Development and Performance Evaluation of Battery Operated Weeder for Row Crops

Abstract

Timely weed control is essential in row-crop production, yet conventional manual and fuel based systems are often constrained by labor scarcity, high operating   cost and ergonomic drudgery. This study aimed to develop and evaluate a manually guided battery-operated inter- row weeder for vegetable row crops under practical field conditions.  Field testing was conducted at two row spacings (30 and 45 cm) and three weeding stages (20, 40 and 60 days after sowing) with three replications per treatment-stage combination. Performance was assessed using forward speed, effective field capacity, field efficiency, weeding efficiency, plant damage and battery operating time. Mean performance values showed clear treatment effects.  Compared with 30 cm spacing, 45 cm spacing increased forward speed from 1.66 to 1.84 km h-1, effective field capacity from 0.055 to 0.068 ha h-1field efficiency from 74.7% to 78.7%, and weeding efficiency from 83.3% to 87.3%.  Plant damage decreased from 3.37% to 2.53%, while battery operating time improved from 2.80 to 3.12 h.  Stage wise trends indicated gradual reductions in speed and battery backup at later crop stages but the 45 cm treatment consistently maintained superior performance. Overall the developed battery operated weeder demonstrated technically reliable and agronomically safe field performance with improved operational efficiency and lower crop injury under wider row spacing. The results support its suitability as a practical mechanized weeding option for labor-constrained row-crop production systems.