National Academy of Agricultural Sciences (NAAS)
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PRINT ISSN : 2319-7692 Online ISSN : 2319-7706 Issues : 12 per year Publisher : Excellent Publishers Email : editorijcmas@gmail.com / submit@ijcmas.com Editor-in-chief: Dr.M.Prakash Index Copernicus ICV 2018: 95.39 NAAS RATING 2020: 5.38 |
The present investigation was conducted in order to reduce labour as well as input cost for rice cultivation of rice growing predominantly small and marginal farmers of Mahabubnagar district of Telangana State of India. Eight row rice drum seeder was introduced and evaluated on farmer’s field during kharif 2013, 2014 and 2015 years. The seeder consists of eight seed drum made up of fiber which required only one operator to do the seeding. Two varieties viz., MTU1010 and Tellahamsa were sown. The seed was pre soaked for 24 hours followed by incubation for12 hours to just germinate the seed. The seed drum was filled up to ¾th capacity and the drum seeder is dragged on uniformly leveled field and for management of weeds, pre and post emergence herbicides like Oxadiarzyl and pyrazosulfuran ethyl in combination mechanical weeding with cono weeder were implemented to control the weeds On an average this improved technology recorded 8 % higher grain yield (6096kg/ha) as compared to farmers local practices (5677 kg/ha) Reasons for good performance were optimum plant density in drum seeder (52 hills/m2), as compared to control (29 hills/m2), productive tiller were more( 354/m2) in drum seeder, than the control (266/m2). In addition to increase in yield, the improved technology gave higher net return, benefit/cost ratio and reduction in cultivation costs than farmers’ practices. Direct sowing by drum seeder in 8 rows facilitated to take up organic fertilizer application, plant protection measures and weed control in an efficient manner. Further the crop duration is reduced around one weak in direct sown rice as compared to normal transplanted which facilitated to raise other crop. The farmers in OFTs had realized that direct sowing by drum seeder is only a viable option to reduce cost of cultivation of rice and increase net return due to less seed rate, less labour requirements at the time of sowing and no need of nursery raising etc.
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