Animal drawn ridger-blade and its use in a new type of in situ rainwater harvesting system

Abstract

The animal drawn ridger-blade, an equipment to be used as an attachment to Wheeled Tool Carrier, has been developed from a ridger of adjustable wings. One of the wing of the ridger body needs to be replaced by a 5 mm metallic sheet of 30 cm x 110 cm. The operational field capacity of the implement varies from 0.16 a 0.47 ha/hr for implantation, reformation or weeding of a new type of in situ rainwater harvesting system. This new system consists of narrow and broad, ridges spaced alternatively on contour. The broad ridges of triangular shape serve for rainwater harvesting, the narrow ridges of conventional shape as planting zone and furrows in between these two as water storing zone. The ratio between water harvesting area to the planting zone area is maintained in the range of 2:1.