International Journal of Agriculture Extension and Social Development

author(s)
Chiragkumar Jadav and Sanjay Paragi

abstract
Weeding is an essential and labor-intensive task in agriculture, often requiring significant time, labor, and resources to manage unwanted plants that compete with crops for essential resources. The traditional methods, particularly hand weeding, while effective, are inefficient and costly. This research focuses on the development and evaluation of a manually operated twin-wheel weeder with adjustable blades, designed to improve weed control efficiency while minimizing labor costs and environmental impact. Unlike traditional chemical herbicides, this mechanical solution offers a more sustainable and safer alternative. The developed weeder is equipped with adjustable blades, allowing it to adapt to varying soil conditions, crop spacings, and weed densities. Results showed that the new weeder outperformed traditional twin-wheel weeders in key performance metrics such as soil mass manipulation, weeding efficiency, and plant injury. The manually operated twin-wheel weeder with adjustable blades demonstrated a weeding efficiency of 90.90%, compared to 88.33% with existing models. The developed weeder caused less plant injury (5.45% vs. 9.09%) and manipulated more soil (6000 cm³ vs. 2808 cm³ per 200 cm run). These findings indicate that the newly developed weeder is more efficient, cost-effective, and adaptable to different agricultural environments, making it a promising solution for modern weed management.