Advanced design of permanent raised bed machinery in Pakistan

Abstract

Tractor mounted Permanent Raised Bed (PRB) machinery was introduced in Pakistan in 1998 by an Australian government funded project. The PRB machinery shows very good results it has two parts namely a bed shaper and a no-till seeder. This machine is a good example of effective mechanization because it saves water, time and labour, improves grain yield and achieves a uniform distribution of seed and fertilizer. After 13 years of promotion, farmers are now familiar with raised bed technology, and are using different types of raised bed machinery while some farmers are using PRB machinery, especially in Khyber Pakhtonkhwah (KPK) and some part of Punjab. The PRB technology has proved its success but in Pakistan, our tractor horse power (46-55 hp) and the small farm size are obstacles to broad use of such machines suffering from high weight and cost. Therefore, we developed an advanced PRB machinery design which is low cost and light weight as well as versatile in its use.