Question

Which of the following can not be run on farm using animal power source?

• A. Disk Harrow
• B. Weeder
• C. Cultivator
• D. Combine Harvester

Hint:

When evaluating power-source questions:
Look for the heaviest, most power-intensive machine.
A combine harvester performs three massive operations (harvesting, threshing, cleaning) at once and always requires a mechanical engine or tractor.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is D

Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
Farm power sources in agriculture include human labor, animal power, mechanical power (tractors, engines), and electrical power.
Selecting the right power source depends on the draft requirement and energy consumption of the specific farm implement.

Step 2: Detailed Explanation:
Let us analyze the draft and power requirements of each farm implement listed:
- Disk Harrow (A): Used for secondary tillage to pulverize soil and destroy weeds.
While large tractor-drawn harrows exist, small, lightweight animal-drawn disk harrows (requiring a draft of about 80-120 kgf) are easily pulled by a pair of bullocks.
- Weeder (B): Used for inter-culture operations.
Many hand weeders or animal-drawn single-row weeders are commonly used in traditional farming.
- Cultivator (C): Used for seedbed preparation.
Standard 3-tine or 5-tine animal-drawn cultivators are common implements that fall well within the draft capacity of draft animals (which can pull about 10-12% of their body weight).
- Combine Harvester (D): This is a massive, multi-functional machine that performs harvesting, threshing, winnowing, and cleaning of grain crops in a single operation.
It has an extremely high power requirement, typically ranging from 75 to over 150 horsepower.
It is operated either as a self-propelled unit with an internal combustion engine or as a tractor-mounted unit.
A pair of draft animals (which can continuously produce only about 1 to 1.5 horsepower combined) cannot generate the draft force or power required to operate a combine harvester.
Therefore, a combine harvester cannot be run using an animal power source.

Step 3: Final Answer:
The correct option is (D).