UNIVERSITI PUTRA MALAYSIA

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURAL AND BIOSYSTEM

ENGINEERING

REPORT
APPLICATION OF MACHINERY IN PADDY CULTIVATION
EAB3506: PLANTATION MACHINERY
DR. NAZMI BIN MAT NAWI
DATE OF SUBMISSION: 19 MARCH 2017

NAME MATRIC NO
MOHD SHAHRIL BIN KPLI 176975
Land Preparation
Land preparation is important to ensure that the rice field is ready for planting. A well-prepared field
controls weeds, recycles plant nutrients, and provides a soft soil mass for transplanting and a suitable soil
surface for direct seeding. Land preparation covers a wide range of practices from zero tillage or
minimum tillage which minimizes soil disturbance through to a totally 'puddled' soil which actually
destroys soil structure.
It typically involves:
(1) plowing to "till" or dig up, mix, and overturn the soil;
(2) harrowing to break the soil clods into smaller mass and incorporate plant residue, and
(3) leveling the field.
Initial land preparation begins after your last harvest or during fallow period. This is important for
effective weed control and for enriching the soil. Generally, it will take 3−4 weeks to prepare the field
before planting.
Clear the field

 At dry field condition, apply glyphosate to kill weeds and for better field hygiene.
 Irrigate the field 2−3 days after glyphosate application.
 Maintain standing water at 2−3 cm level for about 3−7 days or until it is soft enough and suitable
for an equipment to be used.
 Plow or rotovate the field to incorporate stubbles and hasten decomposition.
 Implements: Power tiller with attached moldboard plow, Hydro tiller, Rotovator, straw slasher
 Flood the field. Keep it submerged for at least two weeks. Let the water drain naturally to allow
volunteer seeds and weed seeds to germinate.
Depending on weed population and soil condition, another tillage operation can be done.
Immediately after harvest

Straw slasher
Primary tillage- Dry field conditions
Dry preparation is typically practiced for upland rice, but can also be done for lowland fields. In this
method, the soils are not puddled and there is no freestanding water in the field. It requires less water and
is effective for soil aeration, and in controlling golden apple snails. It also helps to obtain a smooth and
firm seedbed, control weeds, and incorporate organic materials and fertilizer into the soil. Dry preparation
is a good option when labor and water are scarce or when you require a short turnaround time between
crops. Dry cultivation can reduce soil fertility and should only be practiced where wet land preparation is
not an option.

Field conditions before and after primary tillage

Primary tillage is normally undertaken when the soil is wet enough to allow the field to be plowed and
strong enough to give reasonable levels of traction. This can be immediately after harvest or at the
beginning of the next season, depending on soil moisture and water availability.
• Plow the field.
Implement options: Power: 4-wheel tractor / 2-wheel tractor / animal power
Attachments: moldboard plow / disc plow / rotavator
Make the first pass along the edges of the field in a clockwise pattern. For the second pass, move
counterclockwise and finish at the center. The soil should be plowed to attain a reasonable depth (10−20
cm of cultivated soil) with varying clod sizes, and to kill weeds by burying or exposing the roots.
Depending on the clod size, another tillage operation can be done using primary tillage implements.
Additional primary tillage operations are generally done with disc plow or rotavator.
Secondary Tillage- Dry field conditions

Field conditions before and during the secondary tillage

Harrow and rototill the field.
Implements: Flexi-tyne cultivator, Four-wheel tractor or a Power tiller with attached rotovator, Spike-
tooth harrow
If weed population is high, make 1 pass using the flexi-tyne cultivator or spike-tooth harrow, then use the
rotovator to till the soil. When using the four-wheel tractor, make 2 passes across the field. If the power
tiller is available, rototill the field for 1−3 times. Make sure to perform all tillage operations within 2−3
days after each activity to prevent weed and volunteer seeds from germinating.
Secondary Tillage- Wet field conditions
Keep the field submerged for 10−14 days after plowing to soften clods and to decompose organic
materials.
Depending on climate and soil type, this should be done 10−14 days after primary workings.
• Puddle the field.
Implements: Power tiller, Hydro tiller, Rotovator
Puddling works the soil into a muddy or watertight paste. This minimizes water loss and increases
nutrient retention and availability.
• Depending on soil and weed population, a field may require more than two harrowing.
The third and final harrowing aim to do initial land leveling and final incorporation of crop residues, and
provide proper soil tilth for crop growth. If using a small tractor or a draft animal, do the final harrowing
with a plank leveler; if using a large tractor, use the rotavator and leveler, 2 days before planting.
 Field conditions before and during the secondary tillage
Land smoothing before seeding
Harrow the field 2−3 times within 5−7 days interval.
implements: Power tiller with attached comb-tooth harrow, Rotovator
Harrowing breaks up the soil clods and incorporates weeds, straw, and stubble into the mud. This hastens
their decomposition. Pass the harrow crosswise to break the soil clods. The second pass should be done
lengthwise. If the field is flooded, reduce the depth of the water to locate uneven and high surfaces of the
soil before harrowing.
Land leveling- optional
Dry condition levelling

Rotary tillage before

land leveling During leveling

During leveling Rear bucket

Good land leveling is best achieved using laser-assisted leveling. Well maintained fields require laser
leveling once every 3−4 years. Between laser leveling operations, the field can be leveled using a drag
bucket. A level field allows planters or drills to place seed more precisely and enables more uniform
irrigation. A level field reduces weed pressure and helps control water.
Implements: Bucket leveler with laser attachment, hydraulically operated drag buckets
It takes approximately 8 hours to level 1 ha of land using the bucket leveler. After land leveling, lightly
till the soil at 1−3 cm to reduce compact.
Wet condition levelling
Leveling should be done two (2) days before planting.
Implements: Power tiller with attached wooden plank, Rotovator wide puddle with attached laser leveler
Use a wooden plank when leveling with a draft animal or small tractor. This requires total water coverage
of the field for 12 days. When using a two-wheel tractor, 7−8 days of water coverage is required per
hectare of land.
A leveled and smooth soil surface provides for uniform germination and growth of the crops. A well-
leveled field improves water coverage and is also proven to increase crop yield and quality.

You can also combine wet and dry tillage methods

Perform primary tillage operations on dry soil. Then, flood and puddle the field in the same way
as wet tillage. Seeds can be direct seeded or transplanted into puddled soil.

A well-prepared rice field has the following characteristics:

 Mud and water are thoroughly mixed

 Weeds, rice straw, and stubble have been plowed under the soil and are thoroughly
decayed
 Land is leveled

Crop Establishment
a. Direct Seeding Knapsack power blower, Row seeder

Saturated soil seeding Water seeding

Row seeder
Direct seeded crops require less labor and tend to mature faster than transplanted crops. In this method,
plants are not subjected to stresses such as being pulled from the soil and re-establishing fine rootlets.
However, they have more competition from weeds. Depending on the land preparation method used,
direct seeding can be done in two ways:
Dry direct seeding
This method is usually practiced for rain fed and deep-water ecosystems. Farmers sow onto dry soil
surface, then incorporates the seed either by plowing or harrowing.

 Broadcasting
1. Broadcast 60−80 kg of seeds uniformly by hand or in furrows in 1 ha of field.
2. Make shallow furrows by passing a furrower along the prepared field.
3. After broadcasting, cover the seeds using a spike-tooth harrow.

 Drilling
Precision equipment, such as the Knapsack power blower, can be used to drill seeds.
Drill 80−100 kg of seeds per ha.
Seeds are placed by the machine into both dry and moist soil, and then irrigated. A smooth, level seedbed
is necessary to ensure that seeds are not planted at depths greater than 10−15 mm.
In this technique, fertilizers can be applied at the same time as the seed.
Wet direct seeding
In wet fields, direct seeding can be done either through broadcasting or drilling seeds into the mud with a
drum seeder.

 Broadcasting
Broadcast 80−100 kg per ha of pre-germinated seeds to recently drained, well-puddled seedbeds or into
shallow standing water.If water in the field is muddy, allow 1−2 days for it to dry before broadcasting. If
water is drained from the fields after broadcasting, seeds are re-introduced 10−15 days after first seeding.

 Drum seeding

Drum Seedling usually use at India and Bangladesh

Drum seeders are used for fast planting. It operates best on a well-leveled, smooth, and wet seedbed.
However, seeders may be clogged if the soil is sticky or if the machine is poorly designed. Prepare 80 kg
of pre-germinated seeds per ha. Direct seeded rice has more competition from weeds.
b. Mechanical transplanting=Riding type trans planter

6 Row riding-type of trans planter

Transplanting is commonly practiced as a method of weed control for wet or puddled fields. It requires
less seed but much more labor compared to direct seeding. Also, transplanted crops take longer to mature
due to transplanting shock. Prior to transplanting, seedlings need to be raised in a nursery.
Transplanted crops can be established manually or by machine.
Mechanical transplanting requires considerably less time and labor than manual transplanting. One
hectare of land requires 1 person day to establish. Different type of trans planters with varying levels of
complexity and sizes can be used, such as:

 two-row walk behind models

 eight-row ride-on models
The rice field must be well prepared for machine transplanting.

 Raise seedlings in special mat nurseries or in seedling trays. Use 18−25 kg of good seed per 100
m2 of nursery for each ha. Seedlings will be ready for transplanting in 15−21 days after seeding
(DAS).

How to prepare seedlings for mechanical transplanting

Mechanical trans planters have built-in trays or seedling boxes.
Grow seedlings on a thin layer of soil in 30 cm x 60 cm trays per seedling box. In some instances,
seedlings are grown on larger areas and then cut into rectangular strips (mats of seedlings) that fit into
the planting trays of the trans planter.

 Ensure that fields are well puddled and leveled.

 Drain fields and allow mud to settle for 1−2 days after the final puddling.
 The subsurface soil layers need to be hard enough to support the transplanting machine.
The soil is ready when a small “V” mark made in the puddled soil with a stick holds its shape. At this
moisture level, the soil can hold the seedlings upright. Soil should not be so dry that it sticks to and
interferes with planting parts or wheels of the trans planter.
Load the seedling mats on the machine and transplant the seedlings at the selected machine setting.

Crop Care and Maintenance

Fertilizer application-Knapsack blower
Chemical application-Knapsack power sprayer or manual spryer

Knapsack power blower/sprayer

jector Side boom spryer

In field boom spryer Fertilizer Spreader

Harvesting and bulk handling
a. Grain harvesting- Combine Harvester (Implement)
b. Grain transportation- Lorry, truck (3-10 ton)
Harvesting is the process of collecting the mature rice crop from the field. Paddy harvesting activities
include reaping, stacking, handling, threshing, cleaning, and hauling. These can be done individually or a
combine harvester can be used to perform the operations simultaneously.
It is important to apply good harvesting methods to be able to maximize grain yield, and minimize grain
damage and quality deterioration.

When to harvest
Depending on the growth duration of the variety, harvesting time should be around 110−120 DAS for
direct seeded rice, and 100−110 DAT for transplanted rice.
To determine if the crop is ready for harvest, check for the following indicators:
 Moisture content
Grain moisture content ideally is between 20 and 25% (wet basis). Grains should be firm but not brittle
when squeezed between the teeth.
Harvest at minimal surface moisture (e.g. from previous rainfall or early morning dew).
 Ripe grains per panicle
Harvesting should be done when 80−85% of the grains are straw colored (i.e., yellow-colored).
1. Number of days after sowing
Generally, the ideal harvest time lies between 130 and 136 days after sowing for late-maturing variety,
113 and 125 for medium duration, and 110 days for early-maturing varieties.
 Number of days after heading
For dry season harvesting, an optimum time is 28−35 days after heading (emergence of panicle tip from
leaf sheath). In wet season harvest, optimum time is 32−38 days after heading.
2. Avoid delays in threshing after harvesting.
Threshing should be done as soon as possible after cutting to avoid rewetting and to reduce grain
breakage.
 3. Use proper machine settings when using a threshing machine.
4. Clean the grains properly after threshing.
5. Dry the grains immediately after threshing
Harvesting systems

Combine harvesting
The combine harvester combines all operations: cutting the crop, feeding it into threshing mechanism,
threshing, cleaning, and discharge of grain into a bulk wagon or directly into bags. Straw is usually
discharged behind the combine in a windrow.
Choosing an appropriate harvesting system depends on a number of factors:
• Availability of labor (manual harvesting is labor-intensive)
• Availability of capital to purchase equipment
• Timeliness of harvesting (how much time is available to complete the harvest)
• Field layout and field accessibility (combine harvesters require a certain field layout and access)
• Rice variety (some varieties are more prone to lodging)
• Demand for quality rice
• Demand for straw (certain threshers damage the straw making it less marketable)
In India, China, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia and even in Cambodia the use of combine harvesters, or
simply combines, for paddy rice is increasing rapidly. This is a development due to severe labor shortage
and the resulting increase in harvesting cost, which makes the use of combines economically attractive.
Combine harvesting combines several operations into one: cutting the crop, feeding it into threshing
mechanism, threshing, cleaning, and discharging rain into a lorry. Straw is usually discharged behind the
combine in a windrow.
Guidelines for good combine harvesting methods
• Timing of combine harvesting
Harvest at the correct time (20−25% moisture content or when 80% of the grains are straw colored and at
least 20% of the grains at the panicle base have reached hard dough stage). The time interval for
harvesting by combine harvester is often narrow: too early harvesting will result in a high percentage of
immature kernels, and too late harvesting will result in high shattering losses.
• Machine adjustment
Set the threshing speed according to the machine specifications (check the operator's manual) based on
the grain moisture content, volume of material entering into the combine, weeds, etc. Operating thresher
speed either too fast or too slow reduces profit.
• Fine tuning forward speed and header height is especially important to minimize field loss.

Reference
1. Development in Malaysia. Chan C S, Mohd Zainal I and Abu Hassan D. MARDI. 26-27 Oct
2013. Qingdao, China. 1. CSAM
2. http://www.knowledgebank.irri.org/