To encourage eco-friendly farming practices and reduce crop residue burning, Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) Hoshiarpur organised a demonstration on surface seeder technology in collaboration with the award-winning Lambran Kangri Multipurpose Cooperative Service Society Limited, on November 6, 2023.
It is pertinent to mention that the Lambran Kangri Society already has a well-established custom hiring center dealing with crop residue management machinery and is catering to the area’s farmers, and this year, under its dynamic secretary, Sh. Jaswinder Singh has purchased Surface Seeder and is motivating other farmers to adopt this new technology.
During the event, Dr Maninder Singh Bons, Associate Director (Training) KVK Hoshiarpur, addressed the farmers and highlighted the harmful effects of residue burning and encouraged farmers to join the campaign for the non-burning of paddy residue. Dr Bons also stressed the formation of custom hiring centers and cooperative initiatives to utilize paddy residue management machinery in the district efficiently.
The field demonstration on Surface Seeder was carried out under the guidance of Dr Ajaib Singh, Assistant Professor (Agricultural Engineering), who explained that the PAU surface Seeder is ideal for uniformly distributing wheat seed and fertilizer while simultaneously cutting and spreading the entire straw in a combine-harvested field fitted with Super SMS technology. He further elaborated that the technique allows the uniform broadcasting of wheat seed and basal fertilizer in a paddy field. Dr Ajaib also mentioned that the machine can operate with a 45 HP tractor and sow approximately 1.5 acres of wheat in just one hour. “Notably, the cost of sowing using this method is remarkably low, ranging from Rs. 700 to Rs. 800 per acre”, Dr Singh shared.
Er Lovely, Assistant Agriculture Engineer from the Department of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, Hoshiarpur, informed attendees about the cost-effectiveness of surface seeders and associated subsidies to further incentivize their adoption.
The surface seeder plot, sown on October 28, 2023, showed excellent wheat germination, leaving the farmers highly satisfied with its performance.
Read more: https://www.pau.edu/index.php?_act=manageEvent&DO=viewEventDetail&dataE=datae&intID=8333
