A decision support system for selection of tractor–implement system used on Indian farms

The selection of tractor and its matching implements has now become very difficult in India because of availability of variety of tractor models ranging from 10 to 45 kW. To overcome the problem of matching of tractor–implement system, an expert system modelling approach leading to decision support system (DSS) was adopted to make the step wise decision. The application of DSS was demonstrated in the paper to select either an implement to match the tractor or to select a tractor to match the implement under different soil and operating conditions. The DSS leading to computer software developed in Visual Basic™ programming provided the intuitive user interfaces by linking databases such as specifications of tractors and implements, tractor performance data, soil and operating conditions, to support the decision on selection of tractor–implement system. The programme calculates working width of implement based on input data for the most critical field operation and helps in selection of a suitable implement having width nearer to the calculated value among the commercially available implements. The software calculates the required drawbar power of the tractor based on draft and working speed of the selected implement. Finally, the PTO power requirement of a tractor is calculated by the software. Based on calculated PTO power, the software suggests available makes and models of tractor/machinery from the compiled data bank. The developed DSS was tested with a case study to demonstrate the flexibility of the software. The DSS can be used effectively in selection of a tractor or an implement of particular size from various makes and models of commercially available tractors and implements.