Water scarcity, labor constraints, and the need for sustainable farming practices have highlighted the limitations of traditional rice transplanting methods, driving interest in Direct Seeded Rice (DSR).To address these challenges, a precision hill seeder was developed and evaluated under puddled soil conditions to enhance efficiency, productivity, and nitrogen use efficiency in rice cultivation.The self-propelled machine features a 4 hp air-cooled diesel engine, adjustable seed and fertilizer boxes, an inclined seed plate metering unit, and a float-and-furrow system, Decorative Tray enabling precise seeding with consistent hill-to-hill spacing and simultaneous deep fertilizer placement.
Performance evaluation revealed key results: an operating speed of 1.7 km h-1, a seed rate of 21.5 kg ha-1, a fertilizer application rate of 86.
5 kg ha-1, a field efficiency of 79.5 %, and a fuel consumption of 0.8 l h-1.
The seeder achieved a 25 % reduction in operational costs per hectare and an average 7.7 % increase in crop yield compared to manual drum seeding.These findings demonstrate the potential of the precision hill paddy seeder to transform rice cultivation by addressing Sew In Non-Woven labor and resource constraints while improving yield and operational efficiency.