Punjab farmers set to take the wheel of improved, easy-to-use surface seeders

Punjab Agricultural University’s (PAU) surface seeder, an improved and easy-to-use version of its older counterparts, has found space in the list machines being provided to farmers on subsidy in a bid to bolster crop residue management.
The state government had in its recently-outlined action plan bet big on the next gen machinery to help improve in-situ management of paddy stubble and tackle farm fires during the kharif harvest.
Speaking about the latest tech, PAU officials said the new version comprises a modified straw cutter-cum-spreader fitted with seed and fertiliser boxes attachment. The seeded helps with stubble management chops the stubble that comes in contact with the sowing line.
A low-cost machine, it ensures uniform application of wheat seed and fertiliser along with cutting and spreading of paddy straw in a single operation.
The cost of operating a smart seeder is around ₹400 to ₹550 per acre. The germination and crop stand of wheat has yielded positive results at locations where the machine was used after the 2023 paddy harvest season.
PAU vice-chancellor Dr SS Gosal, “Farmers were not happy with the previous generation of seeder machines. The new machine is a prototype, which has been given to the manufacturers for large scale manufacturing”.
The surface seeder machine can be used for wheat sowing immediately after paddy harvest. “The earlier versions of the machine required at least 20 to 25 days for sowing wheat, so for many reasons the new surface is better and farmers are opting for it,” Gosal said, adding that the new machine is very simple to operate and helps conserve water.
The surface seeder can run on a 35HP tractor that can sow 10 to 12 acres per day and costs ₹90,000. The super seeder in contrast cost ₹2-2.5 lakh and needed a 65HP machine.
Better weed control
During the demonstrations conducted by the PAU last year, the yield of the wheat was found at par with other technologies of paddy straw management.
The weed control with surface seeding technology, meanwhile, was significantly better than other methods. To popularise the technology, the state government is arranging exposure visits of the farmers to the fields sown with surface seeder.
The state government is targeting to increase the surface seeder application manifold in the coming paddy season 2024. The targeted area for promoting surface seeder will be 5 lakh acres during the kharif season by using at least 5,000 surface seeders.
According to PAU’s research wing, the use of surface seeder also cuts down growth of phalaris minor (gullli danda) weed. “The weed has become a big problem for the wheat growers as it has become resistant to the weed and with the machine the outgrowth is near zero,” said a researcher in the agronomy department of PAU.