Cost saving rice transplanting technology for puddled and unpuddled soil condition

During the transplanting period shortage of labor is a common issue which increased the labor wage and overall production cost of rice in Bangladesh. Study was conducted during Boro and Aman season 2017 in Dumuria Upazila of Khulna district to compare transplanting cost of rice in puddled and unpuddled conditions. A four row walk behind type self-propelled rice transplanter was used for conducting the mechanical transplanting. Rice varieties, BRRI Dhan28 and BRRI Dhan39 were used during Boro and Aman seasos, respectively.. Seedling growing medium was clay on polythene mat for both the seasons. During transplanting, the age of the seedling was 30 days and average height of the seedling was 14 cm in Boro season. In Aman season, the age of the seedling was 18 days with average height of 15 cm. In unpuddled soil, land was prepared by applying herbicide 4 to 5 days before transplanting during Boro season. Weeding was performed manually as herbicides could not be applied due to standing water in Aman season. Puddled plots were tilled by power tiller. In Boro season, cost saving by mechanical transplanting was 14,789 BDT/ha and 16,619 BDT/ha in puddled soil and in unpuddled soil, respectively whereas in Aman season, it was 14,892 BDT/ha and 14,053BDT/ha in puddled soil and in unpuddled soil, respectively in comparison to traditional manual transplanting. Rice transplanter is therefore suitable to reduce cost of paddy production and meet the labor crisis problem during transplanting season.