Manually operated rice transplanter for smallholder farmers in Nigeria

Abstract

The performance parameters of the rice transplanter revealed a field capacity and efficiency of 0.0146 ha/h and 55.66%, respectively. A variation in the distance between the hills was observed. The mean values were found to be 322.9 mm. The number of seedlings dispensed per hill varied in different plots. In most cases, 2-3 numbers of seedlings are dispensed per hill. The depth of the hill varies between 23 mm to 38 mm respectively. The mean depth was found to be 30.33 mm. The mean percentage of the missing and floating hills was 40% and 45%, respectively. The missing and floating hills were high in the transplanted plot. Results obtained from the analysis of variance show that the effects of treatment tillage operation and water depth have a significant effect on the machine. Based on the result obtained it can be concluded that more performance evaluation with machine and soil parameters needs to be conducted on the machine. This technology is recommended for use in rural areas to increase productivity by ri