The impact of drum rotational speed and feeding rate on the performance of a wheat threshing machine Productivity Energy, and cost
Article Sidebar
Main Article Content
Abstract
Threshing and winnowing are essential post-harvest operations in cereal production, particularly for smallholdings, where traditional manual methods demand extensive labor, time, and cost, while also increasing grain losses during transport. To address these limitations, a self propelled threshing and winnowing machine suitable for small-scale farms was developed. This study evaluated the effects of four drum rotational speeds (800, 1000, 1200, and 1400 rpm) and four feed rates (20, 25, 30, and 35 kg) on wheat productivity, operating time, threshing efficiency, energy consumption, operating cost, and cleaning efficiency. The results indicated that wheat productivity increased with higher drum speed and feed rate, reaching a maximum at 1400 rpm and 35 kg. Operating time decreased with increasing drum speed and increased with higher feed rates, with the shortest time (39.1 min) observed at 1400 rpm and 20 kg. Conversely, threshing efficiency decreased as drum speed increased but improved with higher feed rates, achieving a maximum value of 89.2% at 800 rpm and 35 kg. Total grain losses, energy consumption, and operating costs increased with both drum speed and feed rate, while cleaning efficiency declined. The lowest grain loss (5.38%), minimum energy consumption (41.4 kWh), lowest operating cost, and highest cleaning efficiency (92.2%) were recorded at 800 rpm and a feed rate of 20 kg. Overall, although higher speeds and feed rates enhance productivity, they adversely affect efficiency, losses, and costs. Therefore, optimal operating conditions depend on balancing productivity and performance, with the best overall performance achieved at 800 rpm and 20 kg feed rate.
Downloads
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
References
Abagisaa, H., Tesfaye, T., and Befikadu, D. (2015). Modification and testing of replaceable drum multi-crop thresher. International Journal of Sciences: Basic and Applied Research (IJSBAR), 23(1), 242–255.
Abdeen, M. A., Wu, W., Salem, A. E., Elbeltagi, A., Salem, A., Metwally, K. A., ... and Elwakeel, A. E. (2025). The impact of threshing unit structure and parameters on enhancing rice threshing performance. Scientific Reports, 15(1), 6250
Abdi, J., Golmohammadi, A., Shahgholi, G., Rezvanivand Fanaei, A., Szymanek, M., and Tanas, W. (2022). Test and evaluation of the factors affecting on the freshly harvested peanut threshing machine performance. Agricultural Engineering, 26(1), 167-185.
Aboegela, M. A. (2023). Development Of A Small Threshing Machine Suitable For Wheat And Faba Bean Crops. Misr Journal of Agricultural Engineering, 40(4), 279-292.
Ahmad, K., Afridi, M., Khan, N. A., and Sarwar, A. (2021). Quality deterioration of postharvest fruits and vegetables in developing country Pakistan: A mini overview. Global Food Issues, 9(2). https://www.studocu.com/row/document/arid-agriculture-university-rawalpindi/food-science/post-harvest-losses-global-food-issues/81665278
Ahmad, T., Sud, U. C., Rai, A., Sahoo, P. M., Jha, S. N., and Vishwakarma, R. K. (2016). Sampling methodology for estimation of harvest and postharvest losses of major crops and commodities. Methodology, 24, Article 25. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.spc.2019.09.002
Ali, M. M., Noor, R. S., Hussain, F., Khan, H. F., Shah, A. A., and Shah, A. N. (2023). Corrigendum: Effect of crop maturity condition and operating factors on the threshing performance of wheat thresher. Journal of Pure and Applied Agriculture, 8(2), 21–36. https://jpaa.aiou.edu.pk/
Al-Shamiry, F. M. S., and Yahya, N. M. A. (2020). The performance evaluating of thresher machine attached to the tractor. IJRDO - Journal of Agriculture and Research, 6(3), 7–16. https://doi.org/10.53555/ar.v6i3.3533
Aneesh, K. A. (2017). Wasting harvest and worsening food security in India. International Journal of Research Culture Society, 1(7), 158–164. http://doi.org/10.10167j.whs.2020.09.022
Arah, I. K., Ahorbo, G. K., Anku, E. K., Kumah, E. K., and Amaglo, H. (2016). Postharvest handling practices and treatment methods for tomato handlers in developing countries: A mini review. Advances in Agriculture, 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1155/2016/6436945
Bakharev, D., Pastukhov, A., Volvak, S., and Kovalev, S. (2020). Study of seed corn threshing process. In Proceedings of the 19th International Scientific Conference Engineering for Rural Development (pp. 1350–1357). Latvia University of Life Sciences and Technologies. https://doi.org/10.22616/ERDev.2020.19.TF243
Belay, D., and Fetene, M. (2021). The effect of moisture content on the performance of Melkassa multicrop thresher in some cereal crops. Bioprocess Engineering, 5(1), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.be.20210501.11
Boxall, R.A. and Gough, M.C. (1992). Investigation of technical problems associated with the distribution of food grain from temperate to tropical regions
Bradford, J., Dahal, P., Van Asbrouck, J., Kunusoth, K., Bello, P., Thompson, J., and Wu, F. (2018). The dry chain: Reducing postharvest losses and improving food safety in humid climates. Trends in Food Science and Technology, 71, 84–93. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tifs.2017.11.002
Castelein, R. B., Broeze, J., Kok, M. G., Axmann, H. B., Guo, X., and Soethoudt, J. M. (2022). Mechanization in rice farming reduces greenhouse gas emissions, food losses, and constitutes a positive business case for smallholder farmers. Cleaner Engineering and Technology, 8, 100487. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clet.2022.100487
El-Haddad, W. Z. (2010). Developing And Maximizing The Performance Of Local Threshing Machine For Small Holding To Suit Chopping And Shredding Crops Residues. Misr Journal of Agricultural Engineering, 27(4), 1588-1608. doi: 10.21608/mjae.2010.105073
Fan, C., Zhang, D., Yang, L., Cui, T., He, X., Dong, J., and Zhao, H. (2022). Power consumption and performance of a maize thresher with automatic gap control based on feed rate monitoring. Biosystems Engineering, 216, 147–164. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biosystemseng.2022.02.015
Giraldo, P., Benavente, E., Manzano-Agugliaro, F., and Gimenez, E. (2019). Worldwide research trends on wheat and barley: A bibliometric comparative analysis. Agronomy, 9(7), 352. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy9070352
Imam A. I , Fatma Abd El Gawad , G. A. El-Termezy , Soha G. Abd El Hamid, Heba, I. A. Mohamed )2022),Development of A Turkish Threshing and Winnowing Machine to Suit Fenugreek Crop
Ismail, Z. E., and Abdel-Mageed, A. E. (2010). Workability and machinery performance for wheat harvesting. Misr Journal of Agricultural Engineering, 27(1), 90–103.
Kailashkumar, E. B. (2019). Study of Different Kinds of Threshers and Factors Influencing Threshing Of Crops: A Review. International Journal for Scientific Research and Development, 6(12), 65-73.
Kailashkumar, E. B. (2019). Study of Different Kinds of Threshers and Factors Influencing Threshing Of Crops: A Review. International Journal for Scientific Research and Development, 6(12), 65-73.
Korina, L. C., and Habiyaremye, A. (2017). Indigenous knowledge for sustainable livelihoods: Lessons from ecological pest control and postharvest techniques of Baduy (West Java) and Nguni (Southern Africa). UNU-MERIT Working Paper Series, 20(2), 1–36. https://ideas.repec.org/
Kumar, A., Kumar, A., Khan, K., and Kumar, D. (2017). Performance evaluation of harvesting and threshing methods for wheat crop. International Journal of Pure and Applied Bioscience, 5(1), 142–150. https://doi.org/10.18782/2320-7051.2497
Kumar, D., and Kalita, P. (2017). Reducing postharvest loss during storage of grain crops to strengthen food security in developing countries. Foods, 6(1), Article 8. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods6010008
Kumar, D., Kumar, A., Khan, K., and Singh, U. V. (2016). Performance evaluation of power thresher for wheat crop. International Journal of Agricultural Science and Research (IJASR), 6(4), 195–204.
Looh, G. A., Xie, F., Wang, X., Looh, A. N., and Hind, H. (2025). Grain kernel damage during threshing: a comprehensive review of theories and models. Journal of Agricultural Engineering, 56(1).
Mansour, N. E., Aboegela, M. A. (2023). "Development of a Small Threshing Machine Suitable for Wheat and Faba Bean Crops." Misr Journal of Agricultural Engineering, 40(4), 279–292
Mbuli, C. S., Fonjong, L. N., and Fletcher, A. J. (2021). Climate change and small farmers’ vulnerability to food insecurity in Cameroon. Sustainability, 13(3), Article 1523. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13031523
Mesterházy, Á., Oláh, J., and Popp, J. (2020). Losses in the grain supply chain: Causes and solutions. Sustainability, 12(6), Article 2342. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12062342
Odey, S. O., Ovat, F. A., and Ofem, M. I. (2020). Development, utilization and adaptation of threshers for effective rice production in Nigeria – A review. Journal of Science, Engineering and Technology, 7(1), 116–128.
Omar, O. A., El Shal, A. M., and Abd El Hamid, S. G. (2017). Factors Affecting On The Performance Of Mechanical Harvesting Machine For Planted Wheat Crop On Raised Beds. Misr Journal of Agricultural Engineering, 34(1), 15-34.
Osueke, C. O. (2013). Study of the influence of crop, machine and operating parameters on performance of cereal threshers. International Journal of Engineering Research and Development, 7(9), 1–9. http://www.ijerd.com
Patel, M. R., Patel, H. B., et al. (2019). "Design and Development of Rice Threshing and Winnowing Machine." Journal4Research, 5(3), 1–5
Riaz, M., Ismail, T., Akhtar, S. (2017). Harvesting, Threshing, Processing, and Products of Rice. In: Chauhan, B., Jabran, K., Mahajan, G. (eds) Rice Production Worldwide. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-47516-5_16
Sahu, S. K. (2025). Harvesting and Threshing Methods for Paddy-II: A Review. Agricultural Reviews, 46(2).
Suliman, A. E. R. E., Taieb, A. A., and Atallah, M. M. (2012). Development of threshing system in combine harvester for improving of its performance efficiency in rice threshing. Misr Journal of Agricultural Engineering, 29(1), 143-178.
Tesfaye, W., and Tirivayi, N. (2018). The impacts of postharvest storage innovations on food security and welfare in Ethiopia. Food Policy, 75, 52–67. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodpol.2018.01.004
Yumnam, A. et al. (2020). "Development and Maximization of Performance for Local Threshing and Winnowing Machines." Misr Journal of Agricultural Engineering.