Bioscience Methods 2025, Vol.16, No.1, 33-40 http://bioscipublisher.com/index.php/bm 36 4.2 Adaptability in different soil conditions The adaptability of seeding methods also varies with soil conditions. In the Indo-Gangetic Plains of South Asia, direct drill-seeding with zero-tillage was found to be less productive for rice compared to conventional methods, but it offered higher wheat yields, indicating a trade-off between the two crops in rice-wheat systems (Gathala et al., 2011). In contrast, in Eastern India, drill seeding was more effective in reducing weed density and increasing profitability compared to broadcast seeding, suggesting better adaptability in managing soil-related challenges such as weed infestation (Table 1) (Saha et al., 2021). These results highlight that drill seeding may be more suitable in soils where weed management is a critical concern. Table 1 Effect of establishment methods and weed control treatments on weed density (plants m-2) at 30 and 60 days after emergence (DAE) at Cuttack, Odisha (Average of 2015 and 2016) (Adopted from Saha et al., 2021) Establishment method (T) 30DAE 60DAE Weed control treatments (W) * Drill seeding Manual seeding Broadcast seeding Mean * Drill seeding Manual seeding Broadcast seeding Mean* Weed density (plants m-2) BPS 20 26 35 27c 34 43 49 42c AZM 12 16 21 16d 26 32 36 31d BSM + Pretl. 26 32 43 34b 41 52 57 50b Weed free † - - - - - - - - Weedy 49 56 68 57a 71 77 91 80a Mean ** 27C 32B 42A 43C 51B 58A Analysis of variance (ANOVA) p value LSD pvalue LSD Main plot (T) <0.0015 3 0.0003 3.0 Sub plot (W) <0.0001 3.6 <0.0001 4.6 T×W NS 3.4 0.0494 9.2 Note: BPS- Bispyribac-sodium (30 g a.i. ha-1); AZM- Azimsulfuron (35 g a.i. ha-1); BSM + Pretl.- Bensulfuron-methyl + Pretilachlor (70 + 700 g a.i. ha-1); NS: not significant difference; † Weed free-Weed density was not recorded since weed was removed manually at 15, 30, 45 and 60 DAE; § Means are separated by least significant difference (LSD).* Within each timing, means with the same lower case letter in a column are not significantly different using LSD0.05.; ** Within each timing, means with same upper case letter in a row are not significantly different using LSD0.05. Data in bold are mean values of main plot and sub plot treatments (Adopted from Saha et al., 2021) 4.3 Techno-economic analysis From a techno-economic perspective, drill seeding often results in lower production costs and higher profitability compared to broadcast seeding (Hassann et al., 2009). In northeastern Thailand, mechanized seeding reduced production costs significantly by lowering the seeding rate by 50%-61% compared to manual methods (Sansen et al., 2019). Similarly, in Eastern India, drill seeding was found to be more profitable, with a net income increase of US $685 ha-1 over broadcast seeding, primarily due to higher yields and reduced energy consumption (Saha et al., 2021). These findings suggest that drill seeding can be a more economically viable option in rice-wheat rotation systems, especially when considering long-term sustainability and cost efficiency. 5 Case Studies 5.1 Successful cases: rational applications of drill and broadcast seeding In northeastern Thailand, mechanized dry direct-seeding of rice using seed drills has shown significant success. This method produced 32% higher grain yield compared to manual broadcast seeding, and reduced production costs by enabling a 50% reduction in seeding rates (Sansen et al., 2019). Similarly, in the Philippines, a hand tractor-mounted seed drill demonstrated promising results, achieving rice grain yields comparable to those from broadcast seeding while offering a high operational capacity of over 2 hectares per day (Bautista et al., 2019). In Eastern India, drill seeding in dry direct-seeded rice systems was found to be more profitable than broadcast
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