Drum Seeder is useful in direct sowing of paddy
Reduces cost and increases profit, know its benefits from agricultural scientist Dr. Avnish Kumar
Paddy is one of the main crops of the country, but the increasing cost of paddy cultivation remains a cause of great concern. Due to non-availability of labourers, there is a lot of trouble in transplanting paddy. Along with this, the cost of farming also increases due to the costlier wages. Actually, cultivating paddy is a very laborious task for the farmers, because for this first the farmer has to prepare paddy nursery and then transplant each plant in the main field. This takes a lot of time and money. The solution to this problem of the farmers is the drum seeder. It is a human powered farming machine. Through this, sprouted paddy is directly sown. By using drum seeder you can not only save your time but also save the money of the farmers.
Why to sow paddy with drum seeder?
Agricultural scientist Avanish Kumar Singh of Krishi Vigyan Kendra Peppeganj, Gorakhpur says that if farmers sow paddy by sprinkle method instead of transplanting, then the plants grown in the field do not grow equally. It doesn’t even give a good yield. On the other hand, by sowing with drum seeder, the seeds germinate uniformly, due to which the yield is also good. In this technique, direct sowing is done in the cultivated fields, which saves a lot of money due to the absence of nursery raising and transplanting.
Structure of Drum Seeder Machine
Drum seeder is a device made of 6 plastic boxes. On this, the number of near holes is 28 and the number of far holes is 14. The length of the boxes is 25 cm and the diameter is 18 cm. The height of the boxes from the ground is 18 cm, and the capacity of keeping seeds in one box is up to 1.5-2 kg. The diameter of the wheels is 60 cm and the width is about 6 cm. The weight of the machine without seed is 6 kg. With this machine, seeds can be sown in 6 to 12 rows at a time.
Paddy sowing time with drum seeder
According to agricultural scientist Dr. Avanish Kumar Singh, direct sowing of sprouted paddy with drum seeder should be done in the beginning of June before the onset of monsoon. This is because once the monsoon arrives, paddy seeds do not grow well due to excessive water logging in the field. By the way, till the last week of June, paddy can be sown with this machine. Two men can sow 2.5 acres in 8 hours with this machine. For this soak the seeds in water for 12 hours. After this cover it with a jute sack and germinate the seeds by keeping them for 24 hours. Take care that seed germination should not be excessive. Before putting the seeds in the machine, dry them in the shade for half an hour.
Field preparation for drum seeder sowing
According to agricultural scientist Dr. Singh, medium or low land is suitable for sowing paddy with drum seeder. Apply well decomposed cow dung at the rate of 2 ton per acre one month before sowing. Irrigate and plow the field 15 days before sowing, so that the weeds get decomposed. 1 day before sowing, plow the field again and make it level. Remove excess water. Water should not remain stagnant in the field at the time of sowing.
He told that nitrogen, phosphorus and potash should be applied at the rate of 32, 16 and 10 kg per acre respectively in paddy sown with drum seeder according to varieties. Apply full dose of Phosphorus and Potash after the field is drained and before the last furrow. After 10 days apply half quantity of nitrogen and the remaining half quantity after dividing it into two equal parts and add it at the time of budding and earing.
Advantages of Sowing with Drum Seeder
- Lower cost, higher yield and less manpower required per hectare
- No field preparation required for nursery, less irrigation required
- 15% more yield than sprinkler method
- Convenience of sowing seeds in row and good yield
- The crop matures 10 days earlier than the planted paddy and the seed is saved.
Precautions while using drum seeder machine
Agricultural scientist Avanish Kumar Singh says that under no circumstances should the drum seeder be filled more than two-thirds. Due to overfilling, the seeds are not able to come out properly from the holes of the machine. Pull the machine towards the edge of the triangle inside the boxes. Pulling in the opposite direction does not allow the seeds to drain smoothly. This affects the efficiency of the machine. Be sure to keep this in mind especially near the turn. Its yield is better than that of paddy planted in drum seeder technique.
Saving of more than 4 thousand rupees per acre
Gorakhpur progressive farmer Vishnu Pratap Singh, a resident of Mustafabad village in Gorakhpur, has been doing farming with drum seeder technology for the last several years. Direct sowing of paddy is done in one acre with drum seeder technique. He told that 18 to 20 labourers are required for nursery and transplanting of one acre of paddy. Moreover, the cost of cultivation of paddy in nursery raising is high, while sowing of paddy with drum seeder technique reduces the cost by 4200 to 4500 per acre.
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