The contribution of floricultural and horticultural crops to the total agricultural production in the country is quite important due to highly favorable and varied agro-ecological diversities.
For performing various horticultural tasks, a farmer or gardener requires numerous types of tools and equipment. Wood, stones, and metals were once used to make garden implements.
A hand cultivator, tractor, lawn mower, harrow, spade, secateurs, garden fork, sprinkler, rake, pruning saw spray pump, grass shear, and budding-cum-grafting knife are just a few examples of the various types of garden tools and equipment that have been developed as a result of the use of metals like iron, steel, and copper as science and technology have advanced.
Machinery for Seed and Planting Material Production
Growing Media Siever
It is a motorized rotating screen-type media separator that may be used for farmyard manure, vermicompost, cocopeat, sand, and soil. It removes any particles bigger than 1.5 mm in the form of stones, clods, straws, etc. The machine has a 1tonne/ha capacity and uses a 0.5HP engine to run.
Growing Media Mixer
An electric motor-operated batch-type media mixer has been provided with peddle-type agitators cum conveyors on a shaft rotating at 9 rpm for thorough mixing. Sand, FYM, Vermicompost, Coco-peat, etc. are thoroughly mixed in the mixer, which has a capacity ranging from 0.2 tonnes to 0.5 tonnes per batch, in 5 minutes.
Nursery Bag Filling Machine
This can fill 400 portrays, or 39,200 seedlings, every hour and is appropriate for large nurseries. The device mixes the medium and feeds it onto the bucket conveyor. The media are transported to the filling hopper by the bucket conveyor and the conveyor places the empty trays on the continuous belt.
Some Horticultural hand tools
Budding and Grafting knife
A budding-cum-grafting knife combines two knives that are used for both grafting and budding procedures. It has two blades: one for grafting and the other for performing budding. These knives are fastened to the handle's ends. High-carbon or alloy steel is used to make both knives. The handles may be folded into the knives. The knife may be between 6.5 and 7.5 cm long and 1.5 cm wide.
Pruning and Slashing knife
It is mostly used to remove thick, unwelcome branches and twigs from plants. The carbon or alloy steel knife is snugly inserted into the wooden or plastic handle. For simple cutting or slashing of tiny branches, the knife's tip is slightly hooked or curved.
Tree Pruner
The tree pruner is a manually driven pruning instrument used to trim branches and twigs off standing orchard trees and plants that are out of human reach in order to allow for appropriate airflow and form for easy harvesting and lighting. Essentially, it is made up of a socket, a spring-activated cutting blade, links, and an anvil with hooks.
To reach the high branches or twigs for cutting, a long wooden handle is fitted into the socket. To operate the cutting blade, a rope is fastened to the link. The blade is a crucial component of the tree pruner and is composed of alloy, tool, or high carbon steel.
