ICAR-CIAE Develops Tractor-Operated Plastic Mulch Layer-Cum-Planter to Streamline High-Value Crop Cultivation
23 June 2025, New Delhi: The ICAR-Central Institute of Agricultural Engineering (CIAE), Bhopal, has developed a tractor-operated plastic mulch layer-cum-planter, addressing the challenges of labor-intensive and time-consuming manual operations in high-value crop cultivation. Traditionally, preparing raised beds, laying drip laterals and plastic mulch, and sowing seeds beneath the mulch requires approximately 29 human-days per hectare.
To mechanize and consolidate these operations, the institute designed a multi-functional machine that integrates raised bed formation, mulch laying, drip lateral placement, and precision seed planting under the mulch.
This machine utilizes the tractor’s hydraulic system to operate a hydraulic motor (385 Nm), which in turn powers an eccentric slider crank mechanism through a chain and sprocket transmission. The seed metering unit operates via vacuum pressure generated by a PTO-driven aspirator blower from the tractor.
The slider crank mechanism converts rotational motion into vertical movement, enabling the “D” profile punch to penetrate the soil and plant seeds through the mulch. The pneumatic seed metering plate is synchronized with the crank mechanism, ensuring that the seed is released precisely when the planting jaw opens within the mulch layer.
The machine achieves an effective field capacity of 0.2 hectares per hour with an operational efficiency of 74 percent. It functions at a speed of 1.7 kilometers per hour and covers a working width of 1 meter. The total cost of the machine is ₹3,00,000, with an estimated operating cost of ₹1,500 per hour. The payback period is calculated to be 1.9 years based on 444 hours of usage, and the break-even point is achieved at 70 hours per year.
The planter allows adjustable row spacing between 0.5 to 0.9 meters and plant spacing from 0.2 to 0.6 meters. Compared to conventional machines, this model reduces labor requirements by 26 human-days per hectare (89%)and costs by ₹6,600 per hectare (43%).
The machine is well-suited for sowing high-value crops under plastic mulch, including melons, cucumbers, sweet corn, baby corn, green peas, okra, and beans.
Also Read: India’s Agrochemical Market Hits $11.2 Billion in FY2025, Eyes $14.5 Billion by 2028: Rubix Data Sciences
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