Enhancing sesame yield and profitability through refurbished tractor-drawn seed drills in coastal Andhra Pradesh

Sesame, a valuable oilseed crop in north coastal Andhra Pradesh, is primarily sown by broadcasting - a cost-effective method that, however, results in high weeding expenses and increased production costs. This study explores refurbishing a 4-row bullock-drawn seed drill to be tractor-compatible, addressing labour shortages and enhancing sesame cultivation efficiency. Field trials with the YLM-66 sesame variety at the Agricultural Research Station in Yelamanchili demonstrated that line sowing with the modified seed drill improved plant growth, yielding a 28% increase over broadcasting and achieving gross returns of ₹61,110 per hectare. Using a Random Forest (RF) model with 10-fold cross-validation, the study identified key predictors of sesame yield, achieving high accuracy (R² = 0.943, RMSE = 27.83) and validating the influence of the line sowing method on growth and yield parameters. This innovation offers small-scale farmers a cost-effective solution, promoting mechanization and reducing reliance on manual labour.