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 <div class="title"><h3>6.12 - Cono Weeder for Small Scale Paddy Rice Farmers </h3><br><h3 class="ch-owner">Izah Sajad, University of Guelph, Canada</h3></div>
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<p><b>Related video(s)</b>: Rotary weeder, Effective weed management in rice (Source: Access Agriculture)</p>
 <p><i> https://www.accessagriculture.org/rotary-weeder?cat_id=495</i></p>
 <p><i> https://www.accessagriculture.org/effective-weed-management-rice?cat_id=1499</i></p>

<p>Suggested citation for this chapter.</p>
<p>Sajad,I. (2022) Cono Weeder for Small Scale Paddy Rice Farmers. In Farmpedia, The Encyclopedia for Small Scale Farmers. Editor, M.N. Raizada, University of Guelph, Canada. http://www.farmpedia.org</p>
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       <h1 class="title-bg">Introduction to Paddy Rice and Cono Weeders </h1>
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          <p>Paddy rice is cultivated in small, level, flooded fields — known as paddies (Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2023). It is a significant food source for South and East Asian rural populations (Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2023). Rice is also a staple food for more than 50% of the world's population, with rice making up 80% of their dietary requirements (FAO, 2002). The sale of rice in regions that suffer from poverty — such as the Greater Mekong Sub-region in Southeast Asia — has been linked with poverty reduction (Zorya, 2015). Furthermore, increased rice production typically results in increased family income (Rajindra et al., 2021), which underscores the positive impact of rice farming on economic well-being and poverty reduction. As demonstrated in Cambodia, a significant factor in poverty reduction is the development of the agriculture sector. From 2004 to 2012, poverty in Cambodia was reduced by 35%, with 63% of the poverty reduction attributed to improvements in agriculture (Zorya, 2015). Hence, improving the rice farming sector will positively influence crop yield, potentially increasing family income and reducing poverty (Rajindra et al., 2021). 
Weed maintenance is a crucial component of rice cultivation, contributing to almost 33% of the cultivation costs and 25% of the total labour demand (Ningthoujam & Shrivastava, 2018). Weeds compete with rice crops for essential nutrients, light and space, thereby reducing crop yield and quality (Suryakant, 2016). Weeding to maintain rice crops is typically done via traditional methods (e.g., manual removal); however, these practices require extensive labour and time (Ningthoujam & Shrivastava, 2018). Use of weeding tools, such as the Cono weeder, provides additional advantages that traditional practices lack (Ningthoujam & Shrivastava, 2018).</P>
<p>Cono weeders are manually operated machinery used to remove weeds in lowland rice fields, including paddy rice (Selvan et al., 2014). The rotating cones on the Cono weeder provide the additional advantage of irrigating and aerating the soil, increasing water intake capacity (Shakya et al., 2016). This leads to better soil health, healthier root growth, and higher crop yield (Materu et al., 2018). Furthermore, Cono weeders integrate weeds into the soil, which act as an organic fertilizer to increase crop yield (Shakya et al., 2016). It provides more weeding efficiency than manual weeding, resulting in improved weed control and higher crop yield (Narwariya et al., 2016).
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<p>Figure 1. Image of the Cono weeder (Packleader, 2017). 
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<p>Figure 2. Parts of the Cono weeder (Growin Enterprises, n.d.).</p>

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       <h1 class="title-bg">Step-by-Step Instructions </h1>
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<p>Start at the edge of the paddy field and position the weeder between rows of rice crops, with the cones facing downwards (“User’s Manual,” n.d.). Begin to push the weeder forward, employing a back-and-forth motion to trap weeds in the rotating cones (see Figure 3) (“User’s Manual,” n.d.). Continue to use this rolling motion technique, overlapping each pass until you reach the end of the row. Use water to clean all parts of the Cono weeder (Figure 2), and store the machine in a dry, moisture-free area to prevent rusting (“User’s Manual,” n.d.).</p>
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<p>Figure 3. Diagram depicting the rolling motion technique used for weed removal via the Cono weeder (Original illustration from Izah Sajad, University of Guelph).</p>
 
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       <h1 class="title-bg">Cost Analysis of the Cono Weeder  </h1>
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<p>Poverty among smallholder families in Asia is widespread (Rapsomanikis, 2015). In Bangladesh, smallholder families earn approximately US$ 2.90/person/day - US$ 3.40/person/day (Rapsomanikis, 2015).  However, for 1 acre of land, the approximate cost of labour with maintenance cost is US$ 19.49/acre/day — with a weeder machine, and US$ 29.24/acre/day — without a weeder machine (Devanathan et al., 2021). With rice being a significant source of food for these populations (Zorya, 2015), rice farmers may benefit from investing in the Cono weeder, which will increase crop yield and decrease daily labour costs/time (Narwariya et al., 2016; Khandai et al., 2018).</p>
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<p>Table 1 indicates that use of Cono weeders on rice fields results in a 50% cost savings and 25% time savings per day compared to traditional weeding methods (i.e. manual weeding) (Khandai et al., 2018). However, the initial cost of Cono weeders is significantly higher than traditional methods, with the retail cost being approximately US$ 18.05 - US$ 28.81 (Watershed Support Services and Activities Network [WASSAN], 2006; KSNM Drip, n.d.). The cost of Cono weeders may be expensive relative to daily income; however, there are long-term labour and time savings benefits that traditional methods lack. </p>
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       <h1 class="title-bg">Labour Analysis of the Cono Weeder</h1>
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<P>The use of a Cono weeder for weed management consumes approximately 50% and 57.89% more energy from males and females, respectively, compared to manual weeding (Remesan et al., 2007). While the energy expenditure for manual weeding is lower, overall body discomfort is considerably higher in both sexes due to the drudgery required for weed removal (Remesan et al., 2007). Overall discomfort can be significantly reduced by using the Cono weeder (Remesan et al., 2007). Furthermore, the Cono weeder could improve women's pace of performance, saving them 76% of their time and doubling the productivity of women's labour (WASSAN, 2006).</p>
<p>Manual weeding requires significantly more drudgery due to the bending posture used to remove weeds (Remesan et al., 2007). The Cono weeder's ergonomic design helps reduce back pain by allowing farmers to maintain an upright position during weeding (Suryakant, 2016). Furthermore, the Cono weeder can be operated by a single person and can increase grain yield by approximately 23.88% (Balakrishnan et al., 2010).
Although the Cono weeder offers numerous benefits, there are limitations that must be addressed. First, Cono weeders are not recommended for black/loamy soils (WASSAN, 2006). Additionally, after continuous use, the axle hole — located at the point where the cone holder attaches to the rotating cones (see Figure 2) — becomes widened (WASSAN, 2006). Understanding the intricacies of weed management is crucial, as lacking such knowledge may result in damaged crops (WASSAN, 2006). Finally, the Cono weeder may not be the least costly mechanical weeder for paddy rice. The Mandava weeder has a retail cost of approximately US$ 6.60 - US$ 29.75 (WASSAN, 2006; Tools Villa, n.d.), and provides more labour-saving advantages.</p> 
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<p>Table 2 indicates that the Mandava weeder has approximately 23.94% more WCE and requires less energy/force to operate (Sarkar et al., 2017). Additionally, the Cono weeder typically weighs around 7.5 kg, while the Mandava weeder weighs around 5 kg and has more strength (WASSAN, 2006). Consequently, the Mandava weeder is more portable and easier to operate for women farmers (Earth Links, n.d.). A significant advantage of the Mandava weeder is that it is suitable for all soil types, whereas the Cono weeder has limitations (WASSAN, 2006). Ultimately, the decision between adopting the Cono or Mandava weeder or using traditional weeding practices is dependent on individual preferences and environmental factors, such as soil type. </p>
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       <h1 class="title-bg">Adoption by Small-Scale Farmers</h1>
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<p>The Climate Smart Irrigated Agriculture Project (CSIAP) is a program committed to improving smallholder agriculture by supporting farmers in hot spot areas in Sri Lanka (The World Bank Group, n.d.). The CSIAP has already introduced the Cono weeder to the Anuradhapura district (CSIAP Sri Lanka, 2019). For more information on the availability of subsidies or similar programs, contact local agricultural offices. Additionally, the Cono weeder can be purchased through various online retailers (see Purchase Links for Cono Weeders). </p>
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       <h1 class="title-bg">helpful links</h1>
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<p><b>Further Readings</b></p>
<p>https://www.fao.org/fileadmin/templates/tci/pdf/Investment_Days_2013/17_December/1c._System_of_Rice_Intensification__SRI__-_Selvaraju.pdf</p>
<p>https://www.fao.org/3/x6905e/x6905e0f.htm</p>
<p>https://www.fao.org/3/cb8681en/cb8681en.pdf</p>

<p><b>Links to Online Training Resources</b></p>
<p>How to use Cono weeder (English): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=baVMvEBrz9g</p>
<p>How-to/function of Cono weeder (Hindi): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WBxsVPVThmA</p>
<p>How-to/function of Cono weeder (Tamil): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3lfDwbHMG78</p>
<p>How to use and clean Cono weeder: https://youtube.com/shorts/OTQYvtNg9-I?feature=shared</p>
<p>Training manual (English): https://drumseeders.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/User-Manual-Cono-Weeder.pdf</p>

<p><b>Links to Purchase Cono Weeders</b></p>
<p> IndiaMART: https://dir.indiamart.com/impcat/cono-weeder.html</p>
<p>KSNM Drip: https://ksnmdrip.com/products/drum-seeder/cono-weeder</p>
<p> Badikheti Agrolink: https://www.badikheti.com/weeder/pdp/cono-weeder/wh4u7fi5</p>
<p>Justdial: https://www.justdial.com/india/Cono-weeder</p>
<p>Krushikendra: https://krushikendra.com/Cono-weeder-online</p>

<p><b>Links to Picture-Based Lessons on Cono Weeder</b></p>
<p>http://www.sakbooks.com/uploads/8/1/5/7/81574912/7.2_south_asian_eng.pdf#page=3</p>
<p>http://www.sakbooks.com/uploads/8/1/5/7/81574912/7.2a_to_d_south_asia__nepali_uncaptioned.pdf#page=2</p>
<p>http://www.sakbooks.com/uploads/8/1/5/7/81574912/7.2east_southeast_asia_englishversion.pdf#page=3</p>
<p>http://www.sakbooks.com/uploads/8/1/5/7/81574912/7.2subsaharan_africa_carribean_engversion.pdf#page=3</p>
<p>http://www.sakbooks.com/uploads/8/1/5/7/81574912/7.2latin_america_eng_version.pdf#page=3</p>
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       <h1 class="title-bg">References</h1>
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          <p>1.Balakrishnan, M., Ravisankar, N., Swarnam, T. P., & Din, M. (2010). Influence of prickly sesban (Sesbania cannabina) intercropping in wet-seeded rice (Oryza sativa) on productivity, profitablilty, energetics and nitrogen balance under island ecosystem. Indian Journal of Agricultural Sciences, 80(1), 21-23.</p> 
<p>2.CSIAP Sri Lanka. (2019, December 3). The Cono Weeder is introduced to farmers in Anuradhapura by CSIAP. Climate Smart Irrigated Agriculture Project, Ministry of Agriculture, Sri Lanka. Retrieved March 29, 2024, from https://csiaplk.blogspot.com/2019_12_03_archive.html</p>
<p>3.Devanathan, C., DineshKumar, P., Selvaramkumar, A., Giri, R., & Dhandapani, S. (2021). Design and development of cost effective agricultural weeder. Materials Today: Proceedings, 47, 6590–6593.</p> 
<p>4.Encyclopaedia Britannica (2023, December 13). Paddy (C. Parrott-Sheffer, Ed.). Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved from: https://www.britannica.com/topic/paddy</p>
<p>5.Earth Links. (n.d.). Mandava Weeder. Retrieved March 29, 2024, from https://earthlinksinc.org/equipments/mandava-weeder/</p>
<p>6.Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations [FAO]. (2002). FAO Rice Information (Vol. 3). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. https://www.fao.org/3/Y4347E/y4347e00.htm#Contents</p>
<p>7.Growin Enterprises. (n.d.). Kisankraft Manual Cono Weeder, For Agriculture. IndiaMart. Retrieved March 25, 2024, from https://www.indiamart.com/proddetail/manual-cono-weeder-20477262491.html</p>
<p>8.Khandai, S., Tripathi, A., Kumar, V., Kerketta, A. K., & Pal, S. (2018). Modification of existing power weeder and study on the cost economics of different weeding methods. International Journal of Pure and Applied Bioscience, 6(6), 60–63. https://doi.org/10.18782/2320-7051.7108</p>
<p>9.KSNM Drip. (n.d.). Cono weeder. Retrieved January 28, 2024, from: https://ksnmdrip.com/products/drum-seeder/cono-weeder</p>
<p>10.Materu, S. T., Shukla, S. K., Sishodia, R. P., Tarimo, A. K. P. R., & Tumbo, S. D. (2018). Water use and rice productivity for irrigation management alternatives in Tanzania. Water, 10(8), 1018. https://doi.org/10.3390/w10081018</p>
<p>11.Narwariya, B. S., Tiwari, K. B., & Shrivastava, P. (2016). Performance evaluation of different manual operated weeding equipment for Paddy crop in vertisols. Ecology, Environment and Conservation Journal, 22, S357–S363. </p>
<p>12.Ningthoujam, B., & Shrivastava, A. K. (2018). Development and evaluation of self-propelled Cono weeder for rice cultivation in Vertisol. Indian Journal of Hill Farming, 31(2), 307–313. https://kiran.nic.in/pdf/IJHF/Vol_31_2/16%20Edited.pdf</p>
<p>13.Packleader. (2017, August 28). KSNM Cono Weeder. Engineering for Change. Retrieved March 25, 2024, from https://www.engineeringforchange.org/solutions/product/ksnm-cono-weeder/</p>
<p>14.Rapsomanikis, G. (2015). The economic lives of smallholder farmers: An analysis based on household data from nine countries. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome. https://www.fao.org/3/i5251e/i5251e.pdf</p>
<p>15.Remesan, R., Roopesh, Remya, N., & Preman, P. S. (2007). Wet land paddy weeding - A comprehensive comparative study from South India. Agricultural Engineering International: The CIGR Journal, 9, 1-21.</p>
<p>16.Sarkar, B., Singh, S., Kumar, R., Mishra, J. S., Kumar, A., Yadav, V. K., Reddy, R., & Bhatt, B. P. (2017). Comparative performance of manual weeders under system of rice intensification in Indo-Gangetic plains. Indian Journal of Weed Science, 49(1), 82. https://doi.org/10.5958/0974-8164.2017.00020.X</p>
<p>17.Selvan, M. M., Annamalai, S. J. K., Kathirvel, K., Thambidurai, S. (2014). Human factors intervention and design improvement of manual single row Conoweeder for gender neutrality in lowland rice. Agricultural Mechanization in Asia, Africa and Latin America, 45(4), 51–57.</p>
<p>18.Shakya, H. B., Parmar, M. R., Kumpavat, M. T., & Swarnkar, R. (2016). Development and performance evaluation of manually operated Cono-Weeder for Paddy Crop. International Refereed Journal of Engineering and Science, 5(7), 6–17. http://irjes.com/Papers/vol5-issue7/B570617.pdf</p>
<p>19.Suryakant, C. S. (2016). Development of women friendly Cono weeder for paddy [College of Agricultural Engineering and Technology]. https://earthlinksinc.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Development-of-Women-Friendly-Cono-Weeder-2.pdf</p>
<p>20.The World Bank Group. (n.d.). Climate Smart Irrigated Agriculture Project - P163742. Retrieved January 30, 2024, from https://projects.worldbank.org/en/projects-operations/project-detail/P163742</p>
<p>21.Tools Villa. (n.d.). Manual Mandva weeder for removing weeds from Paddy Crops. Retrieved March 29, 2024, from https://www.toolsvilla.com/manual-mandava-weeder</p>
<p>22.User’s manual: Venus Cono weeder. (n.d.). In ASPL. Retrieved March 25, 2024, from https://drumseeders.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/User-Manual-Cono-Weeder.pdf</p>
<p>23.Watershed Support Services and Activities Network [WASSAN]. (2006). Weeders: A reference compendium (1st ed.). http://sri.ciifad.cornell.edu/countries/india/extmats/SRIWeederManual06.pdf</p>
<p>24.Zorya, S. (2015, December 15). Five facts about rice and poverty in the Greater Mekong Sub-region. World Bank Blogs. Retrieved March 25, 2024, from https://blogs.worldbank.org/en/eastasiapacific/five-facts-about-rice-and-poverty-in-the-greater-mekong-sub-region</p>

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