Design Modification and Development of Vertical Plate Cup Type Metering Device for Onion Bulblet Planter

Abstract

A vertical plate cup metering having 8 numbers of cups for onion bulblet planter was developed in the laboratory of College of Agricultural Engineering, JNKVV, Jabalpur.Performance indices namely elevating error, bulblet damage, cell fill,mean planting distance, actual planting distance, planting errors, quality of feed index, rated planting distance, misses and accumulations was evaluated for angular position of cup 80^o, 90^o and 100^o with different peripheral speed of rotor. Minimum elevating error of 2.22 % was obtained at minimum peripheral speed of 9.97 m/min for 80⁰ cup position and maximum elevating error (14.39 %) at maximum peripheral speed for 100⁰ cup position. Minimum bulblet damage (0.7 %) was obtained at minimum peripheral speed of 9.2 m/min at 100⁰ cup position and maximum bulblet damage (7.86 %) was obtained at maximum peripheral speed of 29.13 m/min at80⁰ cup position.Cell fill was maximum (107.79 %) at 28.75 m/min of peripheral speed at full seed box fill and for 80⁰ cup position. Cell fill was minimum (78.44 %) at30.67 m/min of peripheral speed at half seed box fill and for 100⁰ cup position. Actual and mean planting distances increased with increase in travel speed. Actual planting distance (10.92 cm) was minimum and close to rated planting distance i.e.10 cm, at travel speed of 0.85 km/h and maximum (12.65 cm) at 2.4 km/h. Planting error was maximum (4.70 cm) at travel speed of 2.4 km/h and was minimum (2.14 cm) at travel speed of 0.85 km/h. Planting error increased as misses and accumulation increased with speed. Feed index was maximum (94.03 %) at the speed of 0.85 km/h and was minimum (84.42 %) at the speed of 2.0 km/h.