Participatory development of a corn seeder.

Date

1993

Abstract

This study was conducted to develop a corn seeder using the Participatory Technology Development (PTD) approach to research and development. Thirty (30) randomly selected farmer respondents in Barangay Elevado, Matalom, Leyte were involved in the development of the corn seeder. Local ?experts? or artisans were also involved in coming up with the prototype. Field survey, ?walkthrough? and informal interviews were conducted to know the socio-economic condition of the farmer-respondents, assess their perception about agricultural mechanization, specifically on seeding corn and determine their selection criteria for seeding machines. The results showed that the direct hand seeder developed from Thailand almost fits what the farmers want. However, modifications were made so that the design jibed with the existing socio-economic conditions of farmers and their practices. A preliminary study on the appropriate size of the pick-up hole opening was conducted and the results showed that a 7/8-inch (22.2 mm) diameter hole was enough to minimize the percentage of missing hills due to overcrowding of corn seeds at the pick-up hole opening using the local variety of corn (i.e. Mimis). Another preliminary study on the appropriate design of the horizontal plate metering mechanism was also conducted and the result showed that the metering precision was significantly affected by the cell shape, cell size and the addition of canal feature were the two most important factors that influenced the metering precision. Results of the laboratory and field performance test of the prototype corn seeder revealed that it delivered two to four seeds per hill with an effective field capacity of 0.18 ha/hr at an average travelling speed of 3.48 kph and average row spacing of 0.72 m. This capacity was three times faster than the farmers practice of planting corn (i.e. hand seeding). The field efficiency of the seeder was 72 percent. Economic evaluation showed that at an initial cost of ₱200 per unit and a ₱240 per hectare cost for handseeding, the farmers needed to cover at least 0.66ha/yr to cover up the annual cost. The pay-back-period was 1.52 yrs, suggesting that within two yrs the machine could already pay for itself. The discounted benefit-cost ratio was 1.30, which implied that it is a profitable investment. A significantly high percentage of the farmers said that the seeder was compatible with the needs and conditions of their farm and very easy to operate. Furthermore, they perceived a comparative advantage of the corn seeder over their own practice in terms of time and labor requirements. However, they perceived no significant difference between the two practices in terms of the amount of seeds delivered per hill, depth of seeding, amount of soil covering the corn seeds and distances between hills. As an over-all rating, it was better than the farmers? practice. From the results of the farmers? assessment on the seeder it can be concluded that the farmers? positive response on the seeders? performance and the perceived benefits that they could derive with the technology showed its potential social acceptability.

Document Type

Master Thesis

Degree

Master of Science in in Agricultural Engineering

Language

English

LC Subject

Corn

Location

UPLB Main Library Special Collections Section (USCS)

Call Number

LG 995 1993 A2 G37

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