Preliminary study of planting Napier grass using cassava planter on mineral soil

Hafidha Azmon, . and Adli Fikri Ahmad Sayuti, . (2022) Preliminary study of planting Napier grass using cassava planter on mineral soil. International Journal of Agriculture, Forestry and Plantation (Malaysia), 12. pp. 42-46. ISSN 2462-1757

Manual Napier planting involves a tedious and time-consuming activity that requires 250-300 man-hours/ha. This conventional practice requires a farmer to prepare the planting material in advance by cutting the Napier stem into a short stalk containing 2 to 3 nodes. A large scale of Napier production requires a machine to assist farmers in planting stems to increase productivity and reduce labour requirements. This study has been done to determine the feasibility of a single-row planter to plant Napier stem on mineral soil. The tests were carried out at Napier plot in MARDI Kluang Johor. The variety of Napier stem used as the planting material is Pak Chong. This tractor-mounted planter is equipped with a circular saw to cut the whole Napier stem into 18 cm length of cuttings. The machine needs an operator to insert the Napier stem into the planting cup during planting. The distance between rows has been set to 1.3 meters, while the spacing between dropped cuttings on the ground is set to 60 cm. The work rate for planting is 0.22 ha/h for planting the full-length stem, while the rate is 0.23 ha/h for planting the cutting stem Napier. The field efficiency for planting using a machine is 81.5% and 79.3% for full-length stem and cutting stem. The time required for planting manually by hand is 59.2 h/ha for a worker while it tooks 4.54 h/ha and 4.34 h/ha for two workers to plant using machine for full- length stem and cutting stem. In conclusion, the planter is extremely beneficial to farmers since it could save time and human resources. There is no demand for energy, resulting in lower energy use. The planter allows a minimum of two persons to work in the field, including a tractor driver. Thus, the cost of labour can be reduced in Napier planting activity.

Full text available from: Official URL: https://ijafp.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/IJAFP...

Abstract

Manual Napier planting involves a tedious and time-consuming activity that requires 250-300 man-hours/ha. This conventional practice requires a farmer to prepare the planting material in advance by cutting the Napier stem into a short stalk containing 2 to 3 nodes. A large scale of Napier production requires a machine to assist farmers in planting stems to increase productivity and reduce labour requirements. This study has been done to determine the feasibility of a single-row planter to plant Napier stem on mineral soil. The tests were carried out at Napier plot in MARDI Kluang Johor. The variety of Napier stem used as the planting material is Pak Chong. This tractor-mounted planter is equipped with a circular saw to cut the whole Napier stem into 18 cm length of cuttings. The machine needs an operator to insert the Napier stem into the planting cup during planting. The distance between rows has been set to 1.3 meters, while the spacing between dropped cuttings on the ground is set to 60 cm. The work rate for planting is 0.22 ha/h for planting the full-length stem, while the rate is 0.23 ha/h for planting the cutting stem Napier. The field efficiency for planting using a machine is 81.5% and 79.3% for full-length stem and cutting stem. The time required for planting manually by hand is 59.2 h/ha for a worker while it tooks 4.54 h/ha and 4.34 h/ha for two workers to plant using machine for full- length stem and cutting stem. In conclusion, the planter is extremely beneficial to farmers since it could save time and human resources. There is no demand for energy, resulting in lower energy use. The planter allows a minimum of two persons to work in the field, including a tractor driver. Thus, the cost of labour can be reduced in Napier planting activity.

[error in script]

Item Type:	Article
AGROVOC Term:	cassava
AGROVOC Term:	planting
AGROVOC Term:	mechanization
AGROVOC Term:	planters
AGROVOC Term:	tractors
AGROVOC Term:	mineral soils
AGROVOC Term:	labour saving technologies for women
AGROVOC Term:	productivity
Geographical Term:	Malaysia
Depositing User:	Mr. Khoirul Asrimi Md Nor
Date Deposited:	19 May 2026 07:52
Last Modified:	19 May 2026 07:52
URI:	http://webagris.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/3899

Actions (login required)

View Item