Development of Aligning Seeder for Large and Elliptical Seeds (Part 1)

Seeder Equipped Seed Flow Sensor and Secondary Repression Mechanism

Abstract

We developed an aligning seeder for large compressed oval-shaped seeds to improve the seed-fill accuracy to one seed per cell and the alignment accuracy. We also sought to improve the alignment of germ pore positions of sown seeds in the cell. We therefore developed a new aligning seeder that minimizes skipped seeds and that can do secondary repression the seed bed after seeding.
Tests of this new aligning seeder using cucurbitaceous rootstock seeds confirmed that it effectively minimized skipped seeds and demonstrated a seeding alignment accuracy (i. e., one seed per cell and arranged along the longitudinal axis (±30°)) of 95% or more. Tests also confirmed that the lining accuracy and alignment of seeding positions can be improved by performing secondary soil compression based on the seeds in use.