Mini Tractor-mounted Sensor-based Aqua Groundnut Planter

Groundnut is grown on large scale in almost all the tropical and sub- tropical countries of the world. Groundnut is the sixth most important oilseed crop in the world. In India, most of the farmers are small and marginal farmers, hence there is a demand of small implements that could be used as multifunctional devices. Hence a mini tractor-mounted sensor-based groundnut aqua planter was designed and developed. Mostly in India, the groundnut crop is planted during starting of the rainy season i.e. from the month of May to July, and most of the crop is cultivated under rain fed conditions. Few of the farmers irrigate the crop using conventional methods such as sprinkler and drip irrigation, but it requires high capital investment. The basic idea of mini tractor-mounted ground nut planter cum site specific precision water applicator is that the dropped seed from the metering mechanism of planter can be detected by an infrared (IR) sensor and activate the solenoid valve to discharge water close to the dropped seed. With this system, seed planting and water application can be done simultaneously in a single operation. This increases the moisture content of soil and sustainability of seed for germination. With this technology, the water can be applied along with the seed at the targeted location which helps the farmers to plant the crop even under low rainfall conditions (low moisture content of the soil).