1. ERT 464 DESIGN OF MACHINE AND SYSTEM
CROP PLANTING
EN. MOHD KHAIRUL RABANI BIN HASHIM

2. Chapter Outline Introduction Seed Drill Planter
2.1: General Design- SEED DRILLS
2.2: Seeding method
2.3: Types Of Seed Drill
2.4: Seed Population
2.5: Calibration of Seed Drill
Planter

3. Crop Planting  
General design of seed drills, feed mechanism, drill coulters, types of drill, planting machines, implements for inter-cultivations.

4. 1.0: introduction Seeders & planters: for the reproduction of crops.
Function: for metering & placing seeds/plants/plant part into the soil
Seeders > used for generative reproduction
Planters > aid in vegetative propagation.
Seed
Seedling

5. Both seeders & planters, used as solo machines, or
combinations with soil cultivating machine
combinations with fertilizing equipment also are common.
Generative reproduction of crop
Corn, beans, sunflower
Vegetative reproduction of crop
Potato, paddy rice

6. examples Row Seeder Hopper at the top hold the seeds to be sown.
Seed Drill
Pulled by a tractor and used to sown grains & vegetable seeds. 

7. 2.0: SEED DRILL
a machine for placing the seeds in a continuous flow in furrows at uniform rate & at controlled depth with/without the arrangement of covering the seed with soil.
Drills are used for sowing seeds in rows at cm apart.

8. It performs the following functions:
to carry the seeds,
to open furrow to an uniform depth,
to meter the seeds,
to place the seed in furrows in an acceptable pattern,
to cover the seeds & compact the soil around the seed.
If fitted with fertilizer dropping attachment, distribute the fertilizer uniformly on the ground, is called “seed cum fertilizer drills”.(It has a large seed box which is divided length wise into two compartments, one for seeds & another for fertilizers)

9. 2.1: General Design- SEED DRILLS
General purpose:
for sowing all kinds of seeds (various sizes)
at various seed rates & depths,
in rows at various distances apart
Comprise several seed box/hoppers, which contain:
Metering parts
Equipment for seed placement into the soil.

10. Hopper Feed mechanism Seed tube Land wheel Coulter Hoper Seed box
Delivered mechanisms for seed
Driven by gearing from 2 wheel
Metering Devices
Separate seeds for each row
Seed Tube
Link seeds to coulters
Coulters
Furrow opener
Cut grooves in soil
Land wheel
Coulter

11. seed rate is adjusted by
alterations of the gear or
feed mechanism,
spacing between rows & depth of sowing are adjusted by the setting of the coulters.

12. 2.1.1: Feed Mechanisms External Force Feed
Internal Double-run Force Feed
Pneumatic or Jet Drills

13. 1) External Force Feed
Spring loaded baffle plate
Seed tube
3) Flexible fluted roller force feed,
used in conjunction with movable gear cassettes for seed rate regulation
1) Fluted Roller Force Feed (British)
2) Studded Roller Feed (European)
Most common type of metering devices that delivers a more or less continuous flow of seeds
fluted roller type or nternal double run type.
These metering devices are driven by ground wheel.

14. Fluted Feed Type The fluted wheel/roller is driven by a feed shaft.
Fluted rollers are provided with longitudinal grooves along the outer periphery & can be shifted on the shaft sideways (groove size).

15. groove size is different for different crops.
Its are mounted at the bottom of the seed box; receive the seeds into longitudinal grooves & pass on to the seed tube thro the seed hole.
By shifting the rollers sideways, the length of the groove exposed to the seed, can be increased/decreased & hence the amount of seed sown is changed.
Generally, the speed of the square shaft is constant, but the speed can also be changed, resulting in a change in the seed rate.
The number of flutes on the roller ranges from This method is favoured for sowing small or medium size seeds.
For bold size seeds, this mechanism is not preferred as the seeds are likely to get crushed during metering operation.

16. 2) Internal Double-run Force Feed
consisted of a feeder with a line of corrugated discs.
Seeds are dispersed when the rotation of the wheels push them towards the corrugations & outside a box where it enters tubes.
It has a double faced wheel;
one face has a larger opening for the larger seeds and
the other face or side has a smaller opening for use with smaller seeds.

17. 3) Pneumatic or Jet Drills
Drills can plant & till seeds with the use of air.
Seeds pass thro pipes to the coulters with the use of an air-stream.
This type of drill is best used for single seed roots & vegetable seeds.
The air seeder sallow for rather independent location of the seed hopper plus metering devices on the one hand & the openers on the other hand.
Operating principle of Pneumatic system

18. 2.1.2 : Coulter (furrow opener)
i) Single & Double Disc Coulters
Single disc coulters place seeds individually & it is not always possible to achieve the same depth for each seed placement.
With double disc coulters, the seeds are arranged between them & are dispersed at the same rate & depth.
High costs are associated with double disc coulters due to the large number of parts required.

19. ii) Wing Coulters Wing coulters are used on drills for sowing cereals.
The coulters attach themselves to levers in the front of the drill.
Hydraulic is used to draw the seeds out after they are placed on a band appr. 5 cm wide & dispersed.
The main disadvantage is expensive & draught.

20. Table 1. Suitability of coulter (furrow openers) in different working conditions.
Remarks
Rotating
Double disk
Suitable for high residue conditions.
Single disk
Better penetration in hard soils but wider variation in seed placement.
Fixed-type
Chisel
Narrow furrow. Good for deep sowing and in friable soils.
Hoe
Good for stony, harder soil conditions and for deep placement.
Inverted ‘T’  
Use for reduced till in free flowing soils.
Can leave open furrow in wet soils.
Runner
For shallow depths in loamy non-smearing soils.
Shoe
For placing seed and fertilizer in separate bands.
Shovel
Deep placement causing much soil disturbance.

21. 2.2: Seeding method
Precision drilling > used mainly for widely spaced crops such as corns, beans, sugar beets & sunflower.
Bulk drilling > for closely spaced crops (b’cos by precision drilling is too expensive).

22. 2.2.1: Conditions for seeding methods

23. 2.2.2: Seed spacing & depth
Row-spacing varies widely with crops, climatic conditions & production technology.
Precision-drilling of crops occurs mainly with row-spacing between cm.
Row Spacing
Type of crops
Narrow
Peas & beans
Medium
Beets & sunflower
Widest
Corn

24. Bulk drilling, the row spacing varies between 8 - 25 cm.
Narrow spacing are common especially with grass, clover, alfalfa, small grain seeds in humid area.
No metering of the seeds occurs; instead, a stream of seeds is bulk-fed into the conveying tubes.
by studded feed rollers,
fluted feed roller or
by internal run rollers.

25. Seeding depth needed depends very much on:
Seed size
Water content of the soil (mc).
The larger the seeds & the dryer the soil, the deeper the seeds should placed to ensure emergence.
Seeding depth
Type of crops
1 – 2 cm
Grass, clover & alfalfa
2 – 3 cm
Sugar beet seeds
2 – 5 cm
Small grains, peas & sunflower
4 – 10 cm
Beans & corns

26. 2.3: Types Of Seed Drill Semi-mounted Tractor Drills
Tractor-mounted Drills
Power Cultivator–Drill Combination

27. 1) Semi-mounted Tractor Drills.
have a three-link systems to connect drills to tractors.
A hitch is created to install drill coulters & allow effective sowing.
A hydraulic lift control lever to controls the seeds movement.
This type of drill gets the work done quickly & efficiently

28. 2) Tractor-mounted Drills.
also take advantage of the hydraulic three-link system.
When the tractor pulls the drills out, the machine is lifted off the ground to allow the feed mechanism to function.
This is used for dispersing heavy corn & often used in conjunction with combines.

29. 3) Power Cultivator–Drill Combination
The compactness of many power harrows & rotary cultivators, and very small amount of extra power needed to drill immediately behind such machines, make cultivator-drill combinations attractive.
Design mechanisms that may needed:
High powered tractor
To incorporate adequate lift capacity for both drill and cultivator.
Close-coupled linkages
Allow drill to be carried above the cultivator for transport.
Drill seed tubes & coulters
Arranged to deposit the seed as the soil settles behind the cultivator.
Power harrow and rotary cultivator
Light crumbler roller
Added to effect any necessary firming of soil around the seed without surface compaction.
Drilling component
Can be designed for easy separation when not in use.

30. Combined seedbed preparation & drilling of peas.

31. Gerudi jagung
Maize drills

32. Desired Plant Population
2.4: Seed Population
To calculate a seeding rate.
Desired Plant Population
% Germination x % Pure Seed x % Live Seed Emergence
Seeding
Rate

33. Desired Plant Population
Eg: Let’s say a grower wants to establish a stand of 170,000 plants/acre using a 7.5-inch row drill. The seed tag indicates that the seed has a 92% germination rate and is 98% pure live seed. Assuming a 10% loss in germination due to a clay soil that crusts, What seeding rate will achieve the goal stand?.
Desired Plant Population
% Germination x % Pure Seed x % Live Seed Emergence
Seeding
Rate
seeding rate = 170,000 plant/ac = 209,504 seed/ac
0.92 X 0.98 X 0.90

34. Problem 1
A precision planter is used to plant corn in 76.2 cm row, travelling at 7.2 kmh. The target population after germination is 74,000 plants/ha, and the germination rate is 80%. The rolling radius of the planter wheel is 0.30 m and has a slip of 5%. The seed plate has 12 cells per revolution. Determine:
The actual planting population required.
The nominal seed spacing of the plants.
The required rotational speed of the metering device.

35. Solution i) Actual planting population ii) Nominal seed spacing
seeding rate = desired plant population = 74,000 plants/ha = 92,500 seed/ha
% germination 0.8
ii) Nominal seed spacing
= total length of rows
actual planting population
> Total length of rows = Total area = 10,000 m2 = 13, m
Length of row m
therefore, nominal seed spacing = total length of rows = 13, m = 0.14 m/seed
actual planting population ,500 seed

36. iii) Rotational speed of the metering device.
= Speed of seed plate
Distance
Determine the circumference, π x 2 (0.3)m = m
Determine distance with consideration of 5% slip = m X 0.95 = 1.79 m
Determine no. of seed per revolution = distance/seed spacing = 1.79 m/0.14 m/seed = = 13 seeds
Determine speed of seed plate = ( 13/12) X 7.2 km/hr = 7,800 m/hr
There fore, rotational speed = = Speed of seed plate = (7,800 m/hr)/(1.79 m) = 4,357.5 rph = rpm
= 73 rpm

37. 2.5: Calibration of Seed Drill
It is the procedure of testing the seed drill for correct seed rate.
It is necessary to calibrate the seed drill before operating in the field.
The following steps are to be followed:
Step 1: Determine the nominal width (W) of drill.
Where, M = no. of furrow openers & S = spacing between the openers (m) & W is in metre.
W = M x S

38. Step 2: Find the length of a strip (L) having nominal width W necessary to cover 1/25th of a hectare.
Step 3: Determine the number of revolutions (N) the ground wheel has to make to cover the length of the strip (L).
Step 4: Raise the seed drill in such a way that the ground wheels turn freely. Make a mark on the drive wheel & a corresponding mark at a convenient place on the body of the drill to help in counting the revolutions of the drive wheel.

39. Step 5: Put selected seed in the respective hoppers
Step 5: Put selected seed in the respective hoppers. Place a sack or a container under each boot for seed.
Step 6: Set the rate control adjustment for the seed for maximum drilling. Mark this position on the control for reference.
Step 7: Engage the clutch or on-off adjustment for the hoppers & rotate the drive wheel at the speed N.

40. Step 8: Weigh the quantity of seed, dropped from each opener & record on the data sheet.
Step 9: Calculate the seed, dropped in kg/ha & record on the data sheet.
Step 10: Repeat the process by suitable adjusting the rate control till desired rate of seed drop is obtained.

41. Problem 2
The following results were obtained while calibrating a seed drill. Calculate the seed rate per hectare (kg/ha).
No. of furrow openers – 8
Spacing between furrows – 15 cm
Diameter of drive wheel – 1.5 m
RPM of the drive wheel – 600
Seed collected – 25 kg.

42. Solution:
Effective width of seed drill, W
= 8opener ×15cm = 120 cm = 1.2 m
Circumference of drive wheel
= π x 1.5 m = = m
Area covered in one revolution
= 4.713m x 1.2m =5.66 m²
Area covered in 600 revolutions
= 5.66 m² ×600 = 3396 m²
Seed dropped for 3396 m² = 25 kg
Seed dropped/ha
= (25kg/ 3396 m²) x ( m²/ha) = 73.6 kg/ha
Seed rate = 73.6 kg/ha

43. Problem 3
A fluted feed seed drill has 8 furrow openers of single disc type. The furrow openers are spaced 30cm apart & the main drive wheel has a diameter of 110cm. How many turns of main drive wheel would occur when the seed drill has covered 1ha of area.

44. Solution:
Circumference of drive wheel
= π x 110cm = cm
Total width of seed drill. W
= 8opener x 30cm = 240 cm
Area covered per revolution
= 345.7cm x 240cm = 82,968 cm² = 8.29 m²
No. of turns, Rev./ha
= 10,000 m² / 8.29 m² = rev./ha

45. 3.0: Planter used for vegetative reproduction of crops. Either:
parts of plants (eg: potato tubers) or
whole small plants are put into the soil.
The term ‘transplanting’ seems appropriate for this method of establishing a crop.
Transplanting machine broadly grouped into:
Hand-fed
Mechanical
Automatic

46. a) Hand-fed
Operator sit on low seat & drop the plants by hand direct into furrow of suitable depth & width made by coulter.
A pair of press wheels follow & compress the soil around the plants.
Planter are pulled very slowly as low as 1 – 2 km/h.
Common to have 2 rows with 1 man/row.

47. Hand-fed Sweet potato transplanter
Hand-fed Spinach transplanter

48. Hand-fed Pineapple Transplanter

49. b) mechanical
Operator place the plants in tray or between fingers on an endless conveyor, the plants are pick-up entirely mechanically
conveyor takes the plants down to an open furrow, released in the correct position & surrounded by soil.
advantages are:
the forward speed slightly faster than hand-fed
Unskilled labor can be used.
Watering system can be incorporated before the soil been pressed

50. Transplanting machines are used extensively for paddy rice
Transplanting machines are used extensively for paddy rice. Special floating devices are used to provide for a constant planting depth independent of the sinkage of the propelling wheels.

51. Mechanical Rice Transplanter
SESSION 2012/2013

52. c) automatic Much higher speed & with lower labor inputs
Expensive cost, thus only used in nursery & glasshouses

53. Assignment 2
1) Determine the seed rate (kg/ha) by the seed drill from the following field calibration exercise. The following data were collected.
No. of coulter or furrow openers – 6
Spacing between rows – 25 cm
Diameter of land wheel – 1.2 m
RPM of the land wheel – 800
Seed collected from trial– 30 kg

54. The actual planting population required.
2) Farmers are keen to grow maize with a population of 60, 000 plants/ha. The germination % is estimated to be only 85%. A precision planter is used to sown maize seed at 80 cm rows, traveling at 6 km/h. The rolling radius of the planter wheel is 35 cm and has a slip of 8%. The seed plate has 12 cells per revolution. Determine:
The actual planting population required.
The nominal seed spacing of the plants.
The required rotational speed of the metering device.