Agricultural Mechanization

Machine Performance

rate and quantity at which the operations are accomplished, measured in quantity/time

Power Performance

concerned with the effectiveness with which power is applied to accomplish the farms’ production objectives

Operators Performance

concerned with operators ability in monitoring the activities in machines operation

Field Capacity

expressed in terms of area per time

Material Capacity

expressed in terms of mass per time

Throughput Capacity

time rate of processing a total mass of material through a machine (includes straw, grains, weeds, etc. )

Time Efficiency

the ratio of the time the machine is effectively operating to the total time the machine is committed to the operation

Field Efficiency

ratio of effective field capacity to theoretical field capacity, expressed as percent. It is also the ratio of the theoretical time to the total time actually spent including those for losses that are proportional to area and those that are not proportional to area.

Theoretical time per hectare

time that would be required to finish a field operation at the theoretical field capacity

Theoretical Field Capacity

rate of field coverage that would be obtained if the machine were performing its functions 100% of the time and the rated forward speed and always covered 100% of its rated width

Performance efficiency

percentage of effectiveness of performance of a machine as for example the recovery of grain in a thresher or the degree of soil inversion of a plow as expected in the design under the operating conditions

Moldboard plow

eliminates back furrows and dead furrows leaving the field more nearly leveled. It is also suitable for terraced field or contour plowing and for small field of irregular shape

Disk plow

it is suitable for sticky, waxy, gumbo, non-scouring soils having a hard pan. It is also suitable for dry hard, rough, stony and rooty ground.

Rotary plow

it is effective for mixing chemical into the soil and for cultivation in certain row crops. It is also good for cutting up vegetative matter and mixing through the tilled soil layer.

Chisel plow

it is effective in loosening, hard and dry soil before regular plow is used.

Subsoiler

effective in penetrating the soil to depths of 23-36 inches. It is also effective in opening and breaking-up compacted soils in order that water may seep into the opened spaces and then stored

Harrow

it is effective in leveling the ground and crushing the clods striving the soil and preventing and destroying weeds. It is also effective in putting the soil in better tilth for the reception of seeds

Roller

it is effective as a cold crusher and in preparing the seed-box by thoroughly pulverizing and forming the loose soil so that there will not be any large air spaces or pockets

Pulverizer

it is effective in pulverizing an area between rows and for fieldwork rather than row work

Mulcher

it is a combination of pulverizing equipment and spring-tooth harrow

Tillage

any physical soil manipulation which changes the structure of the soil, kills weeds, and rearranges dead plant materials

Primary tillage

initial cutting, breaking and usually inversion of the soil. Implements used are moldboard, disc and chisel plows and subsoilers cutting the soil to a depth of 6” to 36”. Often referred to as plowing

Secondary tillage

subsequent breaking, pulverization and leveling of the soil making it ready for planting. Implements used are disc, spike-tooth and springtooth harrows preparing the soil to a depth of 3” to 6”. Often referred to as harrowing.

General-purpose tillage

Combined primary and secondary tillage in one operation. Implements used are the rotavators and floating tillers cutting the soil to a depth of up to 6”. Often referred to as rotavating

Land

unplowed soil

Furrowslice

soil cut, lifted, inverted and thrown to one side of the plow bottom

Furrow

trench or canal left by the furrowslice

Backfurrow

raised ridged when two furrowslices overlap each other

Deadfurrow

trench left equal to two furrows when furrowslices are thrown on opposite sides

Furrow wall

unbroken side of the furrow

Moldboard plow

one of the oldest and most important agricultural equipment for land preparation. It cuts the soil to a depth of 6” to 18 “

Share

provides the cutting edge of the plow bottom

Moldboard

receives the furrowslice from the share; lifts, inverts and throws it to one side of the plow bottom

Landside

counteracts the side pressure exerted by the furrowslice on the plow bottom

Vertical clearance

bend downward of the point of the share to make the plow penetrate the soil to the proper depth

Horizontal clearance

bend outward or sideward of the point of the share towards the unplowed land to make the plow cut the proper width

Disc plow

it was developed in an effort to reduce friction in the sliding moldboard plow bottom by using a rotating disc plow bottom

Disc

round and concave disc of heat-hardened steel with sharpened edges to cut the soil. It is rotated by the soil during soil cutting

Scraper

curved plate placed on the concave side of the disc to scrape off the soil and throw it on one side of the plow bottom

Rear furrow wheel

rear wheel that presses against the furrow wall to resist the side pressure exerted by the soil against the plow

Tilt angle

angle the disc makes with the vertical to make the disc penetrate the soil to the proper depth (15 – 25 degrees)

Disc angle

angle the disc makes with the direction of travel to make the disc cut the proper width and allow the disc to rotate (42 – 45 degrees)

Disc harrow

consists of two or more sets of disc gangs cutting the soil to a depth of 3” to 6”. A disc gang is made up of a number of discs mounted on a common axle.

Disc gang

assembly of discs all rotating together on a common shaft (3 -13 discs/gang at 6” to 12 “ spacing per disc).

Bumpers

a washer on one of the common shaft to absorb the end thrust of the gang

Single-action disc harrow

consists of two gangs of discs placed end-to-end which throws the soil in opposite directions

Double-action disc harrow

consists of four gangs of discs. Two gangs in front as in single –action and two gangs at the rear

Offset disc harrow

consists of two gangs of disc. One gang located behind the other and operated in an offset position in relation to the tractor.

Rotavators

constructed with a set of cutting knives or tines mounted on a horizontal power-driven shaft rotating at high speed. The knives slice thin sections of the soil and pulverize them by centrifugal force

Floating power tillers

specially designed power tillers for wet land operation fitted with front-mounted cutting blades on a cagewheel

Row crop planters

planters designed and constructed to plant seeds in rows, far enough apart to permit the operation of machinery between them for inter-tilling or other cultural operations

Row Crop Drill planters

row crop planter; designed to plant seeds continuously in rows with row spacing greater than 36 cm

Hill drop planters

row crop planter; deposit one or more seeds in a hill in equal intervals

Check row planters

row crop planter; deposit one or more seeds in checks or squares so that cultivation can be made both with rows and across rows

Precision drill planters

row crop planter; accurately place single seeds at about equal intervals in rows

Solid planters

planters designed and constructed to plant or distribute seeds on patterns other than those of row crop planters

Broadcasters

solid planter; designed to scatter the seeds uniformly over the surface of the field without definite rows and hills. Seeds are covered by harrowing.

Solid drill planter

solid planter; designed to plant seeds continuously in rows with row spacing less than 36 cm

Transplanters

placing growing plants or plant parts in the soil

Crop protection

process of providing plants the conditions that will make them free of weeds, pests and diseases

Cultural control

modification of cultural practices such as time of planting and crop rotation

Ecological control

change in the environment of the crop and the pest which favors the survival of the crop such as flooding to kill insects and weeds

Biological control

introduction of certain insects which feed on pests, application of chemosterilants to render the male sterile, or planting of certain plants whose odor drive pests away

Physiological control

breeding and planting of pest resistant varieties

Chemical control

application of chemicals to control weeds, pests and diseases

Flame control

use of flame for the selective burning of weeds in crops whose stem is not injured by a short exposure to intense heat

Mechanical control

use of tools, implements and machines to reduce or eliminate weeds and insects such as in land preparation, cultivation and weeding

Blade type

rectangular, triangular and trapezoidal shapes with cutting edges sharpened and hardened for soil cutting and weed uprooting

Tine type

straight or curved, round or square cross-section steel rods sharply pointed and hardened at the soil working end

Rotary type

curved spikes or paddles attached radially to a common axle which rotate when pushed forward to uproot and bury weeds

Cone type

spray pattern, best suited for spraying crops because it produces a spray in which droplets approach the leaves from several angles. The pressure is high and then orifice is small.

Fan type

spray pattern, which produces a flat pattern. Best suited for spraying flat surfaces as in the application of herbicides. The pressure is low and the orifice is large

Positive Displacement Pump

pump, discharges the same volume of water regardless of the head against which they operate

Reciprocating Pump

involves the back-and-forth motion of a piston or plunger within a cylinder. This action creates alternating pressure changes that push fluid in and out of the pump chamber.

Lift Pump

single-acting pump consisting of an open cylinder, piston with built-in bucket valve. It lifts the water to flow out from a spout

Force Pump

single-acting or double-acting pump consisting of a plunger, inlet valve, and outlet valve. It forces the water above atmospheric pressure as distinguished from the lift pump

Variable Displacement Pump

pump, which has inverse relationship between discharge rate and pressure head. High pressure head will result in low discharge rate and vice versa.

Centrifugal pump

most commonly used type for domestic and irrigation purposes. Depends on centrifugal force for their operation. Consists of an impeller inside an involute casing

Propeller Pump

used for low pressure head and high discharge. Extensively used for drainage pumping and the transfer of water from canals and rivers to adjacent fields

Harvesting

process of gathering the useful portion of the crop from the field

Threshing

process of separating the grains from the straw. Additionally, it may include cleaning the grains

Reaper-windrower

a harvesting machine that cuts the standing crop, conveys the cut crop to one side, and lays them down in an orderly manner

Reaper-binder

a harvesting machine that cuts the standing crop, binds the cut crop, and lays down the bound crop to one side

Slicing action

a cutting mechanism for harvesting that uses a sharp smooth edge hand tool

Tearing action

a cutting mechanism for harvesting that uses a serrated edge hand tool

Impact action

a cutting mechanism that uses rotary saw that have sharp or dull-edged blades moving at high velocity of 2,000 fpm to 9,000 fpm

Shearing action

a cutting mechanism for harvesting that uses scissor type action found in reapers and harvesters

Rubbing action

grains are detached from their panicles as in treading by man, animal and vehicle

Impact action

grains are accelerated faster than their panicles and are detached as in hampasan and mechanical threshers

Stripping action

grains are detached from their panicles when the straw is pulled through a “V” configuration or a comb-like device is passed through the panicles

Hold-on feeding

type of feeding where straws do not pass through the threshing section, low-power requirement, lightweight construction. Examples: Pedal thresher and Japanese combine

Throw-in feeding

type of feeding where straws pass through the threshing section, high power requirement, heavyweight construction. Examples: Axial-flow thresher and US combine

Tangential-flow

materials are feed between the revolving cylinder and stationary concave and go straight out of the thresher tangentially. About 60% of the grains pass through the concave and the rest are separated in subsequent operations

Axial flow

materials are fed between the revolving cylinder and stationary concave on one end, go around the cylinder several times axially and discharge at the other end. About 90% of the grains are separated from the straw at the cylinder.

Agriculture and Fisheries Mechanization Committee

(AFMeC) – interagency committee which serves as advisory to the Secretary on mechanization concerns

Bureau of Postharvest Research and Extension

(BPRE) – in-charge of post harvest mechanization and corn mechanization

Philippine Rice Research Institute

(PhilRice) – In-charge of rice mechanization

Bureau of Soils and Water Management

(BSWM) – In-charge of developing small-scale irrigation projects

National Irrigation Administration

(NIA) – In-charge of developing largescale irrigation projects

Bureau of Plant Industry

(BPI) – In-charge of vegetable mechanization