DEVELOPMENT OF RETRACTABLE ARM MOUNTED PESTICIDE APPLICATOR

Abstract

A retractable arm mounted pesticide applicator was developed to apply liquid formulations accurately to the banana leaf axils without disturbing the canopy. The equipment consists of a telescopic pole, a retractable arm, a metering mechanism utilizing a peristaltic pump, a 12 V DC linear actuator, a pesticide tank, a battery and the necessary piping and wiring systems. The entire assembly was mounted on a light-weight telescopic carbon-fibre pole (1 kg) and the rechargeable lead acid battery of 12 V DC 8 Ah capacity was employed as power source for the functioning of developed system. The total horizontal reach of 60 cm was achieved on complete stroke of the actuator (20 cm). The development cost designed retractable arm mounted liquid formulation applicator was approximately Rs. 7500/-. An average of 20 mL liquid formulation is need to be applied in each leaf axil. The discharge time varies according to the height. The developed pesticide applicator offers an efficient solution for applying liquid formulations precisely in the leaf axils of banana plants, targeting the control of banana weevils as well as without disturbing the canopy. The equipment design enables easy handling by a single person and accommodates the varying heights of the plants. A comparative analysis was conducted to evaluate the design using GI as the construction material. It was determined that the GI-based design resulted in increased bulkiness and weight, raising concerns about its suitability. In light of these findings, an alternative metal was sought to address these issues. Through the force analysis conducted, it was determined that aluminium emerged as the more suitable metal for the design, primarily due to its lower weight and favourable stress displacement and strain characteristics. The total weight of the developed assembly was 3.44 kg with galvanized iron as material of fabrication, which could be reduced to 1.9 kg using aluminium alloy.