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TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT PROCESS AND EXPERIENCESON SMALL FARM MECHANIZATION IN TAIWAN

Din-Sue FonDepartment of Bio-Industrial Mechatronics Engineering

National Taiwan University136, Chou-Shan Road, Taipei, Taiwan ROC

ABSTRACT

In Taiwan, the progress of agricultural mechanization, along with automation, has beensignificant in the past 30 years. The production of rice, the main crop, has been fullymechanized from preparing the land, to transplanting, spraying, harvesting, and drying. Plantingother crops such as vegetables is also mechanized. Although the majority of farmlands is small,the degree of their mechanization is as high as 98%. A variety of locally manufacturedinnovative farm machinery has struck a growing market share in Taiwan and overseas,particularly in Japan. These products, which used to be patterned after Japanese designs whosecapacities were modified to suit local needs, are discussed in this paper.

Key words: Agricultural mechanization, automation, farm machinery,

INTRODUCTION

In Taiwan, agricultural mechanization frompreparing the land to seedling nursing,transplanting, spraying, harvesting, and dryinghas been highly developed over the past threedecades. In paddy production, for example,the level of mechanization has reached such ahighly significant status that most of the farmoperations are done using a variety of farmmachinery. Land preparation is done bytractors with mounted rotary tillers; the nursedseedlings are planted by transplanters; and thegrown rice in the field is harvested by self-propelled combines.

Aside from the machines for paddyproduction, the upland-crop harvestingmachines for corn and sorghum were alsolocally developed to meet the governmentpolicy on the diversification of paddy field.Ear corn pickers, dehuskers, and shellers;soybean harvesters; and sorghum combineshave also been working very well for smallfarm practices.

The automation technique, along withsensing devices and automatic controls, is alsobeing applied on the existing production

system to enhance production efficiency.Many efforts, including examining productioncost and techniques, have been taken in thepast ten years to increase the earnings of eachfarming family. The automation on agriculturalproduction, livestock, fishery, transportation,and trading has been in progress and hasgained a promising success.

The e-farmer was also conceptuallyformed and framed to facilitate the sale offarming products over the Internet. All thesegive a prosperous picture of Taiwanagriculture.

LAND PREPARATIONS

Power Tillers

The walking power-tillers from the 1950s wereonce the main power for land preparations inTaiwan but they only lasted for two decadesor so as tractors of all sizes imported fromJapan and Europe prevailed on the domesticmarket in recent years (Fon 1995). Owing tokeen competitions in both domestic and foreignmarkets, the local manufacturers hardlysurvived, and so they shifted their product

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lines to the smaller managing tillers. Atpresent, a small quantity in sizes of 10-15 hpis still used in certain fragmented areas, butmost of them are Japanese models.

Tractors

The tractors have replaced the farm power,dominating Taiwan agriculture since 1980.Transactions for use are usually through thecustom service or a job hiring organized bycertain farmers who usually own largefarmlands. Therefore, through the customservices, most of the small farmers are able tohandle their farm operations on time withoutthe need to purchase or own any tractor andrelated equipment (Taiwan ProvincialGovernment 1988).

The size of tractors ranges from 40 hp to150 hp, depending on the type of practice.However, a size of more than 150 hp is alsolikely to be found working in some fragmentedfield as a keen competition between groups ofcontractors is going up. The range of 150–180hp is being used in dry land areas and thoseof 60–80 hp for wet land. The 40-50-hp tractorsare sufficient for common farm work. However,it is believed that the larger the tractor, thequicker and more efficiently the job is done.For land preparations, tractors are equippedwith rotary tillers, which can pulverize the topsoil layer of 10-20 cm in depth. Experts saythat the structure of the soil is likely to bedestroyed if the soil is not plowed once every

three years.Tractor safety is another concern as

accidents occur yearly. Even traffic rules haveforbidden tractor-driving on the highway, asthere have been some casualties because ofillegal driving. According to the law, farmersshould join the training course and obtain alicense before driving their own tractors. Butthe rule is not quite seriously put into effect.

Managing Tiller

Managing tiller is a kind of walking gardentractor, which helps in soil pulverizing,furrowing, and weeding, with a limited capacity,while plants are growing. It is a mini-powertiller but is quite suitable for vegetable andflower growers. The tiller, which stirs but notturns the soil near the plant at a depth of7-8 cm, consumes less power than power tillersdo. Its power ranges from 2 hp to 5 hp,depending on the crops cultivated. Theprecision and accuracy of work, however, arean important factor in the success of a tiller’soperation, as long as it does not damage theplants around.

This machine, through its rotating bladesin a horizontal axis, can both cut and blendthe soil aggregates. The blades may havetypes like pick-up crawls, spring crawls,chopper knifes, and L-shaped knifes, some ofwhich, however, can also be used to mixcomposts.

Fig. 2. Managing tiller with dual wheels.Fig. 1. Managing tiller with mono wheel(DASHUNTS-628/TS-628H).

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The tiller with a mono wheel (Fig. 1) isthe simplest, which usually cultivates the fieldsfor vegetables, flowers, tobaccos, peas, andteas. It works well in soil loosening, weeding,furrow opening, and cultivating. The one withdual wheels (Fig. 2) is also used when stabilityis concerned during operations. Operationslike seed planting, fertilizer spreading, andtransporting are also possible using the tillerpower frame by engaging its appropriateattachments (Fig. 3).

RICE NURSERY CENTERS

Working Cycle

Seedling nursing is a pre-procedure for bothhand and machine transplanting. Standardnursing procedure is a must to have asuccessful operation for the machinetransplanting or rice transplanters. The nursingoperations include seed selection, germination,tray accommodation, sowing mechanism, andseedling hardening. A rice nursery center(RNC), basically consisting of a working areaand hardening fields, is a factory that housesthe necessary operations in a time sequence.

The events taking place in a typical RNCis shown in Fig 4. From left, the immersedseeds, pulverized soil, fertilizers, and emptytrays are concurrently supplied to the seedingline at one end. The finished trays, coveredwith uniform seeds, come out from the otherend and are sent to the conditioning room forpreemergence treatments for two or three days.Then, these trays are sent out via a transportmechanism to the hardening field for greening,which takes about 20 days. The grownseedlings will grow like a mat (Fig. 5) and canbe rolled in a pack of three for later shipping.The empty trays need to be collected, cleaned,and sterilized before re-use in the next cycle(Chiu & Fon 1998).

Working Area

Fig. 6 depicts a typical working area for ricenursery centers that supply seedlings for a100-ha scale. The work area, 24 m x 9.5 m, isallocated for most of the materials andequipment, including nursery trays, soilmedium, rice hulls, and fertilizers. The buildingis made of steel truss with an eave height of2.8 m (Fig. 7).

Fig. 3. Combination of attachments in a managing tiller.

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Fig. 8 shows a typical seeding line,consisting of a tray discharger, a soaking tank,a soil refilling tank, a seeding device, asprayer, a pulverizing equipment, and a traystacker, as well as the main conveyor. Emptytrays, 60 cm x 30 cm x 3 cm (Fig. 9), arestacked by hand on the cartridge of adischarger and removed via the main conveyor.As the trays move along the conveyor, eachtakes a soil medium from the soil tank, seedsfrom the seeding device, water from the

sprayer, and soil cover from the soil tankagain. The finished trays with seeds will thenbe stacked on a pile, three in one, andremoved by another conveyor. The handlingspeed reaches 2,000 trays an hour.

The seeded trays are stacked again ontop of a pallet, which holds 240 trays eachand is moving toward the stack area, wherethe ambient atmosphere is kept warm andhumid (or under a plastic cover) to enhancethe further germination of the seeds for three

Fig. 4. Flow chart for a rice nursery center.

Fig. 5. The grown seedlings mat is rolled and placed three in a pack.

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Fig. 6. Layout of the work area for a unit.

Fig. 7. Side view of a steel truss structure for the work area.

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Fig. 8. The operation events occurringin a seeding process.

Fig. 9. The size of a nursery tray.

Fig. 10. Tray-stacking carriedout by workers.

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to five days (Chiu & Fon 1997, 1998). Aftersprouting, all trays will be unstacked andrelocated to the hardening field foracclimatization for another 15-20 days (Fig. 10).

Pallets (Fig. 11) have long been used forautomatic material transportation and handling(Banjing 1996, Fu 1994, Wang 1996, TaiwanPallet Company 1999, Tien 1998, Liu and Hsiao1997). However, pallets, categorized into twosizes – 1,280 cm x 1,280 cm and 1,280 cm x640 cm – are becoming the common platformfor stacked-tray operations in nursery centers.

The large one can hold 240 trays in eight pileswhile the small one can hold 120 trays in fourpiles. The loaded pallets can be fork-lifted tothe germination area. As germination completes,the whole pallet of trays is lifted again to theinlet of the conveyor, where the seeded traysare unpacked and individually sent to theacclimatization fields for hardening.

An average RNC can supply seedlings forabout 200 ha. Fully automatic seedling linesequipped to connect the flow of trays andtray-unloading machines working on a

Fig. 11. Automatic pallet system to collect seeded trays.

Fig. 12. Automatic loading/unloading machine carrying out the tray distributions.

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transporting gantry are developed to helparrange the trays in a field for the seedlings tobe hardened (Fig. 12). The hardened seedlingswith trays can also be automatically retrievedback via the same system. These trays wouldbe laid down on the acclimatization fields forhardening and future growing (Chiu et al.1998).

Rice Transplanter

To fulfill the need for mechanical transplanting,the seedlings should be raised to standardsizes during the nursery stage. The seedlingsshould sit firmly on the seedling box of thetransplanter, where the transplanting arm andfinger mechanism is able to grasp two or threeseedlings at a time and dig them into the soil.

A constant transplanting depth ismaintained by using both the wheels runningon the plow sole and the float, which runs onthe paddy field surface.

The first single-row power transplanterwas introduced in Taiwan from Japan in 1967.Ten years later, some local companies workedout two- and four-row models. In 1981, thefour-row, Japanese-made transplanter dominatedthe domestic market, replacing the local ones.Then there came the six-row type with a driverseat (Fig 13). At present, with only very fewusing direct seeding, almost all the rice fieldsin Taiwan employ the transplanting method.The degree of mechanization for ricetransplanting is greater than 99%.

Rice Combine

Rice combine is a complicated mechanism thatfunctions cutting, holding, threshing,separating, and packaging in one consistentprocess. The harvested rice can be stored inbags or in a temporary tank, where theunloading auger is equipped for a directunloading to a standby truck. The first rice

Fig. 13. The 6-row riding-typetransplanter in operation.

Fig. 14. Rice combines in Taiwan.

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combine appeared in 1970 and domesticmanufacturers have tried to work out similarones, but failed. All are Japanese models (Fig.14). As the degree of mechanization reaches99%, no one is likely to see any hand-harvesting in the field. The new versionsusually are four to five rows, equipped with acomfortable riding seat, a storage tank, and anauger conveyor. Their power ranges from 80hp to 90 hp.

Many custom services, usually mobile,own not only tractors for land preparation, butalso rice transplanters and rice combines.During harvest season, they travel from southto north, from county to county, and work dayand night to maximize machine usage. Theyarrange service deals through phone calls anddeliver their services according to theprearranged schedule. If they can harvest 100ha a year, for both crops, their one-yearearnings are enough to pay back their loanscompletely.

Rice-drying Center

Mechanical drying started in 1960 and waswidely accepted in 1970. The box-type portabledryer first entered the market. Five years later,the circulating-type dryers, which dry thegrains while keeping them circulating inside,came to the picture and replaced the box-typefor their ability to dry uniformly. In 1985, thegovernment set a new policy to subsidize the

purchase of circulating-type dryers and toinstall drying centers at farmers’ associations(FAs). Since then, the circulating types havedominated the drying process.

Although a few farmers still favored sun-drying in the beginning, they finally found thatthe local FAs provided better services thanever. In 1995, more and more FAs installedtheir own rice-drying centers (Fig. 15) to servenearby farmers who directly bring wet grainfrom the harvested field. Farmers benefit bygetting the equivalent payback at the dumpingpit. In Taiwan, 77 FAs now own their dryingcenters, with daily drying capacities rangingfrom 60 t to 300 t.

The dryer manufacturers in Taiwan wereall small at the early stage. Usually, theyborrowed Japanese design and enlarged itscapacities to meet the local needs. Thecapacities of earlier models were 1.8 t, 3.2 t,4.8 t, and 6 t, mostly made according toJapanese specifications. The early types arealready obsolete and newer designs of 10 t,12 t, 20 t, 24 t, and 30 t in capacities are nowin the market. The greatest advantage of theseis that large units can save space, a criticalconsideration for the dryer installation. Newproducts with rice husk burner are alsobecoming popular, as oil prices have beengoing up. These products are also exported toJapan and some other South Asian countries.

In Taiwan, the dryers can only be usedtwice a year during the harvest seasons, where

Fig. 15. Rice-dryingcenters.

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each season only lasts one month or so.Although the dryers are idle most of the time,most FAs who intend to business rice packsare willing to own a drying center so that notonly can they control the source of paddy, butmay also be able to serve their farmer-members.

DEVELOPMENT OF MACHINESFOR UPLAND CROPS

Grain Drills

Grain drills are the attachments mounted on atractor to plant corn, peanuts, sorghum, andsoybeans (Fig. 16). With multiple lines, theseare capable of planting 4 ha/day, depending onthe seed varieties. Fertilizer applicator, furrowlisters, or add-on functions combined arecommon attachments to perform no-till

practices. Planters employing precision vacuummechanisms with adjustable row width up to45 cm and a workload of 3.4 ha/day are alsoavailable. Inside, the seed plate that regulatesthe size of seeds is easy to switch back andforth for different seeds. For the greenhouse system, the vegetableseeder and transplanter of two rows worksuccessfully on 128-pot seedling trays, with thehelp of two operators. Being half-automatic,this transplanter can be employed for all kindsof vegetable seedlings.

Harvesting Machines

Harvesting machines for corn, soybeans, andpeanuts are of the same principle but are likelydifferent for each crop. In general, the western

Fig. 16. Grain drills inoperation.

Fig. 17. The axial-flow typeof corn sheller.

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combines are too large to fit small fields.Corn sheller and pickers. To avoid

breakage in harvesting wet corn, a tractor-driven, axial-flow corn sheller would be theanswer. This sheller, with little adjustments onthe threshing drum, can thresh both ear cornsand sorghum heads (Fig. 17).

Peanut harvester. Two local companieshave successfully manufactured a stalk-holding-type peanut harvester. The basic functionswork by pulling up the peanut plants and thenholding them to the place for threshing,separating, and cleaning. The daily capacity isaround 0.8 ha (Fig. 18).

Soybean combine. Soybean combine is acrawler type that uses the main frame of ricecombine. Its functions include cutting,threshing, separating, and packaging. Theworking capacity is about 1 ha /day.

AUTOMATION SYSTEM IN AGRICULTURE

Automation techniques have been applied toagricultural works. It is a combination ofcomputer-controlled means and mechanizationthrough an optimizing process. To acceleratethe pace of modernization in agriculture andcut down the farm labor, the governmentinitiated many automation programs onagricultural production, livestock production,fishery operation, and agricultural transportationand services for a period of ten years since1991 (Fon 1997).

The automation in agricultural productionincludes pesticide-spraying application,postharvest processing, seedling productionsystem, greenhouse cultivation, gantry loading,and handling systems for rice seedlings. Plantfactory systems might be the final form to

combine some of the above-mentioned featuresand become an integrated system, such asbean sprout production, field cultivation, andgreenhouse managing systems. It has beenproven successful in a microclimate control,especially on the vegetable and flowerproductions.

The automation related to seedlingproduction of flowers has three categories,namely, the seedling nursery, cut flower, andplant flowers. All these products are grown ina controlled environment or in an equippedgreenhouse to facilitate mass production.

Vacuum seeding technique has beenwidely used in growing vegetable seedlings ofwhich seeds are small. Some growers importedfacilities like medium mixers, automatic pottingmachines, and control units from theNetherlands for modifications.

For the seeding in a greenhouse system,the vacuum device with picking needles hasbeen widely employed to separate seed kernels(Fig. 19). It is suitable for the greenhousesystem to prepare the seeded trays. Theworking rate may exceed 200 trays an hour.Some local manufacturers have it modified byusing two rows of needles to speed up theseeding rate.

Besides being hardware-wise, farmingoperations can also be incorporated withinformation techniques. The e-farmer is anotherconcept to promote the sale of farm productson the Internet. Many platforms are availablein networking to sell high-quality productssuch as packed rice, processed food, and fishgoods. It becomes another channel to shareproduct information. All these give aprosperous picture of Taiwan agriculture.

Fig. 18. The pulling-typepeanut harvester.

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CONCLUSION

The agriculture in Taiwan has reached a veryhigh degree of mechanization, which is up to98%. As custom hiring services and seedlingnursing systems are widely used, both arekeys to promoting agricultural mechanization.

The dryer manufacturers in Taiwan ownhigh technology and have their capability ofproducing competitive products. New productswith rice husk burner are also becomingpopular, as oil price is going up recently.These products are also exported.

The mini-power tillers are other innovativeproducts that can earn more market sharesboth in the domestic sector and abroad. Theversatility of designs can meet the needs ofwork for small farmers.

In the future, more incentives for qualityfarming are required to attract more youths tobe involved in agriculture. In the past, fieldcrop production could only be done on theopen field in a toilsome manner, while thegreenhouse system, which originated from theNetherlands and Japan, is a prosperousenterprise that might draw more people toengage in. From the viewpoint of production,the greenhouse products are of high yields,good-quality produce, weatherproof manage-ment, and high profitability, providing farmers abrighter future.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The author wishes to thank Mr. Min-Zen Lin,officer at COA, for supplying currentinformation on agricultural mechanization inTaiwan.

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Fig. 19. Use of vacuum needlesfor picking corn seeds.