Sowing involves placing seeds in soil at a proper depth and spacing. Common sowing methods include broadcasting, dibbling, drilling, and transplanting. Seed drills are machines that open furrows, place seeds at a controlled depth and rate, and cover them. Planters are used for larger seeds and perform similar functions. Components include a hopper, metering device, furrow opener, and covering mechanism. Planters can be calibrated to achieve the desired seeding rate. Factors like plate speed, cell size, and seed uniformity impact accuracy. Specialized planters exist for crops like potatoes and sugarcane. Proper equipment selection and operation help ensure efficient sowing and establishment of crops.

1. SOWING AND PLANTING
EQUIPMENTS

2. 1. SOWING
1.10 INTRODUCTION
• Sowing is a placing seeds in the soil to have good
germination in the field. More precisely, seeds can
be generally sown into the soil by maintaining a
planting depth of about 2-3 times the size of the
seed.
On sowing, the following aspects should be fulfilled:-
a. Correct amount of seed per unit area.
b. Correct depth at which seed is placed in the soil.
c. Correct spacing between row-to-row and plant-to-
plant.

3. 1.2 Sowing methods
(i) Broadcasting
• Broadcasting is the process of random scattering of
seed on the surface of seedbeds.
• It can be done manually by using hand.
• After the spread of seeds, the planking equipment
is then used for covering seeds with soil.

5. • COVERING SEEDS WITH SOIL BY PLANKING.

6. (ii) Dibbling
• Dibbling is the process of placing seeds in holes
made in seedbed and covering them. In this
method, seeds are placed in holes make at definite
depth at fixed spacing.
• The equipment used for dibbling is called dibbler.

8. (iii) Drilling
• Drilling consists of dropping the seeds in furrow
lines in a continuous flow and covering them with
soil.
Equipment(s) used in drilling
• This can be done by a plough (Animal drawn seed
drill) or specified Tractor.
• For the case of plough(Animal drawn seed drill)
machine, is the one in which seed metering is done
manually by the operator. The drill consists of
furrow openers, funnel for feeding seed, seed
pipes for connecting funnel with pipes

9. • For operation, the seed is fed by the operator
manually in the funnel, and is dropped in the
furrow created by the openers.

10. (iv) Seed dropping behind the plough
• It is very common method used in villages. It is used
for seed like maize, beans, peas and wheat.
• A man drops seeds in the furrow walking behind the
plough. The depth of sowing depends on the depth
of plough.

11. (v) Transplanting
• Transplanting consists of preparing seedlings in
nursery and then planting these seedlings in the
prepared field. It is commonly done for
rice(paddy), vegetable and flowers.
• Equipment used for Transplanting is called
Transplanter.

13. (vi) Hill dropping
• In this method, seeds are dropped at fixed spacing
and not in a continuous stream. Thus the spacing
between plant to plant in a row is constant.
• Seed dropping can be done manually by hand or
mechanically using special machine.
• a)Manually
• This done by hand, picking of seed and placing
direct into the drilled hole.

15. b) Mechanically
• This done by machine where seeds are dropped
in equal spacing. The equipment below is a seed
dropper for hill dropping method.The seeder in
action, first dropping seed, then the basket-like
wheels roll over the seed, covering it with soil
and tamping it down.

17. 2.0 SEED DRILL
• Seed drill is a machine for placing the seeds in a
continuous flow in furrows at uniform rate and
atcontrolled depth with or without the arrangement of
covering them with soil.
2.1 Function of seed drill:
• Seed drill performs the following functions
• i) To carry the seeds.
• ii) To open furrow to an uniform depth
• iv) To place the seed in furrows in an acceptable pattern
• v) To cover the seeds and compact the soil around the
seed.

18. 2.2 COMPONENTS OF SEED DRILL
• A seed drill with mechanical seed metering device
mainly consists of :- Frame, Seed box, Furrow
openers, Covering device and Transport wheels.
• Frame: The frame is usually made of iron with
suitable braces and brackets. The frame is strong
enough to withstand all types of loads in working
condition.

19. • Seed box : It may be made of mild steel sheet
or galvanized iron with a suitable cover.
• Covering device: It is a device to refill a furrow
after the seed has been placed in it.
• Transport wheel: There are two wheels fitted
on the main axle. The wheels have suitable
attachments to transmit power to operate seed
dropping mechanism.
• Driller: Pointed end that used to drill a hole for
seed and to the machines is a point where
seeds enters the soil.

21. 3.0 METERING MECHANISM
• The mechanism of seed drill or fertilizer distributor
which deliver seeds or fertilizers from the hopper at
selected rates is called seed metering mechanism.
• Seed metering mechanism may be of several types;
1)Fluted feed type
2)Internal double run type
3)Cup feed type
4)Cell feed mechanism
5)Brush feed mechanism
6)Auger feed mechanism
7)Picker wheel mechanism
8)Star wheel mechanism

22. 1. Fluted feed type
• It is a seed metering devices with adjustable fluted
roller to collect and deliver the seeds into the seed
tube. Fluted feed type mechanism consists of a
fluted feed wheel, feed roller, feed cut-off and
adjustable gate for different sizes of grains.

23. 2.Internal double run type
• It is a seed metering device in which the feed
wheel is provided with fine and coarse ribbed
flanges. It consists of discs, mounted on a spindle
and housed in a casing fitted below the seed box.

24. 3. Cup feed mechanism
• Is the mechanism that consist of cups of spoons
and 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 gain box and the lower one is called feed
box.

25. 5. Brush feed mechanism
• It is a mechanism in which a rotating brush
regulates the flow of seed from the hopper
• The following is diagram of brush feed mechanism

27. 6. Cell feed mechanism
• It is a mechanism in which seeds are collected and
delivered by a series of equally spaced cells on the
periphery of a circular plate or wheel.

28. 7. Auger feed mechanism
• It is a distributing mechanism consisting of an auger
which causes a substance to flow evenly in the field
through an aperture at the base or on the side of
hopper.
8.Picker wheel mechanism
• It is a mechanism in which vertical plate is provided
with radially projected arms which drop the large
seeds like potato in furrows with the help of
suitable jaws.

29. 4.0 FURROW OPENERS
• The furrow openers are provided in a seed drill for
opening the furrows before dropping the seeds. The
seed tube conducts the seed from the feed
mechanism into the boot from where they fall into
the furrows.
4.1 TYPES OF FURROW OPENERS
• Different types of furrow openers are;
1)Shovel type
2)Shoe type
3)Disc type(single disc, double disc)

30. 1.Shovel type
• Shovel type furrow openers are widely used in seed
drills.
• Shovel type openers are best suited for stony or root
infested fields
2.Shoe type
• It works well in trashy soils where the seed beds are
not smoothly prepared. They are made from two flat
pieces of steel welded together to form a cutting edge.
It is specially suited for black cotton soil. Shoe is made
of carbon steel having minimum carbon content of 0.5
percent with a minimum thickness of 4mm.
3.Disc type furrow openers
• There are two types of disc type furrow openers
Single disc type
Double disc type

31. Single disc type furrow openers
• Are found suitable where plant debris or trash
mulches are used. It is a furrow opener consisting of
one concave disc and set at an angle while
operating, shifts the soil to one side making a small
ridge. The disc is kept clean by two scrapers.
Double disc type furrow openers
• In double disc type furrow opener, there are two
flat discs, set at an angle to each other. The discs
open a clean furrow and leave a small ridge in the
centre.

32. TYPES OF FURROW OPENERS

33. The furrow opener consists of:
• Shovel
• Seed tube
• Boot for seed and fertilizer
1. Shovel
• It is made of carbon steel having carbon content of 0.5
percent and a minimum thickness of 4.0mm. Shovel
type furrow opener of 100 to 200mm size are used on
seed drills.
2. Seed tube
• It is a tube which carriers the seeds from the metering
device to the boot.
3.Boot - It is a part of the sowing machine which conveys
the seeds or fertilizers from the delivery tube to the
Furrow.

34. CALIBRATION OF SEED DRILL AND SEED-CUM-FERTILIZER DRILL
• The procedure of testing the seed drill for correct seed rate is called
calibration of seed drill. It is necessary to calibrate the seed drill before
operating in the field to get a predetermined seed rate of the machine. The
following steps are to be followed for calibration of seed drill or seed-cum-
fertilizer drill.
• Step 1: Determine the nominal width (W) of drill. W = M × S Where M is the
number of furrow openers and S is the spacing between the openers in
metre and W is in metre
• Step 2: Find the length of a strip (L) having nominal width W necessary to
cover 1/25 th of a hectare. L =( 10000/W)×(1/25)=(400/W) metres
• Step 3: Determine the number of revolutions (N) the ground wheel has to
make to cover the length of the strip (L). π×D×N=(10000/W)×(1/25) where
D is the diameter of ground wheel in metre or N=(10000/π×D×W)×(1/25)
• =(400/π×D×W) rpm
• Step 4: Raise the seed drill in such a way that the ground wheels turn
freely. Make a mark on the drive wheel and a corresponding mark at a
convenient place on the body of the drill to help in counting the revolutions
of the drive wheel
• Step 5: Put the selected seed and fertilizer in the respective hoppers. Place
a sack or a container under each boot for seeds and the fertilizers.

35. • Step 6: Set the rate control adjustment for the seed and
fertilizer for maximum drilling. Mark this position on
the control for reference.
• Step 7: Engage the clutch or on-off adjustment for the
hoppers and rotate the drive wheel at the speed N.
• N=400/(π×D×W) rev/min
• Step 8: Weigh the quantity of seed and fertilizer
dropped from each opener and record on the data
sheet.
• Step 9: Calculate the seed and fertilizer dropped in
kg/hectare and record on the data sheet
• Step 10: Repeat the process by suitable adjusting the
rate control till desired rate of seed and fertilizer drop is
obtained.

36. TEST FOR SEED UNIFORMITY
• The following test are done to ensure uniformity in metering of seed;
(1)Sticky belt method
• Mount the drill on a stand and allow 10 metre long belt to travel under the
furrow openers or seed tubes in such a way that the speed of the belt is
equal to the running speed the drill.
• Apply a sticky layer of grease to the belt to facilitate the proper embedding
of seeds without any displacement.
• Operate the drill and observe the number of seeds dropped and the
average distance between two seeds for each metre of belt length.
(2)Sand bed method
• Prepare an artificial levelled bed of 25 cm depth from fine sand and of a
length of at least 5 metres and the width equal to the nominal width of the
drill.
• Allow the drill to travel over this bed with furrow openers or seed tubes
lowered to 3 to 5 cm from the top surface of the bed.
• Observe the number of seeds dropped and the average distance between
two seeds for each metre of bed length.

37. 5.0 PLANTER
• A planter is an agricultural farm implement that is
used for planting seeds that are larger in size and
cannot be used by usual seed drills.
5.1 FUNCTIONS OF THE PLANTER
• To open the furrow
• To meter the seed
• To deposit the seed in the furrow
• To cover the seeds and compact the soil over it

38. 5.2 COMPONENTS OF THE PLANTER
• Hopper
• Seed metering device
• Knock out arrangement
• Cut-off mechanism
• Furrow opener
• And other devices

40. 5.3 SEED METERING MECHANISM OF THE PLANTER
• There are a number of seed metering devices in a
planter but the most common device consist of a
rotating plate at the bottom of seed hoppers. The
horizontal seed plates have got suitable notches or
holes called cell. Depending upon the type of
notches on the plates, it is of three types; edge
drop, flat drop and hill drop.
(i) Edge drop
• The edge drop carries the seed on edge in the cell
of the plate.

41. AN EDGE DROP

42. (ii) Flat drop
• The flat drop carries the seed on a flat in the cell of
the plate.

43. (iii) Hill drop
• In hill drop, the cells round the edge of the plate
are large enough to admit several seeds at a time.

44. WORKING MECHANISM
• The rotating plate receives seeds from the hopper.
The plates move under an arrangement called Cut-
off which allows on those seeds which are
accommodated in the cells.
• Knock out mechanism is the device that knocks
out the seeds from the cells or picker heads of the
mechanism.

46. FACTORS FOR ACCURACY OF THE PLANTER
• Speed of the plate
• Shape and the size of the cells
• Shape of the hopper bottom
• Uniformity of seed size.

47. 6.0 PLANTERS FOR SPECIFIED CROPS
6.1 POTATO PLANTER
• Potato planter have two types of potato dropping
mechanism; Automatic and Semi-automatic
mechanisms.
AUTOMATIC POTATO PLANTER
• The automatic potato planter consists of hopper
for each row and cups with chain drive mechanism.
The graded potatoes are picked up by the cup and
carried to furrow opener spout and realized into the
furrow.

50. SEMI- AUTOMATIC POTATO PLANTER
• It is also used for planting potatoes. The semi-
automatic potato planter consist of hopper,
metering disc, and furrow openers

51. SEMI AUTOMATIC POTATO PLANTER

52. 6.2 SUGARCANE PLANTER
• It is used for planting sugar cane.

53. COMPONENTS OF MECHANICAL SUGARCANE PLANTER
1.Three point linkage
2.Main frame
3.Cabins
4.Seats for labors
5.Feeder openings
6.Cane feeding system
7.Cane cutting system
8.Fertilizer metering system
9.Guard
10.Ridgers
11.Insecticide and fungicide solution tank
12.Fertilizer boxes
13.Fertilizer conveyor
14.Fertilizer pipes
15.Soil cove

54. SUGAR CANE PLANTER

55. CONCLUTION
• Generally, Sowing and planting equipment are of greater
importance as they make easier the process of planting and
sowing rather than when done manually. Sowing and planting
equipments are many and of different types as described
above. Each type of sowing and planting equipment for
specified crop works efficiently if it is used properly and at the
specified task. Hence farmers should be careful when
choosing the type of equipment ,they must choose the right
equipment considering the type, size and biological
characteristics of grains or seeds to be planted so that they
can not be damaged.
REFERENCES
• Lecture notes
• http://www.brandsequipment.com/ferrari.php
• http://www.tehnos.si/en/semi-automatic-potato-planter-sk-
2.aspx
• Element of agricultural engineering by Dr Jagdishwar sahay