Study of Soil and Crop Parameters of Coconut Orchard for Design of Tractor Operated Coconut Basin Lister Cum Fertilizer Applicator

Abstract

Aims: To study the soil and crop parameters of coconut orchard for the design of tractor operated coconut basin lister cum fertilizer applicator. Place and Duration of Study: The study was conducted in Instructional Farm, KCAET in the Year 2021. Methodology: Soil parameters such as moisture content, bulk density, cone index and shear strength; crop parameters such as trunk diameter and root zone depth of coconut palm were studied using standard procedures to design tractor operated coconut basin lister cum fertilizer applicator. Results: The soil moisture content varied from 13.2 to 15.6% with mean of 14.66%. The soil bulk density ranged from 1615 to 1865 kg m-3 with mean of 1696.6 kg m-3. The soil cone index varied from 0.428 to 1.506 N mm-2 with mean of 1.041 N mm-2. The soil shear strength varied from 1.47×10-3 to 3.13×10-3 N mm-2 with mean of 2.31×10-3 N mm-2. The trunk diameter of coconut palm varied from 32.3 to 38.1 cm with mean of 34.74 cm. The root zone depth of coconut palm varied from 13.4 to 15.2 cm with mean of 14.3 cm. Conclusion: Soil moisture content, bulk density, cone index and shear strength helped in the design of power requirement, rotor shaft, cutting blades, main shaft etc. of the machine. The trunk diameter of the coconut palm aided in deciding the working width of the machine while the root zone depth assisted in finalizing the operational depth of the machine.