Subtopic: Functional requirements, principles of working, construction and operation of manual, animal, tractor and renewable energy operated equipment for tillage, sowing, planting, fertilizer application, inter-cultivation, spraying, mowing, chaff cutting, harvesting and threshing
Question Statement:
In a horizontal disc fertilizer broadcaster, increasing the disc rotational speed while maintaining constant gate opening leads to:
Options:
(A) Decreased swath width and increased application rate
(B) Increased swath width with more uniform granule dispersion
(C) Decreased centrifugal acceleration of fertilizer granules
(D) Increased granule clumping around the spinner hub
Answer Key:
B
Step-by-Step Solution & Explanation
The spinning disc imparts radial and tangential velocity to the fertilizer granules. Higher disc rpm increases centrifugal launch velocity, throwing particles further outward and thereby increasing the effective spreading swath width.