Banana Plant Cutter and Mulcher Combo

A banana plant cutter and mulcher combo is a paired-implement custom-hiring solution used after banana harvest to fell the residual pseudostems and return them to the soil as mulch. A tractor-mounted cutter felled the pseudostems; a PTO-driven shredder follows in a second pass to chop the felled material into a coarse mulch.

Function

The cutter severs each pseudostem near the base. The follow-up shredder, of the same class as a general-purpose Tractor Shredder Mulcher, reduces the wet, fibrous stems and leaves to fragments that decompose in situ. The practice is recommended by ICAR-NRCB Trichy as an in-situ residue-incorporation method for replant cycles, restoring potassium and organic matter to the soil.

Design and specifications

Indian field implementations are typically built around a 75 HP four-wheel-drive tractor running both implements off a 540 RPM PTO. PTO shredders from Gomadhi (GSP/GMS), Sri Andal and Kovai Engineering Works handle banana and coconut residue at a throughput of 1,200-1,800 kg per hour.

Operation

Cutting and shredding are typically offered together as a custom-hire service because few cultivators own both implements. The cutter operates at low forward speed to prevent toppled stems from fouling the wheels; the shredder follows along the same rows, leaving a windrow of chopped material that is later incorporated by a Rotavator or disc harrow.

Subsidy and adoption

PTO shredders are listed under SMAM's crop-residue-management equipment category and qualify for individual-farmer and CHC subsidy. ICAR-NRCB Trichy is the national reference institute for banana mechanisation and demonstrates the cutter-plus-mulcher protocol at its Krishi Vigyan Kendra network.

References

Shredder AS Series (Banana, Coconut). Gomadhi.
Tractor PTO Shredder. Kovai Engineering Works.