Sowing and Planting Machines Guide

Sowing and Planting
Machines(2L)
Prepared by
Er. Uttam Raj Timilsina(MSc.Engineering,IIT
Roorkee)
Professor of Agricultural Engineering,AFU
uttamrajtimilsina@gmail.com, 9841684994
For
Batch 2069/2070,BSc.Ag,4th
semester(071/7/16-071/10/15)
Course Code:AEN-301,Farm Power and
Machinery(1+1

Sowing and Planting Machines
 Method/type of seeding and planting
 Metering mechanism for seeds and fertilizers
in seed cum fertilizers drills and planters
 Type of furrow openers and covers
 Zero tills/minimum tills drills and planters
 Potato and Sugarcane planters
 Rice drum seeder and paddy transplanters

Seeding and Planting
 Seeding/Planting:-It is the art of placing seeds in the soil under
optimum moisture content and soil temperature condition to obtain:
 Good germination.
 To get high yield, with right amount of seeds governed by seed rate
calculation, placed at right time at a predetermined depth and
spacing in irrigated and rain-fed soil.
 The sowing depth depends upon available moisture content of soil,
seed emergence capacity and covering of seed by soil to protect from
sun drying as well as birds eating.
 Similarly the spacing between seed depends upon plant growth and
their distribution characteristics( rooting and branching) per unit
area, required plant environment, plant density and space
requirement for intercultural operation by machines or manually.
 Generally larger seeds like maize are shown at greater depth with
wider spacing in comparison to smaller seeds like mustard ,wheat
etc.

Seeding /planting….
 Method of sowing/planting
 Broadcasting:- It is the scattering of seeds on prepared/pulverized field
surface with covering the seed by soil by manipulating the soil or planking it
over.Higher rate of seeding is required in this method. It is mostly used for
cereals upland crops like millet,wheat,paddy, and other grass crops/fodder
crops as indigenous/older type of seeding/farming.It mostly done manually
and some machines are also available now a days
 Dibbling:- it is the placing two or more seeds in a holes made in soil either
by hand tools or by some implement/seed planter. Dibbling is done in a
small plots and used for vegetable crops manually or by the use of seed
planter
 Seed dropping behind the plough:-It is used for larger seeds like maize
peas, gram as well as also used for wheat and barley as a older method of
seeding with the operation of indigenous plow to open furrow and
dropping the seed by another man or women following the plowing

Method of seeding…
 Drilling:-It is the dropping of cereal crops seeds in the furrow
through seed tubes using seed drills machine with metering
mechanism of seed mechanically. In case of seed drills machine
the number of rows planted at a time are more with accuracy of
proper depth of sowing, space of sowing and amount of seed to
be used as pre-calculated seed rate.
 Hill dropping:-It is the method in which seeds are sown in
lines/rows with dropping the seeds at a fixed spacing by the use
of seed planter or manually for cotton, maize instead of
continuous drilling
 Check rowing:-It is the method in which seeding is done with the
use of seed planter or manually with fixing row to row and plant
to plant spacing equal and being placed the seeds in square check
making possible to do intercultural operation from both
directions

Seeding/transplanting…
Transplanting:- It is done commonly for
paddy,vegetables, flowers,and fruits crops for
better yields.Seedlings are grown in nurseries
with better care and nourishment then
transplanting is done into another properly
prepared field.Transplanting in lines/rows is
done by manually or using mechanical
transplanters in case of paddy farming.

Seeding and planting Machines
 Classification of seeding and planting
machines
Conventional types of seeding and planting
machines(Seed drills,planters used in well land
prepared field)
Conservation types of seeding and planting
machines(zero tillage/minimum tillage seed
drills,planters used in unprepared land with
minimum tillage around seed placing areas only
in a single operation

Seeding and planting machines
 Function of seeding and planting machines:-Seeding and
planting machines are designed, developed and
manufactured to perform the following function
 It develops/opens a furrow of uniform depth in
conservation as well as conventional tillage mechanism
 It meters the seeds at controlled rate with seed metering
devices and drops uniformly at a desired depth without
injury
 It meters fertilizers at controlled rate and drops uniformly
at desired depth without mixing with seeds
 It keeps seeds at proper depth and spacing ,in case of seed
drills continuous seeding in rows and in case of row
planter,keeping seed to seed spacing
 It covers the seeds by soil with proper compaction around
them for excellent soil moisture contact

Types of Seeding and Planting
Machines
 Plain Drills(traditional type) and Seed cum Fertilizers
Drills – Manually metered drills,Mechanically metered
drills,and Pneumatically metered drills for
wheat,mustard, barley,and other crops
 Seed planters/Row crop Planter/Seed dibblers-
Manually operated or mechanically operated like
potato planter,Sugarcane planter, corn planter, cotton
planter,vegetable seed planter etc.
 Transplanters for seedlings transplantation -for
paddy,vegetables,fruits etc

Seeding and planting Machines…..
 Seed cum fertilizers drills:-
 Animal drawn trailing type with rear cage wheel for supporting as
well as providing power for moving seed metering devices
 Tractor drawn seed cum fertilizers drills
o Tractor mounted type:-In this type the complete machine is mounted
on tractor,s three point linkage and power for operating seed
dropping mechanism for a pneumatically metered or jet drills is
taken from PTO shaft
o Trailing type:-Very common in Asian countries and have its front,
supported on tractors hitch while the rear end has two cage wheels
supporting the seed drills machine as well as providing power for
moving the seed metering and dropping mechanism through suitable
gear and chain connection. Generally 12 rows with 18 cm spacing,
that is 2meter coverage size are available for tractor drawn

Seeding and planting machine…..
 Basic functional requirements of a perfect seed
cum fertilizer drills
It should open furrow to a uniform depth
Seeds must be dropped with uniformity and
without any injury
There should be a system to control the seeding
rate
There should be a system to control the seeding
depth and adjustment if required
It should cover the seed with moist soil after
planting with proper contact

Seeding and planting machine..
 Calibration of seed drill:- Manufacturers
calibrate the seed drill when it is first
built.However as the seed drill wears out and
different seed varieties are used the
recalibration is needed.Process of calibration is as
follows
Measure the circumference of the drive
wheel=1.5 m
Drilling width of machine=2 m
Take a field of 10 by 10 m= 100 sqm than
distance covered= 1oo/2=50 m

Seeding and planting machine…
Wheel have to move=50/1.5=33.33 turn to cover
that distance
Taking 10% slippage actual turn comes to
33.33*0.9=30 turns
Raise the seed drill for free movement of ground
wheel,turn the wheel for 30 turns collect the
seed dropped for 30 turns ,take the weight and
calculate for 1 ha,match with seed rate /ha,if nof
found again repeat the process by adjusting
seeding rate liver to drop more or less seed to
drop accordingly

Seeding and planting machine…..
 Components of seed cum fertilizer drills
Seed cum fertilizer drills frame:-It if angle iron
reinforced frame which withstand all load like
load of seed ,fertilizer,seed drills machine itself
and jerks due to working on rough terrain/field.
Seeds placing hopper/ chamber/ :-It consist of
sheet metal box having sloppy narrow bottom for
grains dropping at the bottom easily
Fertilizer placing hopper/chamber:-fitted with
agitator

 Mechanical seed metering ,dropping
component:-It consist of two types feed or
metering devices at the bottom of seed box
o fluted roller feed device:-It consist of feed
roller,feed cutoff and adjustment gate mounted
on shaft
o Double run feed device with double faced roller
for multi crop seed metering device:-It consist of
double faced wheel, one face having larger
opening for larger seed metering and other face
having smaller opening for smaller seeds
metering.

Planter with seed metering
mechanism

Seed cum fertilizer drill in operation

Seeding and planting machine…
These feeding devices are connected with
chain drive and gear sets for changing the
speed of feed drive to change the required
seed metering situation
Seeds after metering mechanism drop into
flexible feed tubes fitted with metering device
at the top and with furrow opener at the
bottom

Seeding and planting machine….
Pneumatic or jet drills with seed metering
device:-After the seed metering the seeds are
thrown by air pressure to the furrow opener
with the help of power from PTO shaft for
running metering devices and dropping
device.Pneumatic or jet drills are more
advanced in comparison to mechanical seed
drills.Similarly mechanical seed drills are also
in advanced stage in comparison to manually
operated seed drills

PTO drive Pneumatic or jet metering
drill

S&P machine
 Furrow opening component:- Furrow openers in seed
cum fertilizer drills are provided to facilitate the
placement of seed and fertilizers at a proper depth and
spacing in case of conventional and conservation or
minimum tillage/ zero tillage seed cum fertilizer drills
 Furrow openers are of two types as rotating types and
fixed types
 Rotating types are single disc type and double disc type
 Similarly fixed types are shoe type, hoe type, shovel
type, chisel point type, curved runner type and inverted
T-type etc used depending upon soil type, moisture
condition, conventional or conservation tillage

S&P Machine
 Seed covering and packing component:- Different
types of attachment are available for covering the
planted or seeded field which are as chain drags , v
shaped drags,seed packers wheel, soil press wheels,
levelling blades,plankers etc
 Transport wheel cum power transmitting
component:- power for moving seed metering devices
is supplied either from ground wheel in case of trailing
type seed drills or from PTO shaft of the tractor in case
of tractor mounted seed drills.Tractor mounted are
more advanced seed drills than trailing types.

S&P machine
• Setting row markers:- setting markers is a
must for any seed drills for accurate seed
drilling.It gives the mark on the soil on which
front left wheel of tractor must travel on its
next turn.

PTO shaft powered Seed planter

PTO drive maize seed planter/seeder

Tractor drawn seed cum fertilizer drill

Paddy Transplanter
• Paddy transplanter:-Successful paddy
transplanter were not available in the market
over a decade ago.Now a days Japanese and
Chinese model of paddy transplanter are
available in our research farms for experimental
research/action research for adoption in farmers
field conditions. Due to the out migration of labor
force from rural areas, rice cultivation is in very
difficult situation without available human lalor
as well as without the adoption of paddy
transplanter from outside of the country.

Powertiller operated Transplanter

Hand tractor operated transplanter

Student research on transplanter

Small and handy type transplanter

Rice drum seeder
• Rice drum seeder is a device for paddy cultivation in
which direct seeding of rice seed is placed in muddy
soil/puddle soil to have good germination of seed
instead of rice seedling transplantation by using a
machine called Rice Drum Seeder. It is more popular
and cost effective in the rice growing regions where
labor shortage is a serious problem at the time of rice
transplanting. It is the method of rice growing without
reduction in yield in comparison to transplanted rice
even with reduction of cost of cultivation. So it is
realized more beneficial, with low cost of cultivation as
not required the tedious job of transplanting.

Weeder used in rice field (drum
seeder)

Conservation farming machines(zero
till)
 Conversation tillage(Minimum tillage or Zero
tillage/No tillage) drills and planters:-
 It is the farming practice in which attachment of
planter,seed drills and soil packer with plowing is done so
that plowing and planting are completed simultaneously at
a single operation.Machines or equipments are used to do
as many jobs as possible in one operation.
 A set of equipments are designed to apply preemergent
chemical for weed control,to plow at minimun level around
seeding/planting areas, to plant with fertilizer application
in one operation for conservation farming/minimum tillage
farming.

Zero till
In our case the minimum till/zero till seed cum
fertilizer drill is used to open furrow by a furrow
opener to form a straight crack in moist soil
where seed and fertilizer is placed and soil is
pressed to cover the seed. Without removing the
grass and crop residues.
In USA it has been practiced since 1973 and had
found cost effective by reducing cost of
cultivation and having more yield in comparison
to conventional farming system

Zero till Jet drill(Pneumatic pressure)

Planters
• Sugarcane planter:-Sugarcane planters now a
days are commercially available which were
designed and developed by Indian Institute of
Sugarcane research(IISR).Both animal drawn
as well as tractor drawn planter machine are
available for flat planting of sugarcane sets.In
developed countries sugarcane planter are so
advanced that even farmers can afford the
planter in commercial farming with cost
effective manner

Planter
 Potato Planter:- The slow,laborious hand dropping
method of potato planting has been replaced by the
use of mechanical planter that open the furrow, drop
the potato seed at specified place,place fertilizer to the
side and below the level of seed and cover both seed
and fertilizer to the desired depth.Animal drawn as
well as tractor drawn potato planter are available in
market.Potato planters are semi automatic and
automatic types.In semi automatic type the operator
places the different size and shape of seed from
hopper into the metering device to deliver into
furrow.however automatic planters extensively used
in Europe and America need graded seed tubers.

Potato planter in working field

That,s All
Thank you to all, for
good listening for
gaining Knowledge
and Skill

Sowing and Planting Machines Guide

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