Development and field performance of an eight-row tractor-drawn system of wheat intensification planter for enhanced wheat productivity and profitability

This research addresses the mechanization challenges in the System of Wheat Intensification (SWI) by designing and developing an 8-row tractor-drawn planter. The planter is designed to sow wheat seeds in a square pattern, featuring two spacing options for both inter-row and intra-row distances (0.2 × 0.2 m or 0.25 × 0.25 m). The planter is capable of opening furrows, placing seeds at a depth of 5 cm, and firmly covering and pressing the soil around them. Agronomic performance evaluations were carried out at two speeds (1.5 km/h and 2 km/h) of planter using treated and untreated seeds, and compared the performance with conventional sowing and manual SWI planting. The planter had a draft requirement of 3.2 kN and resulted in significantly better seed germination and grain yield compared to conventional or manually sown SWI. The machine-sown SWI plots had an average of 23.3–24.8 hills (planting points) per square meter, with 2–3 plants per hill. It was observed that 87% of the hills had 2–3 plants at a planter operating speed of 1.5 km/h for treated seeds. Final yield performance in machine-sown SWI was about 25% higher than in conventionally sown wheat, with a significant improvement in the harvest index. However, straw yield was slightly higher in conventionally sown wheat. The results demonstrate that the developed SWI planter offers a practical solution for widespread adoption of SWI technology across wheat-growing regions in India and globally.