Seed drill

The seed drilling or Row trial is conducted with a seed drill or drill.

The special characteristic are small disc coulters, considering a several inches deep channel in the seedbed - be through a pipe from the Säkasten by a rotating cam roller seeds placed ( drilled = rotating feed ). The advantage of this agricultural machine for sowing of plant seeds is the precise and uniform planting depth of the seed, which results in less bird damage and a uniform emergence. Thus, the seed quantity is reduced in relation to the broadcast seed by about 30%.

A conventional drill has called Schleppschare, small plowshares limited to tearing of the soil. In the small furrows the seed is deposited. They are then closed by a trailing harrow again. In addition to the coulters, there are other devices to incorporate the seed into the soil.

Since about 1970, also known as Direktsämaschinen in use. With them direct sowing of grain takes place without plowing. By reducing tillage soil fauna (eg, earthworms ) protected, which is why no-till is a gentler form of land cultivation. However, it is not feasible everywhere; For example, lower with this type of crop - which is called minimum tillage - soil temperature. The residues remaining on the ground plant residues cause shading of the soil with a significant influence on the germination and subsequent plant construction. In organic farming, no-till can be used sensibly. Through a mutual Direktsämaschinenkauf the cost can be divided among several farmers, and a more profitable management is possible.

History

Even the Sumerians had invented a primitive drill. Archaeological finds of Saatscharen from the time of the Han dynasty in the 2nd century BC suggest a drill with several seed lines. One such machine apparently made ​​an official named Zhao Guo known by 85 BC. At this point, you could sow 7 ha day for allegedly. The first European seed drill was patented in 1566 by Camillo Torello in Venice. It has been continuously developed around the year 1700, there were reasonably robust versions (eg from Jethro Tull ), but it took until the middle of the 19th century until it was reliable and economically useful. 1834 presented the Bohemian agronomist Franz Horsky before a seed drill.

First, the drill took two horses and a crew of three (horses handlebars, handlebar machines and Säscharkontrolleur ). The day Säleistung was 7-12 ha with a tractor- drawn seed drill combination can become a tractor driver sow a multiple of this area.