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The Role of Farm Power in Agriculture

Research · September 2015

DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.1.4820.2722

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Sokoine University of Agriculture (SUA)
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 College of Agricultural Engineering & Technology -JAU

Department of Farm Machinery and Power Engineering

Seminar Topic: The Role of Farm Power in Agriculture

Presenter : Nelson Richard

Nov 2014

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 1. INTRODUCTION

Obviously, the first kind of power used in agriculture was human power, and all
operations from land preparation through cultivation, harvesting, and processing of final
product were performed more or less by hand. But, as the need arose for increased crop
production, the development and invention of heavier and more effective field tolls and
machines became imperative. Hence, heavier and larger ploughs and harrows, mechanical
planters, cultivators, and harvesting devices were designed and introduced. But they required
more and better power; therefore, the ox, the horse, and the mule entered the farm power
scene in appreciable number.

Draft animals provided a large part of the power requirements of agricultural

production. By this time the gasoline-powered internal combustion engine had been
developed and proven successful for automotive power for both transportation and
agricultural operations and production. As farm tractor design progressed and improved, the
use of animal power in agriculture gradually declined and eventually, the industry is
becoming more mechanized.

This transition results in two pronounced effects on agriculture production and overall
status of the economy. First, it has made possible the availability of a greater number of
workers in other types of employment and, second, it has resulted in a higher output per
worker engaged in agricultural production.

1.1 Measurement of Power

• Power is measured in terms of work accomplished in a given period of time.

• A large tractor can do more work in a given period of time than a small tractor, and
therefore is said to be more powerful.

• The formula for determining power is:

F Force × D(Distance)
𝑃(𝑃𝑜𝑤𝑒𝑟) =
T(Time)

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1.2 Horsepower

• Horsepower is the most common measure of engine power.

• The term had its origin in the era when engines were competing with horses as a
source of power.

• An engine’s ability to do work was compared with that of a horse.

• One hp is equivalent to 4500 kg m per min.

• Horsepower is measured by using dynamometer.

1.3 Farm power

Various types of agricultural operations performed on a farm can be broadly classified as:

1. Tractive work – such as seed bed preparation, cultivation, harvesting and

transportation.

2. Stationary work- such as silage cutting, feed grinding, threshing, winnowing and
lifting of irrigation water.

These operations are done by different sources of power, namely

• Human Power

• Animal Power

• Mechanical power (oil engines and tractors)

• Electrical power

• Renewable energy (solar energy, biogas, biomass and wind energy).

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 2. Human Power

Figure 1 : Human power

2.1 Human power

• Human beings are the main sources of power for operating small tools and
implements at the farm.

• They are also employed for doing stationary work like threshing, winnowing, chaff
cutting and lifting irrigation water.

• Of the total rural population in India, only 30% is available for doing farm work.

• The indications are that there is decline in number of labourers employed for
agriculture.

• On an average, a man develops nearly 0.1 horse power (hp).

2.2 Power developed by the operator

• According to Campbell et al. (1990) the power of useful work done by human being
is given by

HP = 0.35-0.092 log t

Where, t = Time in minutes

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 • For 3-4 hrs continuous work the power developed by the operator would be 0.10-0.13
hp say 0.11 hp

• Let the operating speed be 0.8 m/s i.e. 2.9 km/h

Push= 10.5 kgf (force developed by an average human worker)

2.3 Advantages of human power:

• Easily available and used for all types of work.

2.4 Disadvantages human power:

• Costliest power compared to all other farms of power

• Very low efficiency

• Requires full maintenance when not in use

• Affected by weather condition and seasons.

Table 1: Time Series Population of Agricultural Workers

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 3. Animal power

Figure 2 : Animal power

• The most important source of power on the farm all over the world and particularly in
India is animal.

• It is estimated that, nearly 80% of the total draft power used in agriculture throughout
the World is still provided by animals.

• India is having 22.68 crore cattle, which is the highest in the World.

• Mainly, bullocks and buffaloes happen to be the principle sources of animal power on
Indian farms.

• However, camels, horses, donkeys and elephants are also used for the farm work.

• The average force a bullock can exert is nearly equal to one tenth of its body weight.

• Power developed by an average pair of bullocks is about 1 hp for usual farm work.

3.1 Power developed by the bullock

• On average, for 3-4 hours continuous work the power developed by a pair of bullocks
is 1.0 hp.

Let operating speed be 0.7 m/s i.e. 2.5 km/h

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 HP × 75
𝑃𝑢𝑠𝑕(𝑘𝑔𝑓) =
Speed (m/s)

1.0 × 75
𝑃𝑢𝑠𝑕 𝑘𝑔𝑓 = kg = 107.5 kg
0.7

Assuming pull makes an angle of 45ᵒ with horizontal

So, draft (D) is given by,

D= Pcos ϴ

D= 107.5 x cos 45ᵒ = 76.0 kg

3.2 Studies and tests made at the Iowa State College demonstrated that:

1. It is possible for a horse to exert a tractive effort of one-tenth to one-eighth of their

own weight and travel a total of 32.2 km per day without undue fatigue.
2. It is possible for horses weighing 680 to 862 kg or over to pull continuously load of
1hp or more for periods of a day or longer.
3. A well-trained horse can exert an overload of over 1,000 percent for a short time.
4. For a period of a few seconds and over a limited distance of perhaps 9 m or less, a
horse can exert a maximum pull of from 60 to 100 percent of its actual weight. Under
such conditions one horse may develop as much as 10 hp or more, depending upon its
size and pulling ability.

3.3 Advantages of animal power:

1. Easily available.

2. Used for all types of work.

3. Low initial investment.

4. Supplies manure to the field and fuels to farmers.

5. Live on farm produce.

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3.4 Disadvantages of animal power:

1. Not very efficient.

2. Seasons and weather affect the efficiency.

3. Cannot work at a stretch.

4. Require full maintenance when there is no farm work.

5. Creates unhealthy and dirty atmosphere near the residence.

6. Very slow in doing work.

Table 2 : Time series Population of Draught Animals in India during 1971-2001

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 4. Mechanical Power

Figure 3 : Mechanical power

Mechanical power

• It is available through tractors, power tillers and oil engines.

• The oil engine is a highly efficient device for converting fuel into useful work.

• The efficiency of diesel engine varies between 32 and 38%, whereas that of the
carburetor engine (Petrol engine) is in the range of 25 and 32%.

• In recent years, diesel engines, tractors and power tillers have gained considerable
popularity in agricultural operations.

• It is estimated that, about one million tractors of 25 hp range are in use for various
agricultural operations in India.

• Similarly, total number of oil engines of 5 hp for stationery work is 60 lakhs.

• Normally, stationery diesel engines are used for pumping water, flour mills, oil
ghanis, cotton gins, chaff cutter, sugarcane crusher, threshers and winnowers etc.,

• For calculating power availability from tractors on the farm, a weighted average of
26.1 kW per tractor has been taken.

• For calculating power availability from power tillers on the farm, a weighted average
of 7.0 kW per unit has been taken.

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4.1 Types of Tractor Power

A number of terms are widely used to describe power in the tractor. They are : -

i. Drawbar horsepower ( dbhp)

It is the power available for the tractor to haul or pull an implement.

To determine the maximum power available, a controllable load is required; it is normally a

second tractor with its brakes applied, in addition to a static load. Its efficiency is about 75 %.

ii. Brake horsepower (bhp):

Is the measure of an engine ‘s horsepower without the loss in power caused by the gearbox,
alternator, differential, water pump, and other auxiliary components such as power steering
pump, muffled exhaust system, etc. It is the power generated at the belt pulley and available
for useful work.

The output delivered to the driving wheels is less than that obtainable at the engine’s
crankshaft.

iii. Power take off :

Power generated and measured at the tractor’s power take off shaft.

The shaft transfer engine power to the driven implement attached to the tractor. Its efficiency
is about 90 %.

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Table 3 : Time Series Population of Tractors and Power Tillers in India
Number of Tractors in use (Millions)

14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
1961 1970 1980 1990 2000
Asia North America
Sub-Saharan Africa Europe
Latin America & Carribean Near East

Figure 4 : Tractor use by region, 1961- 2000

40
Number of Tractors (Millions)

35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
Europe North Near East Asia & Latin Sub- World
America & North Pacific America & Saharani Average
Africa Carribean Africa

1985 2003
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Figure 5 : Tractor use per 1000 ha arable land in 1985 & 2003
Figure 6 : Distribution of operational holdings in India (2001 Census)

Figure 7 : Growth of farm power use per ha in India 1950 to 2005 [Singh, 2008].

4.2 Advantages of mechanical power:

• Efficiency is high

• Not affected by weather

• Cannot run at a stretch

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 • Requires less space

• Cheaper form of power.

4.3 Disadvantages mechanical power:

• Initial capital investment is high

• Fuel is costly

• Repairs and maintenance needs technical knowledge.

Figure 8 : Power Productivity Relationship [Pandey, 2009].

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 5. Electrical power

• Now-a- day’s electricity has become a very important source of power on farms in
various states of the country.

• Electrical power is used mostly for running electrical motors, for pumping water,
dairy industry, cold storage, farm product processing, and cattle feed grinding.

• It is clean source of power and smooth running. The operating cost remains almost
constant throughout its life.

• Its maintenance and operation need less attention and care.

• On an average, about 1/10th of the total electrical power generated in India, is

consumed for the farm work, approximately it is 14,796.551 megawatt.

5.1 Advantages of electrical power:

• Very cheap form of power; high efficiency

• Can work at a stretch

• Maintenance and operating cost is very low

• Not affected by weather conditions.

5.2 Disadvantages electrical power:

• Initial capital investment is high

• Require good amount of technical knowledge and it causes great danger, if handled
without care.

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 6. Renewable energy

Figure 9 : Sun tracker Figure 10: Improved cook stove

Figure 12: Solar tunnel dryer Figure 11 : Biogas plant

Renewable energy

• It is the energy mainly obtained from biomass, biogas, solar and wind are mainly used
in agriculture for power generation and various agricultural processing operations.

• It can be used for lighting, power generation, water heating, drying, greenhouse
heating, water distillation, refrigeration and diesel engine operation.

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 Figure 13 : Installed Renewable energy (up to 2012) (Source: MNRE)

6.1 Wind Power

Figure 14 : Wind farm in Kapatgudda, Karnataka © Suzlon

• This type of energy is inexhaustible in nature.

• The availability of wind energy for farm work is quite limited.

• Where the wind velocity is more than 32 kmph, wind mills can be used for lifting
water.

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 • Main limitation for this source is uncertainty.

• Average capacity of a wind mill would be about 0.5 hp.

• There are about 2540 windmills in India. It is the cheapest sources of farm power
available in India.

Types of Electricity Generating Windmills

Figure 15 : Small wind mill (10 kW)

Small windmills are used in :-

• Homes

• Farms

• Remote Applications

(e.g. water pumping, telecom sites, ice making)

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 Figure 16 : Intermediate windmill (10-250 kW)

Uses of intermediate windmills are:-

• Village Power

• Hybrid Systems

• Distributed Power

Figure 17 : Large windmills (250 kW - 2+MW)

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Large windmills are used for :-

• Central Station Wind Farms

• Distributed Power

Table 4 : Total Global installed capacity ( up to June 2013)

7. Conclusions

• In India farm power availability at present is 1.66 kW/ha which is much lower as
compared to Korea (+7kW/ha), Japan(+14kW/ha) and USA(+7kW/ha).

• In 2020-21 farm power is needed to be 2.0 kW/ha due to food grain demand.

• For achieving this we need an inclusive growth of farm mechanization

(Venkatachalam, V. 2011)

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REFERENCES

India Wind Energy Outlook (2012).

Jagdishwar Sahay. (2006). Elements of Agricultural Engineering. Standard Publishers and

Distributors, New Delhi.

Jain, S. C. (2003). Farm Machinery - An Approach. Standard Publishers and Distributors,

New Delhi.

Jain, S. C. and Rai, C. R. (1984). Farm tractors, Maintenance and Repair. Tata McGraw-Hill
Publishers, New Delhi.

Jones,R. F. and Aldred, W. H. (1980). Farm Power and Tractors, 5th ed. McGraw-Hill
Publications in the Agricultural Sciences. New York.

Kepner, R. A., Roy Bainer, and Barger, B. L. (1978). Principles of farm machinery. CBS
publishers and Distributors, New Delhi.

Mrema, G. (2012). Perspectives on the Role of Farm Power in Agricultural Development.

Presentation to the CIGR-AgEng.

Pandey, M. M. (2009). Country report-India. Presented in the Fourth Session of the Technical
Committee of APCAEM. Chiang Rai, Thailand.

Sharma, D.N. And Mukesh, S. (2013). Farm machinery design, 3rd ed. Jain brothers, Delhi.

Singh, G. (2001). Relationship between mechanization and agricultural productivity in

various parts of India. Agricultural Mechanization in Asia, Africa and Latin America,
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Source: MNRE accessed at http://bit.ly/14woYJX (2013)

Southorn, N. (1995). Tractors operation, performance and maintenance. Inkarta press,

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Srinivasan, K., Narayanan, V.V., Singh, S.K., Lakshmi, L.G. ( 2011). Tractors and
Agricutural Machinery. New India Publishing Agency. Pitam Pura, New Delhi-
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 Srivastava, N.S.L. (2002). Farm Power Sources, their Availability and Future requirements to
Sustain Agricultural Production. New Delhi.

Venkatachalam, V. (2011). Speech at EIMA Agrimach India. IARI, PUSA , New Delhi.

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