Thresher-Dehusker Farm Machinery: Review of current situation and future needs in Indian context and development of prototype unit

Abstract

Importance of the work: This research work highlighted India's agricultural innovation through mechanization and technology for smallholder farmers, emphasizing the efficiency of agricultural engineering technologies (AETs) and proposing solutions and presenting a case study on finger millet crop equipment development.
Objectives: To evaluate agricultural innovation barriers, propose AET solutions, analyze finger millet crop processing and develop a cost-effective thresher for smallholder farmers.
Materials & Methods: The methodology involved a literature review and product, user and market studies, quality function deployment (QFD)-based concept development, and weighted ranking for selection. Various threshers were categorized based on drum ty pes, such as peg and rasp bar. Evaluation covered rotary and pedal-operated threshers. The QFD matrix guided concept derivation.
Results: The empirical validation outcomes of the designed thresher yield identified numerical findings crucial for evaluating its operational efficacy. The machine had a threshing efficiency in the range 60–70%, reflecting its capacity to effectively separate finger millet from dry ear buds. This critical performance metric emphasized the machine's proficiency in agricultural processing. Furthermore, the derived yield indicated a conversion ratio of 0.5 kg finger millet/kg dry ear buds, quantifying the effectiveness of the thresher in the context of crop output. Additionally, the stipulated duration of 10 min for threshing 1 kg of finger millet underscored the temporal aspects of the machine's operational cycle, while its reported capacity of 6–7 kg/hr delineated its throughput capability. These quantitative parameters substantiated the pragmatic utility and efficacy of the designed thresher within the agricultural milieu, fostering a nuanced understanding of its quantitative performance metrics.
Main finding: The central discovery emphasized the thresher's major operational efficiency (60–70%) and a notable conversion ratio (0.5 kg finger millet/kg ear buds). This pivotal outcome underscored the research's contribution to advancing agricultural mechanization, particularly benefitting smallholder farmers.