Performance Limitations and Ergonomic Challenges of a Battery-operated Hand-held Mechanical Cotton Picker in India

Abstract

Aims: The mechanisation of cotton harvesting in India is essential because of increasing harvesting costs and the declining availability of farm labour. This study aimed to evaluate the ergonomic suitability, field performance, and acceptability of a battery-operated hand-held mechanical cotton picker (HHMCP) compared with manual hand picking. Study Design: Split-plot design Place and Duration of Study: The study was conducted during the 2022 cotton season at two research farms of ICAR - Central Institute for Cotton Research (CICR) at Nagpur, Maharashtra, India, and the Regional Station of ICAR - CICR at Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India. Methodology: Field evaluation included measurement of output capacity, post-harvest losses, and picking efficiency. Ergonomic assessment was conducted by determining physiological workload, discomfort perceived by workers, and drudgery involved in the picking operation. Parameters measured included energy expenditure rate (EER), percentage of VO₂max, cardiac cost (CC), total cardiac cost of work (TCCW), physiological cost of work (PCW), body part discomfort score (BPDS), and overall discomfort score (ODS). Results: The HHMCP showed higher physiological workload responses (EER, %VO₂max, CC, TCCW, PCW, BPDS, and ODS) than manual hand picking. Higher BPDS ratings were observed primarily because of the additional weight of the machine and battery. Picking with the HHMCP was found to be more strenuous and resulted in lower output capacity, reduced efficiency, and higher post-harvest losses than manual picking. No tangible advantages were obtained from using the HHMCP over manual picking. Conclusions: The overall suitability and acceptability of the HHMCP were found to be low compared with manual picking because of its lower productivity and efficiency and higher drudgery. Design improvements to the HHMCP are necessary to enhance ergonomic comfort, field performance, and worker acceptability.