Design, Development and Evaluation of Tractor Drawn Groundnut + Pigeonpea Intercropping Planter

Groundnut + pigeonpea with 7:1 or 15:1 proportion is the most profitable intercropping system in drylands in scarcity zone of Andhra Pradesh. Generally, farmers use bullock or tractor drawn seed drills for sowing of groundnut. Whereas for sowing of pigeonpea as intercrop with groundnut, farmers close one hopper/seed tube of groundnut seed drill in order to maintain 7:1 row proportion. At corners and field bunds it is difficult for farmers to maintain or obtain uniform 7:1 or 15:1 row proportion. Tractor drawn Ananta groundnut planter (8 row) was developed for timely sowing of groundnut with no option for sowing of intercrop. This planter was modified into nine row planter to facilitate intercropping of pigeonpea simultaneously. This nine row planter with middle row for pigeonpea and four rows on either side for groundnut enabling 8 rows of groundnut + one row of pigeonpea intercropping system (8:1). Power is transmitted from ground wheel to metering system (inclined plate) through chain and sprockets. A double point shovel type furrow opener was provided for opening the furrows and covering blade of 5 cm width was also fixed behind the furrow openers to cover the furrows after seed placement at desired depth. The implement can be operated by a 35 hp tractor. The field capacity of the planter is 0.50 ha h⁻¹ at the average speed of operation of 2.92 km/h with field efficiency of 66.1%.