Energy Consumption in Wheat Crop Production in Central Region of Uttar Pradesh, India

The research investigated energy usage in the production of wheat crops in the central region of Uttar Pradesh, India among different groups of farmers. The study involved surveying a total of 250 farmers from 59 villages, gathering data about various inputs utilized in wheat crop cultivation during the period of 2020-22. Using standard energy equivalents, the inputs required for wheat production were quantified in terms of energy. The findings indicated that the overall energy input for wheat production in the region amounted to 20497.1 MJ/ha, with fertilizers, fuel, and seeds contributing to 85% of this energy consumption. Specifically, fertilizers represented 50.2% of the total energy, followed by fuel at 22.6%. The study also revealed that larger and medium-scale farmers utilized more energy compared to those with smaller landholdings, but they also achieved higher grain yields. Among different farming operations, energy usage was highest in fertilizer application, followed by tillage. The average output-to-input energy ratio was calculated at 3.02. Additionally, this ratio differed among farmer categories: 3.26 for large farmers, 3.15 for medium farmers, 3.14 for semi-medium farmers, 3.11 for small farmers, and 2.95 for marginal category farmers. In conclusion, the research established a positive correlation between energy consumption and crop yield.

Investigation of Physical and Frictional Properties of Mustard Seed Varieties to Design inclined Plate Metering Mechanism

The physical and frictional properties were studied for three distinct mustard seed varieties: RLC-1, GSC-7, and PBR-91, with the primary objective of designing an efficient inclined plate seed metering mechanism for agricultural seeders. Mustard, a globally significant oilseed crop, plays a vital role in both agriculture and industry. Our comprehensive analysis encompassed various properties, including seed dimensions, test weight (1000 seed), moisture content, geometric mean diameters, surface area, bulk density, true density, sphericity, angle of repose, and coefficients of friction on plywood and GI sheet surfaces.The results revealed significant variations among the mustard seed varieties. For instance, RLC-1 seeds exhibited lengths of 4.029 ± 0.37 mm, widths of 2.210 ± 0.31 mm, and thicknesses of 0.851 ± 0.19 mm, whereas GSC-7 displayed lengths of 4.110 ± 0.42 mm, widths of 2.300 ± 0.35 mm, and thicknesses of 0.910 ± 0.24 mm. Additionally, GI sheet surfaces exhibited a lower coefficient of friction compared to plywood.This comprehensive dataset informs the design of tailored seed metering mechanisms, optimizing seed handling, minimizing damage and losses, and reducing blockage during seeding operations, thereby enhancing overall efficiency in mustard crop cultivation and seeding technology.