Sustainable Wheat Cultivation through Surface Seeding Technology: An Environmental Perspective

Abstract

In the Indo-Gangetic Plains, wheat farming requires fuel for multiple tillage passes before seed is planted. Conventional wheat cultivation in the eastern IGP is characterised by high diesel demand, substantial irrigation use and the associated greenhouse gas load. Surface seeding technology (SST) bypasses these operations: no tillage or land-preparation passes are required, and seed is spread directly on wet soil. This study investigated the practical implications of SST using data collected from 100 wheat-growing households in Niyamatabad Block of Chandauli district, Uttar Pradesh, during the 2025–26 rabi season. SST consumed 20.15 litres of diesel per hectare, whereas conventional tillage consumed 36.13 litres. The difference corresponded to a net carbon reduction of 11.23 kg C/ha. Conventional farmers used 3,289.12 cubic metres of water per hectare, whereas SST farmers used 1,756.91 cubic metres, representing a saving of 1,532.21 cubic metres per hectare. Physical water productivity increased from 0.92 to 1.71 kg/m3, while economic water productivity increased from Rs. 23.33 to Rs. 43.52 per cubic metre. Grain yield was not significantly affected. Although SST is not a new concept, these data from smallholder farms in Chandauli provide field-level evidence that farmers can save fuel and reduce water use substantially without foregoing yield.