Background: Agriculture is the process of producing food, feed, fiber and many other desired products by the cultivation of certain plants. The practice of agriculture is also known as &ldquo;farming&rdquo;. Agricultural technology refers to technology for the production of machines used on a farm to help with farming. Agricultural machineries have been designed for practically every stage of the agricultural process. They include machines for tilling the soil, planting seeds, irrigating the land, cultivating crops, protecting them from pests and weeds, harvesting, threshing grain, livestock feeding and sorting and packaging the products. Technology has played a big role in developing the agricultural industry. And women play major role in farming activities, which constitute nearly 43% of the world&rsquo;s agricultural labor force, which rises up to 70% in some countries. But they do not have adequate awareness and access to improved technologies to reduce their drudgery and improve productivity, unlike men. Hence the present study has been conducted to make a positive impact by empowering them and bring awareness. 
 
Methods: In this research study sample were selected on the basis of&nbsp; front line demonstration method to introduce&nbsp; the set of 7 drudgery reducing tools i.e. Paddy thresher, Twin wheel hoe, Serrated sickle, Vegetable collection bag, milking stand cum stool, stalk puller, Rack, were&nbsp; given to the farm women for exposure .These implements were given to 5 self help group of 50 farm women and data were collected from them regarding the awareness about the technologies before and after the front line Demonstration programmes.&nbsp; 
 
Result: Adoption levels were assessed after completion of a crop season. It was found that partial awareness was there about the improved equipment before training and awareness was in the random selected group after the training programs. About 80 per cent of the farm women have adopted the given technologies. This study can helpful for promotion of technology in gender perspective towards the challenges of farm women would help in reducing drudgery and occupational health problems of women workers in agriculture.&nbsp;

Awareness about Drudgery Reducing Technologies for Farm Women

Background: Rural women play a critical role in agricultural operations, often engaging in labor-intensive tasks like weed control, which imposes significant physical strain and limits their participation in other productive activities. The lack of access to mechanized tools exacerbates this drudgery, impacting both productivity and well-being. This study focuses on evaluating the efficacy of mechanized weed management tools, particularly cycle weeders developed by TNAU and CRIDA, in reducing the physical burden of weeding for women in Guntur District andhra Pradesh. By addressing drudgery through improved technologies, the study aims to promote sustainable and gender-inclusive agricultural practices. 
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Methods: The study employed a quasi-experimental design to compare the drudgery levels associated with traditional weeding methods and mechanized alternatives, such as the TNAU and CRIDA cycle weeders. A sample of 30 rural women, randomly selected from villages adopted by the KVK, participated in the study. The Drudgery Index was utilized as the primary assessment tool to quantify the physical strain experienced during weeding activities. Data collection included both pre- and post-intervention assessments, with observations and feedback gathered to evaluate changes in perceived drudgery and productivity levels. 
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Result: The findings revealed that both the TNAU and CRIDA cycle weeders significantly reduced the drudgery levels compared to traditional weeding methods. Participants reported improved efficiency, lower physical strain and enhanced productivity after adopting the mechanized tools. Despite the limitations of a small sample size and restricted geographical scope, the results highlight the potential of these interventions to alleviate the physical burden on rural women. The study emphasizes the importance of integrating mechanized tools in agricultural practices to enhance sustainability and support gender-inclusive development. 
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Empowering Rural Women - Drudgery Reduction Through Mechanized Weed Management in Guntur District

<div style="text-align: justify;">A pedal-operated cleaner-cum-grader having common bicycle chain-sprocket mechanism to get the speeds of 240 and 720 rpm of eccentric shaft and &nbsp;blower shaft, respectively for the desired cleaning/grading of grains was developed earlier by CIAE, Bhopal. Also, in order to utilize the human energy in more efficient way through pedalling mode, CIAE has recently developed a dynapod. The dynapod is a pedal operated rotary device, which can be used as an interface between human worker and any rotary-type machine. The developed dynapod was used to operate the cleaner-cum-grader to assess the drudgery reduction in its operation in comparison to original pedalling mechanism. The dynapod was interfaced with the cleaner-cum-grader by carrying out minor modifications in the original unit. Eight male agricultural workers with mean stature and weight as 168.4 cm and 54.4 kg, respectively participated in the study. The cleaner-cum-grader was used for cleaning and grading of soybean grains. Heart rate of the workers was measured during operation of cleaner-cum-grader using the dynapod as well as the original pedalling mechanism. Mean working heart rate during operation of machine with original pedalling mechanism was 114 beats min-1 as against 108 beats min-1 in case of pedalling with dynapod. The work pulse (&Auml;HR) with the original pedalling mechanism was 35 beats min-1 as against 29 beats min-1 during pedalling with dynapod. The output capacity of the machine increased from 303 kg h-1 in case of original pedalling mechanism to 345 kg h-1 with dynapod. Considering the cardiac cost as well as output of the machine, the drudgery reduction by using dynapod with cleaner-cum-grader was about 25.4% as compared to the original pedalling mechanism.</div>

<div style="text-align: justify;">Drudgery reduction in operation of cleaner-cum-grader: An ergonomic intervention&nbsp;</div>

<div>Background: Fodder cutter is one of the agricultural equipment used to chop all kinds of green and dry fodder into small pieces to feed animals. Due to less cost and ease of operation, it is available in every household owning cattle. It is most common and widely available machines used twice a day to chopped the fodder. The previous study suggested that operation on existing fodder cutters is physically demanding because of the high energy requirement and continuous adoption of awkward work postures. The power required to cut the fodder by traditionally used fodder cutter was very high than power applied by the operator for cutting leads to high physiological demand and more energy expenditures throughout the degree of rotation flywheel.&nbsp; 
 
Methods: The ergonomic assessment of traditional fodder cutter was done and compared with the fodder cutter having different number of blades. Fodder cutter with number of blades for cutting i.e. single, double, three and four blade and reduction in throat area by A, A/2, A/3 and A/4 from the existing fodder cutter, were taken for the study. The ergonomic evaluation of the manual fodder cutters in terms physiological parameters (oxygen consumption, heart rate and energy expenditure) during the chopping operation was measured.&nbsp; 
 
Result: Fodder cutter with three blades and reduce throat area by A/3 from existing fodder cutter has minimum energy consumption while operating fodder cutter. From the study it was observed that the power required to chopped the fodder was less for three blade fodder cutter and it was ergonomically compatible for the operation.</div>

Ergonomically Evaluating Manual Fodder Cutter for Drudgery Reduction in Animal Husbandry

<div style="text-align:justify">Background: India is the second largest producer of sugarcane in the world. Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Punjab and Bihar are Indian states have maximum production of sugarcane. During 2019, approximately 307 lakh tonnes of sugarcane was produced in India, which is nearly 11.8 per cent of the global sugarcane production. Sugarcane crop has very long leaves. Stripping of sugarcane leaves is a major problem, which requires labor-intensive effort. Therefore, to resolve this problem, a tractor operated sugarcane stripper machine was designed using the computer aided design (CAD) software.&nbsp; 
Methods: In main frame of CAD design, a power transmission system, transportation system, feed hopper conveyer, sugarcane de-topper and a stripper system were designed. This machine will reduce human drudgery. Currently, this sugarcane stripper machine is getting very good acceptance nationwide. Further research has been undertaken at Department of Farm Machinery and Power Engineering, Sam Higginbottom University of Agriculture Technology and Sciences, Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, India. This machine was designed. 
Result: Use of this machine will also help in reducing the cost and time of operation. In future, this machine will help in improving quality of stripping as well as ensuring effective utilization of the resources. The Design and development of sugarcane leaf stripper machine will play a significant role.</div>

Design and Development of Sugarcane Leaf Stripper

<div style="text-align:justify">Background: A well-managed manure is a valuable resource in providing nutrients for crop production. Farmers usually follow manual manure application practices which involves lot of drudgery and physical stress to pulverize as well as to apply in field. Also traditional practices results in a reduced field capacity along with higher cost of application. So there is a need to create a medium between the farmers and manure application practices by introducing manure pulverizers and applicators. Hence a study was undertaken to analyze the economic impact of a tractor powered manure pulverizer cum applicator over traditional practices. 
 
Methods: A manure pulverizer cum applicator helps in managing the manure by simultaneous pulverization and application in the field as basal application. On the other hand traditional practices involve manual dumping, clearing of lumps and spreading them in the field which require more than 3 labours to cover an acre in a day. Cost incurred with both manual and mechanical practices were calculated in terms of rupees per hour and rupees per hectare of operation. 
 
Result: The actual field capacity and efficiency of manure pulverizer cum applicator was observed to be 0.311 ha h-1 and 86.5% at a forward speed of 2.0 km/h-1. The cost of manure pulverizer cum applicator alone was Rs. 64,000. Cost of operation of manure pulverizer cum applicator as an attachment to tractor was found to be 1943.5 Rs ha-1. Cost of manual manure application followed by manure pulverization was noted as 4662.2 Rs ha-1. Saving in cost of operation was more than Rs. 2700 with tractor operated manure pulverizer cum applicator over manual application practices. The benefit-cost ratio of the developed machine was 1.4:1.</div>

Economic Analysis of Tractor Powered Manure Pulverizer cum Applicator over Traditional Manure Application Practices

Background: Weeds are the key pest, which reduce crop productivity. Direct-seeded rice is very prone to early-stage weed infestation during initial crop development. Cultural and mechanical methods are difficult due to unavailability of labour and poor work efficiency. Hence, use of herbicides is an effective method for timely weed control. However, the efficacy of agrochemicals depends on the efficiency of spraying equipment. Conventional knapsack sprayers are used most often to spray herbicides but they are highly time-consuming, labour intensive and labour drudgery practices. Hence, the current experiment was aimed to study the efficiency of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) on weed management.&nbsp; 
 
Methods: A field experiment was conducted at Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore during summer, 2022 to evaluate the efficacy of UAV-based herbicide application in direct-seeded rice. The study comprised of five weed management treatments such as pre emergence application of pretilachlor with safener and pyrazosulfuron through both UAV and knapsack sprayer and unweeded check as control. The experimental plot was laid out in a randomized block design with four replications. 
 
Result: The experimental findings showed that the application of pre-emergence pretilachlor significantly reduced the density and dry weight of grasses, sedges and broad leaved weeds in knapsack application. Moreover, it was found on par with UAV application of same herbicide without any phytotoxicity to rice seedlings. From the experiment, the application of pre-emergence pretilachlor through UAV is found to be more effective for timely weed control during early stages in direct-seeded rice, which reduce the labour intensity and drudgery than knapsack application.

UAV-based Herbicide Application for Efficient Weed Management in Direct-seeded Rice

Background: The traditional methods of threshing operations are most time consuming, energy intensive, labour intensive, drudgery prone and uneconomical. The development of mechanical sesame thresher has clearly an edge over conventional methods and reduces the drudgery of work to a great extent. 
 
Methods: The pertinent variables that influence the development of sesame thresher were identified and levels of variables were selected. The interactive effect of&nbsp; selected levels of variables&nbsp; viz., peripheral velocity of the threshing cylinder (7.9, 11.0 and 14.1 ms-1), concave clearance (10, 15 and 20 mm), type of&nbsp; &nbsp;threshing cylinder (wire loop, spike tooth and rasp bar) and moisture content of harvested sesame capsule&nbsp; 21.4, 16.8 and 15.1 per cent moisture content (d.b) was investigated on threshing efficiency, cleaning efficiency and per cent damage caused to the threshed sesame grains using an experimental sesame thresher test rig under laboratory condition. 
 
Result: Threshing effectiveness of experimental sesame thresher was found to be affected significantly by moisture content of harvested sesame capsule followed by type of threshing cylinder, peripheral velocity of threshing cylinder and concave clearance. The combination level of 11.0 ms-1 peripheral velocity of threshing cylinder, 15 mm concave clearance, spike tooth type cylinder and 16.8 per cent (d.b) moisture content of harvested sesame capsule which yielded the maximum threshing efficiency of 99.0 per cent, maximum cleaning efficiency of 99.4 per cent and minimum per cent visible damage to threshed sesame grains of 0.79, is optimized for the sesame thresher.

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Optimization of Pertinent Variables for Threshing of Sesame Crop using a Test Rig

<div style="text-align: justify;">Rice is the most important food crop of India which is grown in about 43.86 million hectare. In India the production touches 112 MT milled rice used to feed 0.8 billion peoples that is 65% of the population.Rice is grown by manual transplanting of young rice seedlings in the puddled field in bending and squatting posture, which is very drudgerious operation. Prior to transplanting, puddling is done to prepare a soft seedbed for maintain water level in the field. Generally, animal drawn puddler, tractor&rsquo;s cage wheel and power tiller operated rotary tiller were used for puddling operation.A self-propelled puddler developed at IIT Kharagpur for rice crop was tested in sandy loam soil of Kharagpur district in India. The average value of puddling index and the puddle depth was found to be above 78 % and 107 mm, respectively. The puddling with self-propelled puddled was found to be at par with that of rotary tiller.&nbsp;</div>

<div style="text-align: justify;">Self-propelled puddler for rice (Oryza sativa) crop and its evaluation</div>

<div style="text-align: justify;">Agriculture is a standout amongst the most critical imperative segments of our country. Farming contributes almost around 17.01% of India&rsquo;s GDP. There are different elements that affected the agriculture development; however the most essential bottlenecks are lack of instant information and drudgery involved in farming practices. To conquer these issues, agriculture should be made more alluring and done smartly. Already there are limited talks on climate smart agriculture, which aims for sustainable increase in agricultural productivity and incomes to meet out the current and future demands. Here, we are examining about how the mobile application can help agriculture development faster and hustle free. There are varieties of mobile applications, utilized over the globe for different segments, including farming, but here the usage is still is limited. We have elaborated various agricultural mobile applications which potentially can be used in farming and allied activities as indicated by their source and usage. In India, there are enormous opportunities for utilizing the smart phones as a part of agribusiness improvement. Its utilization is vital for quick growth and easy access to information to Indian agriculturists, farmers and growers.&nbsp;</div>