Optimization of Power Tiller Operated Pneumatic Planter under Laboratory Conditions for Enhancing Cotton Planting Efficiency

Aim: The study aimed to optimize the operational parameters viz. orifice diameter, suction pressure and forward speed of operation of a power tiller operated pneumatic planter specifically for cotton crops in laboratory condition, focusing on improving planting operation. Study Design: A Central Composite Rotatable Design (CCRD) was employed to optimize the operational parameters. Place and Duration of Study: The study was conducted in a Soil test bin (sand bed test) in the Tillage and Traction Laboratory in the year 2023 to evaluate the effect of various operational parameters on seed uniformity. Methodology: Based on the study of engineering properties of cotton seed, the size of the orifice on the seed drum was determined. The effect of operational parameters was examined by evaluating mean seed spacing, precision in spacing (coefficient of variation), miss index, multiple index, and quality of feed index. Results: The study found that for achieving singulation of seeds, optimal parameters included a metering drum with an orifice size of 3 mm, a suction pressure of 2.78 kPa, and a forward speed of 1.36 km/h. Corresponding actual values of miss index, multiple index, quality feed index, and precision index were found 7.6±2.5, 6.8±1.6, 82.4±2.5 and 4.1±1.2 against predicted values of 4.40, 4.56, 90.1, and 3.90, respectively. Conclusion: The findings suggest that optimizing operational parameters such as orifice size, suction pressure, and forward speed can significantly improve the performance of power tiller operated pneumatic planters for cotton seed planting. These results contribute to enhancing planting accuracy and efficiency in cotton sown areas.