Impact of roto-till drill on energy saving in wheat production using difference-in-difference method

Abstract

Energy efficiency and sustainable practices are critical for addressing environmental concerns and improving resource use in agriculture. Conventional farming methods result in higher energy consumption whereas resource conservation machinery such as roto-till drill offers potential to increase energy use efficiency. This study assessed the impact of roto-till drill used in wheat cultivation in Central India. Selected farmers engaged in wheat cultivation in Bhopal region of Central India were categorized into two groups: control and treated. Control group practiced conventional farming (tillage with MB plough or cultivator and seed sowing using seed drill or seed-cum-fertilizer drill) and treated group used roto-till drill for sowing of wheat. The energy use efficiency (EUE), specific energy (SE), carbon emission, and yield were measured for both groups, pre- and post-interventions of roto-till drill. The difference-in-difference (D-I-D) method was used to estimate the impact of roto-till drills on energy parameters. The EUE of control group was 10.75 and 9.93 in pre- and post-period respectively, while treated group observed 10.41 and 15.90. Furthermore, the treated group were able to significantly increase their EUE by 6.30 in comparison to the control group. In addition, the treated group used 2.57 MJ lesser energy than the control group to produce one kilogram of wheat. There was no significant impact of roto-till drill in reducing carbon emission and increasing yield. Overall, adoption of the roto-till drill significantly increased EUE without affecting the yield of the wheat crop.