Vol. 11, Special Issue 11 (2022)

Author(s):
Sanjay K Sial, SK Swain, D Behera, PM Mohapatra, AK Mohapatra, AK Dash, Dwarika M Das and Prerana P Jena

Abstract:
Generally, finger millet (ragi) crop is harvested manually and transported to threshing yard, where it is threshed either by beating the crop manually with sticks or by foot trampling method which was very labor oriented, tedious, uneconomical, and low food value product due to the presence of foreign particle but also leading to considerable amount of loss of grain during the threshing process. This comparative study of different ragi threshing shows that how these losses minimized by switching towards mechanical threshing but still the results could be improved by adopting some new or modified mechanical thresher. The output, threshing efficiency and unthreshed grain are 43.75 kg/h, 78.12 and 5.97 per cent in case of developed thresher cum pearler whereas 9.12 kg/h, 70.81 and 1.93 per cent in case of pedal operated thresher, respectively. Again, the output and threshing efficiency of hand beating method are 6.4 kg/h and 95.69 per cent where 6.9 kg/h and 97.72 per cent in case of foot trampling method, respectively. The cost of operation of motor operated thresher is approximately half as compared to conventional method i.e. 5.24 Rs/kg, 4.2 Rs/kg, 2.73 Rs/kg, 1.53 Rs/kg, and 1.73 Rs/kg in case of hand beating, foot trampling, pedal operated, existing thresher and developed thresher cum pearler, respectively.