Seeding and Planting

Seeding and planting machine

Functions of the seed planter
 Open the seed furrow to the proper depth
 Meter the seeds
 Deposit the seed in the furrow in an
acceptable pattern
 Cover the seed and compacted the soil around
the seed to the proper degree for the type of
crop involved
 Seed metering devices
• Bulk flow seed metering device
• Single seeds metering device
Seed metering devices
 Factors affecting germination and
emergence
 Viability of seeds
 Soil temperature
 Soil moisture
 Soil aeration
 Mechanical compaction to seeding emergence
Methods of seed sowing / planting
 Broadcasting method
• Broadcasting is the scattering of seeds on the
field surface , soon after broadcasting, seeds
are covered by manipulating the soil and
planking it over. Such crops are given
intercultural operations only by hand tools. A
slightly higher rate of seeding is done by this
methods.
 Dibbling: Placing two or
more seeds in holes
made in the soil either
by hand tools or by
some implements.
Dibbling of seed is done
only for small plots and
it is used for vegetable
crops.
 Seeding behind the
plow
 Drilling: Seeds drops
continuously from the
seed metering device and
flow through seed tubes
then seeds are received
by furrow opener.
Drilling by machine,
maintained row to row
distance but plant to
plant distance is in
scatter form.
 Seed cum fertilizer drill (Ferti-drill)
It performs the following
mechanical functions
• It open furrow to a uniform
depth
• It meter the seeds and drop
uniformly at a desire depth
without injury
• It meter the fertilizer and
drops it at a desire depth in
the soil
• It covers the seeds and
compact the soil around them
 Happy seeder
Happy seeder is a no till
planter, towed behind a
tractor, that sows (plant)
the seeds in rows directly
without any prior seed
bed preparation. It consist
of straw managing
chopper and a zero till
drill that makes it possible
to sow new crop in the
residue of previous crop
Method of Planting
 Hill dropping
In this system, a group of seeds drop in the field
and maintained row to row and plant to plant
distance.
 Check rowing is the method in which the spacing
between the rows is the same as that between
the plants. The method makes it possible to do
intercultural operation from both directions.
 Transplanting of seedlings
Seedlings are grown in nursery and transplanted
in the field at a certain age.
• Paddy
• Vegetable crops
• Flower etc.
Transplanting is done by manual or by machine.
Transplanting in line gives the facility for
intercultural operation.
 Transplanting
 Types of surface profile for row crop
planting
Ridge planting
 Furrow planting
 Bed planting
Seeding by drum seeder
 Calibration of seed drill
When to calibrate the seed drill:
• New machine is fabricated: to conform the
seed rate, machine is calibrated
• After repair and maintenance
• When seed variety is changed
• After no longer used
 How to calibrate the seed drill
• Measure the circumference of drive wheel to see as to how
many turns would it make in covering ½ kilometer distance.
Suppose the circumference is 2.5 meter. Then the wheel
would to turn 200 times.
• Measure the drilling width of machine, say it is 1.25 meter.
There are 10,000 sq meter in a hectare. Dividing that by
1.25, we have to drive [10,000/1.25]= 8000 meter to cover a
hectare, or 80 meter to cover [1/100]th of hectare. To cover
this distance (80 m), the wheel has to move[80/2.5]=32
turns. Allowing about 10 % slippage during operation, the
above distance can be covered in about 29 turns only.
Zero till seed drill
• Raise the seed drill so that the driver wheel
become free to be turned. Put the chalk mark
on the rim or tie a cloth marker to a spoke,
and spread paper or canvas sheet underneath.
Fill the seed box with seed and set a seeding
rate lever at a point. Now the machine is
ready to be checked. Turn the wheel 29 turns.
• Collect the total seed under the drill and
checked the weight. The seed rate per hectare
can be calculated . Any change in the seed rate
can be adjusted by setting the lever and
calibrating the machine till the desire seed
rate is obtained.
• Desire seed rate should not be less than
recommended value of seed rate.
• Delivery seed rate: It can be calculated from
the delivery in given number of revolutions of
ground wheel during calibration.
Q= [L*10,000]/[π*De*n*W] (kg/ha)
Q = delivery rate, L = delivery in a given number
of revolutions(n) of ground wheel, De =
effective diameter of ground wheel, n =
number of revolutions of ground wheel
W = nominal working width
 Example
• diameter of power wheel= 0.8m
• Suppose Seed collected at 29 turns = 1.5 kg
• Width of machine = 1.25 m
• Recommended seed rate = (130 kg/ha)
According to formula,
Q (seed collected)= [L*10,000]/[π*De*n*W] (kg/ha)
Q = 164.72 (kg/ha)