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Bangladeshi Experiences with a Drum Seeder for Direct Wet Seeding of Rice

M. M. Husain
Adaptive Research Division, Bangladesh Rice Research Institute, Gazipur, Bangladesh.

M. A. Islam
Adaptive Research Division, Bangladesh Rice Research Institute, Gazipur, Bangladesh.

M. Rashid
Adaptive Research Division, Bangladesh Rice Research Institute, Gazipur, Bangladesh.

Abstract/ Executive Summary:

A plastic drum seeder, introduced from Vietnam in 2003, has subsequently been evaluated extensively in research-station and on-farm trials in Bangladesh. Direct wet-seeded rice using a drum seeder is an emerging technology that could improve grain yield by 10–15%, reduce seed requirements substantially, and reduce labor dependency. This paper discusses the performance of direct wet seeding with a drum seeder, discusses farmers’ perceptions of the technology, and identifies keys to using the seeder successfully.

Keywords: Boro rice, Aman rice, Boro season, Aman season, Drum seeder, Up-scaling

Location: In Bangladesh

Start Date: 00-00-2003

End Date: 00-00-2003

Program Area: Seed Technology

Commodity: Tillage-Cum-Seedling, Seeder

Objectives:

To overview the introduction and performance of direct wet seeded rice using a drum seeder and its adoption status, and to discusses the constraints to up-scaling this technology.

Methodology:

A Vietnamese version of a plastic drum seeder was first tested in Bangladesh during the 2003 aman season, under both on-station and on-farm conditions in Gazipur. It was shown that direct wet-seeded rice (DWSR) outyielded conventional transplanted rice (TPR) by 14% to 22% (Husain et al 2004). The maturity of DWSR decreased by about 10 days. An economic analysis showed that DWSR would enable farmers to earn an additional income of about Tk 6,000 over TPR. Being encouraged by these results, on-farm validation of the performance of DWSR was undertaken over a wide range of irrigated environments throughout Bangladesh during 2004 boro with the support of an IFAD-BRRI/IRRI project. In almost all cases, the performance of DWSR was quite impressive, with a consistent increase in yield (2–25%), a reduction in maturity period (7–15 days), and a decrease in production costs. The Ministry of Agriculture, Government of Bangladesh, allocated Tk 10 million for the procurement of drum seeders. Following this, the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) conducted a large number of demonstrations of DWSR in collaboration with BRRI. Some 2,500 drum seeders were imported from Vietnam by the DAE to be used in a nationwide demonstration program during the boro and aman seasons of 2005. At the same time, efforts were made to manufacture drum seeders in-country and these are now manufactured and marketed by several companies. Farmers’ field trials were conducted on DWSR using both recommended high-yielding varieties and local improved rice cultivars. Averaged over 30 farmers’ fields on medium land and highland in Chuadanga District, DWSR achieved a yield of about 7.0 t ha^–1, some 12% higher than TPR during the boro season. On lowland in Chuadanga, DWSR produced 7.4 t ha^–1, which was 18% higher than yields of transplanted rice. During the aman season in 2005, DWSR (with 8 varieties) produced a mean grain yield of 4.0 t ha^–1, about 20% higher than that from transplanting. The lower yields of both DWSR and TPR were due to a period of submergence following heavy rainfall. Direct wet seeding resulted in higher yields mainly by increasing the number of panicles per unit area. DWSR produced significantly more panicles per m2 than TPR. It was found that DWSR at different seeding densities produced 30–50% more panicles than TPR. However, the number of grains per panicle decreased under DWSR. Experience from extensive field evaluations in Bangladeshi DWSR has demonstrated that rice established by a drum seeder has the advantage of giving significantly higher grain yield, but requires a reduced seed rate and lower labor requirement than transplanted rice. On the other hand, additional costs are involved in DWSR for better land leveling and weed control. Economic analysis was performed to assess the profitability of adopting DWSR compared with TPR. Adoption of DWSR will enable farmers to earn an additional income of about Tk 8,500 per ha over TPR in both the aman and boro seasons. The suitable sowing time for DWSR in boro is mid-November to mid-December. Seeding during the severe cold spell in late December may result in seedling mortality and eventually poor crop establishment. During the aman season, (monsoon) heavy rainfall may damage and disrupt plant establishment. However, if the crops can escape rainfall for about 24 hours after seeding, this is less of a problem.

Source of Information: International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), 2008. ISBN 978-971-22-0229-2

Article Link (Online Journal):

Funding Source:

Budget:

Total Budget (Tk.) :

Achievement/Findings:

Direct wet-seeded rice using a drum seeder is an emerging technology that could improve grain yield by 10–15%, reduce seed requirements substantially, and reduce labor dependency. In addition, reduction of growth duration by 1 to 3 weeks may aid in the timely establishment of subsequent crops. The adoption of DWSR technology is taking place fast. However, DWSR using a drum seeder is a knowledge-intensive technology and is likely to be disseminated slowly. Therefore, constraints to the dissemination of DWSR should be minimized.

Knowledge Management: Report/Proceedings