Performance of Planters under Different Tillage Practices on Growth, Yield, Energy Use Efficiency, and Economics of Rabi Maize

Aim: To evaluate the performance of planters under different tillage practices on growth, yield, energy use efficiency, and economics of rabi maize.

Study Design: Split-plot.

Place and Duration of Study: Maize Research Centre, ARI, Rajendranagar between November 2021 and April 2022.

Methodology: A field experiment was conducted at Maize Research Centre, ARI, Rajendranagar, Hyderabad, Ranga Reddy (District) during rabi 2021-22 to evaluate the performance of planters under different tillage practices on growth, yield, energy use efficiency, and economics of rabi maize in sandy clay loam soils. The experiment was assigned in fifteen treatments, laid out in a split-plot design with three replications. Treatments included were three tillage practices,(i)M1=Conventional tillage, (ii)M2=Reduced tillage, and(iii)M3 = Zero-tillage in main plots and evaluated 5 planters viz., (i)S1=Multi-crop vacuum planter,(ii)S2 = Mechanical planter,(iii)S3 =Seed-cum- fertilizer drill,(iv)S4 - Bullock drawn plow and(v)S5 - Manual sowing were randomly placed in subplots of the main plot.

Results: Interaction between planters and tillage practices realized significantly higher grain yield (10283 kg ha-1) when the rabi maize was sown with a Multi-crop vacuum planter under conventional tillage practice compared to bullock drawn plow. However, it was comparable with Mechanical planter and manual sowing under conventional tillage as well as under reduced tillage practices. Irrespective of the planters significantly lower grain yield was obtained under zero-tillage practice. Overall, the cost of cultivation was high with conventional sowing practices (bullock-drawn plow/manual sowing compared to mechanical sowing with improved planters. Higher net returns were observed with multi-crop vacuum planters under conventional tillage practice (Rs.1,43,179 ha-1).

Conclusion: In case of labor shortage, sowing with a multi-crop vacuum planter or Mechanical planter instead of sowing with conventional practices like a bullock-drawn plow and manual sowing can save time, and labor, reduce drudgery as well production costs. Thus, we can effectively carry out important field operations viz., sowing, weeding, and harvesting in time without much delay through mechanization in maize.