Wel-come
❑ Sowing equipment
• Seeding or sowing is an art of placing seeds
in the soil to have good germination in the
field.
▪ Seeding Methods
• Broadcasting
• Dibbling
• Drilling
• Seed Dropping behind the plough
• Transplanting
• Hill dropping
• Check row planting
• Seed drill :- It is a machine for placing the
seeds in a continuous flow in furrows at
uniform rate and at controlled depth with or
without the arrangement of covering the seed
with soil.
The seed drill performs the following
functions:
(i) to carry the seeds
(ii) to open furrow to an uniform depth
(iii) to meter the seeds
(iv) to place the seed in furrows in an acceptable
pattern and
(v) to cover the seeds and compact the soil
around the seed.
• Components of seed drill
• A seed drill with mechanical seed metering
device mainly consists of:
(i) frame.
(ii) seed box.
(iii) seed metering mechanism.
(iv) furrow openers.
(v) covering device and.
(vi) transport wheels.
• Frame. The frame is usually made angle iron
with suitable braces and brackets. The frame is
strong enough to with stand all types of loads in
working condition.
• Seed box. It may be made of mild steel sheet or
galvanized iron with a suitable cover. A small
agitator is sometimes provided to prevent
clogging of seeds.
• Covering device. It is a device to refill a furrow
after the seed has been placed in it. Covering
the seeds are usually done by patta, chains,
drags, packers, rollers and press wheels,
designed in various sizes and shapes.
• Transport wheel. There are two wheels fitted
on the main axle. Some seed drills have got
pneumatic wheels also. The wheels have
suitable attachments to transmit power to
operate seed dropping mechanism.
▪ Seed metering mechanism
• The mechanism of a seed drill or fertilizer
distributor which deliver seeds or fertilizers
from the hopper at selected rates is called
• Seed metering mechanism may be of several
types:
(i) fluted feed type.
(ii) internal double run type.
(iii) cup feed type.
(iv) cell feed mechanism.
(v) brush feed mechanism.
(vi) auger feed mechanism.
(vii) picker wheel mechanism.
(viii) star wheel mechanism.
Fluted feed type seed metering
mechanism
• The fluted wheel (also
known as fluted roller) is
driven by a square shaft.
• Fluted rollers are provided
with longitudinal grooves
along the outer periphery
and can be shifted on the
shaft sideways
• Internal double run type seed metering
mechanism i) In this type of metering
mechanism double feed is used. One face of
the drill has large openings for large size seeds.
where as the other face has smaller openings
for small size seeds.
• ii) A gates is provided in the bottom of the box
to cover the opening not in use.
• iii) The seed rate is controlled by changing the
speed of the internal seed wheel by selecting
suitable gear ratio for given drive gear.
Internal double run Cup feed mechanism
• Cup feed metering
mechanism - It is a
mechanism consisting of cups
of spoons on the periphery of
a vertical rotating disc which
picks up the seeds from the
hopper and delivers them into
the seed tubes.
• It consists of a seed hopper
which has two parts. The
upper one is called Grain box
and the lower one is called
Feed box.
PLANTERS
• Planters -
• Planters are normally used for those seeds
which are larger in size & cannot be used by
usual seed drills.
• Function of planter -
• i) To open the furrow.
• ii) To meter the seed.
• iii) To deposit the seed in the furrow.
• iv) To cover the seed & compact the soil over it.
• A planter consists of
• i) Hopper
• ii) Seed metering device
• iii) Knock-out arrangement
• iv) Cut-off mechanism
• v) Furrow opener.
• i) A planter has seed hopper for each row.
Hopper is usually made of mild steel or any
other suitable material.
• Seed metering device in planter
• i) There are no. of seed metering devices in
planter but most common planter consists of
rotating plate at the bottom of seed hoppers.
• ii) The most common is horizontal seed plate
used on planters. The horizontal seed plate have
got suitable notches & holes for 'Cells'.
Depending upon the type of notches it is of
three types.
• 1) Edge drop
• 2) Flat drop
• 3) Hill drop.
Horizontal seed plate used on planters
• The accuracy of the planter depends
upon several factors such as
• 1) Speed of the seed plate.
• 2) Shape & size of the cells.
• 3) Shape of hopper bottom.
• 4) Uniformity of seed size
Planter
Potato planter
