PERTANIKA JOURNAL OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

A medium-sized combine harvester has been recently deployed to harvest newly introduced high-value glutinous rice in Malaysia. Thus, efficient utilisation of combine harvesters during harvest is essential to minimise operating costs and grain loss. This study evaluated a medium-sized combine harvester’s performance and energy consumption for harvesting glutinous rice. The experiment was carried out on a one-hectare paddy field with three sub-plots using a central composite design (CCD). A time-motion study was conducted during the harvesting operation to determine the combine harvester’s performance parameters, which included field operating speed (FS), field efficiency (FE), theoretical field capacity (TFC), effective field capacity (EFC), grain throughput capacity (GTC), fuel consumption (FC) and field machine index (MI). The energy expended during the operation, which included machinery energy (ME), fuel energy (FCE), human energy (HE), and total energy (TE) input, were also computed. The average FS, FE, TFC, EFC, FC, and MI values were 2.42 km/h, 59.78%, 0.56 ha/h, 0.33 ha/h, 14.89 l/ha, and 0.30, respectively. The mean values of ME, FCE, HE, and TE were 305.35, 711.69, 3.62, and 1020.66 MJ/ha, respectively. The combine harvester achieved an average grain throughput capacity (GTC) of 1796.91 kg/h, demonstrating its effectiveness in handling glutinous rice harvesting. The average time distribution for the harvesting operation, such as effective harvesting time, turning/reversing time, and unloading time, was 1.85 h/ha, 0.38 h/ha, and 1.05 h/ha, respectively. Based on the results, it is concluded that the medium-sized combine harvester is technically and economically suitable for harvesting glutinous rice.

• Alizadeh, M. R., & Allameh, A. (2013). Evaluating rice losses in various harvesting practices. International Research Journal of Applied and Basic Sciences, 4(4), 894–901.

• Amponsah, S. K., Addo, A., Moreira, J., & Ndindeng, S. A. (2017). Performance evaluation and field characterization of the sifang mini rice combine harvester. Applied Engineering in Agriculture, 33(4), 479–489. https://doi.org/10.13031/aea.11876 479

• ASABE. (2011). Agricultural machinery management data (ASAE D497.7). American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers. http://www.abe-research.illinois.edu/Faculty/grift/TSM262_2017/ Standards/ASAE_D497_7.pdf

• Canakci, M., Topakci, M., Akinci, I., & Ozmerzi, A. (2005). Energy use pattern of some field crops and vegetable production: Case study for Antalya Region, Turkey. Energy Conversion and Management, 46(4), 655–666. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enconman.2004.04.008

• Elsoragaby, S., Yahya, A., Mahadi, M. R., Nawi, N. M., & Mairghany, M. (2019). Comparative field performances between conventional combine and mid-size combine in wetland rice cultivation. Heliyon, 5(4), Article e01427. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2019.e01427

• Hamid, M. A., Rohazrin, A. R., Chan, C. S., Yahya, S., Shanmugavelu, S., Aris, A., & Saleh, B. (2018, April 17-19). Preliminary study of the performance of imported grain corn combine harvester machines. [Paper presentation]. Proceedings of the National Conference on Agricultural and Food Mechanization (NCAFM), Sarawak, Malaysia.

• Hunt, D., & Wilson, D. (2016). Farm power and machinery management. Waveland Press

• Jawalekar, S. B., & Shelare, S. D. (2020). Development and performance analysis of low-cost combined harvester for rabi crops. Agricultural Engineering International: CIGR Journal, 22(1), 197–201.

• Masroon, M. H., Nawi, N. M., Yahya, A., Shukery, M. F. M., & Amin, M. E. S. (2020a). Performance of mid-size combine harvester of grain corn on the field efficiency and energy consumption at the northern Johor of Malaysia. Pertanika Journal of Science and Technology, 28(4), 1277–1296. https://doi.org/10.47836/pjst.28.4.08

• Masroon, M. H., Nawi, N. M., Yahya, A., Shukery, M. F. M., & Amin, M. E. S. (2020b). Comparison of field performances between two typical mini combine harvesters in grain corn production. Journal of Agricultural and Food Engineering, 1(3), Article 0022. https://doi.org/10.37865/jafe.2020.0022

• Mokhtor, S. A., Pebrian, D. E., & Johari, N. A. A. (2020). Actual field speed of rice combine harvester and its influence on grain loss in Malaysian paddy field. Journal of the Saudi Society of Agricultural Sciences, 19(6), 422–425. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jssas.2020.07.002

• Muazu, A., Yahya, A., Ishak, W. I. W., & Khairunniza-Bejo, S. (2014). Machinery utilization and production cost of wetland, direct seeding paddy cultivation in Malaysia. Agriculture and Agricultural Science Procedia, 2, 361–369. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aaspro.2014.11.050

• Olt, J., Küüt, K., Ilves, R., & Küüt, A. (2019). Assessment of the harvesting costs of different combine harvester fleets. Research in Agricultural Engineering, 65(1), 25–32. https://doi.org/10.17221/98/2017-RAE

• Pebrian, D. E., & Ismail, M. I. (2018). The characteristics of the repair and maintenance costs distribution of rice combine harvester in Malaysian paddy fields. Agricultural Engineering International: CIGR Journal, 20(4), 132–138.

• Sattaka, P. (2019). Potential development of glutinous rice community towards new agricultural culture tourisms in upper northeastern Thailand. Journal of the International Society for Southeast Asian Agricultural Sciences, 25(1), 92–103.

• Sattaka, P., Muengpak, S., Xuan, H. P., & Mueangkhot, T. (2020). Comparison of glutinous rice production systems for sustainable development in Sakon Nakhon Province. Journal of the International Society for Southeast Asian Agricultural Sciences, 26(1), 54–62.

• Singh, R. K. P., Sinha, D. K., & Singh, L. N. (2004). Impact of modern agriculture technology on rice production in Bihar. Agricultural Economics Research Review, 17, 59–67. https://doi.org/10.22004/ag.econ.265889

• Wagiman, N. A., Nawi, N. M., Yahya, A., Su, A. S. M., & Nasir, R. M. (2019). Field performance comparison of the combine harvesters utilized for rice harvesting in Malaysia. Food Research, 3(2), 177–181. https://doi.org/10.26656/fr.2017.3(2).136

• Zainal, N., & Shamsudin, R. (2021). Physical properties of different local glutinous rice cultivar (susu and siding) and commercial Thai cultivar (susu). Advances in Agricultural and Food Research Journal, 2(1), Article a0000178. https://doi.org/10.36877/aafrj.a0000178.