Versatile multi-crop planter for two-wheel tractors: an innovative option for smallholders

摘要

The rapid spread of mechanisation on small farms in Asia has not yet led to the development of a range of low-cost planters for two-wheel tractors (2-WT) that can be used for minimum tillage (Baker et al., 2002). Such planters are needed to develop conservation agriculture (CA) practices on small farms, and in diverse cropping systems they need to be capable of operating in multiple planting modes and with a wide range of crops. The initial 2-WT based developments with zero tillage (ZT); single-pass shallow (up to 60 mm deep) full tillage (SPST), strip tillage (ST) and bed planting (BP) in Bangladesh were reported by Haque et al. (2004 and 2010) and Roy et al. (2009). Despite these promising developments, none of the present planters for 2-WT are capable of planting in all modes of tillage. The aim was to develop a planter that could be used in ZT; SPST; and conventional tillage (CT) with 4 to 8 tillage and 3 to 4 laddering operations by 2-WTs; and to shape permanent beds, when driven by 12-16 HP 2-WTs. A key aim of the development was for a planter on which setting up of blades, row spacing, seed depth and the calibration of seed and fertiliser rates could be accomplished quickly by the operator in the field. Incorporating features from a range of earlier planters for 2-WTs, a Versatile Multi-crop Planter (VMP) was designed with capability for seed and fertilizer application in lines.