Mr. Jethro Tull, a genuinely pivotal person in English agriculture, is credited with the invention of the seeder drill. He was a writer, farmer, and inventor who used contemporary science and technology to improve age-old agrarian traditions. He was born in 1674 and raised on his family’s manor in Oxfordshire. Before becoming a law student, we went on to the pipe organ.
Tull became a barrister in 1699, visited Europe, and married in 1699. In 1701, Jethro Tull devised the seed drill as a more efficient way to plant. Sowing seeds, such as bean and pea seeds, was done by hand before his invention, by dispersing them on the ground or placing them in the ground individually. Tull thought dispersing seeds was wasteful because many of them did not germinate.
A hopper to store the seed, a cylinder to move it, and a funnel to direct it were all incorporated in his finished seed drill. The row was produced by a plough in the front, and the seed was covered with soil by a harrow in the back. It was the first moving-part agricultural equipment. It began as a one-man, one-row device, but subsequent models featured three uniform rows of seeds, wheels, and were carried by horses. Horses were able to draw the equipment without stepping on the plants because of the larger distance than in past procedures.
Working of a Direct Seed Drill
A direct seed drill’s goal is to plant the seed directly in the previous crop’s remains with minimal soil disturbance (only 5-20 percent of the soil surface is cultivated). Depending on the circumstances, this can have numerous advantages. Water availability is a direct limiting factor for yield in many places of the world. By leaving the soil undisturbed and allowing harvest residues to remain on the surface as good protection against evaporation, direct drilling preserves germination moisture. Economic constraints also play a role, as soil tillage is not economically viable in many locations where water scarcity limits yields to low levels.
Under a straw cover, leaving the majority of the soil surface undisturbed gives good protection against water and wind erosion. Erosion results in the loss of soil and plant nutrients, which has negative economic and environmental consequences. By excluding further tillage activities, the time and expenses per hectare are naturally reduced. On large farms, as well as in situations like fall planting of rapeseed in northern growing zones, where the time between harvest and tillage is particularly short, the reduced time required is an essential issue.
When soil cultivation is not used in a cropping system, stubbles must be managed effectively. Harvest residues will be broken down and distributed evenly across the field thanks to straw harrowing. Weeds and slug infestations will be eradicated as well. Cover crops and proper crop rotation will also aid in the control of weeds and pests.
We hope this article helped you in gaining knowledge about seed drills.
