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Using the Planter
The planter is rocked back and forth as the foot/hand pushes it into the ground.
Finally it is pushed away from the operator and the seed and fertiliser are dropped down the tube and fall into the slots created through the mulch.
On pulling out the tool some soil falls to cover the seeds or a foot can be used to close the holes.
Crop Emergence
The crop emerges through the mulch into a weed free area.
The seed emerges later than that planted on cultivated land on right.
It continues to grow on stored moisture below the soil surface after the other crop has matured.
Final Yield
The crop grows slowly to maturity with high yields. The size and density of the canopy affect intercropping of beans.
The trial results show that a pure crop stand without intercropping gives better performance.
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Wheel Weeders
Mechanical Weed Control
Weed competition causes greater reductions in crop yield potential than any other single factor. Small scale farmers world wide suffer the same problem. They attempt to control the weeds with tools, often designed for some other purpose, which operate very slowly and often loosen the soil thus creating conditions for valuable moisture loss.
The burden of this work falls on women and young persons who already have a heavy workload.
The more advanced the stage of the weed the greater the energy needed to loosen or cut it. Farmers tend to wait until many weeds have germinated before controlling them but as the rates of work are low many hours or days are needed to complete the work. Many weeds will have already affected the potential yield as some crops, such as maize, are affected by weed competition when only 10 cm high.
The wheel weeder is an attempt to overcome the limitations of existing tools for crops grown in rows and, under good conditions, it has a good performance but more development work is needed.
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Interesting and very simple, Does seeding depth vary much in practice ? Is there evidence of compaction at depth from the back and forth movement needed to assist penetration and obtain some tilth? The concept seems best suited to deeper planting but a way to 'loosen deep and plant shallow' may be helpful for smaller seeds, even if loosing on the benefits of seed contact with undisturbed soil. What is the weight of the unit? Well done and thanks for sharing your work.