DefinePK

Abstract

Manual fodder cutting for dairy and livestock industry is a time-consuming and laborious practice. The objective of this study was to evaluate the performance of locally available fodder cutters and to identity a suitable machine for cutting oats and berseem fodders. Four fodder cutters were identified available across the country. They included Agritec rotary mower, Taj rotary mower, Mobi reaper-windrower and AMRI sickle bar. All machines were acquired at Remount Depot, Sargodha for comprehensive field testing to cut oats and berseem fodders. Results revealed that Agritec and Taj rotary mowers were suitable for cutting berseem and oats, whereas Mobi reaper-windrower and AMRI sickle bar were only suitable for cutting oats and other long fodders. The performance of Agritec rotary mower was the best for cutting berseem as well oats. The field capacity of Agritec rotary mower was 0.35 and 0.25 ha/h with field efficiency of 64.8 and 59.7 % for cutting oats and berseem, respectively. Using fodder cutters, the cost of operation and cutting time can be decreased up to 70-80 % as compared with manual cutting. For dairy farming, suitable fodder cutters should be promoted in the country for speedy work. However, reliability of machine is the prerequisite for commercialization of a machine.