eng Enviro Research Publishers Current Agriculture Research Journal 2347-4688 2321-9971 2025-09-08 13 2 610 618 25281 article Vivekanand Singh 1 Amit Kumar 2 Pradeep Prasad 3 Ankit Kumar Upadhyay 4 Utkarsh Dwivedi 5 Nitish Singh 6 Department of Farm Machinery and Power Engineering, Dr. Rajendra Prasad Central Agriculture University, Samastipur, Bihar, India. Regional Agricultural Research Station, Ambalavayal, Kerala, India. Department of Agronomy, Birsa Agriculture University, Ranchi, Jharkhand, India. Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Bihar, India. Aga Khan Foundation, Barabanki, India. 6 Indian Council of Agricultural Research(ICAR), and Indian Institute of Vegetable Research (IIVR), Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India. Manual weeding remains a labor-intensive and ergonomically demanding agricultural task, especially in smallholder farming systems. This study evaluated and compared the ergonomic performance of modified hoe and chisel weeders, incorporating adjustable handle angles (45–65°), lightweight mild steel frames (4.5 kg), and optimized cutter blades (175 mm length), to address gaps in existing designs. Field experiments at SHUATS, Prayagraj, involved four male operators aged 20–35 years, measuring anthropometric, physiological (heart rate, OCR, EER), and postural (BPDS) parameters. The chisel weeder demonstrated significantly lower physiological strain than the hoe weeder, with mean heart rate (90–134 vs. 91–135 b/min; p < 0.05), oxygen consumption rate (0.346–0.847 vs. 0.357–0.859 l/min), and energy expenditure rate (6.5–17.6 vs. 7.4–17.91 kJ/min). Postural discomfort (BPDS) was 28% lower for the chisel weeder (20–45 vs. 23–52), particularly in younger operators (20–23 years: BPDS 20 vs. 23). These findings underscore the importance of ergonomic modifications in manually operated weeders to enhance operator comfort, reduce fatigue, and minimize the risk of musculoskeletal disorders. The study provides design recommendations for further improving manual weeder ergonomics in small-scale agriculture. https://www.agriculturejournal.org/volume13number2/ergonomic-comparison-of-modified-hoe-and-chisel-weeders-for-enhanced-operator-comfort-in-weeding/ Agricultural tool design; Anthropometry; Chisel weeder; Ergonomics; Hoe weeder; Manual weeding; Physiological strain Smallholder farming