Bund formation is an important field preparation operation in rice cultivation. Presently, this operation is done manually. A low cost, tractor drawn bund forming and strengthening implement for paddy wetlands has been developed. Shear strength of the bunds formed is one of the parameters for assessing effectiveness of bunds. Shear strength were measured for the bunds formed using the developed tractor drawn wetland bund formers and compared with the manual bunds formed at three locations. The medium bund former was seen to impart more strength to bunds formed at Pullazhi kolepadavu. At Kolothumpadam kolepadavu, the big bund former and the combination run provide strong bunds while at Athalur fields (non kole) the mechanical formers could be used to form new bunds only. | How mechanical bund formation affects the shear strength of bunds A study in paddy wetlands
