The Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), in collaboration with Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK), Hoshiarpur, and the Department of Farm Machinery and Power Engineering (FMPE), organized a Field Day on PAU Smart Seeder at village Thinda, Block Mahilpur.
Delivering a keynote address, Dr. Anoop Kumar Dixit, Principal Scientist, FMPE, elaborated on various farm machinery technologies developed under the AICRP project on Farm Implements and Machinery. He emphasized society’s crucial role in preventing environmental contamination, stressing that stubble burning emits harmful pollutants, which deteriorate air quality and pose serious health risks by contributing to smog formation.
Dr Ajaib Singh, Assistant Professor (Agricultural Engineering), KVK Hoshiarpur, welcomed the participants and highlighted that village Thinda had been adopted by KVK Hoshiarpur during Rabi 2024-25 for paddy residue management initiatives, which included training sessions, awareness camps, and field demonstrations. He informed that progressive farmers had successfully managed paddy residue and utilized PAU Smart Seeder for sowing wheat on 60 acres, demonstrating its effectiveness in placing wheat seeds within a precisely tilled narrow soil band and covering them using furrow-closing rollers.
Several experts provided valuable insights on farm mechanization and sustainable agricultural practices: Dr. Aseem Verma, Scientist, FMPE, emphasized the importance of adopting PAU-recommended paddy residue management technologies for efficient farm operations. Dr Arshdeep Singh, a scientist at FMPE, educated farmers about in-situ residue management techniques, including PAU Smart Seeder, PAU Surface Seeder, and Happy Seeder. Dr Naresh Kumar Chhuneja, Senior Scientist, FMPE, discussed government policies on rehabilitation and financial compensation for agricultural accident victims and safety measures in farming operations. Dr. Shiv Kumar Lohan and Dr. Apoorv Prakash, Scientists at FMPE, guided farmers on farm machinery applications across different crops. Dr. Rohit Sharma, Scientist, and Dr. Gagandeep Kaur, Microbiologist, Department of Processing and Food Engineering, PAU, highlighted the importance of agro-processing complexes for value addition. Dr Parminder Singh, Associate Professor (Animal Science), KVK Hoshiarpur, spoke about utilizing paddy straw as an alternative fodder for milch animals to reduce dependence on wheat straw.
The event also included a field visit, where experts and farmers assessed wheat crops sown with PAU Smart Seeder and other in-situ residue management technologies. The attendees expressed satisfaction with the crop’s growth and the effectiveness of these sustainable technologies.
Concluding the event, S. Onkar Singh, a progressive farmer from Thinda, expressed gratitude to the farmers, experts, and organizers for their active participation.
Read more: https://www.pau.edu/index.php?_act=manageEvent&DO=viewEventDetail&dataE=&intID=10313
