Agricultural Field Machinery Selection and Utilization for Improved Farm Operations in South-East Nigeria: A Review

Abstract

A review of agricultural field machinery selection and utilization for improved farm operations in South-east Nigeria was conducted. Proper selection and utilization of machinery effortlessly would boost up and optimize farm production by minimizing unnecessary breakdown/failure, energy and power losses and mismatching of implements to prime movers. These could only be achieved with the aid of performance data of the various field machinery. The review indicated that average performance efficiency of disc plough in South–East Nigeria was 87.11 %, whereas harrow, ridger, rotovator and planter were 86.32 %, 86.78 %, 87.14 % and 86.81 %, respectively. The review further revealed that most studies were focused on a few soil types with few field implements. It was also observed from the review that data obtained for performance of various field machinery vary from one region to another and from one soil type to the other due to variation in ecological soil conditions. Most studies reviewed did not consider the energy and power requirements of the machinery in operation. More so, variations in agro-ecological soil types and conditions require studies of different agricultural zones/areas to obtain data of the performance characteristics of agricultural field machinery that would guide farmers and users of agricultural field machinery in the selection of appropriate machines for their agricultural field operations in order to increase their production at reduced costs. Field test results of some farm machineries were also presented. Prospects for future work were suggested.

Prikazan je pregled odabrane primene i korišćenja poljoprivrednih mašina na terenu za poboljšanje rada farme u jugoistočnoj Nigeriji. Pravilnim odabirom i upotrebom mehanizacije bez napora bi se povećala i optimizirala poljoprivredna proizvodnja minimiziranjem nepotrebnih kvarova, gubitaka energije i neusklađenosti uređaja sa pogonskim motorima. To se može postići samo uz pomoć podataka o performansama različitih mašina na terenu. Pregled je pokazao da je prosečna efikasnost rada plugova u jugoistočnoj Nigeriji bila 87,11 %, dok su drljača, kultivator, rotofreza i sadilica imale efikasnost od 86,32%, 86,78 %, 87,14 % i 86,81 %, respektivno. Pregled je dalje utvrdio da je većina studija bila usredsređena na nekoliko tipova zemljišta sa nekoliko polja. Iz pregleda je takođe uočeno da podaci dobijeni za upotrebu različitih terenskih mašina variraju od jednog do drugog regiona i od jednog tipa do drugog tipa zemljišta, zbog variranja ekoloških uslova. Većina razmatranih studija nije uzela u obzir zahteve mašina za energijom i snagom. Varijacije u agroekološkim tipovima i uslovima zemljišta zahtevaju studije različitih poljoprivrednih zona/područja kako bi se dobili podaci o karakteristikama rada poljoprivrednih mašina na terenu, koji bi usmerili poljoprivrednike i korisnike poljoprivredne mehanizacije u odabiru odgovarajućih mašina za njihovo određeno poljoprivredno zemljište. A tako određenim operacijama na terenu povećava se i njihova proizvodnja uz smanjene troškove. Takođe su predstavljeni rezultati terenskih ispitivanja nekih mašina na farmama. Predložene su perspektive za budući rad.