Author：Jen-Sheng Cheng¹, Meng-Han Hsieh¹, Yu-Chu Chen²

¹ Research Assistant, Kaohsiung District Agricultural Research and Extension Station, COA
² Associate Researcher, Kaohsiung District Agricultural Research and Extension Station, COA

Abstract：

    Rational fertilization is a management method being helpful to improve the harvest volume and quality of an orchard. However, most of the farmers apply fertilizer on the surface of fruit trees, causing loss of fertilizer or reducing the effect of fertilizer. It has been proved that if farmers adopt a way of fertilization management with fertilizer applied to the ditches dug by the side of tree crowns, better effect can be achieved, and the amount of fertilizer to be used can be decreased. Nevertheless, fertilization is still mainly undergone manually with the help of cultivator or small-sized excavator, which dig ditches around fruit trees for farmers to apply fertilizer to the ditches and fill them up by soil. In order to save labor and accelerate the operation speed, our Station has completed the research and development (R&D) of a ride-on orchard ditching, fertilizing and ditch filling machine with specifications at length 250 cm × width 180 cm × height 150 cm. Its main function is to dig ditches, apply fertilizer, and then fill up ditches. The results of its performance test are: depth of ditch is 15-20 cm; width of ditch is 20-25 cm; rotational speed of spiral conveyor is 25-30 rpm, and walking speed is 0.8 km per hour; fertilizer spray is 8-10 kg per minute; and loose soil filling is 75-80 cm. After soil loosening, the flattening of farmland is satisfactory. The operation efficiency of the machine is 0.8-1 hectare per 8 hours.

Keywords: Cultivator, Fertilizing machine.