Browsing by Author "Suseela, P"

Now showing 1 - 6 of 6

Design and management of hi-tech cultivation in Kerala: a practical guide
(Kerala Agricultural University, 2015) Suseela, P
Design, fabrication and evaluation of the performance characteristics of hydraulic ram by varying the various parameters
(Department of Land and Water Resources and Conservation Engineering, Kelappaji College of Agricultural Engineering and Technology, Tavanur, 1989) Suseela, P; George, T P
In India, the agricultural production in many areas especially in hilly areas is very much affected by the non – availability of adequate power to lift water for irrigation. Main problems in enhancing irrigation facilities in hilly regions are their highly uneven topography and non availability of conventional sources of energy. The rapid depletion of conventional sources of energy and increasing demands have now focussed the attention on the need for developing a new economical and effective water lifting device which does not use the conventional sources of energy. A hydraulic ram may meet these requirements in hilly regions and can lift water without any external source of energy in the form of fuel or electricity. A hydraulic ram was designed and fabricated with cheap and commercially available materials. A constant supply head of 1.955 m was provided. Ram was designed for a maximum delivery head of 10 m. Provisions were given to vary the weight and stroke length of both the delivery valve and waste valve. A flange joint was incorporated valve and waste valve. A flange joint was incorporated between the delivery valve and air chamber to facilitate the quick opening and reinstallation of air chamber. Air chamber was fabricated with provisions to alter the volume, by changing the length of air chamber – the diameter of the air chamber was kept constant. The performance of hydraulic ram was evaluated mainly observing the delivery head – delivery discharge relationships. In each case the efficiency of the ram was evaluated. Typical performance characteristic curves were plotted for each of the changes in the conditions of operation. Effect of volume of air chamber on the performance of hydraulic ram was studied. The study revealed that the efficiency of the ram increases 1. as the weight of delivery valve increases 2. as the stroke length of delivery valve decreases 3. as the volume of air chamber increases 4. as the stroke length of waste valve decreases There is a steep reduction in delivery discharge with unit increase in delivery head. For a particular combination of waste valve, delivery valve and volume of air chamber, the maximum efficiency occurs at a moderate delivery head. For an increase in the stroke length of waste valve, there is a large reduction in best frequency. The beat frequency increases as the delivery head increases. The rate of decrease of best frequency with respect to the stroke length is higher for lower weights of was to valve. The ram stops functioning at certain low value of delivery head. This low valve of delivery head increases with increase in weight of delivery valve. Corresponding to a certain weight of delivery valve, there is a minimum weight of waste valve at which the ram functions satisfactorily. Further investigations are necessary to standardise different parts of the hydraulic rams for optimising their performance under varying conditions.
Micro irrigation:2006
(Kerala Agricultural University, Vellanikkara, 2006) Suseela, P; KAU
Optimal number and discharge rate of emitters for coconut palm in sandy loam soil
(Department of Irrigation and Drainage Engineering, Kelappaji College of Agricultural Engineering and Technology, Tavanur, 2000) Priya Nair, G; Suseela, P
Refinement and performance evaluation of media bed aquaponic system
(Department of Irrigation and Drainage Engineering, Kelappaji College of Agricultural Engineering and Food Technology, Tavanur, 2024-10-25) Arjun Prakash, K V.; Suseela, P
In Kerala, the production of fish and vegetables is much less than that of the daily requirement. In this study, an attempt was made to design and develop an aquaponics system to achieve an efficient, less energy-consuming, problem-free operational system working in a sustainable manner at the Hi-tech Research and Training Unit (HTR&TU), Instructional Farm (IF), KAU, Vellanikkara. The study was also made for selection of suitable media (20 mm gravel/ 8-20 mm broken tiles/ 8-15 mm hydroton/ 8-10 mm gravel), performance evaluation of the two aquaponics systems (S1- Aquaponic system fitted with a conventional siphon system and S2- Aquaponic system fitted with feeder cum operation regulation system) with fruiting plant (Tomato) and leafy vegetable (Lettuce) and developing and evaluating a system for automatic recording of temperature and dissolved oxygen level of water in the fish pond. At all stages, the growth and yield of tomato, lettuce and fish in the S2 system were comparatively higher than that of S1 system. Lettuce crop (Cherokee RZ and Starfighter RZ) have given maximum yield in broken tile and minimum yield in hydroton in both S1 and S2 systems during the first and second seasons. 8-10mm gravel was found to be more favorable for the growth and yield of tomato (Yakamoz RZ and Manulakshmi) than all other media selected for the study. In all the cases, the plants grown in the dutch buckets filled with 75 % portion of gravel and wick inserted buckets filled with 75 % portion of gravel showed better performance than the buckets filled with 50 % portion of gravel. The performance of the plants grown in dutch buckets and wick-inserted buckets of S2 system was superior to S1 system. The overall result showed that tomato grown in 810mm gravel and lettuce grown in broken tiles of S2 system showed better performance than all other media of S1 and S2 systems. The macro and micro nutrient level in the water of S2 system was found to be higher than that of S1 system during the study period. The benefit cost ratio obtained while cultivating tomato and lettuce in S2 system was more than that of S1 system. Considering the economic benefits, trouble free and easy operation, S2 system can be recommended for the aquaponics farmers of Kerala.
Tips to nutrient management in hi-tech horticulture
(Kerala Agricultural University, Vellanikkara, 2015) Suseela, P; KAU