An innovative versatile multi-crop planter for crop establishment using two-wheel tractors

A Versatile Multi-crop Planter (VMP) was designed and built for seed and fertilizer application in lines when driven by 2-wheel tractors (2WT) for: single-pass shallow-tillage; strip tillage (ST); zero tillage; bed planting, and conventional tillage (CT). Field performance and operational costs were recorded and analysed in Bangladesh. Field capacity of VMP was 0.07 ha/h for ST which was 34%lower than for CT. Land preparation cost by VMP was decreased by up to 75%for single pass compared to CT. VMP was capable of sowing many crops from small jute seed (2 g/1000 seeds) up to maize (160 g/1000 seeds). The VMP weighs 152 kg and ex-factory price is US$ 1,000. Acceptance of this multipurpose planter by smallholder farmers who prefer two wheel tractors is expected to be high.