The Tamil Nadu Agricultural University has been granted a national patent for a Fertilizer broadcaster attachment to weeder. This patent was granted by the Controller General of Patents, Design and Trade Marks, The Patent Office, Government of India.
The fertilizer broadcaster cum weeder combines the operations of both fertilizer application and weeding in paddy fields. It consists of a seed hopper with controlled opening, fertilizer spreading disc and power transmission system. The fertilizer is conveyed from the hopper to the top of the spinning disc. Because of the rotation of spinning disc and the centrifugal force, the fertilizer is spread over a swath of 3 m. Power is transmitted from the gear box of the weeder to another gear box which is fixed at the bottom of the spinning disc through chain and sprocket mechanism. The developed fertilizer broadcaster is attached to the power weeder for the concurrent operation of weeding and fertilizer application which will be useful in small farm mechanization.
The Vice Chancellor of TNAU, Dr. V. Geethalakshmi, congratulated the patentees of the invention titled “Fertilizer broadcaster attachment to weeder” on 24th April in the Vice Chancellor's committee room by presenting the patent certificates to them in the presence of the Deans of SPGS and AEC&RI, Coimbatore.