Seed Drill Discharge Rate Variation Due to Varietal Differences Using an Automated Calibration Test Rig

摘要

India occupies about 12.40% of the total world wheat area, whereas it contributes 11.77 % in the total wheat production globally. The seed cum fertilizer drills are majorly used for sowing wheat crop in India and other parts of Asia. Farm equipment calibration is an important aspect to reduce seed wastage and implement precision farming practices. An automated seed drill calibration test rig was designed and developed to study the inter-varietal differences in the seed rate with respect to different operating speeds of the seed drill and active lengths of the fluted roller. The developed test rig is capable of measuring the seed rate variation at meter level accuracy. The inter-varietal variations, due to bulk density of seeds, can account up to a variation of 17% or 23.9 kg/ ha under similar operating conditions. Also, the operating speed is having significant effect on seed rate variation only with other pertinent variables like variety and active length. The study highlights the seed rate variation through the seed rate distribution with respect to the mean seed rate using jitter plots and recommend variety specific calibration process before each sowing season to have precision in seed sowing.