Is zero-till wheat after paddy as good as conventional sowing for yield?

Switched to Happy Seeder three years back. Saved on field preparation and the yield is on par with my tilled fields now.

The one thing that decides success is how evenly your combine spread the paddy straw. The first year my straw was in thick windrows and the seed in those rows came up patchy. Now I fit a straw chopper-spreader behind the combine and the zero-till stand is even across the field.

For the first season do not be alarmed if the early growth looks a touch slower than tilled wheat. Mine looked behind for a few weeks but caught up fully by tillering and matched the rest. Have patience and keep the irrigation and weed control on schedule.

The big saving for me with the zero-till drill was the early sowing it allowed, since I could plant straight after the combine without the weeks lost to ploughing and planking. That earlier sowing alone added to my yield, on top of the diesel and water saved over my old tilled fields.

Watch your gulli danda plan when you go zero-till, because the straw cover changes how the weeds come up and my usual spray was less effective the first year. After I matched the herbicide and timing with the KVK for the residue conditions, the weed control came right and the system worked well.

Get the drill calibrated properly before the first season, mine was placing seed too shallow under the loose straw and the stand was uneven. Once the depth and seed rate were set right for my soil and the residue, the germination was even and matched my tilled plots.