PROTOTYPE DEVELOPMENT OF A SINGLE ROW SELF-PROPELLED MAIZE COB PICKER CUM STALK CUTTING MACHINEMamilla Shravani and A.K. MehtaAbstract Maize is one of the vital crops after rice and wheat in India and is a widely produced cereal. Maize contributes only 2.4 percent of total world production. Maize occupied 9.21 Mha, with a production of 25.82 MT in India. The average yield per hectare during 2018-19 was 2804 kg per hectare. Maize is being used in numerous sectors and is consumed mainly in poultry in India. The demand for maize in the developing world would double and to meet the demand, the production must be increased. The small-scale harvesters which can be affordable by Indian farmers are to be developed to make harvesting operations easier. The proposed machine can accomplish three operations at a time: cutting the maize stalk, removing cobs from the stalk, and collecting removed cobs from the plant. The machine will be of great use for small-scale farmers in many ways. |