SUMMARY

Onions are one of the most popular crops in Bangladesh, but the country continually fails to meet its own demand. A large part of this problem is the costly and inefficient way the onions are transplanted from growing beds to farms. Onion seeds are either broadcast planted or immature seedlings are transplanted by hand by hired laborers. Both methods are inefficient and time consuming. Labor prices have been rising in recent years, increasing the cost of hiring agricultural workers and cutting into farmer's profit margins. Mechanizing the process of transplanting onion seedlings would reduce the manual labor needed while increasing crop yields.

The design that is presented in this thesis provides a potential mechanized solution to onion transplanting through the development of an innovative onion transplanter. The mechanized onion transplanter is designed to attach to the back side of the two-wheeled tractors that are commonly used throughout Bangladesh, allowing for easy adoption by farmers. This transplanter can be manufactured and serviced with equipment and processes currently found in Bangladesh.

The thesis presentation will discuss the methodical approach taken while designing the transplanter. This will also include a discussion of the current prototype, and its’ ability to meet the established customer and functional requirements.