Agriculture remains the backbone of the Indian economy, employing nearly half the country's workforce. However, conventional seed sowing practices are heavily dependent on manual labour, resulting in high operational costs, non- uniform seed placement, and significant time consumption during the critical sowing season. This paper presents the design, fabrication, and performance evaluation of an Integrated Seed Sowing Machine powered by an electric motor (battery-driven), capable of multi-crop operation including groundnut, wheat, maize, and vegetables. The proposed machine integrates a seed metering unit (cell/hole-type rotating disc), furrow opener, seed tube, and soil covering mechanism into a single compact assembly, enabling simultaneous row preparation and seed deposition in a single row pass. Comparative field trials demonstrate a significant reduction in labour requirements, improved seed spacing consistency, and enhanced sowing efficiency over conventional manual methods. Results indicate a reduction in sowing time of approximately 70–80% compared to manual sowing, with a seed spacing accuracy exceeding 85%.
Pradyumna Kalbhor*1, Abhijeet Sawant2, Rajat Shetty3, Ashwini Admane4 (Mon,) studied this question.