Investigation of Harvesting Track and Heading Change of Paddy Harvester using Geo-referenced Data

Abstract

Global Positioning System (GPS) is a global navigation satellite system that provides geo-location and time information to a GPS receiver anywhere on or near the Earth. Machine operation track, turning pattern, effective time of field operation, field capacity, field efficiency, machine idle time, etc. can be evaluated precisely by using geo-referenced data recorded by a GPS receiver during field operations. Highly precise GPS receivers are expensive and unaffordable for farmers and farm operators in Bangladesh. Keeping this in mind the scope of an affordable and easy to handle GPS receiver was explored in the study. A GPS receiver was used to record the data generated by combine harvester and mini combine harvester during harvesting. Data were recorded during the harvesting period of Boro season (April-May, 2018) at Bangladesh Agricultural University farms and at fields of Voroshakathi village of Wazirpur upazila in Barisal district. GPS receiver recorded data were processed by Microsoft Excel and analyzed by ArcGIS. Heading change analysis of combine harvester and mini combine harvester made it clear that turning of mini combine harvester was easier than combine harvester. It was also visible that change of heading was more frequent and extreme in combine harvester than in mini combine harvester. ArcGIS was used to show the findings on map. Using GPS receiver on harvesting machines can help in decision making for appropriate farm management.