Mechanical Inter- and Intra-Row Weed Control for Small-Scale Vegetable Producers

Ana Trajkovski (), Jan Bartolj, Tomaž Levstek, Tone Godeša, Matej Sečnik, Marko Hočevar and Franc Majdič
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Ana Trajkovski: Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, University of Ljubljana, Aškerčeva Cesta 6, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
Jan Bartolj: Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, University of Ljubljana, Aškerčeva Cesta 6, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
Tomaž Levstek: Biotechnical Center Naklo, Strahinj 99, 4202 Naklo, Slovenia
Tone Godeša: Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, University of Ljubljana, Aškerčeva Cesta 6, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
Matej Sečnik: Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, University of Ljubljana, Aškerčeva Cesta 6, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
Marko Hočevar: Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, University of Ljubljana, Aškerčeva Cesta 6, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
Franc Majdič: Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, University of Ljubljana, Aškerčeva Cesta 6, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia

Agriculture, 2024, vol. 14, issue 9, 1-14

Abstract: Small-scale vegetable producers often do not have modern mechanical equipment; as a result, a significant amount of inter-row and all intra-row weeding is performed manually. The development of small, affordable machines increases the competitiveness of organic vegetable production, improves sustainable land use, and reduces dependence on unwanted herbicides. In this study, a simple modular lightweight e-hoe with the capability for both inter-row (1st degree of freedom) and intra-row (2nd degree of freedom) weeding was proposed. The e-hoe uses battery-powered in-wheel drives to move the platform (3rd degree of freedom) and additional drives to operate the tools. The e-hoe was evaluated in a small greenhouse using three different tools: a traditional hoe, an adjusted rounded hoe, and an adjusted spring tine narrow hoe. The experiments were conducted at four different tool rotation speeds, using specially designed 3D-printed models for crops and weeds for evaluation. The results indicate that the efficiency of the e-hoe rates up to 95% when the right tool design and rotation speed are combined. Based on the battery capacity, the machine can be operated for approximately 3.7 h, enabling the weeding of about 3050 plants.

Keywords: weed control; mechanical weeding; inter-row; intra-row; sustainable agriculture (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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