Design, Fabrication, and Performance Evaluation of a Weeder for Upland Rice Production
Crop Improvement
Small-scale rice farmers hand-weeding paddies spend more on labor than on seeds — a locally built machine that pays for itself in under a year could free up that time and money for food security in communities where rice is the daily staple.
A team designed and built a rice field weeder from materials available in local markets, then tested how well it worked at different engine speeds. The machine removed weeds effectively without damaging young rice plants, meeting national quality standards. Compared to weeding by hand, the machine was faster, more efficient, and cut labor costs significantly.
Key Findings
The weeder achieved 88.42% weeding efficiency, surpassing the Philippine National Standard minimum of 80%, while damaging only 0.46% of plants (well below the 6% maximum allowed).
Operating at 1501–3000 rpm, the machine covered 888.99 m²/hr at 74.53% field efficiency, consuming just 0.75 liters of fuel per hour.
Under a machine-rental business model, the investment returns 169% ROI with a payback period of only 0.59 years, saving farmers ₱4,840 in labor costs compared to manual weeding.
chevron_right Technical Summary
Researchers in the Philippines built a low-cost mechanical weeder for upland rice using locally sourced materials and found it outperformed manual weeding on speed, efficiency, and cost — clearing fields at nearly 889 m²/hr with 88% weeding efficiency and saving farmers over ₱4,800 in labor per use.
Abstract Preview
The weeding machine made of locally available materials using local manufacturing technology was designed, fabricated, and tested to evaluate its performance in terms of operating time, actual fiel...
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