Int.J.Curr.Microbiol.App.Sci (2018) 7(9): 1362-1370 1362 Original Research Article https://doi.org/10.20546/ijcmas.2018.709.163 Performance and Evaluation of Mini Tractor Operated Installer and Retriever of Drip Line P.R. Balas*, K.B. Jhala, J.M. Makwana and V.V. Agravat Department of Farm Machinery and Power Engineering, College of Agricultural Engineering and Technology, Junagadh Agricultural University, Junagadh, Gujarat, India *Corresponding author ABSTRACT Introduction Drip irrigation is the drop by drop application of water directly to roots. It has little or no water losses through conveyance and the on- farm irrigation efficiency of a properly designed and managed drip irrigation system can be as high as 90 per cent, compared with 35 to 40 per cent efficiency of surface method of irrigation (Narayanmoorthy, 1997). The area covered under drip irrigation systems has, the largest area under drip irrigation include Rajasthan 1.68 Mha, Maharashtra 1.27 Mha, Andhra Pradesh 1.16 Mha, Karnataka 0.85 Mha, Gujarat 0.83 Mha and Haryana 0.57 Mha. The area under drip irrigation has shown higher growth in recent years, growing at a CAGR (Compound annual growth rate) of 9.85 percent in the 2012-2015 period, while sprinkler irrigation has grown a pace of 6.60 percent in the same time period. Overall, the area under micro-irrigation has grown at a CAGR of 7.97 percent in this time frame (Anon., 2016a). In field, drip line requires various field operations such as installation and retrieval of International Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciences ISSN: 2319-7706 Volume 7 Number 09 (2018) Journal homepage: http://www.ijcmas.com The developed implement was operated by the mini-tractor using three-point hitch, it performs both the operations of installation and retrieval of drip line. The performance was evaluated on the basis of various field parameters, operating parameters and performance parameters. The experiment was carried out in F-RBD design having two factors and four replications with three different levels of each factor. The factors namely spool rotation (35-53, 53-71 and 71-89 rpm) and forward speed (2.03.0, 3.0-4.0 and 4.0-5.0 kmph) were taken for an experiment. It was observed that the time required for installation and retrieval of drip was 1.0 and 0.94 s/m respectively at 71-89 rpm of spool rotation and 4-5 kmph of forward speed. The fuel consumption in installation and retrieval operations was 4.0 and 4.23 lit/ha respectively at 71-89 rpm of spool rotation and 4-5 kmph of forward speed. The theoretical field capacity, actual field capacity and efficiency of installation were 1.35 ha/h, 0.85 ha/h and 63.68 per cent and the same for retrieval were 1.35 ha/h, 0.90 ha/h and 66.66 per cent respectively. Keywords Drip irrigation, Drip line, Drip lateral, Installer, Retriever, De-coiling, Handling implement, Farm equipment, Winder, Drip tapes Accepted: 10 August 2018 Available Online: 10 September 2018 Article Info