What is the Use of a Seed Drill in Agriculture

It has been observed that the use of seed drills has largely increased in recent times in northwest and eastern India. With the labour scarcity, development and refinement in the agriculture sector and weed management with seeds drills has played a major role in the increased use of this technology. A multi-crop planter and its ability to place both seed and fertilizer have helped improve crop setting up.

When placing seeds manually into the soil seeds are not placed evenly sometimes, but with the seeds drills a farmer does not need to worry about the alignments and rows as it is done in a very systematic manner.

 

The use of seeds drills also reduces soil erosion thereby preventing loss of nutrient from the soil and making better availability of both natural and applied nutrients to the soil. It also has been noticed that if crop residues are added to soils, the growth of plants can be improved. 

The seed drills are preferably used in the areas where soil erosion caused by water and the wind is a major issue, as it does not create any disturbances in the soil while placing the seeds. The seed drill sows the seeds at the same distances ensuring the proper depth and that the seeds get covered in the soil perfectly.

Mould Board Plough – Overview and Advantages

A mould-board plough or MB plough plays a vital role in soil management which is one of the most crucial farming operations. It is one of the most popular farm machinery used in the process of preparing the soil before sowing the seeds. An MB plough is also used for preparing the ground for grass seeding. 

The body of an MB plough or mould-board plough consists of a large curved bottom or mould-board, fixed to a frame, shears placed at the bottom edge of the mould-board while large curved wings on the top edge. It runs through the farm attached to a tractor and cuts the top layers of soil completely and thoroughly.

What are the advantages of a mould-board plough?

Some of the remarkable advantages of the mould-board plough are given below.

• Efficiency

When adjusted perfectly an MB plough can automatically seek the desired depth and does not need to apply extra weight to attain desired depth. The complex structure of the plough clears the ground after harvesting perfectly and helps in creating a more levelled surface for sowing seeds with higher accuracy.

The plough increases the drainage capacity of the soil. A farmer can prepare a field much faster with a mould-board plough comparatively to a conventional plough. The faster ploughing helps farmers to cover larger areas of the field.

•  Various Models for Versatility

Different types of models of an MB Plough come with different types of features ensuring high efficiency in the preparation of the land. Few models have two mould-boards or more. The width of a cut usually reaches one to two feet. Yet most of the models are able to achieve a depth of one and a half feet. Some models integrate a reset mechanism.

• Helps in Weed Control

An MB plough buries the weeds entirely that tend to spring up after harvesting. The plough completely inverts the soil where there are weeds. This specifically helps to save the time and labor cost where weed regrowth is a frequent issue.

•  Pest Control

The MB plough also helps to get rid of the pests inhabited on a farm. Eliminating pests provides plants with a more favourable environment for faster and healthy growth. Least presence of pests contributes to a bountiful yield.

• Better-quality Soil Health

The MB plough buries crop remains deeper into the field enabling decomposition. Crop residues on the soil surface warm up faster by reduction of the crop residues. Evaporation of excessive moist or water is also improved providing a more favourable environment for soil to observe natural elements like sun and air making to make it more fertile.