Design, Fabrication, and Performance Evaluation of a Weeder for Upland Rice Production
Crop Improvement
Small-scale rice farmers growing food on steep, rainfed hillsides spend more hours weeding than almost any other task — this machine cuts that burden dramatically while paying for itself in under a year if rented out.
A team designed and built a motorized weeding machine from local materials to help rice farmers clear weeds faster and cheaper than doing it by hand. When tested on young rice plants, it removed over 88% of weeds while barely touching the crop itself — well above the national quality standard. Farmers who rent the machine out can earn back their investment in less than seven months.
Key Findings
The weeder achieved 88.42% weeding efficiency, exceeding the Philippine National Standard minimum of 80%, while damaging only 0.46% of plants (well under the 6% maximum allowed).
Operating at 1,501–3,000 rpm, the machine processed roughly 889 m² per hour at a fuel cost of 0.75 liters per hour, compared to much slower manual labor.
When used as a rental service, the investment model yields a 169% return on investment with a payback period of just 0.59 years and saves farmers Php 4,840 in labor costs per use.
chevron_right Technical Summary
Researchers in the Philippines built a low-cost mechanical weeder for upland rice fields using locally available materials, then tested it across engine speeds to measure how well it worked. The machine cleared weeds efficiently, caused minimal crop damage, and saved farmers nearly 5,000 pesos in labor costs compared to weeding by hand.
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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