Development of Remote-Controlled Finger Type Weeder for Maize Crop

Abstract

The development of efficient and sustainable weed management technologies is essential to reduce labour requirements, operator drudgery, and dependence on chemical herbicides in maize cultivation. The present study aimed to develop and evaluate a remote-controlled finger-type weeder for the maize crop under field conditions. The study was conducted at the Department of Farm Machinery and Power Engineering, College of Agricultural Engineering and Technology, Anand Agricultural University, Godhra, Gujarat. The developed machine consisted of a mild-steel frame with an adjustable-width mechanism, a four-wheel-drive system, sweep blade for inter-row weeding, finger blade for near-row weeding, rack-and-pinion lifting mechanism, DC motors, motor controllers, a 24 V lithium-ion battery, and a wireless joystick control system. Field performance was evaluated using a factorial experimental design consisting of three finger blade configurations (straight, star, and narrow) and three forward speeds (1.5, 2.0, and 2.5 km h⁻¹). Performance was assessed in sandy loam soil using effective field capacity, field efficiency, weeding efficiency, plant damage, and performance index. The treatment values for weeding efficiency and plant damage ranged from 79.37 to 84.43% and from 4.63 to 9.69%, respectively. The recommended narrow-blade treatment at 2.5 km h⁻¹ achieved an effective field capacity of 0.0947 ha h⁻¹ and a field efficiency of 75.78%. Among the tested treatments, the narrow finger blade achieved the highest mean weeding efficiency (83.06%), the lowest mean plant damage (6.24%), and the highest mean performance index (784.70). The optimum operating condition was obtained using the narrow finger blade at a forward speed of 2.5 km h⁻¹. The developed remote-controlled finger-type weeder provides an effective, economical, and environmentally sustainable alternative to manual and chemical weed control by reducing labour requirements, operator fatigue, and operational costs while maintaining satisfactory weeding performance, thereby making it suitable for small- and medium-scale maize farming.