The University of Agriculture Faisalabad has developed Pakistan’s first multi-functional vegetable nursery transplanter to help reduce production costs and enhance agricultural productivity. The innovative machine was showcased at an awareness event held at the Water Management Research Center, organized jointly by the Department of Irrigation and Drainage, the Faculty of Agricultural Engineering and Technology, WMRC, and the Agricultural Mechanization Research Institute Multan under the PARB Project.
The multi-functional transplanter is capable of performing several operations in a single pass, including preparing two beds, laying mulch and drip irrigation laterals, and transplanting four rows of multiple vegetable crops simultaneously. WMRC Director Dr. Muhammad Zaman highlighted that mechanized transplanting improves water management by ensuring uniform planting and proper spacing, which reduces water waste and enhances nutrient utilization. He emphasized that such innovations are crucial for sustainable farming, particularly under climate change and water scarcity conditions.
Dr. Muhammad Adnan Shahid, Chairman of Irrigation and Drainage, stressed the importance of adopting modern irrigation systems to tackle water scarcity. He noted that bucket irrigation provides a cost-effective solution for small-scale farmers by delivering water directly to the root zone with minimal waste. Former Vice Chancellor Dr. Rai Niaz added that smart drip irrigation and automated systems help supply water according to crop needs, conserve water, and increase agricultural productivity, while smart gun irrigation ensures uniform water distribution over larger fields.
Eng. Shehzad Ahmed, Additional Director General of AMRI Multan, explained that the transplanter was designed according to local field conditions and farmers’ requirements, reducing operational costs, improving plant survival rates, and increasing overall field efficiency. Muhammad Sajjad, Deputy Director of the Vegetable Research Institute, highlighted that vegetable production in Pakistan heavily relies on manual transplanting, which is labor-intensive, time-consuming, and expensive. He added that the new multi-functional transplanter addresses labor shortages, lowers production costs, and improves vegetable quality, offering a modern and cost-effective solution for the country’s vegetable farming sector.
