Determination of Soil Parameters and Pulling Force Requirement of Tapioca Root

Aims: This paper aims to explore the soil parameters and pulling force requirement of tapioca root for the design and development of tractor operated tapioca harvester.

Place and Duration of Study: The study was conducted to investigate the soil parameters and pulling force requirement of tapioca roots at farmer’s field in the year 2021-22.

Methodology: The soil parameters viz. moisture content, bulk density, cone index and shear strength and pulling force requirement of tapioca root were studied using standard test procedure that plays an important role in design of soil engaging components and conveying unit of the tuber harvester.

Results: The results showed that soil moisture content varied from 13.11 to 16.08 per cent, whereas bulk density ranged from 1483.07 to 1729.56 kg m-3. The cone index varied from 0.33 to 0.98 N mm-2 with an average value of 0.637 N mm-2 and shear strength ranged from 1.34 × 10-3 to 3.48 × 10-3 N mm-2 with the mean value of 2.46 × 10-3 N mm-2. The average value of pulling force requirement for tapioca roots was 103.4 kgf. The root depth and root yield per plant of tapioca roots has an average value of 250.30 mm and 7.82 kg.

Conclusion: The study shows that bulk density of soil increased with increase in soil moisture content and had a linear relationship. The coefficient of determination (R2) for the regression model was 93.20 per cent by revealing the linear relationship between shear strength and cone index. Thus shear strength and cone index are related with each other and have an indefinite effect on the design parameters of soil engaging components of tuber harvester.