Determination of Physical Properties of Cotton Plant in the Development of Cotton Uprooter cum Shredder

Abstract

The cotton in India provides direct livelihood to 6 million farmers and about 40-50 million people are employed in the cotton trade and its processing in India. Cotton is a tropical and subtropical crop. For successful germination of its seeds, a minimum temperature of 15ºC is required. It is grown mainly as a dry crop in black cotton and medium black soil. The physical properties of the cotton plant are very important to optimize the design parameters of cottonuprooter cum shredder. Physical properties such asstalk stem diameter, plant height, and taproot depth were determined for the development of cotton uprooter cum shredder. The obtained results for stalk stem diameter, plant height, and taproot depth were2.2 cm,117.4 cm, and 32.7 cm, respectively. The moisture content of the cotton stalks is 27.3% and the soil moisture content was found to be 11.1%. The maximum deviation of the cotton plant was found to be 7.5 cm.