Post-harvest technologies
J. Abdi; A. Golmohammadi; Gh. Shahgholi; A. Rezvanivand fanaei
Abstract
IntroductionPeanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) is an annual plant of the legume genus that is cultivated in 109 countries due to its high-quality oil and seed protein. In Iran, this crop is cultivated on an area of 3000 hectares, with an average yield of 4 tons per hectare. Threshing performance significantly ...
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IntroductionPeanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) is an annual plant of the legume genus that is cultivated in 109 countries due to its high-quality oil and seed protein. In Iran, this crop is cultivated on an area of 3000 hectares, with an average yield of 4 tons per hectare. Threshing performance significantly affects seed loss and physical damage, including cracking and crushing of seeds during harvest. Therefore, over the last century, extensive research has been conducted on different types of threshing methods, as well as the design and development of various threshing machines.Research on seed crops such as cereals and seeds suggest that factors such as the rotational speed of the thresher, threshing-concave distance, feeding rate, and shape of threshing teeth play a crucial role in determining the threshing efficiency and quality of the threshed seeds. Although limited research has been conducted on peanut threshing, there are currently no combine-machines available for this crop on global markets. Therefore, this study aims to investigate several working parameters of an experimental peanut thresher, including the effect of sieve angle, sieve range of movement, and suction speed on the separation unit.Materials and MethodsThe relevant experiments were conducted in the Parsabad Moghan region of Ardabil province (latitude 39.65 North, longitude 47.91 East). To conduct the experiments and separate the seeds from the pods, we used a peanut threshing machine cultivar Nc2, which is commonly cultivated under agricultural conditions in Ardabil and Gilan Agricultural Research Centers.To achieve the aims of this research, we investigated several effective parameters in the performance of the machine, including sieve angle, sieve movement range, and fan suction speed, to obtain the best settings for maximum threshing performance and separation efficiency. It is worth noting that the average seed weight per kilogram of peanut plant was between 300-400 grams, and the moisture content of the seeds in the tested cultivar was 45%. Before using the machine, workers must first dig up the plants and place them on the ground in a coupe, after which another worker must feed the plants into the machine through the feeder.Results and DiscussionThe study found that changes in sieve angle, sieve movement range, and suction speed significantly affect the separation efficiency and peanut loss rate at a 1% significance level. Increasing the sieving angle leads to a higher speed of material movement on the sieve, which results in insufficient time for separating straw from the seed. Similarly, increasing the sieve movement range causes a rapid decrease in cleaning efficiency. To achieve better straw-seed separation, it is necessary to apply impact shocks to the products located on the sieve within a short period. However, as the range of movement increases, the time interval between impact shocks also increases, which disrupts the straw's separation from the seed.The study found that increasing the sieve range and suction speed leads to a higher rate of peanut loss. This is due to the fact that when the suction speed and sieve movement range are increased, the product spends less time on the sieve, which results in insufficient time for proper separation. Additionally, high speed may exceed the limit of peanut seed and cause it to move out of the machine with the straw. Increasing the sieve movement range leads to a more uniform movement of straw and seed on the sieve; however, achieving better separation of straw from the sieve requires dynamic shocks and sudden acceleration, which decreases as the sieve movement range increases. The optimal farm capacity and material capacity were achieved with a 5-degree slope at 0.55 hectares per hour and 509 kilograms per hectare, respectively, using a sieve range of 3.5 centimeters and a fan suction speed of 8 meters per second.ConclusionThe study concluded that the sieve movement range has the most significant impact on cleaning efficiency, while the sieve angle has the least effect. Similarly, the sieve movement range has the most significant influence on the rate of peanut loss, while the sieve angle has the least effect.
B. Emadi; A. Nikkhah; M. Khojastehpour; H. Payman
Abstract
In this study, the energy and economic analysis of peanut production in Guilan province of Iran was studied. Data were collected from questionnaires of 75 farmers. The data were collected from three farm size categories namely: 0.1–0.5 ha, 0.5-1 ha and larger than 1 ha. The results revealed that 19407.36 ...
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In this study, the energy and economic analysis of peanut production in Guilan province of Iran was studied. Data were collected from questionnaires of 75 farmers. The data were collected from three farm size categories namely: 0.1–0.5 ha, 0.5-1 ha and larger than 1 ha. The results revealed that 19407.36 MJ ha-1 energy input was totally consumed. The highest share of energy consumption belonged to diesel fuel (50.05%) followed by chemical fertilizers (19.14%). The mean difference of energy inputs including machinery, diesel fuel and electricity among different sizes of farms was significant at the 5% level. The average energy efficiency in different farm size categories including less than 0.5 ha, 0.5-1 ha and more than 1 ha were 3.67, 4.02 and 4.12, respectively. The energy productivity of these sizes was calculated as 0.155, 0.169 and 0.174 kg MJ-1, respectively. The Cobb-Douglas model results showed that the effects of inputs including human labor, machinery, chemical fertilizers and electricity on the yield were positive, while the effect of inputs including seed, diesel fuel and chemicals on peanut yield were negative. The benefit-cost ratio was calculated as 1.82. Farmers with a farm larger than 1 ha used the least amount of energy and input costs.
S. Firouzi; M. N. Safarzad vishgaei; M. R. Alizadeh
Abstract
In this research, field performance of four weeding methods for peanut crop was investigated in Kiashahr located at Guilan province. The weeding methods were included weeding by two types of motorized weeders (power tiller operated cultivator and power tiller operated rotovator at three forward speeds ...
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In this research, field performance of four weeding methods for peanut crop was investigated in Kiashahr located at Guilan province. The weeding methods were included weeding by two types of motorized weeders (power tiller operated cultivator and power tiller operated rotovator at three forward speeds of 1.0, 1.5 and 2.0 km/h), weeding by hand-driven wheeled cultivator and hand weeding by trench hoe. A randomized complete block design with three replications was used for the experiment. Weeding index, crop yield, field capacity, energy consumption and the economical index of benefit-cost ratio were measured and determined. Results showed that the highest weeding efficiencies of 98.61 and 97.37% were obtained in hand weeding for the first and second weeding stages, respectively. In all the mechanical treatments, the weeding efficiency of the second stage was greater than that of the first stage. The highest value of field capacity in the first stage (0.1263 km/h) and second stage (0.1287 ha/h) was recorded for power tiller operated rotovator at travel speed of 2.0 km/h. with amount of field efficiency was achieved in weeding with tiller rotovator at forward speed of 2 km/h (0.1263 and 0.1287 ha/h for first and second stages of weeding operation respectively). Among the methods, the lowest value of energy consumption with the average of 307.8 Mj/ha was registered for hand-driven wheeled cultivator. Results also indicated that power tiller operated rotovator at forward speed of 1.0 km/h had the highest benefit-cost ratio of 2.06 compared to other treatments. Thus, weeding by power tiller operated rotovator at forward speed of 1.0 km/h is advisable for peanut cultivation in the region.
