Vol. 7, Issue 10, Part F (2025)

A lightweight multi-crop basin lister seeder was developed and evaluated for integration with the watercourse formation unit to enable simultaneous sowing, basin formation, and irrigation channel preparation in a single-pass operation without breaking the primary function of the basin lister. The seeder comprised a ground-driven seed metering mechanism, seed hopper, power transmission unit, furrow openers, seed covering device, supporting frame, and a hinge-based mounting system, allowing for effective operation on undulating terrain. It was specifically designed for efficient and uniform sowing of crops such as onion (Allium cepa) and maize (Zea mays) with reduced labor and input costs.
Laboratory assessments included seed rate calibration, seed damage analysis, and seed distribution uniformity. Field evaluations considered parameters such as seed placement depth, seed rate, effective field capacity, field efficiency, draft, wheel slip, fuel consumption, and plant population. The seeder achieved seed rates of 4.01 kg·ha⁻¹ for onion and 23.03 kg·ha⁻¹ for maize, with minimal seed damage (1.48% and 2.37%, respectively). Effective field capacity increased from 0.31 to 0.51 ha·h⁻¹ for onion and from 0.32 to 0.52 ha·h⁻¹ for maize as forward speed increased from 2 to 3 km·h⁻¹. Field efficiency ranged from 80.0% to 84.3% for onion and from 80.5% to 85.7% for maize. Draft requirement varied between 529-577 kgf for onion and 517-566 kgf for maize, while wheel slip ranged from 4.21% to 6.36%. Fuel consumption ranged from 8.32 to 9.42 l·ha⁻¹. For onion, operational cost savings were ₹2,719.57/ha at 2 km·h⁻¹ and ₹3,679.17/ha at 3 km·h⁻¹. For maize, savings were ₹2,796.95/ha and ₹3,710.60/ha at the respective speeds.