Performance Evaluation of Hand-Operated Seeder for Cotton Planting Under Different Tillage Practices in Benin

Authors

  • E. D. Dayou Institute of Cotton Research, Cotonou, Benin Republic. & Faculty of Agronomic Sciences, University of Abomey-Calavi, Abomey-Calavi, Benin Republic. & Department of Environmental Management, Pan African University Life and Earth Sciences Institute, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7051-3974
  • A. Hougni Institute of Cotton Research, Cotonou, Benin Republic. National Institute of Agricultural Research of Benin, Cotonou, Benin Republic.
  • C. Kanlindogbe Institute of Cotton Research, Cotonou, Benin Republic. Faculty of Agronomy, University of Parakou, Parakou, Benin Republic.
  • G. F. Tiando Faculty of Agronomy, University of Parakou, Parakou, Benin Republic.
  • E. Sekloka Institute of Cotton Research, Cotonou, Benin Republic. Faculty of Agronomy, University of Parakou, Parakou, Benin Republic.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.63746/njtd.v23i3.4426

Keywords:

Mechanization, Tillage, Sowing, Cotton, Benin Republic

Abstract

Cotton farming is facing challenges such as limited adapted seeders to different tillage practices. This study, achieved at the research station of Okpara (Parakou), aimed to evaluate the performance of an adapted hand-operated seeder under different tillage practices. A split-plot design was used to compare three tillage practices: Manual Tillage (MT), Tractor Plough (TP), and Strip Tillage (ST), and two sowing methods: hand-operated seeder (MP) and manual sowing (MS). The key indicators assessed were the sowing time, the effective daily capacity, the clogging frequency and the seedling emergence. Results showed that the hand-operated seeder had significantly lower sowing time to 2.6–3.1 h/ha, compared to 14.4–20.4 h/ha for manual sowing. Strip tillage improved sowing regularity with hand-operated seeder, by reducing seed hill opener clogging. Furthermore, the hand-operated seeder ensured optimal plant density (60,735–64,732 plants/ha) and emergence rates closer to the recommended two plants per hill, whereas manual sowing yielded lower. Overall, the use of an adapted hand-operated seeder, combined with appropriate tillage practices, improves sowing efficiency and crop establishment quality in cotton farming.

References

Afouda, A. P., Hougni, A., Balarabe, O., Kindemin, O. A., & Yabi, A. J. (2020). Déterminants de l’adoption de la pratique d’intégration agriculture?élevage dans la commune de Banikoara (Bénin). Agronomie Africaine, 32(2), 159?168.

Aikins, K. A., Barr, J. B., Ucgul, M., Jensen, T. A., Antille, D. L., & Desbiolles, J. M. A. (2020). No?tillage furrow opener performance : A review of tool geometry, settings and interactions with soil and crop residue. Soil Research, 58(7), 603–621. https://doi.org/10.1071/SR19153

Al?miran, D. A. E., & Jasim, A. A. (2025). Evaluation of performance efficiency of a locally made electronic device for measuring fuel consumption in agricultural tractors. Advances in Science and Technology Research Journal, 19(3), 381–388. https://doi.org/10.12913/22998624/199797

Alwash, A. A., & Al-Aani, F. S. (2023). Performance evaluation of seed drill-fertilizer under two different farming systems and tractor practical speeds. Iraqi Journal of Agricultural Sciences, 54(4), 1155-1162. https://doi.org/10.36103/ijas.v54i4.1809

Amonmide, I., Dagbenonbakin, G., Agbangba, C. E., & Akponikpe, P. (2019). Contribution à l’évaluation du niveau de fertilité des sols dans les systèmes de culture à base du coton au Bénin. International Journal of Biological and Chemical Sciences, 13(3) : 1846–1860. https://doi.org/10.4314/ijbcs.v13i3.52

Benkovic, R., Jug D., Šumanovac, L., Jug, I., Mirosavljevic, K., Zimmer, D., & Benkovic-Lacic, T. (2023). Mechanical Soil Resistance Influenced by Different Tillage Systems and Tractor Tire Pressures. Sustainability 2023, 15, 10236. https://doi.org/10.3390/su151310236

Centre de Recherche Agricole-Coton et Fibre (CRA-CF), (2021). Fiche technique de la culture du cotonnier, 12p.

Dayou, E. D., Zokpodo, B. K. L., Atidegla, C. S., Dahou, N. M., Ajav, E. A., Bamgboye, A. I., & Glèlè Kakaï, R. L. (2021). Analysis of the use of tractors in different poles of agricultural development in Benin Republic. Heliyon 7(2): 1-8. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2021.e06145

Dharmendra, D., Chandra, S., Kumar, A., & Kumar, N. (2022). Effect of tractor forward speed on field performance of zero till seed?cum?fertilizer drill in tilth and un?tilth sandy loam soil. Journal of AgriSearch, 9(1). https://doi.org/10.21921/jas.v9i01.9898

Dou, S., Wang, Z., Tong, J., Shang, Z., Deng, A., Song, Z., & Zhang, W. (2024). Strip tillage promotes crop yield in comparison with no tillage based on a meta?analysis. Soil and Tillage Research, 240, 106085. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.still.2024.106085

Faheem, M., Altaf, M., Liu, J., Yamin, M., Akram, M. W., Iqbal, M., & Khan, M. U. (2022). Design, development and performance evaluation of zone disc tiller drill for maize crop production in Pakistan. Agricultural Engineering International: CIGR Journal, 24(4), 72–89.

FAO, (2006). World reference base for soil resources. World Soil Resources Report 103, Rome.

FAO, (2019). Sustainable agricultural mechanization. Retrieved from https://www.fao.org/sustainable?agricultural?mechanization/en/

Gao, Y., Hu, Y., Yang, S., Zhao, X., Lu, S., Dou, H., Zhu, Q., Li, P., & Zhu, Y. (2025). Experimental Investigation of impact mechanisms of seeding quality for ridge-clearing no-till seeder under strip tillage. Agronomy 2025, 15, 1875. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy15081875

Guo, J., Yang, Y., Memon, M. S., & Tan, C. (2022). Conception et simulation des semis. Scientific Reports. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598?022?23993?1

Hamid, A. A. (2024). Concept of slippage permissibility and the damage during the operation tillage. Kirkuk University Journal for Agricultural Sciences, 15(4), 110–123. https://doi.org/10.58928/ku24.15409

Hinnou, C. L., Vidjannangni, D. A., & Ahoyo, A. R. N. (2021). Analyse des besoins en mécanisation agricole basée sur les logiques paysannes dans les pôles de développement agricole du Bénin. International Journal of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Volume 15(2), P536–549. https://doi.org/10.4314/IJBCS.V15I2.13

Institut de Recherche sur le Coton (IRC), (2024). Synthèse provisoire du diagnostic sur l’utilisation des semoirs en zones cotonnières, 2024.

López-Gómez, J. A., & Van-Loon, J. (2018). Agrotechnical evaluation of manual implements for corn planting. Revista Mexicana de Ciencias Agrícolas, 9(spe21), 4258–4269. https://doi.org/10.29312/remexca.v0i21.1524

Madhusudan, B. S., Kushwaha, H. L., Kumar, A., Parray, R. A., Swain, S. S., Chowdhury, M., Nag, R. H., Asha, K. R., Rathod, S. K., Kumar, P., Anand, Al?Ansari, R., N., Dewidar, A. Z., & Mattar, M. A. (2024). Critical assessment of furrow openers and operational parameters for optimum performance under conservation tillage. Scientific Reports, 14, 20928. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-70569-2

Ministère de l’Agriculture, de l’Elevage et de la Pêche (MAEP), (2021). Rapport de Performances du Secteur Agricole, 2021, p34.

R Core Team, (2023). R: A Language and Environment for Statistical Computing. R Foundation for Statistical Computing, Vienna, Austria. https://www.R-project.org/

Sims, B., & Kienzle, J. (2016). Making mechanization accessible to smallholder farmers in Sub?Saharan Africa. Environments, 3(2), Article 11. https://doi.org/10.3390/environments3020011

Sims, B., & Kienzle, J. (2017). Sustainable agricultural mechanization for smallholders: What is it and how can we implement it? Agriculture, 7(6), 50. https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture7060050

Smith, D. W., Sims, B. G., & O’Neill, D. H. (1994). Testing and Evaluation of Agricultural Machinery and Equipment : Principles and Practices. Food and Agriculture Organization, p48. https://www.fao.org/3/a-t1841e.pdf

Wang, L., Gao, Y., Ma, Z., & Wang, B. (2025). The Quality of seedbed and seeding under four tillage modes. Agriculture 2025, 15, 1626. https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture15151626

Yemadje, P.?L., Takpa, O., Amonmide, I., Balarabe, O., Sekloka, E., Guibert, H., & Tittonell, P. (2022). Limited yield penalties in an early transition to conservation agriculture in cotton?based cropping systems of Benin. Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems, 6, Article?1041399. https://doi.org/10.3389/fsufs.2022.1041399

Zhang, L., Liu, Y., Wu, M., & Wu, Z. (2024). Sowing performance of the seeder drill for the 2BYG?220 type combined rapeseed planter under vibration conditions. Applied Sciences, 14(12), 5091. https://doi.org/10.3390/app14125091

Zhong, G., Li, H., He, J., Wang, Q., Lu, C., Wang, C., Tong, Z., Cui, D., & He, D. (2023). Design and test of single?disc opener for no?till planter based on support cutting. Agriculture, 13(8), 1635. https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture13081635

Downloads

Published

2026-09-30

Issue

Vol. 23 No. 3 (2026): Volume 23, Issue 3, September 2026.

Section

Articles

License

Copyright (c) 2026 Nigerian Journal of Technological Development

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

In accordance with the Copyright Act of 1976, which became effective January 1, 1978, the following statement signed by each author must accompany the manuscript submitted: "I, the undersigned author, transfer all copyright ownership of the manuscript referenced above to the Nigerian Journal of Technological Development, in the event the work is published. I warrant that the article is original, does not infringe upon any copyright or other proprietary right of any third party, is not under consideration by another journal, and has not been published previously. I have reviewed and approved the submitted version of the manuscript and agree to its publication in the Nigerian Journal of Technological Development." A copyright transfer form can be downloaded from the NJTD Website (http://njtd.com.ng/index.php/njtd). Author(s) will be consulted, whenever possible, regarding republication of material. All authors must have access to the data presented, and the authors and sponsor (if applicable) must agree to share original data with the editor if requested.