and incorporate them into ideas in collaboration with farmers and agricultural engineers. The results indicate the significance of reconsidering decentralization in MTHD from the standpoint of entanglements among techniques and incorporating various knowledge types to manage tensions arising from perspective shifts.

Assessing extraradical mycelium of mycorrhizal fungi in tropical forests using armored in-growth mesh bags

The extraradical mycelium of mycorrhizal fungi is among the major carbon pools in soil that is hard to quantitatively assess in-situ. Established method of in-growth mesh bags in temperate ecosystems is difficult to apply in the tropics, where mesh bags are often damaged by termites. Here we introduce a modification of the in-growth mesh bag technique, in which mesh bags are enforced by stainless steel mesh. Its performance was tested in the Đồng Nai (Cát Tiên) National Park in Vietnam across two monsoon tropical forests, dominated by tree species associated with either ectomycorrhizal (ECM) or arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi. Armored in-growth mesh bags remained intact, while about 60 % of non-armored mesh bags were damaged by termites after 180 days of exposure. The biomass of extraradical mycelium of ectomycorrhizal fungi estimated by PLFA analysis was similar in the armored and non-armored mesh bags and did not differ between studied forests. However, fungal community composition slightly differed between armored and non-armored mesh bags in the ECM- but not in the AM-dominated forest. Fungal mycelium gathered in the AM-dominated forest was depleted in 15N compared to that collected in the ECM-dominated forest. Overall, our results argue for using armored mesh bags as a robust tool for harvesting the biomass of extraradical mycelium of mycorrhizal fungi in tropical ecosystems.

Productivity analysis in oil palm plantations using the objective matrix method: case study PT. Dharma Satya Nusantara Tbk.

PT. DSN Group Tbk, a company operating in palm oil plantations, wood products, and renewable energy, manages a 112,450-hectare palm oil plantation, including 84,566 hectares of core plantation and 27,884 hectares of plasma plantation. This research aims to identify and measure productivity criteria in the palm oil plantation and suggest improvements. The Objective Matrix (OMAX) method was used to evaluate productivity, revealing that the highest productivity index in 2021 was 136.67% in March, while the lowest was -36.67% in September. In 2022, the highest index was 101.67% in August, with the lowest at -35% in May. The Fishbone Diagram identified causes for productivity declines: in 2021, human-related issues were the primary factor, while in 2022, failure to meet production targets was the main concern. Proposed improvements include redesigning harvesting tools to reduce worker fatigue, remapping the plantation, conducting regular checks for fruit quality, maintaining farm equipment, and training workers to prevent over-fertilization.

Investigation of prevalence and risk factors of musculoskeletal disorders among tea harvesting farmers - A systematic review.

Tea harvesting is a common agricultural occupation, usually conducted in mountainous regions with steep slopes and high altitudes. Despite the utilization of modern technology and mechanized equipment in agriculture, a substantial portion of tea harvesting continues to be traditional and physically strenuous. This dependence on manual labor can lead to a higher likelihood of musculoskeletal disorders among tea harvesting farmers. The objective of this research was investigation of prevalence and risk factors of musculoskeletal disorders in tea harvesting farmers. In this review study, we analyzed all published articles on the prevalence and factors influencing musculoskeletal disorders in tea harvesting farmers from March 10, 2010, to November 10, 2023 (last search date). We systematically searched for articles using keywords (risk factor, risk assessment, lower limb, upper limb, musculoskeletal disorders, tea harvesting, posture, manual handling, discomfort, ergonomics, prevalence, farmers) in PubMed, Google Scholar, SID, Web of Science, Scopus, Magiran, Iran Medex, Cochrane Library, and Embase. The quality of the articles was evaluated using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT), 2018 version. Unrelated articles were excluded following PRISMA statement guidelines, and only articles directly related to the study were reviewed. GraySource and BASE databases were also utilized to identify Gray sources.. Initially, 128 articles were found across different databases, and a total of 17 articles were selected for the final assessment. The primary areas of the body that workers are commonly exposed to musculoskeletal issues are the back, hands, wrists, shoulders, neck, and knees. The research identified four main categories of factors: personal, occupational, environmental, and psychosocial that contribute to musculoskeletal problems. Among these factors are women working in physically demanding environments, lifting heavy bags of harvested tea, time pressures during tea collection, repetitive hand motions from using harvesting tools, the height of the tea plants in the field, working in wet and slippery conditions, uneven ground surfaces, extended working hours, low pay, and lack of support from employers. Ergonomic interventions such as redesigning tea harvesting tools, enhancing tea plants and workspaces, teaching ergonomic principles of body posture and manual movement, and organizing work with job rotation and adequate rest are recommended to alleviate musculoskeletal disorder symptoms.

Harvesting vibration energy by quad-stable piezoelectric cantilever beam: Modeling, fabrication and testing

The combination of beams with piezoelectric patches has become a prevalent energy harvesting tool due to its ease of use. Typical energy harvesting systems are usually linear, and their efficiency is not satisfying due to low-frequency bandwidth. In this paper, a quad-stable piezoelectric vibration energy harvester is analyzed both numerically and experimentally. The primary purpose of this investigation is to analyze the static and dynamic characteristics of a proposed quad-stable system to consider its potential for application in broadband energy harvesting comprehensively. The harvester system consists of a slotted cantilever beam, a piezoelectric patch, a pair of tip-mass blocks, and a double-sided clip. The cantilever beam is subjected to pre-displacement constraints made by a mutual self-constraint at the free end of it. The nonlinear behaviors of the harvester system, including snap-through and softening phenomena, are analyzed using the assumed modes and finite element method (FEM). The harvester's vibration equation is solved numerically and through an FE model which is made by an in-house finite element software. A prototype is designed and fabricated to validate the mathematical model and FE simulation. The experimental force-displacement diagram of the harvester displays distinct discontinuities, reflecting abrupt transitions occurring while switching its stable states. The prototype dynamics are analyzed by harmonic base excitation with different amplitude levels in two conditions, including the presence and absence of the piezoelectric patch. The results obtained from the mathematical and FEM model demonstrate a satisfactory correlation with the experimental data. Furthermore, the experimental data reveal the occurrence of the snap-through phenomenon, accompanied by a significant widening of the frequency bandwidth at relatively high amplitude levels. The system has the ability to provide an average output electrical power of 0.288 mW for an electrical resistance of 3.262 kΩ at the excitation frequency of 12.695 Hz and base acceleration amplitude of 3g.

Object–Environment Fusion of Visual System for Automatic Pear Picking

A visual system is a key tool for automatic fruit harvesting. It faces the challenges of varied occlusion and illumination in the field, resulting in difficulties in fruit recognition and picking. At present, there are many studies that lack a comprehensive analysis of the impact of the environment on harvesting. This study proposes an object–environment fusion visual system. It comprises modules for object perception, environment perception, and picking pose estimation. The object perception module aims to identify and locate pears. The environment perception module is deployed to analyze the three-dimensional (3D) information of objects and obstacles. Finally, the picking pose estimation module fuses the information of the objects and environment to calculate the collision-free picking position and orientation. Additionally, specific implementations are employed for each module. It compares three networks to identify pears for object perception. Voxel-based representation is used to simplify point clouds for environmental perception. A sampler and evaluator are applied for picking pose estimation. The S1 and S2 datasets were acquired in a laboratory pear tree model and the orchard of Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, respectively, to evaluate the proposed method. In the S2 dataset, the success rate for picking pose estimation reached 87.11% within the distance range of 30∼50 cm. All of the results demonstrate that the proposed method can be applied to visual perception for automatic pear harvesting.

Insights into plant-based food resource harvesting and processing: A microfossil analysis of stone tools at the Xinzhai Site, China

The Xinzhai site, located in the heartland of China’s Central Plains, served as the capital site of the Xinzhai Period (1850–1750 BCE), representing a transitional phase from the Longshan Culture (ca. 3000–1900 BCE) to the Erlitou Culture (1750–1520 BCE). To investigate the types of plant-based food resources that were harvested and processed, along with the tools and methods that were used, we analyzed plant microfossils (primarily starch and phytoliths) recovered from 29 stone tools that were suspected to be related to the harvesting and processing of plant-based food resources. Research findings suggest that millets (Setaria italica and Panicum miliaceum) were the primary crop harvested and processed by residents of the Xinzhai site, followed by Job’s tears (Coix lacryma-jobi), rice (Oryza sativa), and beans (Fabaceae). Additionally, tubers and nuts served as supplementary food resources, however further investigation is required to understand the utilization of wheat (Triticum aestivum). Stone knives served as the primary harvesting tools, with single-plant earhead cutting being the predominant harvesting method. In contrast, the widespread adoption of batch-harvesting methods using stone sickles was not evident. Stone mortars and grinding rods were the two types of processing tools found at the site. Although relatively few starch grains were found on these tools, phytoliths were abundant. However, grinding rod likely did not play a role in the processing of plant-based foods. Furthermore, stone mortars may have been used in conjunction with wooden pestles instead of stone pestles. Notably, some whetstones, may have functioned as grinding slabs in conjunction with grinding rods.

Combining optimization and dynamic movement primitives for planning energy optimal forestry crane motions

Forestry cranes are an important tool for safe and efficient timber harvesting with forestry machines. However, their complex manual control often led to inefficiencies and excessive energy usage, due to the many joysticks and buttons that must be used in a precise sequence to perform efficient movements. To address this, the industry is increasingly turning to partial automation, making manual control more intuitive for the operator and, consequently, achieving improvements in energy efficiency. This article introduces a novel approach to energy-optimal motion planning that can be used along with a feedback control system to automate crane motions, taking over portions of the operator’s work. Our method combines dynamic movement primitives (DMPs) and an energy-optimization algorithm. DMPs is a machine learning technique for motion planning based on human demonstrations, while the optimization algorithm exploits the crane’s redundancy to find energy-optimal trajectories. Simulation results show that DMPs can replicate human-like controlled motions with a 25% reduction in energy consumption. However, our energy optimization algorithm shows improvements of over 40%, providing substantial energy savings and a promising pathway towards environmentally friendly partially automated machines.

Towards a risk-based food safety management system in the fresh produce supply chain in Da Nang, Viet Nam

Food safety has emerged as a paramount concern for both Vietnamese consumers and the government. However, limited data are available on food safety management systems in Viet Nam. This study identified significant gaps in good agricultural and hygienic practices along the fresh produce chain (farmers and traditional wholesalers/market sellers) in the region of Da Nang, Viet Nam. This was achieved through a survey on good agricultural and hygienic practices for farmers (n = 100) and sellers (n = 100), which researchers further supplemented by microbiological analysis for E. coli, Salmonella spp., and Listeria monocytogenes on leafy greens, water in contact with produce and contact surfaces (hands). The results indicated that 86.0 % of farmers and 54.0 % of sellers received food safety training in the last 3 years; and women dominated both vegetable cultivation but also trading. Farm-level deficiencies included inadequate handwashing practices, lack of documentation for manure application schedules, improper washing and drying of harvest tools, failure to keep containers elevated off the ground, improper storage of vegetables, and inadequate covering of containers, with respectively 34.0 %, 30.3 %, 12.1 %, 41.7 % and 7.9 % of farmers executing the practice as prescribed by the WHO/FAO ‘5 keys of growing safer fruits and vegetables’. As for sellers, the most dominant gaps (<50.0 % compliance) were the way of handwashing and the practice of keeping containers elevated off the ground before, during, and after harvesting. The microbiological analysis confirmed that, in a total of 36 fresh produce samples including mustard greens, cucumber, lettuce, and crown daisy, the number of samples positive for E. coli, Salmonella spp., and L. monocytogenes were 12, 2, and 10 respectively. Samples of hands and the irrigation water showed high contamination with E. coli. Based on identified gaps, risk communication tools were developed and distributed amongst farmers, sellers, and Da Nang food safety management authority (governmental organisation performing inspections in the traditional food markets). As intervention, two farmers and two sellers were trained in safe agricultural practices for the cultivation of fresh vegetables (managerial intervention) and instructed to use tap water as irrigation water instead of uncontrolled surface water (technological intervention). A post-assessment was conducted, including redoing the survey on good practices and microbiological analysis. The outcome of these interventions showed positive results in terms of good agricultural and hygienic practices resulting in improved hygiene levels and safety of the fresh produce. The findings from this research have the potential to provide a model for the development of a science-based risk management strategy in alternative food chains or geographic areas in emerging countries.

EVALUASI AKTIVITAS NON VALUE ADDED DENGAN MENGGUNAKAN METODE VALUE STREAM MAPPING DAN PROCESS ACTIVITY MAPPING

Samsul Blacksmith is a blacksmith who produces palm harvesting tools (dodos), in the production process there is still waste which causes the daily production target not to be achieved, this study aims to determine the root causes of waste and provide alternative improvements. This research was conducted with 4 stages, first mapping all production activities using value stream mapping (VSM), the second stage identifying waste using the Process activity mapping (PAM) method, the third stage identifying the root causes of waste using the 5 whys method, the last stage providing alternative improvements to reduce or eliminate waste. The results showed that waste occurred due to the absence of workpiece transfer tools and long transfer distances, simple furnaces without the use of heat shields, and inefficient workbenches, the proposed alternative re-layout of the production floor, designing furnaces, and designing work areas, was able to reduce the lead time of the production process from 6.260 seconds to 4.907,8 seconds (improvement with MOST and MTM), and increased the PCE value from 51.6% to 65.8%.

Light Intensities Affect Canopy Architecture and Fruit Characteristics of Cayenne Pepper (Capsicum frutescens L.)

Mechanical harvesting in cayenne pepper is developing, however, factors affecting canopy architecture and fruit characteristics are still lack. Study aimed to evaluate the effect of shade intensities on canopy architecture and fruit position in cayenne pepper to support developing smart harvesting tools. The experiment was conducted in Babakan Sawah Baru Experimental Farm, IPB from September 2021 to March 2022. The experiment used nested design with shade levels (no shade, 25%, 30%, 50%, 60%, 90%, and 100%) as the main plot and time of shading application (4, 6, 8, and 10 weeks after planting) as sub-plot. The canopy architecture and fruit position were affected by the shade level and its time application. Plant height increased and the canopy widened with increasing shade levels up to 50%. Thus, the shading level should be considered in the development of smart harvesting methodology. Keywords: cabai rawit, climate change, labor, low light intensity, plant architecture

Online harvesting of municipality websites into trusted digital repository

PurposeMunicipalities, as the front lines of service delivery, use websites as one of the tools to communicate information to the public. While it is considered a record, many organisations, including municipalities, do not manage websites as such. This study aims to explore the archiving of websites as records in the municipalities of KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Province in South Africa by using the web archiving life cycle model.Design/methodology/approachThis study used a mixed-methods research with an explanatory design, with quantitative data collected first through content analysis of websites and qualitative data collected through interviews. Researchers used multilevel sampling, first quantitatively analysing all available websites of the municipalities (52) in KZN, and then qualitatively selecting only records managers, information managers, web administrators, communication managers and website managers or designers from municipalities because of their understanding and involvement with websites in some way.FindingsThis study established that some records on municipal websites are often in paper format in record-keeping systems, whereas others are born digital and are not captured in the systems. Municipalities lack a dedicated web online harvesting tool as well as an archiving policy or strategy to guide website archiving. Furthermore, municipalities placed a high reliance on service providers to keep their websites operational.Research limitations/implicationsIt became clear during the interviews that most of the participants were unfamiliar with web archiving. As a result, only 12 of the 56 selected participants from the municipalities provided the required information in relation to the current study as others could not provide answers. Data for other participants were not analysed.Originality/valueDue to a lack of infrastructure for ingesting digital records into archival custody, a framework for harvesting web content of value is proposed both internally in municipalities and externally to an archive repository.

Utilization of Vacuum Pump in Harvesting Process of Stingless Bee Honey for Empowerment of Honey Farmer Community.

The process of harvesting stingless bee honey requires special tools, the use of vacuum pumps as a harvesting medium makes it easier for farmers, saves time, and maintains honey quality. The purpose of this service is to provide training to the community on how to use a honey harvesting tool with a vacuum pump with a capacity of 7 liters/minute, the assembly process and maintenance. From the results of the service that has been carried out for beekeepers in Pulo Meria Village, it is found that the honey suction tool from the Vacuum pump is very useful for farmers, easy to use, production capacity of 1 liter per hour and portable. The difference in the amount of capacity is due to the different honey harvesting process due to having different sized honey bags and different honeycomb contours. From the empowerment of the honey farming community, it was found that 89% of the farmers got better quality honey harvests and increased honey production by 57% more.

Label-Free Single Microparticles and Cell Aggregates Sorting in Continuous Cell-Based Manufacturing.

There is a paradigm shift in biomanufacturing toward continuous bioprocessing but cell-based manufacturing using adherent and suspension cultures, including microcarriers, hydrogel microparticles, and 3D cell aggregates, remains challenging due to the lack of efficient in-line bioprocess monitoring and cell harvesting tools. Herein, a novel label-free microfluidic platform for high throughput (≈50 particles/sec) impedance bioanalysis of biomass, cell viability, and stem cell differentiation at single particle resolution is reported. The device is integrated with a real-time piezo-actuated particle sorter based on user-defined multi-frequency impedance signatures. Biomass profiling of Cytodex-3 microcarriers seeded with adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (ADSCs) is first performed to sort well-seeded or confluent microcarriers for downstream culture or harvesting, respectively. Next, impedance-based isolation of microcarriers with osteogenic differentiated ADSCs is demonstrated, which is validated with a twofold increase of calcium content in sorted ADSCs. Impedance profiling of heterogenous ADSCs-encapsulated hydrogel (alginate) microparticles and 3D ADSC aggregate mixtures is also performed to sort particles with high biomass and cell viability to improve cell quality. Overall, the scalable microfluidic platform technology enables in-line sample processing from bioreactors directly and automated analysis of cell quality attributes to maximize cell yield and improve the control of cell quality in continuous cell-based manufacturing.

Optimal design of the response surface for the root cutting of a hydroponic lettuce harvesting tool

A new type of continuous harvester is designed to address the problems of high labor cost and low efficiency in the process of harvesting lettuce in greenhouse hydroponics. The designed harvester is mainly composed of three parts, namely, reciprocating cutter, driving mechanism, and belt conveyor. The response surface method is used to establish the mathematical model between the force acting on the lettuce roots and the reciprocating speed of the cutter, the inclination angle of the cutter, and the conveying speed of lettuce. The reliability of the mathematical model is verified, and the optimal parameter combination of the force on the lettuce root is obtained. Considering the actual harvesting method, the destruction rate, damage rate, and success rate of lettuce are used as the design indexes in the experiment. Results showed that the force on the lettuce stem is the smallest under the optimal parameter combination of the reciprocating motion speed of the cutting blade (100 mm/s), the inclination angle of the cutting blade (2.31°), and the conveying speed of the lettuce (64.49 mm/s). When the minimum force is 1.91 N, the destruction rate of lettuce harvest is 1.85%, the damage rate of lettuce is 3.71%, and the success rate of lettuce harvest is 94.44%. This study offers a potential solution for the automatic harvesting of hydroponic lettuce in a greenhouse.

Ecological aspects and conservation practices based on local wisdom of lubuk larangan in Jambi

Lubuk larangan is a form of local wisdom in which there is a tradition that has been owned for generations and is still developed and well maintained by the surrounding community in an effort to manage river water conservation areas. This study aims to identify vegetation and local wisdom-based conservation practices carried out at five stations, namely the Laman Panjang Hamlet area (1), Buat Hamlet (2), Lubuk Beringin Hamlet (3), Senamat Ulu Hamlet (4) and Sei telang Hamlet (5). Vegetation analysis uses the quadrant method with pole and tree level vegetation types and analysis of local wisdom-based conservation practices using the descriptive quantitative method, which provides a factual description and explanation of conservation practices and community perceptions including social, environmental, cultural and economic conditions and knowledge of the existence of animals around the lubuk larangan. The results of the study showed that the highest tree-level important value index is banyan (Ficus benjamina) which is 147.86 for pole-level INP, Duku (Lansium domesticum) which is 185.25. In addition, this study states that local wisdom-based conservation practices are conducting deliberations to prepare for the formation of the committee for opening and closing lubuk larangan. The existence of rules and sanctions changes the mindset of the community trying to protect the environment properly such as maintaining and utilizing the lubuk larangan area as a breeding ground for fish. using environmentally friendly harvesting tools such as nets and nets and prohibiting the use of stun and poison. The community believes that the rules for taking fish in the lubuk larangan area will be subject to customary oaths. There are many animals found around the prohibition hole, such as berang berang for river areas near plantation areas and rice fields.

Performance Evaluation of Jerusalem Artichoke Digging Tool in Cohesive Soil Using Discrete Element Method

Highlights Response surface methodology is suitable for DEM input parameter optimization. Soil reaction forces reduced at velocity ratios greater than one (1.2-3.9). Vibration reduced soil reaction forces at the target depth of 350 mm by 70%. In general, soil reaction forces increase with speed but decrease with frequency. Abrasive wear predominantly occurred at the tool’s cutting section. Abstract. The discrete element method (DEM) and response surface methodology (RSM) were used to determine the input parameters and combination of operational factors required for optimizing the Jerusalem artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus L.) harvesting tool in cohesive soil. The DEM soil model consisted of particles with different radii in three shapes calibrated using angle of repose and cone penetration data. Compared with data from a soil bin subsoiler evaluation, the DEM model showed acceptable relative errors for draught force (6.7%), vertical force (4.5%), and furrow width (9.3%). The effects of operational factors, including forward speed, vibration frequency, and amplitude, on response variables such as draught and vertical forces, drawbar power, and abrasive wear were analyzed for three harvesting shovels (S-shape, step-shape, and fork-shape). The ratio of vibratory speed to forward speed (velocity ratio, Vr) was used to analyze the combined effect of the factors. The operational factors significantly affected all the response variables (p&amp;lt;0.05). At Vr &amp;gt; 1 (1.2-3.9), soil reaction forces and drawbar power were considerably reduced. The optimal parameters for minimizing the response variables were 2.5 km h-1 forward speed, 14.5 Hz frequency, 30 mm amplitude, and S-shape shovel at Vr = 3.9. The minimum draught force, vertical force, drawbar power, and Archard wear depth were 4.64 kN, 0.41 kN, 2.64 kW, and 2.36 mm, respectively, at an operating depth of 350 mm. Operating in vibratory mode reduced draught force by 54% with the full width of the implement. Future work should include Jerusalem artichoke tubers in the simulation and experimental validation. Keywords: Abrasive wear, Clay, Numerical optimization, Soil reaction forces, Velocity ratio, Vibration.