Integrated seeding attachment for combine harvesters: a sustainable approach for conservation agriculture

An intensive rice–wheat rotation system produces high yields but leaves abundant residue in the fields after harvest, which interferes with seeding operation. This residue needs to be managed through incorporation or mulching for timely sowing of wheat. Presently, straw incorporation or direct sowing of wheat in stubble fields requires highly energy-intensive machinery achieve desired results. Therefore, a seeding attachment having concave disc furrow openers was developed for combine harvester to sow wheat simultaneously harvesting rice. The performance of the seeding attachment was evaluated at three levels of forward speeds (i.e. 1.5, 2.1, and 2.8 km/h) and stubble heights (i.e. 38, 45, and 52 cm) in terms of plant emergence, effective tillers, grain yield, fuel consumption, and field capacity of the combine harvester. The plant emergence and effective tillers were found at par as compared to other prevalent methods, whereas the average field capacity, fuel consumption, and grain yield of the developed attachment were found 0.43 ha/h, 9.2 l/h, and 4430.7 kg/ha, respectively. The total energy used for wheat crop establishment using the developed seeding attachment was 1343.2 MJ/ha and about 63.35% of the average energy demand from other methods (2113.46 MJ/ha). The use of seeding attachment may improve the utility of a combine harvesters for the sowing of wheat while rice harvesting. The current study indicated a significant gain in energy-use efficiency, and a reduction in environmental mitigation is possible with developed seeding attachment.