Seed placement measuring technique for direct drilling machines — A note

An apparatus for measuring seed placement in 3 dimensions and a sampling frame were designed and built to assess the accuracy of seed placement by direct drilling machines. Sample turf blocks were taken after drilling and transferred to a glasshouse. After seedling emergence, the turf blocks were placed in the measuring apparatus which was used to determine the position of the seeds in the soil. The apparatus cannot measure the placement of ungerminated seeds or unemerged seedlings. A computer programme was used to present, both graphically and statistically, the seed placement pattern for a particular seed and soil type.