Design and Development of a Manually Operated Pull-Type Three-Row Dibble Wheel for Efficient Agricultural Planting

This research introduces a novel pull-type three-row dibble wheel designed to improve agricultural planting efficiency. The dibble wheel's primary purpose is to create evenly spaced holes in the soil for precise seed placement, reducing the labor-intensive manual hole digging process. Ergonomic features are incorporated to reduce operator fatigue. Performance evaluation involved key metrics, including effective field capacity (EFC), field efficiency (FE), cost of operation (COP), and cost savings (SC), compared to the traditional planting method (TM). Three dibble methods were assessed: single-row seated dibbling (SE), single-row standing dibbling (ST), and the three-row dibble wheel (DW). Results demonstrated significant improvements in EFC, FE, COP, and SC for SE, ST, and DW compared to TM. Specific measurements for dibble diameter, depth, and intra-dibble spacing were consistent. Statistical analysis revealed significant differences in intra-dibble spacing, effective field capacity, and field efficiency among dibbling methods at p=0.01, while no distinctions were found in hole diameter and depth. In conclusion, the three-row manually operated dibble wheel significantly reduces planting time and labor, ensuring precise seed placement. It offers advantages in field capacity, field efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and cost savings, making it suitable for small and marginal farmers as an improvement over traditional methods.