Optimizing Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus) Crop Establishment, Field Performance and Yield Attributes through Mechanized Precision Planting with PAU Multi-Row Seed Planter

Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus var. Punjab Suhawani) locally known as lady’s finger is a major vegetable crop in India, where effective planting methods and weed management are essential for improving productivity while ensuring operator safety. Traditional practices of planting manually (with Khurpi) often impose high ergonomic burdens on operators, necessitating an integrated evaluation of agronomic performance and human factors. Two experiments were conducted to assess the effects of planting methods, spacing and weeding intensity on okra crop establishment, field performance and yield. Key growth and yield parameters recorded included seed germination, field efficiency, effective field capacity of planter, weed infestation, number of fruits per plant, average fruit weight, average fruit length and total yield. Results revealed that the PAU manual multi-row seed planter demonstrated superior performance, with the highest field efficiency (73.70%), effective field capacity (0.147 ha h^-1) and seed germination (84.12%). It also reduced weed infestation (840 plants m^-2) compared to manual planting (68.62% efficiency, 70.40% germination, 911 plants m^-2 weed density). Plant spacing significantly influenced yield attributes. Wider spacing (450 mm) improved fruit weight (12.38 g), fruit length (107 mm) and number of fruits per plant (12 fruits) due to reduced intra-plant competition, whereas closer spacing (150 mm) maximized total yield per hectare (7.72 t ha^-1) through increased plant population. Weeding intensity emerged as the most critical factor. Multiple weeding produced the best outcomes in terms of fruit number (14 per plant), average fruit weight (13.43 g), fruit length (115.7 mm) and total yield (11.50 t ha^-1), while no-weeding plots recorded only 4.11 t ha^-1. Overall, the findings demonstrated that the mechanized planting with the PAU manual multi-row seed planter, combined with wider spacing and timely multiple weeding, can substantially enhance field performance, crop establishment and fruit yield in okra. These results provide practical guidance for growers to maximize productivity through integrated mechanization and agronomic practices.