MUMBAI, India, March 13 -- Intellectual Property India has published a patent application (202641003521 A) filed by Nandha Engineering College, Erode, Tamil Nadu, on Jan. 13, for 'design and fabrication of manual potato harvesting machine for small scale farmers.'
Inventor(s) include S. Vanisha; C. Gangadevi; K. Kavinaya; and A. Santhosh.
The application for the patent was published on March 13, under issue no. 11/2026.
According to the abstract released by the Intellectual Property India: "The invention is a manually operated potato harvesting machine th~t is primarily intended for small and marginal farmers. The machine comprises a wheeled supporting frame, an adjustable handle assembly, a foliage cutting unit that is detachable, and a digging blade that is detachable and arranged to perform the sequential harvesting operations. During operation, the machine is manually pushed around the potato ridges. In the first step, the foliage cutting unit removes the upper plant growth to make it easier to harvest without any hindrances. The cutting unit is then removed and replaced with a digging blade that penetrates the soil underneath the ridge to loosen and lift the potato tubers. The handle height can be adjusted to fit operators of different sizes, while the space between the wheels can be altered to allow for different ridge widths. Furthermore, the depth of the digging blade can also be modified to suit various soil and crop conditions. The invention operates without the need for fuel or electrical power, hence the operational cost and environmental impact are minimized. The integrated and modular design leads to improved harvesting efficiency, reduced labor requirement, lesser tuber damage, and an affordable and user-friendly harvesting solution that is suitable for small-scale agricultural applications."
Disclaimer: Curated by HT Syndication.
