Manual for Using Zero-Till Seed-cum-Fertilizer Drill and Zero
Contents
1. ICAR Ashok Yadav R K Malik N K Bansal Raj K Gupta Samar Singh and P R Hobbs National Agricultural Technology Project Indian Council of Agricultural Research Rice Wheat Consortium for the Indo Gangetic Plains Citation Yadav A Malik R K Bansal N K Gupta R K Singh S and Hobbs PR 2002 Manual for using zero till seed cum fertilizer drill and zero till drill cum bed planter Rice Wheat Consortium Technical Bulletin Series 4 New Delhi 110 012 India Rice Wheat Consortium for the Indo Gangetic Plains pp 24 The initial support from the Asian Development Bank and International Fund for Agricultural Development provided the groundwork for establishment of the RWC in 1994 and formalizing the collaborations between the NARS IARCs and ARIs The NARS driven strategic ecoregional research initiatives with financial support from the Governments of the Netherlands Sweden Switzerland Australia and the US Agency for International Development and the World Bank have grown over the years into a dynamic agenda of resource conservation technologies appropriate to different transects of the Indo Gangetic Plains The on going successes in scaling up resource conservation technologies for enhancing productivity and sustainability of the rice wheat systems are beginning to create a revolution and favourably benefit large areas and more numbers of farm families Cover pictures Top left Wheat planted on rais2. Fill the seed and fertilizer boxes and calibrates the machine Ensure that seed drill is set at desired seed and fertilizer rates This will ensure proper metering of seed and fertilizers and result in excellent germination good crop stand and higher yield Maintenance and Repair A well maintained and properly adjusted seeding machine gives trouble free service for a long time It also helps in timely completion of operations The following important points may be kept in mind for the maintenance and repair of various components of the seeding machines A Seed and Fertilizer Boxes The boxes should be thoroughly cleaned as these may rust very fast due to environmental moisture This will damage the boxes and machine will not be useful for the next crop sowing season The boxes must be cleaned as under Raise the machine above ground so that the drive wheels move freely Remove seed and fertilizer from boxes Open the flow gates of seed and fertilizer Cups Rotate the drive wheel till the seed and fertilizer from different seed and fertilizer cups are emptied Clean the boxes and cups with the help of a cloth or brush Wash the machine rollers seed fertilizer boxes with diesel to avoid rusting Apply lubricating oil at appropriate places bushes and sides of metering rollers B Drive power Transmission System For maintenance of drive system power transmission system keep following points in mi
3. Allowing 10 slippage the distance can be covered in N turns i e n 0 1 n vii Raise the seed drill so that drive wheel becomes free to be turned Put a chalk mark on the rim of the wheel Fill the seed box set the seed rate adjusting lever and rotate the wheel for N turns vill Collect the total seed under the seed drill and measure its weight Thus seed rate per hectare can be calculated Any change in the seed rate if required can be accomplished by adjusting the lever and recalibrating the machine till the desired seed rate is obtained ix Weigh the quantity of seed dropped from each opener and record on the data sheet to know the variation in different rows If any Example say Circumferance of the drive wheel 0 4 m m Width of machine 1 85 m As we know area of one hectare 10 000 m Then distance length L to cover one hectare will be 10 000 1 85 5405 4 m The distance l i e 1 100 of hectare will be 54 5 m To cover distance l the drive wheel has to take turns n 54 5 0 4 136 25 Allowing 10 slippage the distance I can be covered in N turns n 0 1n 123 approx Put seed and fertilizer in the boxes Set the rate control adjustment lever as prescribed by the manufacturer Rest of the procedure will be similar as described above at items vii ix Calibration of seed drill in situ Select the recommended spacing row to row Spacing and seed
4. depth of groove and the number of flutes depend on the seed size For example there are 10 flutes in each roller for wheat seed The rollers are fitted in a series on a shaft Aluminium cups are fitted on these rollers Below the flutted rollers are aluminium or plastic tongues to hold the seed The tongues can be raised or lowered depending on the size and texture in case of rice of the seed As the flutted rollers turn they push the seed over the edge of the seed cups attached at the bottom of seed metering box which funnels the seed through the plastic seed tubes to the slit furrow opener In funnel shaped boot a deflector plate is provided for separation of seeds and fertilizer A very precise seed rate adjustment is obtained by sliding the flutted roller in or out The more is the exposed area of the flutted roller the higher will be the seed rate and vice versa Calibration of seed drill in laboratory i Measure the diameter D of the drive wheel and calculate its circumference i e nD in meters li Measure the effective width of coverage W in meters of the drilling machine by multiplying number of furrows with spacing ii Then distance length L to cover one hectare is calculated by dividing 10000 m area of one hectare by effective coverage W iv The distance l i e 1 100 of a hectare will be equal to L 100 in meters v To cover distance I the drive wheel has to take n turns i e I xD vi
5. Point Management 2001 Herbicide Application Using a Knapsack Sprayer by Andrew Miller and Robin Bellinder 2001 WS W acHa Wea ae BV wa a Medal at walt caw ee ae aferest ae GH afer sath Bead Va VAVA WS 2002 Manual for Using Zero Till Seed cum Fertilizer Drill and Zero Till Drill cum Bed Planter by A Yadav R K Malik N K Bansal Raj K Gupta Samar Singh and P R Hobbs 2002 Rice Wheat Consortium for the Indo Gangetic Plains The Consortium is an Ecoregional Program of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research CGIAR managed by CIMMYT involving the National Agricultural Research Systems the International Agricultural Research Centers and the Advanced Research Institutions Its main objective is to promote research on issues that are fundamental to enhance the productivity and sustainability of rice wheat cropping systems in South Asia These objectives are achieved through e Setting priorities for focused research on problems affecting many farmers e Promoting linkages among rice wheat research specialists and other branches of research and extension e Encouraging interdisciplinary team approach to understand field problems and to find solutions e Fostering quality work and excellence among scientists e Enhancing the transfer of improved technologies to farmers through established institutional linkages Financial support for the Consortium s research agenda currently comes from many sources includ
6. The machine can be properly leveled by a three point linkage Since the side link hydraulics often get damaged or become non functional in most tractors with the farmers it is advisable to use the depth control wheels or the top link Seed and Fertilizer Boxes Trapezoidal shaped seed and fertilizer boxes made of mild steel sheet 2 mm thick are mounted side by side on the frame fertilizer box Fig 8b in front and seed box Fig 8a in the rear The boxes are generally 145 cm long and 28 cm deep sufficient to hold 50 kg DAP and 50 kg wheat seed at one time respectively Box dimensions can vary but these generally depend upon the effective width of the machine and will increase with the increase in the number of the slit furrow openers For example in case of 11 tine drill the length of seed and fertilizer boxes will be around 178 cm Es Fig 8 Inner view of a Seed and b Fertilizer boxes Seed Metering Device seed metering device has the following components Fig 9 2 Flutted rollers 3 JAluminium cup 5 Flow control aluminium plastic tongue 4 Plastic tube 6 Seed boot Fig 9 Seed metering device and its components SSS SY a Seed adjustment lever Flutted rollers Aluminium cup Plastic tube Flow control tongue Seed boot Flutted rollers made of aluminium facilitate continuous seeding of crops where control of plant to plant distance is not needed wheat rice toria etc Tooth size
7. even a add on machine which serves both the purpose of a zero till drill and of a bed planter and which can seed most of the common crops is now available In the present publication an attempt has been made to develop a manual for zero till seed cum fertilizer drill and zero till drill cum bed planter to provide the essential and relevant information on how to use and maintain these agricultural machines properly for obtaining the optimum performance Fig 1 Zero till seed cum fertilizer drill an improved version with disc openers under field testing ll Zero Till Seed cum Fertilizer Drill With the significant increase in the adoption of zero tillage and bed planting technologies in several areas of the Indo Gangetic Plains zero till seed cum fertilizer drill has become a very useful and important agricultural machine for the farmers It helps them to seed a crop directly into the cultivated field just after the harvest of the previous crop with the least disturbance of the soil It eliminates or reduces time and energy intensive conventional tillage operations reducing the cultivation costs and risk of Phalaris minor in wheat apart from improving crop yields and farmers profits Fig 2 Rabi seed drill commonly used by farmers for conventional sowing Zero till seed cum fertilizer drill comes in many models and sizes Basically all the new models are improved versons of the Rabi seed drill Fig 2 used by the fa
8. field corners The rotating cell type fertilizer metering device has the following components Fig 12 1 Fertilizer tank Shaft Rollers 2 3 4 Cells cups 5 Funnel 6 Leveling screw Fig 12 Rotating cup cell type fertilizer meter In cell type fertilizer metering device cells are fitted in separate compartments to allow fertilizer placement as required in each row or some select rows only Fertilizer can be increased or decreased by lifting or lowering 7 the fertilizer tank respectively or by changing the sprocket wheel Fertilizer is simply metered by a series of cups on a roller However calibration of machine for setting required rate of fertilizer under laboratory situation as well as in situ can be accomplished with similar procedure mentioned earlier under the headings Calibration of seed drill in laboratory and Calibration of seed drill in situ Power Transmission Unit Power transmission unit Fig 13 has the following main components 1 Drive wheel 2 Shaft 3 Idler 4 Sprocket 5 Roller chain Fig 13 Power transmission unit and its main components The power required to operate the seed and fertilizer metering devices is provided by a floating type lugged drive wheel 40 cm in diameter and 10 5 cm in width through chain and sprockets However size of the drive wheel may vary in different models Fourteen lugs each of 3 cm height at an angle of 90 are prov
9. is coated with electrode of carbon steel to reduce wear and tear The rake angle Fig 22 has been kept at 20 degrees in order to make a narrow slit without causing much soil disturbance The relief angle Fig 22 of the furrow openers has been kept at 5 degrees The furrow opener is welded to mild flat steel shank 5 0 x 1 2 cm which is attached to the frame with nut and bolts or 12 Depth setting wheel Furrow opener Working front edge Fig 21 planter Furrow openers of the zero till drill cum bed Rake angle Relief angle Fig 22 Rake angle and relief angle of the furrow opener directly with clamps The bolted on blades can be replaced by farmers whereas welded on blades will require machine shops to replace them The weld on openers are replaced with knock out type openers which are easy to replace Double boot is provided behind each furrow opener to receive a tube each from seed and fertilizer metering devices These furrow openers make 3 5 cm wide and deep slit The depth of seeding can be adjusted by raising or lowering the depth control side wheels It can also be adjusted independent of the depth control side wheels by raising or lowering the shanks of the furrow openers The machine can be properly leveled by three point linkage Ridger and Bed cum furrow Shaper Ridger and bed cum furrow shaper Fig 20b have been combined together and mounted at the front bar of
10. metering device should also be cleaned carefully Each compartments cup cell and funnel should be free from jamming and the roller should move freely E Seed and Fertilizer Tubes These are mostly plastic tubes connected to seed fertilizer Cups and their lower ends are connected to seed boots Tubes should be connected to seed fertilizer cups with the help of clamps so that these may not come out during field operation Tubes should be protected from bending and breakage m Old bent tubes should be replaced Excessive bend in the tubes should be avoided otherwise the bend will cause obstruction in free flow of seed fertilizer and results in non uniform application of fertilizer in the field F Furrow Openers Furrow openers are attached to main frame with the help of nuts bolts The furrow openers wear out or twist very fast Therefore these should be repaired frequently The worn out ones should be removed replaced as and when required G General All the components of the machine should be painted m Machine should be protected from rain dirt and dust etc during its storage Moving parts should be greased oiled at regular intervals so that the machine gives a trouble free service for a long time m Users training will lead to improvement in the performance of the machines 20 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 20 26 Annexure List o
11. of China edited by P R Hobbs and R K Gupta 2000 Potential Yields of Rice Wheat System in the Indo Gangetic Plains of India by P K Aggarwal K K Talukdar and R K Mall 2000 Rice Wheat Cropping Systems of the Indo Gangetic Plain of India by R S Narang and S M Virmani 2001 Rice Wheat Cropping System of Nepal by S P Pandey S Pande C Johansen and S M Virmani 2001 Baseline Study on Agricultural Mechanization Needs in Nepal by Madan P Pariyar Knadga B Shrestha and Nara Hari Dhakal 2001 Il Traveling Seminar Report Series 1 Research and Extension Issues for Farm Level Impact on the Productivity of the Rice Wheat Systems in the Indo Gangetic Plains of India and Pakistan edited by R K Gupta P R Hobbs M Salim R K Malik M R Varma T P Pokharel T C Thakur and J Tripathi 2000 Study of Research and Extension Issues in the Sichuan Province of China for Farm Level Impact on the Productivity of the Rice Wheat System edited by R K Gupta P R Hobbs M Salim N H Chowdhary and S Bhuiyan 2000 Design Improvements in Existing Zero till Machines for Residue Conditions by Raj K Gupta and Joseph Rickman 2002 Options for Establishment of Rice and Issues Constraining its Productivity and Sustainability in Eastern Gangetic Plains of Bihar Nepal and Bangladesh by R K Gupta A K Shukla M Ashraf Z U Ahmed R K P Sinha and P R Hobbs 2002 II Technical Bulletin Series s RWC PRISM User Manual for Data Entry amp Updating and Focal
12. rate for the specific variety of crop to be sown Draw a line dotted line as shown in Fig 10 passing through the recommended spacing on line A seed rate on line B and extend it further to join the line C of the nomograph This point of intersection on line C will give the desired seed quantity to be dropped per meter length per row o Le Li ti fu oni Li a Kos bo nov pieng or Ful a Seed re gin engihioaj TU 0 1 E i EF 0 6 LG iT ipo 0 49 1 0 1 1 i 1d 1 1 5 1 6 17 rT 18 1 4 2 0 2 1 P za Ja 2 6 eh rT 2 8 2 4 3 0 11 E a 4 3 5 26 47 2 8 8 4 0 Fig 10 Nomograph for seed drill calibration Validation of the seed drill calibration Fill the seed box with seed and set the indicator at desired seed rate according to the chart given by the manufacturer Mark a distance of 10 to 20 meters in the field Run the seed drill and collect the seeds in each tube for 10 to 20 meter length run The amount of seed collected in each tube in 10 or 20 meter run is then expressed in g meter This quantity should be equal to the calculated seed quantity obtained from the nomograph in g meter length row If the measured quantity is less or more adjust the rate with the help of seed metering lever Sliding the roller out will increase seed rate Now the seed drill is ready for planting the specific seed Example Supposition Seed rate planned 40 kg acre S
13. the frame The length of the e Adjustable M removable Soa E wings Double end_ Shovels Fig 23 Ridger bed cum furrow shaper fitted with double end shovel bed cum furrow shaper is 200 cm while the width of the bed maker is 36 cm Double end shovels Fig 23 three in number of 7 cm width at a distance of 60 cm have been provided with bed cum furrow shaper to open the furrow Triangular furrows with 30 cm top width and depth each are made with this shaper However the bed width and furrow depth are adjustable If the central shovel is removed Fig 20b it is possible to have wider beds of one meter width which are good for nursery raising or crops requiring wider spacing Shaper or ridger Fig 24 can be detached when this machine is to be used as zero till seed cum fertilizer drill Whereas the shaper should be attached in front of the openers with the machine when it is to be used as a bed planter Additionally when it is in use as a bed planter furrow openers should also be adjusted prin vii F B pm m W i E 4 ae hearin e ee a L Fig 24 Ridger of the zero till drill cum bed former A Di a Toma s ae eel Wings of ridger Fig 25 Wings of ridger by removing or raising few furrow openers with shanks according to the number of rows and spacing in different crops to be raised on the top of the raised beds In some machines rid
14. 2 plowings and cross sowing methods do not provide any additional advantage over zero tillage Rather these methods may reduce germination and yield and induce germination of P minor besides increasing the cost of cultivation Fig 18 Pre germinated P minor before sowing under zero tillage 10 Germination and emergence of wheat is not adversely affected even if rains occur just after sowing of wheat because crust formation does not take place under zero tillage However crop planted with zero till in reduced tilled plots may bury seed deeper and may adversely affect crop stand Germination of P minor is reduced by 30 40 if soil disturbance is reduced to the minimum as in the case with the zero tillage P minor seed generally fail to germinate if seed depth is gt 5 cm Herbicides like Round up Glycel glyphosate 0 5 5 ml l of water or Gramaxone paraquat 0 3 3 ml l in 100 1 spray volume acre are helpful in controlling pre germinated populations of P minor Fig 18 This avoids use of preparatory tillage Post emergence herbicides such as clodinafop 60 g ha Topik 160 g acre fenoxaprop 120 g ha Puma Super 480 g acre or sulfosulfuron 25 g ha Leader 13 5 g acre have been successful in controlling weeds FP minor after germination of wheat In case annual weeds are present at the time of seeding Gramaxone paraquat 0 3 3 ml l of water may be used but in the presence of perennial
15. ame The frame of zero till drill cum bed planter Fig 20 has a size of 215 x 80 cm and it is made from mild steel channel section of size 75 x 40 mm Unlike simple zero till machine zero till drill cum bed planter has a 3 bars frame for attachment of replaceable parts such as depth control wheel shovels tines and shaper Two channel sections placed one above another three in number at 180 at a spacing of 1 5 11 Channels for frame Seed box and Hitch point Fertilizer box Seed metering _ apy TI meterie Poo er Aes device S Ain Ves i and 7 e i sprocket frame Depth a setting Furrow opener Drive wheel wheel Tag __ Shaper Te Ke rer m aay 7 Central a gt a A H emi OV aADICG i Fig 20 Zero till drill cum bed planter and its major componenis cm are welded with a side plate of the size 100 x 5mm Clearance of holes 1 5 cm is provided for fitting shank of furrow openers to the frame with the help of U clamp bolts New model has box type pipe frame for improved frame strength Furrow Point Openers In the combined unit the machine has chisel type 9 13 furrow openers 17 5 cm apart However the space between furrow openers can be adjusted as per requirement The cutting portion of chisel type point opener which makes a very narrow slit is made by using 8 mm thick mild steel plate with a working front of hard steel Fig 21 The working front edge of furrow opener
16. an easily be drawn with the help of any 35 HP tractor The height of the machine ranges from 110 to 145 cm and weighs around 250 to 260 kg and even up to 350 kg in some models Slit furrow Openers The zero till seed cum fertilizer drill has 9 13 inverted T type slit furrow openers Fig 6 depending on the model or brand These can be spaced as needed in different crops These T type slit lurrow openers when attached to a tine open a narrow slit 3 5 cm wide In Fig 4 the slit furrow openers provided in zero till seed cum fertilizer drill are spaced 17 5 cm apart The cutting portion of the slit furrow openers is made by using 8 mm thick high High carbon steel bit Slit furrow opener Fig 6 Slit furrow opener and the boot High carbon steel bit Double boot Fig 7 Rake angle and relief angle of the furrow opener carbon bit Fig 6 welded to a mild steel plate The working front edge Fig 7 of the slit furrow openers has a piece of carbon steel hardness 65 RHN welded all round the nose tip and sides to reduce wear and tear In some drills manufacturers have provided chisel type slit furrow openers The rake angle Fig 7 is generally kept at around 20 degrees in order to make a narrow slit with minimum of soil disturbance The relief clearance angle of the slit furrow openers Is normally kept at 5 degrees The relief angle Fig 7 can be further adjusted with the help of the top link to vary seeding d
17. cultivation just in the furrows in case of 3 rows bed m Special care should be taken regarding depth of seeding otherwise there may be problems in germination Attack of termites may be another problem in sandy areas hence special attention or precaution should also be taken in this regard Sometimes due to imbalance of machine attached with tractor or present shape of wings of ridger soil layer on one side top of alternate beds is formed which may hamper seed germination So care should be taken by the farmers to balance the machine to remove this soil layer or to modify the wings by getting these cut at outer edges IV Tips for Manufacturers Operation Maintenance and Repair For Manufacturers m Machine should be of good quality and manufactured according to appropriate design specifications drawing Frame shanks and furrow openers should be strong and made of proper material m Provision should be made for replaceable parts on wear and tear There should be stress free and proper alignment of components without any inbuilt stress assembly 17 Testing before marketing should be ensured at manufacturer level Spare parts critical components nuts and bolts or clamps should be of high strength and standard quality Minimum tool kit should be provided m Packing handling and transportation should be proper Pooled service should be provided free of cost for replacement of parts
18. cultural Research Rice Wheat Consortium for the Indo Gangetic Plains CG Block National Agriculture Science Centre NASC Complex DPS Marg Pusa Campus New Delhi 110 012 India 2002 Authors Ashok Yadav is Scientist Weed Science Department of Agronomy Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University Hisar 125 004 India R K Malik is Professor Weed Science and Head Department of Agronomy Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University Hisar 125 004 India N K Bansal is Scientist Farm Power and Machinery Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University Hisar 125 004 India Raj K Gupta is Regional Facilitator Rice Wheat Consortium for the Indo Gangetic Plains CIMMYT India Office CG Block National Agriculture Science Centre NASC Complex DPS Marg Pusa Campus New Delhi 110 012 India Samar Singh is Scientist Weed Science Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University Regional Research Station Uchani Karnal 132 001 India P R Hobbs is Co facilitator Rice Wheat Consortium for the Indo Gangetic Plains New Delhi and Regional Representative CIMMYT South Asia Regional Office P O Box 5186 Lazimpat Katmandu Nepal Present address 611 Bradfield Hall Cornell University Ithaca NY 14853 USA Contents I Introduction ll Zero Till Seed cum Fertilizer Drill Major Components and their Description Frame Slit furrow Openers Seed and Fertilizer Boxes Seed Meterin
19. d rusting The fertilizer metering device generally used in drills is of hole mesh type gravity cum forced feed type arranged on a shaft Sometimes it is called an agitator type fertilizer 3 Fertilizer 4 Aluminium setting lever cup 1 Bottom of the fertilizer box with diamond shape holes 5 Agitators 7 Diamond shape holes 8 Fertilizer metering shaft Fig 11 Fertilizer metering device and its components metering device In the bottom of the fertilizer box diamond shape holes are made The quantity of fertilizer is adjusted by adjusting the size of these holes Star shaped agitators are provided to avoid the bridging of fertilizer and to feed fertilizer continuously through the holes The fertilizer setting handle lever with scale is provided to adjust the required quantity of fertilizer The fertilizer passes through the hole into a funnel to deliver fertilizer into the slit furrow opener boots In other machines fertilizer box delivers the material to a cup fitted with rotating cells Fig 12 The rotating cells pick up the fertilizer granules small or large and deliver them to the fertilizer tubes This mechanism has the advantage of handling small or large sized fertilizer granules such as urea supergranules USG and place them at desired soil depth Deep placement of USG in rice culture is known to improve efficiency by 20 Also there is no free flow of fertilizers on turnings of the tractor at
20. e Wheat Consortium for the Indo Gangetic Plains I Paper Series 1 10 11 12 13 Long term Soil Fertility Experiments in Rice Wheat Cropping Systems Proceedings of a Workshop edited by P Abrol K F Bronson J M Duxbury and R K Gupta 1997 Reduced and Zero Tillage Options for the Establishment of Wheat after Rice in South Asia by Peter R Hobbs Ghana Shyam Giri and Peter Grace 1997 Herbicide Resistance a Major Issue for Sustaining Wheat Productivity in Rice Wheat Cropping Systems in the Indo Gangetic Plains edited by R K Malik G Gill and P R Hobbs 1998 Nematode Pests in Rice Wheat Legume Cropping Systems Proceedings of a Regional Training Course edited by S B Sharma C Johansen and S K Midha 1998 Sustaining Rice Wheat Production Systems Socio economic and Policy Issues edited by Prabhu L Pingali 1999 Long term Soil Fertility Experiments in Rice Wheat Cropping Systems edited by P Abrol K F Bronson J M Duxbury and R K Gupta 2000 Nematode Pests in Rice Wheat Legume Cropping Systems Proceedings of Review and Planning Meeting and Training Workshop by S B Sharma Pankaj S Pande and C Johansen 2000 Stagnation in the Productivity of Wheat in the Indo Gangetic Plains Zero till seed cum fertilizer Drill as an Integrated Solution by R S Mehla J K Verma R K Gupta and P R Hobbs 2000 Soil and Crop Management Practices for Enhanced Productivity of the Rice Wheat Cropping System in the Sichuan Province
21. e time of mechanical weeding furrow openers used for seeding and furrow cum bed shaper packing rollers are removed But ridgers remain attached which can be adjusted inward if needed to keep outer rows from damage during mechanical weeding to control weeds particularly in furrows Fig 39 Interculture tines Precautions for Use In addition to the Precautions for use given in the section relating to zero till seed cm fertilizer drill the following precautions may also the kept in mind for using the bed planter Field should be leveled and well prepared before making beds Beds are made well in advance and field irrigated to encourage germination of weeds before sowing and then germinated weeds can be controlled either mechanically by reshaping the beds or during sowing operation or with the spray of non selective herbicide glyphosate Round up Glycel 41 SL 1 0 solution before sowing As such resistant Phalaris minor kanki mandusi in rice wheat cropping sequence and broad leaf weeds in sandy or sandy loam soils with other crop rotations can easily be controlled Do not allow drying up of the upper soil layer before sowing otherwise seed will have to be placed deep and it will affect germination Mechanical weeding or interculture with this machine after making minor alterations in the position of its tines is possible in the standing crop if it has been sown in two rows bed There can be inter
22. ed beds with rice residue incorporated Top right Zero till planted wheat in rice stubbles Bottom left Wheat on raised beds in manually harvested rice field Bottom right Zero till planted wheat in control traffic plot Tractor movement restricted The production of this publication has been supported by the National Agricultural Technology Project NATP Indian Council of Agricultural Research through its Special Research Sub project on Accelerating the Adoption of Resource Conservation Technologies RCTs for Farm level Impact on Sustainability of Rice Wheat Systems of the Indo Gangetic Plains in the PSR Mode The designations employed and the presentation of the material in this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Rice Wheat Consortium for the Indo Gangetic Plains concerning the legal status of any country person territory city or area or of its authorities or concerning the delimitations of its frontiers or boundaries Where trade proprietary names are used even in illustrations this does not constitute endorsement of or discrimination against any product instrument or machine by the Consortium Rice Wheat Consortium Technical Bulletin Series 4 Manual for Using Zero Till Seed cum Fertilizer Drill and Zero Till Drill cum Bed Planter Ashok Yadav R K Malik N K Bansal Raj K Gupta Samar Singh and P R Hobbs National Agricultural Technology Project Indian Council of Agri
23. ells of different sizes to be used for sowing of different crops of various seed sizes A rubberized roller of 90 mm diameter and 118 mm length has been mounted on a cast iron roller of 77 mm diameter The number of cells cut on the periphery of roller are 32 3 mm diameter 32 5 mm diameter 20 10 mm diameter 14 12 5 mm diameter 39 10 x 4 5 mm oblong and 30 9 x 13 mm zigzag which can be selected for crops of different seed size and shape The cell selected should be in the centre of cup Fig 28 provided for dropping the seed to seed tube The number of seeds picked up by cells can be varied by raising or lowering the seed box with the help of screw lever Fig 26 mounted on both sides of the box and with this the level of seed in the seed cup can be reduced or increased by lowering or raising the 14 plastic tubes Fig 28 Seed cup with plastic tubes box respectively Seed rate can also be varied by changing the sprocket attached to the drive wheel Knockout brushes and seed cell selection lever are two important components of seed metering device The newly designed seed metering device has the advantage that most crops can be handled precisely with it Brush Knockout brushes Fig 29 have been provided on the top of cups mounted on roller Fig 29 Knockout brush just to remove extra seeds sticking with each other Seed cell selection lever Seed cell selection lever Fig 30 has been provided to
24. epth A 4 cm wide 5 cm thick and 6 cm long stiffener plate is provided at back bottom of the T type slit furrow opener 5 0 x 1 2 cm which is attached to the frame with nuts and bolts or directly with clamps The furrow opener is welded to the mild flat steel shank straight leg standard mounted with T type slit openers The blades can be of welded on or bolted on or even knock down type The disadvantage of welded on blades is that they require machine shop for replacement whereas a farmers himself can replace the other two types of blades The quality of material used to make the slit furrow openers will ultimately decide the operational quality and durability of the drill Double boot Fig 7 is provided behind each furrow opener to receive a tube steel ribbon or polyethylene tube with a minimum diameter of 25 mm each from seed and fertilizer metering devices The furrow openers are adjusted to make 3 5 cm wide and deep slits The depth of seeding can be adjusted by 3 raising or lowering the depth control side wheels However depth of seeding can also be adjusted independent of the depth control side wheels by raising or lowering the shanks of the furrow openers The depth control can also be effected with three point hitch hydraulics in addition to the depth control wheels The top link is used to level the seeder The unleveled machine may otherwise lead to variable seeding depth in different rows
25. es as well Therefore it is advisable if this practice is followed lron wooden platform Fig 17 lron wooden platform attached to the rear side of the frame Precautions for Use Sowing of wheat with zero till seed cum fertilizer drill is best accomplished when soils have 3 4 more moisture than under conventional method Germination of wheat and other crops is adversely affected if the soil is too dry Conversely zero till machine does not work well in fields where moisture levels are too high wheel slippage and under such situations care must be taken to prevent blockage of seed and fertilizer tubes Earlier sowing of wheat last week of October to 15 November is possible under zero tillage and yields are generally higher as compared to late sowing of wheat This is due to less infestation of weeds e g P minor and more efficient nutrients water interactions Heat stress at grain filling is less in late winter season when temperature begins to rise The overall growth period of crop is more in early sowing Longer duration varieties such as PBW 343 HD 2687 having better vigour at early growth and profuse tillering cover the soil surface and are more competitive with weeds Select cultivars with better competing attributes There is no need of planking before or after planting crops with zero till drill m When weed pressure is not a factor tilling of soil is not needed and reduced tillage 1
26. f Manufacturers A S S Foundary and Agricultural Wroks Jandiala Guru Amritsar Punjab National Agro Industries Ludhiana Punjab Kamla Engineering Works Ismailabad Kurukshetra Haryana Laxmi Agriculture Engineering Works Kaithal Ashoka Farming and Engineering Works Shabad Markanda Kurukshetra Haryana Narwal Engineering Works Shabad Markanda Kurukshetra Haryana Viswa Karma Engineering Works Tohana Fatehabad Haryana Guru Nanak Krishi Udyog Pehowa Kurukshetra Haryana Guru Nanak Khalsa Engineering Works Pehowa Kurukshetra Haryana Kadian Engineering Works Kaitahal Haryana Malwa Agriculture Engineering Works Tohata Fetehabad Haryana M s Jhandu Engineering Works Ambala Haryana Guru Nanak Foundry and Engineering Works Kaithal Haryana Super Agricultural Industries Karnal Haryana Beri Krishi Udyog Karnal Haryana Darshan Singh Agri Works Karnal Haryana Pyara Singh Agri Works Karnal Haryana Bharat Agricultural Industries Karnal Haryana Sarswati Krishi Udyog Karnal Haryana Punni Agricultural Engineering Works Fatehabad Haryana Sukhvindra Agricultural Works Talwandi Punjab Panishar Agricultural Works Amargarh Punjab Malwa Agro Industries Ludhiana Punjab Doaba Agricultural Works Sitarganj U S Nagar Uttaranchal Tyagi Agro Industries Kitcha U S Nagar Uttranchal Hans Engineering Works Suraj Kund Road Phool Bagh Colony Meerut U P Publications of the Ric
27. g Device Fertilizer Metering Device Power Transmission Unit Depth control Side Wheels Hitch Points lron wooden Platform or Stand Precautions for Use ll Zero Till Drill cum Bed Planter Major Components and their Description Frame Furrow Point Openers Ridger and Bed cum Furrow Shaper Seed and Fertilizer Boxes Seed Metering Device Fertilizer Metering Device Power Transmission Unit Hitch Points lron wooden Platform or Stand Depth control Side Wheels Interculture Tines Precautions for Use IV Tips for Manufacturers Operation Maintenance and Repair For Manufacturers Planting Operations Maintenance and Repair Annexure List of Manufacturers O O Oo o oo A HWBNDYDY N h h i i a a Ce es Cm Ce Ce Se es Ce Cee NN DODO DO FF fF WN NY YN 17 17 18 18 20 Manual for Using Zero Till Seed cum Fertilizer Drill and Zero Till Drill cum Bed Planter I Introduction For enhancing the productivity and sustainability of the rice wheat system without seriously affecting the natural resource base and the environment several resource conservation technologies have been developed and are being promoted across the Indo Gangetic Plains There is plenty of reliable evidence to indicate that zero tillage and development of a permanent raised bed planting or furrow irrigated bed planting system are becoming increasingly popular with the farmers in the region The reasons for this are obvio
28. ger and shaper packing rollers have been provided separately Three ridgers Fig 20b have been provided to make two beds in a single pass But most of the farmers have tractors in the range of 35 45 HP and 3 ridgers can easily be pulled by these tractors Height of the beds in wheat varies from 15 to 30 cm and it can be further adjusted Whereas the width of furrow and top of the bed generally remain 30 cm and 37 cm respectively However it can be varied from 20 to 40 cm by adjusting the wing width Figs 23 25 Seed and Fertilizer Boxes The seed and fertilizer boxes Fig 26 of the drill are made up of mild steel sheet 2 mm thick The seed box is on the rear side and the fertilizer box is towards the front side However 13 Cell type seed roller with cells E both are attached side by side and are of trapezoidal shape The overall length of the fertilizer and seed boxes is 145 cm with a total depth of 28 cm However the length of fertilizer and seed boxes will vary with the coverage width of the machine The capacity of the above fertilizer and seed boxes is sufficient to hold 50 kg DAP and 50 kg wheat seed at one time respectively The seed box as well as the fertilizer box can be adjusted up and down with the help of screw levers to control the seed and fertilizer rate with the help of scale affixed to each box Fig 26 Seed Metering Device Cell or drum type metering system Fig 27 has been provided with c
29. ided on the ground wheel to avoid slippage Wheels are of iron closed type or with rubber on them for better traction This ground wheel 8 or drive wheel is attached to the frame in front Traction can be adjusted through a groove and spring as desired Attachment of drive wheel in the front side of the frame sometimes creates problem in the free movement of wheel due to soil or stubble blockage or due to its location being very near to the hook of the tractor So now this wheel is being attached on the rear side of the machine in new models Fig 14 A motorcycle roller chain of 12 50 mm pitch with 14 and 37 number of teeth on the mild steel sprocket is provided for power transmission from the drive wheel to seed and fertilizer metering devices Power from ground wheel is transmitted to a shaft 1 1 Fig 13 mounted on front frame From this shaft power is transmitted to seed and fertilizer metering Shafts 2 5 1 through the chain sprocket arrangement However size of roller chain and sprocket can vary in different models as per requirements An idler has been provided to tighten or loosen the chain for its smooth running Fig 14 Drive wheel attached on the rear side Depth control Side Wheels Two wheels one on either side of the drill each of 40 cm diameter Fig 15a made of mild steel sheet closed type or in some models made of rubber are provided to set the required seeding depth The size of these wheels may va
30. ing the Governments of Australia Netherlands Sweden Switzerland and the Department for International Development DFID the International Fund for Agricultural Development IFAD the United States Agency for International Development USAID and the World Bank Facilitation Unit Rice Wheat Consortium for the Indo Gangetic Plains CG Block National Agriculture Science Centre NASC Complex DPS Marg Pusa Campus New Delhi 110 012 India Telephone 91 11 5822940 5827432 Fax 91 11 5822938 E mail rwc cgiar org Visit our World Wide Web site at http www rwc cgiar org ISSN 0972 2084
31. it must be ensured that all the rollers are at equal distance in the seed cups If distance is different then put varcels washers to achieve equal distance Put the rollers on the shaft and put again on the seed box Complete system should move freely and rotate the sprocket till appropriate seed rate is achieved from all the rollers D Fertilizer Metering Mechanism In fertilizer metering mechanism fertilizer settles on its parts due to environmental moisture which may cause obstruction in free and uniform flow of fertilizer Large particles also cause hindrance in the mechanism In some of the seeding machines adjustable triangular holes with agitator are provided for fertilizer metering Therefore this system requires special attention as follows After seeding a crop fertilizer should be removed from the box and whole system should be cleaned with the help of brush or cloth f the system is jammed due to corrosion and rusting the lower plate having triangular holes must be removed and cleaned with kerosene or diesel All the holes in the box should be properly open Agjitators provided on the shaft should also be cleaned and the lubricating oil grease may be applied in the bushes of the fertilizer metering shaft Lever for adjustment of fertilizer rates should move freely m Tighten all nuts and bolts of the mechanism 19 Likewise in other seeding machines which possess rotating cup type
32. loose straw of paddy is lying on the soil surface it should be collected aside before seeding to avoid interruption in the seeding operation and uniformly broadcast it after seeding to serve as mulch There is no need to change use of nitrogenous and phosphatic fertilizers rate in zero tillage Keep application rates the same as followed under conventional method of planting aT anh Y Fig 19 Sowing of wheat with zero till seed cum fertilizer drill in standing stubbles of paddy without burning lll Zero Till Drill cum Bed Planter Zero till drill cum bed planter Fig 20 is a prototype which has been developed by combing a zero till seed cum fertilizer drill with a bed planter Efforts have been made to incorporate the functions of these two separate machines in one combined unit It can be used to harness the benefits of both zero till seed cum fertilizer drill as well as of a bed planter and guidelines and instructions for its use should be followed accordingly Major Components and their Description Zero till drill cum bed planter has the following major components Fig 20 1 Frame Slit furrow opener Ridger and bed cum furrow shaper Seed box and fertilizer boxes Seed metering device Fertilizer metering device op m e w Power transmission unit a Driving wheel and b Sprocket 8 Hitch points 9 Iron wooden platform or stand 10 Depth control side wheels 11 Interculture tines Fr
33. move the roller and the desired cell according to seed size and shape which can be selected before seeding Seed cell selection lever Fig 30 Seed cell selection lever Fertilizer Metering Device The cell type fertilizer metering device has four separate compartments made up of mild steel sheet and in each compartment three cell plates rollers Fig 31 are provided at the bottom of fertilizer box The quantity of the fertilizer is varied by maintaining the level of fertilizer in the cell plate compartments which is regulated by raising or lowering the fertilizer box with the help of screw lever Fig 31 provided at both sides of the fertilizer box Further improvement has been made in the metering device to use urea as such or in the form of granules pellets Fertilizer Box Screw lever Scale Cell plate rollers Fig 31 Fertilizer metering device and its components Power Transmission Unit Power transmission unit and its components have been sown in Fig 32 Power from lugged ground wheel drive wheel Fig 33 can be transmitted to a shaft 1 1 and 1 1 5 or vice versa mounted on the frame From this shaft power is transmitted to seed and fertilizer metering shafts through chain and sprocket Fig 34 arrangement in the ratio of 3 1 2 25 1 2 1 1 5 1 to the fertilizer shaft whereas to the seed metering shaft in the ratio of 1 1 1 5 1 and 2 1 An idler sprocket Fig 35 has been provided to tighten o
34. nd Drive wheel should move freely If it is jammed then apply grease or put oil in its bushes If axle of wheel is bent or worn out replace it Drive wheel should be round if it is bent then repair it Sprockets of drive wheel and feed shafts seed and fertilizer boxes should be properly aligned All sprockets should be properly tightened on their shafts so that these may not move freely on these shafts Feed shafts should move freely If these are jammed due to rusting then clean and apply lubricating oil grease in the bushes Bent drive shafts should be repaired or replaced Seed and fertilizer boxes should be thoroughly cleaned for free movement of feed shafts Chain and idler sprocket should be properly tightened so that proper chain tension is maintained and mechanism moves freely Worn out parts loose broken and worn out bushes should be replaced C Seed Metering Mechanism Usually flutted roller type seed metering mechanism is used in these seeding machine It should be repaired and maintained as under Side plate of seed metering shaft sprocket should be removed by loosening nuts bolts Remove the nuts bolts of all the seed cups Remove pins of all the flutted rollers m Remove metering rollers from the seed cups and replace broken rollers and notched plates fake out the shaft on one side All rollers will come out of seed cups During refitting of rollers
35. or complete machine if there is any defect or breakage during transportation Manufacturer should incorporate required modification based on feed back from time to time Planting Operations Following points must be kept in mind before actual planting operation Seed should be of good quality and free from dirt and dust m Fertilizer should not have clods Clods should be properly broken to uniform size for free flow of fertilizer All the nuts and bolts rollers and springs should be thoroughly checked defective parts should be replaced and nuts bolts properly tightened Seed and fertilizer boxes flutted rollers fertilizer metering shaft and controlling bottom plate having triangular holes should be thoroughly cleaned Flutted roller shaft should move freely otherwise the rollers may be broken m Feed cups should be thoroughly cleaned and obstruction if any must be removed Ensure that plastic pipes do not have excessive bend This will block the free flow of seed and fertilizer in tubes Chain sprocket of metering mechanism should be properly aligned Appropriate tension in the chain may be kept for free movements of seed and fertilizer metering shafts If there is any noise during operation stop the machine and check it Furrow openers should be fitted on the frame according to the requirement row to row distance of the crop There should be no crossing or twisting of furrow openers
36. pacing row to row 17 5 cm Plant to plant spacing continuous Draw a straight line dotted line as shown in Fig 10 joining 17 5 cm on line A and 40 kg acre on line B and extend it further to intersect on line C at seed rate 1 8 g meter length row So the amount of seed for 10 meter length run per row 1 8 x 10 18 0 g Therefore the farmer should collect 18 0 g seed in each tube for 10 meter run of the machine in the field If the quantity of seed collected is low high then he should adjust it with the metering lever If we know the seed test weight weight 1000 seeds we can calculate the number of seeds meter row length using the intersected value e g 1 8 g Fig 10 as follows No of seeds meter row length x 1000 seed test weight x 1 8 g Since the farmers do not have weighing machines it is advisable to calibrate with seed number m row length For this it is better to calibrate number of seeds with the number of revolutions of the drive wheel If the circumference of the drive wheel is one m then the lenth covered in 1 turn is also one meter and x number of seed will fall Fertilizer Metering Device The fertilizers metering device Fig 11 has the following components 1 Bottom of the fertilizer box with diamond shape holes scale Fertilizer setting lever Aluminium cup Agitators Flutted roller Diamond shape holes we Sa eS w Fertilizer metering shaft sometimes coated with plastic to avoi
37. r loosen the chain for its smooth running on frame Variable speed sprocket wheel l Drive wheel Fig 33 Drive wheel 15 power Fig 35 Idler sprocket Hitch Points The zero till cum bed planter has a standard hitch point system Fig 36 Fig 36 Hitch points 16 lron wooden Platform or Stand An iron or wooden platform stand Fig 37 is also attached on rear side of the frame One person can either stand or sit on this platform while machine is in operation just to ensure that seed and fertilizer are running properly through respective plastic tubes without any blockage a _ ron wooden i platform Fig 37 lron wooden platform or stand Depth control Side Wheels Two wheels one on either side of the machine each of around 20 cm diameter made up of mild steel plate or rubber have been provided to get the required seeding depth when this machine is used as zero till drill These depth control side wheels Fig 38 can be raised and lowered with screw bolts to adjust the seeding depth When the machine is to be used as a bed planter the wheels may be either raised or removed Fig 38 Depth control side wheel Interculture Tines Interculture tines Fig 39 with boots have been provided which can be fitted on frame as and when there is need for mechanical weeding and urea application topdressing between two rows of a crop and on both sides of the raised bed At th
38. rmers for decades The seed drilling is accomplished in a narrow slit created by a zero till seed cum fertilizer drill Major Components and their Description Major components of the zero till seed cum fertilizer drill Fig 3 are 1 Frame 2 Slit furrow openers 3 Seed and fertilizer boxes Fig 3 Zero till seed cum fertilizer drill and its major componenis Seed metering device Fertilizer metering device Power transmission unit Hitch points 4 5 6 7 Depth control side wheels 8 9 lron wooden platform or stand A brief description of each of the above components is given below Frame The frame of the zero till drill is of the size of 185 x 60 cm It is made of two mild steel angle irons 6 5 x 6 5 x 0 5 cm welded together to provide the desired strength and rigidity This is true in a drill of 9 tines but in 11 tine drill the length of frame is about 220 cm Holes 1 2 cm in diameter and 2 5 cm apart from each other Frame with holes Slit furrow opener Fig 4 Frame with holes and slit furrow openers F 4 E F a Diamond ty BIND i Diamond type laj S gle pla le for hitching double plate for M Fig 5 Diamond box type fastening clamps are provided in the frame Fig 4 to vary the Spacing between furrow openers These however weaken the frame In new models provision for fastening clamps diamond box types Fig 5 has been made to overcome this drawback The machine c
39. ry in different models With the help of depth adjusting screws Fig 15b these wheels can be raised or lowered to increase or decrease the depth of seeding respecitvely The depth a Depth control side wheel b Depth adjusting screw Fig 15 Depth control side wheel a and depth adjusting screw b of seeding in case of wheat varies from 3 5 cm However it can be adjusted as per requirement If there is a large amount of loose straw in the field these depth wheels can get jammed with the straw If this happens the depth control wheels can be removed and depth control maintained with the tractors hydraulics to reduce straw jamming Hitch Points The drill has three standard hitch points two lower and one upper Fig 16 The machine is attached to tractor through these three hitch points with the help of link pins The top link hitch point also helps in leveling the machines lron wooden Platform or Stand An iron wooden stand or platform is also attached to the rear side of the frame Fig 17 i Tee aa Fig 16 Hitch points One person can either stand or sit on this platform while the machine is in operation just to keep a watch that the seed and fertilizer are running properly through the respective plastic tubes without any blockage This is just a precautionary measure and not a requirement per se It may be mentioned that this practice enables the sitting person to remove the raked residu
40. us Zero tillage reduces tillage to only one pass It allows more timely sowing which raises yields and lowers costs by saving soil fuel tractor costs water fertilizer and herbicides Similarly bed planting has many advantages in regard to water savings mechanical weeding possibilities and fertilizer placement bolder grain production less lodging and better crop stand When this is combined with zero tillage the permanent beds may become more favourable for farmers since bed making costs are reduced Development of zero till seed cum fertilizer drill by Govind Ballabh Pant University of Agriculture and Technology GBPUA amp AT based on a model from Newzealand has played a key role in facilitating the adoption of the zero tillage system of crop establishment The main constraint with zero till seed cum fertilizer drills widely used for flat planting has been when farmers want to retain loose residues of the previous crop Also the other difficulty was how to use zero till drill for planting wheat and other crops in raised bed and furrow irrigation system In order to meet these twin needs the national agricultural research and extension system developed several versions of zero till seed cum fertilizer drill and bed planter prototypes These prototypes are being improved continuously by manufacturers Fig 1 with active involvement of the national scientists using the feedback from user farmers As a result of these efforts
41. weeds Round up or Glycel 1 0 solution should be preferred However herbicides should be applied at a proper time and in recommended dose with knapsack sprayer fitted with flat fan nozzle tips It is advocated that use of post emergence herbicides must be rotated each year to reduce the capacity of weeds to develop resistance Spray should be accomplished at 2 to 3 leaf stage of P minor It has been observed that farmer can skip the use of herbicides when zero tillage and alternate herbicides are carefully integrated for 3 4 years Irrigation immediately after sowing of wheat is not recommended If needed post sowing irrigation may be given a week ahead of conventionally practiced irrigation schedule Possibilities of emergence of broadleaf weeds in place of P minor under long term zero till fields are well expected However it will be comparatively easy and cheap to control broadleaf weeds in wheat using herbicides like 2 4 D or metsulfuron Based on long term permanent trials since 1997 98 it has been observed that there is no significant shift in weed flora till date Encouraging results of wheat sown with zero till machine have also been realized under saline and alkali soils Zero till sowing of wheat is possible in standing stubbles of paddy after harvest without burning Fig 20 which not only adds residue in the soil to increase and improve its quality but also prevents environmental pollution If
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