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Short Communication Volume 4 Issue 2
Innovative technologies for date palm services
Abdulbasit Oudah Ibrahim
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Department of Agriculture, University of Al-Basra, Iraq
Correspondence: Abdulbasit Oudah Ibrahim, Department of Agriculture, University of Al-Basra, Iraq
Received: January 28, 2016 | Published: July 11, 2016
Citation: Ibrahim AO. Innovative technologies for date palm services. Adv Plants Agric Res. 2016;4(2):246-247. DOI: 10.15406/apar.2016.04.00129
Introduction
The automation of date palm operations services one of the most complex agricultural operations compared to other crops, because the date palm groves of old characterized by intensive plantation and the existence of irrigation canals and inter crops plantation, and operations service relied on manual methods, rising of date palm by (Fround) and using (heme/hip) in offshoots separation and saws or (Alakfah) for pruning. Mechanization operations services suitable for modern orchards with regular plantation spaces. Many attempts to design and manufacture machinery and equipment to automation operation services of date palm, we will review some of them which been designed and tested to facilitate some operations services of date palm trees.
Offshoots separation Tools
Date palm only specie of genus Phoenix propagate by Offshoots which have different names in date palm-growing areas axillary bud. Offshoots grown from Date palm trees continue giving offshoots until 10 years age, and after all buds will be floral buds. The number of offshoots given by the Palm 8-33, this number varied due to cultivar, some cultivars produces small numbers of offshoots like Maktum and Barhi give 8 other cultivars produce high numbers of offshoots like Zahdi give 33. Offshoots separation requires precision and skill, especially cutting connection area with the mother trees which must be done by skilled person using iron tool with sharp end must be consider in separation the cutting of connection area must be sharp free of wounds because this affects the success rate of off shoots after planting (Figure 1).
Figure 1 Off shoots separation tools.
New Tool for Offshoots separation
New Tool for Offshoots separation has been designing, manufacturing and testing and recorded patent with the number 2975 in 8/10/2001issued by Central Organization for Standardization and Quality Control Cosqc.IQ (Figure 2).
Figure 2 New tool for offshoots separation.
An electric machine for dusting and pollinating date palm trees
Economic importance
- Lightweight, carry with one hand only and does not need a muscular effort
- working fast and high productivity
- Machine Consists of Tank and fan with fins, Microcontroller, and small electric motor, works using two small batteries 3 volts.
- Tank easily changing the if large or small powder quantity used because the tank communicates with the fan cover by pulp (age).
- Amount of powder emerging from the machine controlled easily by microcontroller.
- Powder discharge rate 18 kg/h and it can pollinate 16 Palm /h.
- Different sizes can be manufactured
- The machine action basis on the centrifugal force
- Used for pollination and dusting process of the palm trees.
Components of the Machine
Tank(1) : have cylindrical shape designed in different sizes are (235, 562, 1013) cm3, change due needed to purpose In bottom of Tank there is (tin) or (age) fixed tank on fan cover as shown in above picture. The material of tank is plastic and Table 1 show of the empty machine weight or with for three different sizes listed above.
1- torque crow-bar |
2- Cutter |
3- Belt |
4- Screw and nut |
5- Cutter install Holes |
6- Porte |
7- Handle |
Table 1 Components of machine
Fan cover (2): Hollow disk with 8.5cm diameter and a thickness of 3 cm open from the front ended with tow V-shaped extension (3) each on length 12 cm and width 3 cm keeps directing powder abroad and cover fixed with the handle (9) by Join (7) the fan (4) will be inside the cover.
Fan(4): Plastic Disk with 7.5 cm diameter supplied by eight straight fins each one length 2 cm. Controller (6 which is L-shaped), found in the fan center to move the powder inside the tank and coming to the fan that sits from its position on the rotation axis of the engine (8).
Motor (Engine)(8): located inside the(knob) handle (2) and the number of cycles 2000 r / min, works with voltage 3 volt taken from two batteries each one 1.5 volt , the two Linked in a row inside the handle (9).
Knob(handle)(9): The handle (9) have cylindrical shape with cm 2.5 diameter and 10 cm length, made of plastic, and is fragmented into two parts, the first part contains (engine/motor) and Switch (14) and electrical connection points (11), while the second part is cover (13).
Controller(12): Rubber ring with outer diameter 3.2 cm, and an inner diameter of 1.8 cm and thickness of 3 mm contains a square-shaped slot (hole) with dimensions of 1 x 0.6 cm placed in the bottom of the tank, to control emerging powder quantity by Change the aperture area by hand rotated (Figure 3).
Figure 3 An electric machine for dusting and pollinating date palm trees.
Acknowledgements
None.
Conflict of interest
The author declares no conflict of interest.
©2016 Ibrahim. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and build upon your work non-commercially.