Turmeric harvester
The Department of Farm Machinery, College of Agricultural Engineering, Tamil Nadu Agriculture University, Coimbatore has developed a power tiller turmeric harvester. The harvester consists of a crescent-shaped blade with three bar-points meant to penetrate the soil. Two oscillating sectors at the rear of the blade have 50 cm long lift rods at a distance of 5 cm hinged at both ends. The oscillations of the slats is provided by eccentrics on either sides of the unit which are connected to the main shaft at the top of the unit. The operation is simple. The bar points with the blade penetrate the soil, lifting the turmeric ( Curcuma longa linn. ) rhizomes along with the soil. As the turmeric and soil move along the slats, the motion separates the rhizomes and allows the soil to fall back into the field. The cost of the unit is Rs 7,000 and is highly economical. The saving on cost and time is estimated to be 65 and 90 per cent.