Thread by @ramanmann1974

Thread

17 ways to manage & utilize paddy #stubble?

6 under in-situ management & 11 under ex-situ management ways #paddy #straw. In in-situ method, Happy Seeder, Super Seeder, Smart Seeder, Paddy straw chopper/Mulcher, Spatially modified zero-till-drill, & Zero-till-drill r used

While in ex-situ method of #paddy straw management, the straws are collected manually and through baler and rake machines after chopping them with other available machines and can be used for 11 different purposes.

#Paddy #straw can be used as fuel in bio-mass/thermal plants, paddy straw-based biogas plants; as fuel in brick kilns through briquettes, ethanol/Bio-CNG production; as compost for mushroom cultivation; as cattle bedding material; for making cardboard/paper; as fodder for animals

Of the total 1.22 lakh machines there are 14 types of machines for in-situ and ex-situ which are mostly tractor-mounted. “In in-situ method all the main machines incorporate paddy stubble at the time of sowing of wheat without clearing the stubble from the field after harvesting.

Happy Seeder, a wheat sowing machine, which combines #paddy #stubble mulching, sowing and fertilizer drilling operations into one machine, cuts the selected rice straw and sows seeds into the bare soil and places the straw over the sown seed as a mulch.

Super Seeder is for sowing wheat seed and simultaneous tillage and incorporation of whole #paddy #straw in combined harvested paddy fields. The Smart Seeder is again for sowing wheat seed and simultaneous light tillage of selected row area only in combined harvested paddy fields.

So all these machines do not require to clear the stubble after harvesting as these are sowing wheat directly,” with ex-situ only straw collection and supply to different industries is required.

Last year there was late harvesting due to delayed monsoons. More than half of the #paddy #stubble, that is, 120 lakh tonnes of the total of around 220 lakh tonnes was managed by not burning the crop residue on around 15 lakh hectares of the over 30 lakh hectares rice area.

Now the question of managing the remaining around 100 lakh tonnes is left.

“Punjab’s brick kiln industry alone can utilize nearly 50 lakh tonnes stubble but for that, #Punjab government must focus on establishing a good paddy stubble pellet industry

In kilns paddy straw can be used as fuel in the form of pellets and every kiln owner is ready to use them if they are made available because it is cheap compared to coal and environment friendly as well. Rest 50 lakh tons, can be used, if Bio-Fuel Generation capacity is enhanced.

#Punjab has issued a notification that brick kilns shall replace 20% coal with #paddy #straw #pellets; but there is hardly any pellet manufacturing in Punjab, this is a welcome decision, which needs to be coupled with augmentation of pellet manufacturing capacity @BhagwantMann !