Who among the following travellers reported the use of seed drill on the Karnataka coast which is considered to be the earliest reference of the presence of the device in India?

The earliest positive reference to the use of a seed drill for sowing in India is attributed to the Portuguese traveler Duarte Barbosa around 1510 [2]. Barbosa observed this agricultural device on the west coast of India, specifically in the context of wet rice cultivation in the Karnataka region [2]. While traditional methods like broadcasting seeds were more prevalent across the subcontinent, the seed drill represented a significant technological advancement in medieval Indian agriculture. This device, often pulled by oxen, allowed for more systematic planting compared to manual scattering. Other travelers like Abdur Razzaq, Afanasy Nikitin, and Niccolo Conti visited India during the 15th century and provided extensive accounts of the Vijayanagara Empire and Deccan society, but the specific earliest mention of the seed drill on the Karnataka coast is uniquely linked to Barbosa's detailed observations of coastal agricultural practices [2].

Sources

1. [2] THEMES IN INDIAN HISTORY PART II, History CLASS XII (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 8: Peasants, Zamindars and the State > Agricultural prosperity and population growth > p. 200
2. [1] https://egyankosh.ac.in/bitstream/123456789/99944/1/Unit-16.pdf