Effects of mouldboard shape and operational parameters on soil-ridger dynamics: An experimental and discrete element modelling approach Avdhoot Walunj, Saurabh Shinde, Sachin Nalawade, Pranav Pawase, Zhiwei Zeng Smart Agricultural Technology, 2025 • A novel study evaluating the influence of ridger mouldboard shape on furrow width and depth, ridge height, draft force, and soil profile characteristics. • Combined experimental analysis and Discrete Element Method (DEM) simulations were used to investigate soil–ridger interactions. • Developed a DEM-based soil–ridger interaction model using Hertz–Mindlin contact mechanics with bonding contacts. • The relative error between experimental and DEM results for key parameters ranged from 1.17% to 22.27%. This study provides an in-depth investigation of soil-ridger interactions through both experimental analysis and discrete element method (DEM) simulations. The research examines how variations in ridger mouldboard shapes (flat, concave, and convex), operating depths (100, 140, and 180 mm), and speeds (2, 3, and 4 km/h) affect furrow width, furrow depth, ridge height, draft force, and soil profile characteristics. Field experiments on sandy clay loam soil incorporated 27 unique treatment combinations. The DEM-based soil-ridger interaction model, developed with Hertz-Mindlin contact mechanics and bonding contacts, was validated through angle of repose test. Analysis of the data revealed that mouldboard shape has a significant effect on furrow geometry: concave mouldboard produced wider, deeper furrow, while convex mouldboard resulted in narrower, shallower furrows. Speed and depth also played influential roles, with higher speed and deeper operation resulting in wider, shallower furrows and increased draft force. Ridge and furrow profile indicated that mouldboard shape, speed, and depth collectively shaped soil topography. The average relative error between experimental and DEM data for furrow width, furrow depth, ridge height, and draft force ranged between 2.75% and 17.26%, demonstrating close agreement. This study confirms that DEM simulation is a robust and effective method for analyzing soil-ridger interactions.
Development and optimization of an automatic transplanting device for plug tray vegetable seedlings using embedded system Ajit Pralhad Magar, Sachin Madhukar Nalawade, Avdhoot Ashok Walunj, Bhaskar Bharat Gaikwad, Ganesh Namdev Shelke, Abhijit Khadatkar, Chetankumar Prakash Sawant, Rajesh U. Modi Scientific Reports, 2025 Timely seedling transplantation, though crucial for horticulture, is increasingly becoming uncertain due to seasonal labour shortages, limited mechanization, and higher import and repair costs of automated vegetable transplanters in India. A simple and cost-effective vegetable transplanting device with automatic plug-tray seedling extraction feature was designed and developed considering very limited studies on simple and indigenous automatic seedling extractor design. The developed extractor uses a mechanical toggle mechanism for robustness and a close loop-controlled embedded system to drive it for optimum performance. The crank rotational speed, seedling root bulb moisture content, and needle penetration depth in root bulb were major affecting factors optimized using the RSM to maximize extraction ratio and minimize failure ratio. The seedling extractor performed optimally at an extraction rate of 38 seedlings per minute, bulb moisture content of 75%, and needle penetration depth of 30 mm. The field testing of the transplanting device with the automatic extractor resulted in seedling extraction ratio of 96.05% and field efficiency of 91.8% at 34.62 and 35.47 plantings.min − 1 , respectively, for tomato and cabbage seedlings, saving 92.2% time than the conventional manual method. The developed system holds promising prospects for timely and cost-effective vegetable transplanting in India and developing nations.
Review of cutting-edge weed management strategy in agricultural systems Narayan R. Gatkal, 1. Dr. Annasaheb College of Agricultural Engineering, Technology, Rahuri 413722, Ahmednagar, MH, India 2. Department of Soil Science, Agricultural Chemistry, Vasantrao Naik Marathwada Agricultural University, Maharashtra 431402, India 3. Central Institute of Agricultural Engineering, Bhopal 462038, India 4. College of Science, King Faisal University, Al-Ahsa 31982, Saudi Arabia, Sachin M. Nalawade, Mohini S. Shelke, Ramesh K. Sahni, AvdhootA. Walunj, Pravin B. Kadam, Musrrat Ali International Journal of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, 2025
Review of UAVs for efficient agrochemical spray application Narayan Raosaheb燝atkal, 1. Dr. Annasaheb Shinde College of Agricultural Engineering, Technology, Rahuri 413722, India, Sachin Madhukar燦alawade, Girishkumar Balasaheb燘hanage, Ramesh Kumar燬ahni, Avdhoot Ashok燱alunj, Pravin Bhaskar燢adam, Musrrat燗li, 2. Centre for Advanced Agricultural Science, Technology for Climate Smart Agriculture, Water Management, Rahuri 413722, India, 3. Central Institute of Agricultural Engineering, Bhopal 462038, India, 4. College of Science, King Faisal University, Al-Ahsa 31982, Saudi Arabia International Journal of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, 2025 Insect infestation attacks in agricultural ecosystems are becoming more common because of global warming as well as farmland environmental circumstances, necessitating the development of new crop production technology. Pesticide application is one of the most common strategies for protecting the entire growing period of plants or shrubs against pests and pathogens in farms. The rapid, effective, and profitable application of plant control substances via unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) crop spraying is anticipated to be a key new technique. When compared to ground spraying, UAV spraying saves chemicals, water, time, does not damage crop plants or balls of crop, and does not create soil compaction. When using UAV, pesticide drift and deposition must be managed in order to use pesticides safely, effectively, and efficiently. This paper focuses on agrochemical spraying by unmanned aerial vehicles and the key parameters that influence spray effectiveness, such as the operating parameters of nozzle type, flying speed, flight height, type of nozzle, and type of UAV model, for reducing drift and increasing application efficiency. The multirotor UAV is most suitable for spraying due to its fast operation, safety, not requiring a runway for takeoff and landing, and lower cost as compared to fixed-wing and VTOL. UAVs can also be used for crop disease identification, soil health monitoring, livestock monitoring, field mapping, etc. This paper aims to review the development of various UAV models, optimization of operating parameters, effect of nozzle on UAV spraying, characterization of droplet deposition, drift reduction technology, UAV-based remote sensing for plant protection, and cost comparison of UAV to conventional ground sprayer. Keywords: deposition, drift, flight height, flying speed, nozzle, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) DOI: 10.25165/j.ijabe.20251801.8979 Citation: Gatkal N R, Nalawade S M, Bhanage G B, Sahni R K, Walunj A A, Kadam P B, et al. Review of UAVs for efficient agrochemical spray application. Int J Agric & Biol Eng, 2025; 18(1): 1–9.
Present trends, sustainable strategies and energy potentials of crop residue management in India: A review N.R. Gatkal, S.M. Nalawade, Ramesh K. Sahni, A.A. Walunj, P.B. Kadam, G.B. Bhanage, Rahul Datta Heliyon, 2024 India generating huge amount of agricultural waste, especially crop residues. In India, around 141 MT of crop residue is generated each year, in which 92 MT burned due to inadequate sustainable management practices, which results in rise in emissions of particulate matter as well as quality of air pollution. Burning crop residues raises mortality rates and substantially decreases crop production while posing a major risk of threatening the environment, condition of the soil, human health, and air quality. Proper crop residue management is crucial because it is rich is nutrient contents and could potentially be used to value-added products. Proper crop residue management helps in improvement in soil organic matter, increases the physical, chemical and biological properties of soil which leads to increase the production and productivity. The short planting season following the previous crop's harvest, insufficient agricultural equipment, a manpower shortage, and declining acceptance of crop residue as feed are just a few of the major causes of residue burning. This major goal of this study is to pinpoint the primary causes of this illicit activity, damaging effect of crop residue burning on the environment, and the appropriate handling of agricultural leftover for animal feed. In addition, the septs plan to keep agricultural residue on the farm by using both conventional and reduced tillage techniques, turning it into biofuels like biochar and bio-oil, mulching, composting, and briquette production. Moreover, Indian government has taken several efforts to address this issue, including programs and laws that support sustainable management practices like shifting agricultural waste into energy, providing 50-80 % subsidies under various policies and schemes to purchase crop residue management machineries. The crop residues machinery used for retention of crop residue into soil is one easy and simple method for crop residue management. This paper includes history of crop residue management, crop residue management techniques, various conversion technologies to generate energy from crop residue, generation of biogas, compost and production of briquette and biodiesels and several households uses. Moreover, different machines which help to manage the crop residues retained in soils in agricultural field used after harvest and way forward are also discussed.
Review of IoT and electronics enabled smart agriculture Narayan Raosaheb Gatkal, 1. Department of Farm Machinery, Power Engineering, Dr. Annasaheb Shinde College of Agricultural Engineering, Technology, Mahatma Phule Krishi Vidyapeeth, Rahuri 413722, Maharashtra, India, Sachin Madhukar Nalawade, Ramesh Kumar Sahni, Girishkumar Balasaheb Bhanage, Avdhoot Ashok Walunj, Pravin Bhaskar Kadam, Musrrat Ali, 2. Central Institute of Agricultural Engineering, Bhopal 462038, Madya Pradesh, India, 3. Centre for Advanced Agricultural Science, Technology for Climate Smart Agriculture, Water Management (CAAST-CSAWM), Dr. Annasaheb Shinde College of Agricultural Engineering, et al. International Journal of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, 2024
Variable rate fertilizer application technology for nutrient management: A review International Journal of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, 2023
Effect of Surface Roughness on Pool Boiling Characteristics under Variable Heat Supply International Conference on Thermal Engineering, 2019
A comprehensive study on operational parameters optimization of quadcopter unmanned aerial vehicle-based spraying system in sugarcane NR Gatkal, SM Nalawade, MS Shelke, RK Sahni, GB Bhanage, NM More, ... Sugar Tech 28 (2), 445-466 , 2026 2026 Citations: 5
Development of light weight multi crop basin lister seeder AJ Darekar, PB Kadam, SM Nalawade, AA Walunj International Journal of Agriculture and Food Science 7 (10), 372-376 , 2025 2025
Experimental study of real-time sensing and map-based site-specific application for N, P and K P Pawase, S Nalawade, A Walunj, Z Zeng Precision Agriculture 26, 83 , 2025 2025
Effects of mouldboard shape and operational parameters on soil-ridger dynamics: An experimental and discrete element modelling approach A Walunj, S Shinde, S Nalawade, P Pawase, Z Zeng Smart Agricultural Technology, 101250 , 2025 2025 Citations: 3
Development and optimization of an automatic transplanting device for plug tray vegetable seedlings using embedded system AP Magar, SM Nalawade, AA Walunj, BB Gaikwad, GN Shelke, ... Scientific Reports 15 (1), 22483 , 2025 2025 Citations: 3
Review of cutting-edge weed management strategy in agricultural systems NR Gatkal, SM Nalawade, MS Shelke, RK Sahni, AA Walunj, PB Kadam Int J Agric & Biol Eng 18 (1), 25-42 , 2025 2025 Citations: 13
Review of UAVs for efficient agrochemical spray application NR Gatkal, SM Nalawade, RK Bhanage G B, Sahni, AA Walunj Int J Agric & Biol Eng 18 (1), 1-9 , 2025 2025 Citations: 23
SCENARIO OF AGRICULTURE ROBOT: BACKGROUND, CHALLENGES AND POLICY A Walunj, S Nalawade, G Yenge, B Sanjay Plant Archives 25 (Special Issue (ICTPAIRS-JAU, Junagadh)), 803-809 , 2025 2025
DEVELOPMENT OF SINGLE PHASE ONE HORSE POWER OPERATED GROUNDNUT STRIPPER SC Bhangare, GV Kale, TB Bastewad, RK Rathod, AA Walunj Plant Archives 25 (Special Issue (ICTPAIRS-JAU, Junagadh)), 698-702 , 2025 2025
Present trends, sustainable strategies and energy potentials of crop residue management in India: A review NR Gatkal, SM Nalawade, RK Sahni, AA Walunj, PB Kadam, GB Bhanage, ... Heliyon 10 (21) , 2024 2024 Citations: 46
Physicochemical properties of sugarcane juice at various stages during jaggery processing S Phatak, G Yenge, V Kad, A Walunj, K Kamble, M Patil International Journal of Advanced Biochemistry Research 8 (12), 480-483 , 2024 2024 Citations: 1
Ergonomic evaluation of self-propelled Alfalfa harvester A Pawar, A Walunj, S Nalawade, P Kadam, V Kad, P Pawase International Journal of Agricultural Invention 9 (2), 60-65 , 2024 2024
Design and development of conveying system for wheel mounted Alfalfa Harvester S Dabhade, SM Nalawade, PB Kadam, AA Walunj, PP Pawase International Journal of Agricultural Invention 9 (2), 71-82 , 2024 2024
Review of IoT and electronics enabled smart agriculture NR Gatkal, SM Nalawade, RK Sahni, GB Bhanage, AA Walunj, PB Kadam, ... International Journal of Agricultural and Biological Engineering 17 (5), 1-14 , 2024 2024 Citations: 20
REVIEW OF CUTTING-EDGE WEED MANAGEMENT STRATEGY IN AGRICULTURAL SYSTEMS A WALUNJ, M ALI INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL AND BIOLOGICAL ENGINEERING 17 (6), 25-42 , 2024 2024
Microchannel Geometries and Rough Surfaces for Critical Heat Flux Enhancement in High Pressure Pool Boiling A Walunj, A Sathyabhama Recent Trends in Thermal and Fluid Sciences: Select Proceedings of INCOME … , 2024 2024
Comprehensive study of on-the-go sensing and variable rate application of liquid nitrogenous fertilizer PP Pawase, SM Nalawade, AA Walunj, GB Bhanage, PB Kadam, ... Computers and Electronics in Agriculture 216, 108482 , 2024 2024 Citations: 25
Variable rate fertilizer application technology for nutrient management: A review PP Pawase, SM Nalawade, GB Bhanage, AA Walunj, PB Kadam, ... International Journal of Agricultural and Biological Engineering 16 (4), 11-17 , 2023 2023 Citations: 97
Pool Boiling Heat Transfer Enhancement through Biphilic Stepped Microchannel A Walunj, S Alangar International Journal of Chemical Engineering and Materials 2, 8-17 , 2023 2023 Citations: 1
Design of Chassis for Self-Propelled Onion Harvester A Walunj, SM Nalawade, PB Kadam, AW Thawkar, HS Mane, MS Wable Journal of Agriculture Research and Technology 48 (2), 302-307 , 2023 2023 Citations: 1
MOST CITED SCHOLAR PUBLICATIONS
Comparative Study of Pool Boiling Heat Transfer from Various Microchannel Geometries A Walunj, A Sathyabhama Applied Thermal Engineering 128, 672-683 , 2017 2017 Citations: 127
Applications of Nanotechnology to Enhance the Performance of the Direct Absorption Solar Collectors AK Hussein, A Walunj Journal of Thermal Engineering, Yildiz Technical University Press, Istanbul … , 2016 2016 Citations: 104
Variable rate fertilizer application technology for nutrient management: A review PP Pawase, SM Nalawade, GB Bhanage, AA Walunj, PB Kadam, ... International Journal of Agricultural and Biological Engineering 16 (4), 11-17 , 2023 2023 Citations: 97
Modeling soil–plant–machine dynamics using discrete element method: A review A Walunj, Y Chen, Y Tian, Z Zeng Agronomy 13 (5), 1260 , 2023 2023 Citations: 49
Present trends, sustainable strategies and energy potentials of crop residue management in India: A review NR Gatkal, SM Nalawade, RK Sahni, AA Walunj, PB Kadam, GB Bhanage, ... Heliyon 10 (21) , 2024 2024 Citations: 46
Comprehensive study of on-the-go sensing and variable rate application of liquid nitrogenous fertilizer PP Pawase, SM Nalawade, AA Walunj, GB Bhanage, PB Kadam, ... Computers and Electronics in Agriculture 216, 108482 , 2024 2024 Citations: 25
Transient CHF enhancement in high pressure pool boiling on rough surface A Walunj, A Sathyabhama Chemical Engineering and Processing-Process Intensification 127, 145-158 , 2018 2018 Citations: 25
Review of UAVs for efficient agrochemical spray application NR Gatkal, SM Nalawade, RK Bhanage G B, Sahni, AA Walunj Int J Agric & Biol Eng 18 (1), 1-9 , 2025 2025 Citations: 23
Review of IoT and electronics enabled smart agriculture NR Gatkal, SM Nalawade, RK Sahni, GB Bhanage, AA Walunj, PB Kadam, ... International Journal of Agricultural and Biological Engineering 17 (5), 1-14 , 2024 2024 Citations: 20
Bubble Dynamics and Enhanced Heat Transfer During High-Pressure Pool Boiling on Rough Surface A Walunj, A Sathyabhama Journal of Thermophysics and Heat Transfer 33 (2), 309-321 , 2018 2018 Citations: 20
Review of performance of rectangular fins under natural convection at different orientation of heat sink AA Walunj, VS Daund, DD Palande International Journal of Innovation and Applied Studies 6 (2), 232 , 2014 2014 Citations: 15
Review of cutting-edge weed management strategy in agricultural systems NR Gatkal, SM Nalawade, MS Shelke, RK Sahni, AA Walunj, PB Kadam Int J Agric & Biol Eng 18 (1), 25-42 , 2025 2025 Citations: 13
Influence of surface roughness on pool boiling heat transfer A Walunj, A Sathyabhama IOP Conference Series: materials science and engineering 402 (1), 012081 , 2018 2018 Citations: 13
Experimental analysis of inclined narrow plate-fins heat sink under natural convection AA Walunj, DD Palande IPASJ International Journal of Mechanical Engineering 2 (6), 8-13 , 2014 2014 Citations: 11
Experimental investigation on transient pool boiling heat transfer from rough surface and heat transfer correlations A Walunj, A Sathyabhama International Journal of Heat and Technology 37 (2), 545-554 , 2019 2019 Citations: 7
Engineering Properties of Some Plug-type Vegetable Seedlings for Development of Automatic Vegetable Transplanter A Magar, S Nalawade, A Walunj Journal of Agricultural Engineering (India) 60, 1 , 2023 2023 Citations: 6
A comprehensive study on operational parameters optimization of quadcopter unmanned aerial vehicle-based spraying system in sugarcane NR Gatkal, SM Nalawade, MS Shelke, RK Sahni, GB Bhanage, NM More, ... Sugar Tech 28 (2), 445-466 , 2026 2026 Citations: 5
Experimental demonstration of compact polymer mass transfer device manufactured by additive manufacturing with hydrogel integration to bio-mimic the liver functions G Narendran, A Walunj, AM Kumar, P Jeyachandran, NS Awwad, ... Bioengineering 10 (4), 416 , 2023 2023 Citations: 5
FEEDING PERFORMANCE AND CHALLENGES IN USE OF SEMI-AUTOMATIC VEGETABLE SEEDLING TRANSPLANTERS: A REVIEW AP Magar, SM Nalawade, AA Walunj MULTILOGIC IN SCIENCE 11 (XXXVIII) , 2021 2021 Citations: 5
Dynamic pool boiling heat transfer due to exponentially increasing heat input-a review A Walunj, A Sathyabhama Procedia Technology 25, 1137-1145 , 2016 2016 Citations: 5
