M. ISRAIL HOSSAIN1*, M. S. HOSSAIN2, N. A. SIDDQUIE3 and M. J. ISLAM4
1Chief Scientific Officer (Agric. Engineer), Farm Machinery & Postharvest Process Engineering Division, Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI), Gazipur, 2&3Senior Scientific Officer and 4Scientific Officer, OFRD, BARI, Shayampur, Rajshahi, Bangladesh. *Corresponding author’s Email: mdisrail@gmail.com.
ABSTRACT
The minimum till seeder has been developed at the Farm Machinery & Post harvest Process Engineering Division, Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI), Gazipur, Bangladesh and a long term experiment under minimum till condition has been conducted on station at Regional Wheat Research Centre, BARI, Rajshahi, Bangladesh in wheat-mungbean-rice crop rotation starting from 2009 and continuing up to date. Power tiller (Two wheel tractor) is the common tillage tool and popular among the farmers of Bangladesh considering easy access to small fragmented field with affordable price. Minimum till by power tiller operated seeder (PTOS) works as shallow tilling, fertilizing, seeding in line, seed covering and land leveling at a time maintaining the standard agronomic practices. Wheat planted after aman rice harvest, mungbean planted after wheat, similarly rice direct seeded after mungbean harvest through average crop residue level 30%. Every year three crops rotated same way under minimum till condition. All recommended doses basal fertilizers were applied as broadcasting before seeding operation. It maintained uniform seeding depth, uniform seed distribution and better seed soil contact which transfer soil moisture to seeds quickly for enhancing better plant establishment and yield. Long term trial, yields of wheat and mungbean always show higher than conventional method, but rice yield shows lower than conventional transplanting method. Application of irrigation water was faster than conventional method and saved irrigation water for wheat and rice 14.9% and 40%, respectively. In the long term trial (7 years), no yield reduction trend observed over the years compare to conventional method. Minimum till seeding by power tiller operated seeder saved fuel 57.1 l/ha annually this was 57.9% less than conventional method. Irrigation water for wheat and Aman rice was saved 14.9% and 40% compare to conventional method of planting. Effective field capacity of the seeder was 0.13ha/h. Cost of wheat, mungbean and rice seeding under minimum till was Tk. 2250/ha (1 US$=Tk.78.0) which 61.8%, 49.4% and 73.5% less than that of conventional method of planting. Minimum till technique can be equally applied for other crops like maize, lentil, sesame, jute and oilseed crops.
Keywords: Minimum till, Crop rotation, Fuel saving, Direct seeding rice and Long term trial.