Design and Fabrication of a Manually Operated Corn Planter with Fertilizer Applicator

By Olom, UJ; Agi, JI; Ogbaje, H (2022).

Greener Journal of Science, Engineering and Technological Research

ISSN: 2276-7835

Vol. 11(1), pp. 1-13, 2022

https://gjournals.org/GJSETR

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Design and Fabrication of a Manually Operated Corn Planter with Fertilizer Applicator

Olom U. J.¹, Agi J. I.² and Ogbaje H.^3*

¹Department of Agricultural and Environmental Engineering, Joseph Sarwuam Tarka University, Makurdi, Nigeria

^2,3Department of Agricultural and Bio-Environmental Engineering Technology, Kogi State Polytechnic, (Itakpe Campus), Nigeria.

E-mails: Jacobagi469@ gmail. com², hopeogbaje@ gmail. com³

ARTICLE INFO	ABSTRACT
*Article No.:* 111922096 *Type: Research* *Full Text: PDF, HTML, PHP, EPUB*	A manually operated corn planter with fertilizer applicator was designed and constructed to plant maize crops. The planting machine is made up of a seed/fertilizer hopper, furrow opener, front wheel, rear wheel, seed discharge tube, furrow covering device, seed metering device, handle, bearing, chain and sprockets. The machine’s field performance test for planting maize shows that the planter was able to plant with adjustable furrow opening depth and seed spacing. Average field seed planting space by the metering unit was 34 cm. The average metering efficiency was 94.5 % at machine speed of 0.6 m/s. The machine has a field capacity of 0.17 ha/hr and the field efficiency of 73.98 %. The seed rate of the machine was 22.5kg/ha while the fertilizer rate was 74.6kg/ha. The seed damage was found to be 2.45%. With good care and maintenance, the planter would relief peasant farmers of the difficulties encountered in maize production. The cost of fabricating the manually operated corn planter with fertilizer applicator is ₦32,000.
*Accepted:* 19/11/2022 *Published:* 31/12/2022
Corresponding Author Ogbaje, H.* *E-mail:* hopeogbaje@ gmail.com
*Keywords:* Design, Fabrication, Manually operated, Corn planter, Fertilizer applicator

1. INTRODUCTION

For years, human power has been the major power in agricultural production. The gradual replacement of human power with mechanical devices or systems has brought a tremendous improvement to agricultural yield. Agricultural mechanization has helped in agricultural production, processing, storage and so on which has reduced drudgery, improve timeliness of operation and efficiency of various farm operations, bringing more lands under cultivation, preserve the quality of agricultural produce, provide better rural living condition and markedly advance the economic growth of the rural sector [1].

One of the major challenges faced by the peasant farmers in Nigeria is the constraints experienced in seed planting as a result of manual power usage. Most of these peasant farmers cannot afford the money to procure or hire sophisticated machinery that can be used for their planting operation. The cost of the machine is going to be reduced by designing and constructing a simple planter/ fertilizer applicator to replace the bulky imported planters. The design of this planter is simple and easy to fabricate. The size of the machine, production cost, and transportation were reduced to the barest minimum. There are several advantages of seed planter cum fertilizer applicator over the traditional maize planting methods in the field. Those advantages include uniform seed and fertilizer distribution, calculated quantities of seed and fertilizer can be placed at the required depth with fertilizer below and besides the seed [2].

The aim of this work was to develop a simple mini corn planter/fertilizer applicator using locally available materials at relatively low cost for peasant farmers and garden use.

2. MATERIALS AND METHODS

2.1 Materials Used for the Planter

The manually operated single row planter for sowing seed and placement of fertilizer consists of the handles, seed/fertilizer hopper, furrow opener, front wheels, seed discharge tube, furrow covering device, and seed metering device, chain and sprockets.

2.2 Determination of the Engineering Properties of Maize Seeds and Fertilizers

In the design of this seed planter, the engineering properties of the maize seeds and fertilizers were put into consideration to avoid seed damage and for proper placement of seeds and fertilizers in the soil at the desired depth and compaction.

The determined properties are: moisture content, maize seed size and shape, arithmetic and geometric mean diameters, sphericity, seeds weight, bulk and true densities, porosity, the coefficient of friction and angle of repose.

2.3 Mode of Operation of the Planter

The design and material selection was to ensure that the machine was easy to construct, affordable for the target end users, with most of the components made with locally available materials, and low technology requiring little or no training for operation and maintenance. To operate the planter, seeds and fertilizers were poured into their separate compartments in the hopper; the planter is then positioned at the desired starting point, and pushed along the row by means of the handle. About two seeds were picked up by the metering plate and introduced into the chute. The furrow opener continuously opens the furrow and the seeds metered into the chute falls into the opened furrow which is then closed by the furrow closer. As the planter is pushed along the row, it plants continuously at 30cm intra - row spacing, until the seeds in the hopper gets finished to a level requiring refilling of the hopper. For the planting operation, the hopper was filled with seeds. The filling of the hopper depends on the area of the field to be covered. As the multi-crop planter was pushed forward in the direction of travel, at an average speed of 0.6m/s, the pointed bar type furrow opener penetrated the soil creating a furrow for seeds to be placed.

2.4 Fabrication of the Planter

The planter was fabricated and tested at Udeco Engineering Company Limited, kilometer 4, Gboko road, Makurdi, Benue State. All the parts of the maize planter were fabricated from mild steel material, except for the seed tube which was made from plastic material. The hopper was fabricated using 2 mm thick mild steel metal sheet. The main frame which supports every other component of the planter was fabricated using 50 mm angle bar of 4 mm thickness. The handle for the planter was fabricated using a 40 mm mild steel square pipe. The adjustable furrow opener and furrow closer were both fabricated using a combination of 20 mm x 5 mm mild steel flat bar and 20 mm rod. Plates 1 show the fabricated planter.

2.5 Machine Components and Design Analysis

a. Hopper design

The seed hopper assumes the shape of a frustrum of a truncated pyramid with the dimensions of 100 mm x100 mm at the bottom, 300 mm x 300 mm at the top and 300 mm height. The angle of inclination of the hopper will be fixed at 30⁰, which is modestly higher than the average angle of repose of the seeds to ensure free flow of seeds. The hopper is divided into two segments/compartments, the seed segment and the fertilizer segment. The seed compartment is designed to accommodate 2 kg of seeds while the fertilizer compartment accommodates 4 kg of fertilizer. The hopper is made of light durable mild steel metal sheet of 3 mm thick. Figure 1 shows a schematic representation of the hopper.

The volume of hopper was gotten from the mass of seeds/ fertilizers and their respective bulk densities.

The volume of seeds in the hopper was calculated using equation 1.

(1)

Where; V₁ = Volume of seed compartment (mm³), M₁= Mass of seeds and

= bulk density of maize seeds

The volume of fertilizer in the hopper is given as

(2)

Where; V₂ = Volume of fertilizer compartment (mm³), M₂ = Mass of fertilizers and

Bulk density of fertilizer.

Total volume, V_T(mm³) = V₁ + V₂

Total volume of hopper is determined = 97.710⁵mm³

but the hopper will be about 20% greater than V_T

Hopper volume = V_h (

The top area of the hopper A₁is given as

(3)

The bottom area of the hopper A₂is given as

(4)

Where; A₁ = Top area of hopper (mm²), a = Top length (mm).

A₂ = Bottom area of hopper (mm²), and b = Bottom length (mm).

The height of the hopper, h is gotten from equation 5

(5)

The height of the hopper obtained is 483.3mm

b. The frame

The frame forms the platform on which other components will be mounted. The materials used for the main frame was selected on the basis of its strength and reliability from readily available materials. In this work, mild steel angle iron of 50 mm by 50 mm by 4 mm thickness was considered useful to give the required rigidity. Angle iron made of carbon steel has high strength properties and is used for general engineering purposes [3].

c. Seed chute

This is the channel through which seeds are conveyed from the seed meter to the device that deposits the seed on the soil surface or in the furrow. The seed chute is located on the outer part of the hopper by the side on which the vertical seed plate is attached. The material used for the design is a cylindrical funnel made of mild steel pipe with a diameter of 30 mm in order to accommodate at least two seeds at a time.

d. Furrow opener

Furrow opener opens the soil where seeds metered out through the chute will be dropped and covered. The type of furrow opener used for this design is the adjustable ‘shovel type’ furrow opener which gives a ‘v’ shaped furrow opening and is suitable because it cuts and displaces the soil sideways for easy planting [4]. The material used for the design of the furrow opener is mild steel angle bar because of its high strength to withstand soil resistance.

e. Furrow coverer

The furrow closer was also designed to be adjustable. It was designed to allow for proper covering and compaction of the soil over the seeds in the furrows. The design of the seed covering device on a planter depends on many factors, including: the soil type and soil condition, the design of the furrow opener, and the speed of operation, etc. [4]. The Furrow covering device was placed perpendicular to the direction of travel of the machine to facilitate proper covering of the soil.

f. The Front wheel

The front wheel was designed to enhance free movement on loose soils. It is made of 6 mm thick mild steel flat bar cut out into 80 mm width and folded into a circle of 360 mm diameter. Pieces of metal rods were attached alternately throughout the circumference of the wheel to provide lugs on its periphery which increase traction and reduce slip. The front wheel provides drive for the metering mechanism through a chain and sprocket system.

g. The rear wheel

The rear wheel is the driven wheel or seed firming device. Seed firming devices are designed to press uncovered seed into the soil at the base of the seed furrow to improve seed to soil contact [4]. For this design, a standard wheel size for equipment similar to wheel barrows with the diameter of 200 mm as proposed by Murray et al [4] was adopted on the basis of its strength to enhance stability and manoeuvrability during operation.

h. The handle

The handle of the planter was designed to meet the different height of operators which can be adjusted accordingly to reduced drudgery. The handle helps the operator to push the planter at the time of operation [5]. The length of the handle was calculated based on average standing elbow height of an operator of 120cm. Distance of wheel centre from the operator in operating condition is 130cm.

So, the angle of inclination (θ_h) with the horizontal is

(6)

Where: a₁= Height of centre of wheel to the elbow and

a₂= Horizontal distance between the normal to the centre of wheel and normal to the elbow line.

Angle of inclination (was determined to be =

i. Seed metering mechanism

The metering mechanism is a major component in a planter. It picks the required number of seeds and delivers them into the soil through the chute at required depths created by furrow openers. Therefore, the design considered the size of the seed, the intra and inter - row spacing for each seed, which usually differs from one crop to another. According to Murray et al. [4], seed plate thickness should be between the ranges of 3 mm to 6 mm to enable easy picking up of seeds and also to avoid damage of the seeds.

For the design of the seed metering device the most important thing is that how many cells would be developed for desired crop; so that the requirement of the plant to plant spacing is achieved. So Number of cells on the seed metering device was obtained from equation 7 [6].

Number of cells = (7)

Where: D = Diameter of ground wheel (m), Z = Intra-row spacing (m) and I = Speed ratio.

No. of seed cell gotten = 1.2 ≈ 1

In this design, the metering mechanism was made with plate of 116mm diameter and 3mm thickness with spaced cell near and flushing with the circumference of the plate. The cell was designed to pick an average of two maize seeds and drop them at intra row spacing of 30cm. The seed cell measured 2 cm by 1.5 cm and 1.3 cm deep to accommodate two (2) to three (3) seeds while the fertilizer cell measured 2.5 cm by 1.5 cm and 1.5 cm deep. The seed cell was made adjustable in order to plant other seeds of different sizes. The plate is attached vertically on a horizontal shaft driven by the front wheel through a chain and sprockets transmission.

The weight of the metering plate, W is given as

(8)

Mass of plate was gotten by direct weighting

Mass of plate gotten = 1.3 Kg

Weight of the metering plate W obtained = 12.75N

J. Weight of seeds and fertilizers in the hopper

The weight of the grain, W_g will be determined using equation 9 [7]

The weight of the seeds in the hopper is given as

(9)

The weight of the fertilizers in the hopper is given as

(10)

Where; W_g= Weight of seeds (kg), W_f = Weight of fertilizers (kg).

W_gand W_fgotten were 19.62N and 39.24N respectively

k. Design of chain and sprockets

Chains are mainly used for transmission of power from one shaft to another, when the distance between the centres of shafts is short such as bicycles, agricultural machinery, rolling mill etc. The chains are used for velocities up to 25 m/s and for power up to 110 kw [3]. The driving sprocket was designed with an assumed speed of 65 r.p.m while smaller sprocket (follower) moves at 180 r.p.m. Figure 2 shows an open chain drive system connecting two sprockets.

The velocity ratio of a chain drive is giving as.

V.R = (11)

Where;

N₁= speed of rotation of smaller sprocket in r.p.m, N₂= speed of rotation of larger sprocket in r.p.m, T₁ = Number of teeth on the smaller sprocket, T₂= Number of teeth on the larger sprocket.

For this design, the smaller sprocket of 14 teeth was selected because of the low speed requirement. The number of teeth on the larger sprocket is given as

(12)

The service factor (K_s) is the product of various factors K₁, K₂ and K₃. The values of these factors are given as follows [3]:

Load factor (K₁) =1.25, for variable load with mild shock, Lubrication factor (K₂) = 1.5, for periodic lubrication, and Rating factor (K₃) = 1, for 8 hours per day .

Therefore, service factor,

(13)

The pitch circle diameter of the smaller sprocket is given as,

(14)

The pitch circle diameter of the larger sprocket is given as,

(15)

Where; d₁ and d₂ = Pitch circle diameters the sprockets, and P = pitch of the chain in meter.

The average velocity of the smaller sprocket is given by

V(m/s) = (16)

Load on the chain, w is given by,

(17)

(18)

The minimum centre distance between the two sprockets should be 30 – 50 times the pitch [3]. Taking the value of 35,

In order to accommodate initial sag in the chain, the value of centre distance is reduced by 2 to 5 mm [3].

The number of links may be obtained from equation 19 as

K = (19)

The length of the chain is given by the expression in equation 20

Length of Chain was = 1.778 m (20)

l. Maximum bending moment on the shafts

The power delivered to the shaft by some tangential force and the resultant torque (or twisting moment) set up within the shaft permit the power to be transferred to various machines linked up to the shaft in order to transfer the power from one shaft to another, the various members such as sprockets, pulleys etc., are mounted on it. These members along with the forces exerted upon them causes the shaft to bend [3]. Figure 3 show the load distribution on the driving shaft and metering shaft respectively.

The maximum bending moment can be determined from the following expressions:

From the principles equilibrium, the sum of upward forces equals the sum of downward forces.

(21)

Where;

R₁ and R₂ = reactions at both ends of the shaft,

W_w = = weight of the ground wheel,

W_s = weight of the larger sprocket.

M₁ and M₂ = weight of the wheel and the larger sprocket respectively

The maximum bending moment of 2.75N-m is chosen as the bending moment of the shaft

m. Diameter of the driving shaft

Ø For the driving shaft, the torque transmitted by the shaft is given in equation 22 below

(22)

Where;

T = Torque (N-m), p = Power transmitted(W) and N = Speed of shaft(r.p.m).

The equivalent twisting moment, T_e is given in equation 34 [3].

(23)

Where; M = maximum bending moment on the shaft,

K_m = shock and fatigue factor for bending moment,

K_t = shock and fatigue factor for torsional moment.

For the hollow shaft, the ratio of inside to outside diameters is assumed to be 0.8.

The equivalent twisting moment transmitted by the hollow shaft is given as

(24)

Where; k = d_i/d_o =0.8, d_i = inside diameter, d_o = outside diameter

For shafts without allowance for key ways, the allowable stress, = 56N/mm²[3].

The diameter of driving shaft was = 21 mm

n. Maximum bending moment on the metering plate shaft

The maximum bending moment on the metering shaft was determined from figure 4 below.

From the principles of equilibrium, the sum of upward forces equals the sum of downward forces.

25)

Where; R₁ and R₂ = reactions at both ends of the shaft,

W_w = = weight of the metering plate

W₂ = weight of the smaller sprocket.

M₁ and M₂ = weight of the metering plate and the smaller sprocket respectively

The maximum bending moment of 0.99 N-m is chosen as the bending moment of the metering shaft plate shaft.

Ø The torque transmitted by the metering shaft is given as

26)

Where;

T = Torque (N-m), p = Power transmitted (W) and N = Speed of shaft (r.p.m).

The transmitted torque by the metering shaft is = 39.58 N-m

The equivalent twisting moment, T_e is given as

(27)

Where; M = maximum bending moment on the shaft

= 39608 N-mm

For the hollow shaft, the ratio of inside to outside diameters is assumed as 0.8.

The equivalent twisting moment transmitted by the hollow shaft is

(28)

Where; k = d_i/d_o =0.5, d_i = inside diameter, d_o = outside diameter

18.27 mm say 19 mm

o. Design of Bearing

Bearings are selected based on their load carrying capacity, life expectancy and reliability. Ball bearings are fixed in the bushing provided at the two ends of the frame in other to support the eccentric shaft on which the wheels are attached. They allow the carrying of an impressive load without wear and tear and with reduced friction. This device ensures the smooth operation of the wheels.

Life of a bearing is the number of revolution which the bearing runs before the first evidence of fatigue develops. For machines used for short periods such as hand tools, domestic machines and agricultural machines, the life of bearings is given as 4000 to 8000 hours [3].

Let the life of the bearing, at the working speed of 65 r.p.m. The life of the bearing in revolution corresponding to the reliability of 99% is gotten as

(29)

Where; L_H = life of bearing (hours), N = speed (r.p.m) and L₉₉ = life at 99% reliability

Let L₉₀ = life of the bearing (in revolutions) corresponding to 90% reliability

(30)

Where; b = constant =1.17

The bearings operate with an equivalent load of 39.24N. The dynamic load rating of the bearing is given as

(31)

Where k = constant = 3 for ball bearing.

Where; C = Basic dynamic load rating, and W = Equivalent load on bearing.

To select the most suitable bearing, the dynamic load rating is multiplied by the service factor, (K_S) to get the load capacity. K_S =1.5 for light shock load [3].

p. Determination of the Maximum Draft on the Planter

The maximum draft on the planter is a function of the soils resistance on the machine and the area of contact of the furrow opener with the soil. The maximum draft on the planter is the horizontal component of push parallel to the line of motion in order to overcome the soil resistance on the planter [8]. The maximum draft may therefore be obtained from the following expression in equation 32.

(32)

Where; D_FM = Maximum draft on the planter (N),

A_fo = Surface area of furrow opener in contact with soil (cm²), and

R_S= soil resistance (kg/cm²).

A_fo = Recommended depth of cut width of furrow opener (33)

The soil resistance, R_S for various soil types as given by Ikechukwu et al. [9] are:

For sandy loamy soils, R_S = 0.210 kg/cm², for silt loamy soils, R_S = 0.385 kg/cm², and for clay loamy soil, R_S= 0.455 kg/cm².

Therefore, for

Sandy loamy soil = 20.6 N

Silt loam soil = 37.8 N

Clay loamy = 44.6 N.

Sandy loamy soil with the draft of 20.6 N was used for the testing of this design.

2.6 Performance Evaluation on the Planter

The standard code by Mehta et al. [10] for seed drill as reported by Bamgboye and Mofolasayo [11] was adopted in the evaluation of the machine performance. Laboratory and field tests were conducted to determine the performance of the machine. The machine was calibrated in the laboratory to determine the rate of discharge, uniformity of seed spacing and seed damage during operation.

Figures 5, 6 and 7 represent the pictorial view, sectional and exploded view of the planter respectively while Plate 1 show the picture of the fabricated planter.

Test for uniformity of seed spacing and seed damage

To determine the uniformity of seed spacing, the hopper was loaded with grains and fertilizer and the machine run within the length of about 10 m at walking speed, and the time of travel was recorded. A measuring tape was used to measure the distance between successive drops of seeds. This process was repeated five consecutive times and measurement of distance between successive drops of seeds was recorded. The seeds discharged from the seed tube during the run were observed for damage and recorded. The percentage seed damage was calculated from equation 34 [7]

(34)

% Seed damage was = 2.43 %

Determination of field efficiency

To determine the field efficiency, the planting operation was performed longitudinally with a constant forward speed as determined by noting the distance of travel using measuring tape and corresponding time to complete the distance with the aid of a stop watch. The field efficiency of the planter will be calculated from equation (35) suggested by kepner et al. [6]. An area of 90m² was used for the evaluation and it was covered in 196 seconds. The effective operating time was 145 seconds while the idle time was 51 seconds.

(35)

𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒; =𝐹𝑖𝑒𝑙𝑑𝑒𝑓𝑓𝑖𝑐𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑦 (%), 𝑇𝑒 = 𝑒𝑓𝑓𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑣𝑒 𝑜𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒 (𝑚𝑖𝑛) and 𝑇𝑡=𝑇𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒 (min).

The total time, T_tcomprised of the actual working time, time for turn at the end of the field, time for loading grains, time for clog remover and resting time.

Field efficiency determined = 73.98 %

Effective field capacity

The capacity of the planter may be determined in terms of the area of land covered per hour during planting or the number of seeds planted per hour of planting. The capacity of the planter in terms of the area of land covered per hour was obtained from equation 36.

(36)

C_a = Effective field capacity of the planter in ha/hr

Time required to plant one hectare (1ha) of land is giving as

Metering efficiency

The machine was run over a distance of 10m and the total number of seed stand and the number of stand with no seeds were recorded. The metering efficiency (ME) was computed from equation 37 [12].

Table 1. Cost of producing the Planter.

S/No	Material	Quantity	Cost (₦)
1	Shaft	2	1,500
2	Mild Steel Sheet Metal (3mm)	1	3,000
3	Bearings	2	3,000
4	Angle Steel Bar	2	3,000
5	Square pipe	1	2,500
6	Bolts and Nuts	20	1,000
7	Chain and Sprockets	1 set	2,000
8	Flat bar	1	2,500
9	Paint	1	1,500
10	Labour	-	10,000
11	Transportation	-	2,500
	Total		₦ 32,500

Table 2: Engineering Properties of Maize Seeds and Fertilizers

Parameters	Unit	Maize seeds	Fertilizers
Length	Mm	11.11	-
Width	Mm	8.53	-
Thickness	Mm	4.85	-
Geometric mean diameter	Mm	7.71	-
Arithmetic mean diameter	Mm	8.16	-
Sphericity	%	69	-
Moisture content	%	8.5	-
1000 mass	G	300	-
Bulk density	Kg/m³	450.3	745
True density	Kg/m³	1120.9	1200
Porosity	%	51.3	37.92
Angle of repose	^o	26.96	28.37
Coefficient of friction	-	0.38	0.26

Table 3: Performance Evaluation on Planter

S/N	Parameters	Units	Mean Values
1	Seed rate	Kg/ha	22.52
2	Fertilizer rate	Kg/ha	74.6
3	Seed damage	%	2.45
4	Field efficiency	%	73.98
5	Effective field capacity	ha/hr	0.17
6	Metering efficiency	%	94.5
7	Seed spacing	Cm	34
8	Planting depth	Cm	2.76

Table 4: Field Efficiency and Field Capacity

Trial activity	Time for 90 m² (s)	Time to plant one hectare (hrs.)
Turning at field end, removal of clogs, rest and refilling.	51	1.57
Actual planting time	145	4.48
Total time	196	6.05
Field efficiency = 73.98% Field capacity =0.17 ha/hr

3.2 DISCUSSION

As shown in Table 4 the value of field efficiency obtained from the trials was 73.98%. This shows a good and satisfactory performance as it was within the range of values obtained for planting operation by Olajide and Manuwa [13] which was 71%. Also, the effective field capacity of the planter was 0.17 ha/hr. This is higher than that of the single row maize planter with a capacity of 0.048 ha/hr developed by Ikechukwu et al. [9]. This satisfactory result is due to its maneuverability which saves time in moving and turning the planter from one point to another.

From the results obtained from the calibration of the planter, it was observed that at lower speed (25 rev/min), the weight of seeds discharged was 43g which is higher than that of higher speed (30 rev/min) with a discharge of 39g while fertilizer discharge was 140g at 25 rev/min and 110g at 30 rev/min. The planter effectively metered out two seeds per hole on the average. This was satisfactory performance and the design was such that the number of seeds metered out could be regulated by using adjustable seed/fertilizer cells.

The average percentage of seed damaged of was 2.45%. The observed low average value of percentage seed damage of 2.45% observed in this work is due to minimal clearance between the metering device and its housing. The mean depth of furrow opened at the medium setting of the opener was 2.76 cm. The distance between successive seeds of 34cm was obtained.

4. CONCLUSION

The engineering properties of maize seeds and fertilizers relevant for the design of this planter were all determined. The manually-operated corn planter with fertilizer applicator for the needs of small holder farmers has been designed, fabricated and its performance evaluated. The machine has an overall field capacity of 0.17 ha/hr with average intra-row seed spacing of 34 cm and the field efficiency of the planter was 73.98 %.The planter was able to effectively meter a maximum of two to three seeds per hole with minimum damage of 2.45% to the seeds.The metering efficiency obtained was 94.48% with a seed rate of 22.5 kg/ha and fertilizer rate of 74.6 kg/ha. With these features, the manually operated corn planter cum fertilizer applicator will relief peasant farmers of the difficulties encountered in maize production at a very low cost.

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