The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Farmer develops improvised drum seeder

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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Farmer develops improvised drum seeder

G.Srinivasan

To overcome problem in operating the equipment in wet land with heavy clay

breaking fresh ground:The improvised drum seeder being demonstrated in Tiruvarur on Wednesday.

TIRUVARUR: A farmer of Manaparavai in Kodavasal block in Tiruvarur district has developed an improvised drum seeder to overcome the problem faced while operating it in wet lands with clay soil.

A team of scientists from Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Needamangalam, while organising a farmer field school meeting, were surprised at the innovation. R.T.Elangovan, the farmer, in the village tried some modifications in the farm implements which have been used in paddy. Majority of farmers in Manaparavai village used to go in for direct sown rice rather than transplanted rice. They have been using drum seeder for direct sowing of rice in wetland. Mr.Elangovan also did the same for some time but was faced problems in operating the drum seeder in wet land condition with heavy clay which is characteristic of Cauvery Delta.

He found that the clay sticking to the corrugated wheels of the drum seeder entered the perforations made in the seed drums adjacent to the wheels. The clay encircles the seeds kept inside the drums and glued together resulting in perforations getting blocked and seeds could not find its way to the field through perforations. To overcome this constraint, he fabricated a modified drum seeder suitable to his farming conditions wherein he converted silver vessels into drums. Six splits of silver vessels are welded into three drums and perforations were made on the two peripheries of the drum in a way that each perforation is perfectly spaced to spill seed on the ground in 20 X10 cm spacing. Provisions are made to split the drum to fill the seeds easily and all the drums are connected together with a rod which is knit together at two ends by bicycle wheels which is concealed with polythene sheets to avoid struck up in the mud while operating in heavy clay condition. He incurred an expenditure of Rs. 2,800. But, he was satisfied at finding a solution and receiving recognition from his fellow farmers.

He fabricated another useful and handy tool to replace the marker recommended under the System of Rice Intensification (SRI) technique. Given the soil conditions in the Cauvery delta, the pegs in the marker get struck while confronting an obstruction or small stone in the clay. But what Elangovan does is that instead of seedlings, he directly sowed seeds in the impressions. This method can sort out the problem of population maintenance and poor germination. The marker costs him only Rs.300.

T.Senguttuvan, Professor and Head of KVK, Needamangalam, appreciated the efforts of the farmer and suggested him to add more drums that can save time and labour, and the wheel can be maintained as that of regular model to move in clay.

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