Comparing Drills

 image

There are three main methods of planting seeds. These are:

  • Direct drilling
  • Conventional drilling
  • Air seeding

(Seed can also be broadcast on with a fertiliser spreader or such and harrowed in. This is very hit and miss and not a commonly used practice.)

Direct Drilling

Direct drills work by having disc openers that cut a furrow in the soil surface in which the seed is dropped and then pressed over again. This method allows the paddock to be resown with only approximately 15 % of the soil surface being disturbed.

Pro’s

  • Direct drilling
  • Minimum ground preparation
  • Low fuel/labour costs
  • Maintains soil moisture
  • Minimum disturbance to worms and other soil fungi

Con’s

  • The conversion to a complete direct drill farm model is a slow process and can result in a 5-10% drop in crop yield
  • Tilling soil helps to get an even distribution of nutrients
  • Increased chemical use.
    • Tilling is an effective way to get an efficient weed kill without reliance on chemicals.
  • The soil will require more chemicals to control bugs and insects that live below the surface as these are not being exposed to sunlight to kill them.
    • e.g. slugs that thrive in old straw stubble and attack new growth of plants.
  • Direct drilling will not correct any heavy compaction issues left from the previous crop. Heavy compaction from wheel tracks and so on will mean that that seed is placed into compacted soil resulting in poor gemmation.
  • Expensive to purchase and maintain.
  • They are often large heavy units (to be able to penetrate soil) so a large tractor is required to operate them.

Air Seeders / Seed Boxes ( APV, OKO, Green Drill, Airsow etc)

These are the new rage and are being more widely adopted on farms everywhere.

These work by metering out seed from a hopper and dropping it into an air chamber which carries it out to a series of fan heads that drop it evenly onto the soil surface.

Pro’s  

  • A great solution for fast and easy sowing.
  • Quick and easy to mount on nearly any implement.
  • Sows a large range of seeds.

Con’s

  • Seed is only spread on the soil surface and relies on a harrow or similar to cover it.
  • Poor soil seed contact.
  • Seed is exposed to birds and such.
  • If the seed is covered it's at varying depths so gemmation can be very uneven.
  • Wind can affect the distribution of the seeds.

Conventional Seed Drill

Conventional seed drills work similar to a direct drill only they don't have disc openers so they require the soil to be first cultivated so that the sowing tynes can travel through the soil and place the seed below the surface.

Pro’s

  • Conventional seed drills place the seed directly into the soil giving the seed the best chance of survival.
  • The seed is covered and protected from sun wind and rain.
  • Drills require the ground to be cultivated first which exposes it to the sun meaning it will warm faster and therefore you can often plant sooner in early spring.
  • Most seed drills will disturb the surface so that any weeds already established will be killed and any new weed seed is only at the same stage as the intended crop – easier to control – not established and choking out new plants.
  • High germination and crop yields due to good soil seed contact and fine tilth around seed.

Con’s

  • Seed is sown in straight rows – and leaves a lot of soil unplanted with room for weeds to grow.
  • Tilling soil releases carbon into the atmosphere lowering the soil's carbon content.
  • As seed is usually metered and dropped under gravity into the sowing foot it can be very irregular and uneven.
  • Most conventual drills rely on a wheel running on the seed bed to turn the seed metering wheels, this can skip or skid in loose and bumpy soils causing uneven seed distribution.

Every method has its purpose and use. The air seeder box is great for mounting on a subsoiler or cultivator/speed disc for a fast easy way to sow a green soil crop to establish some ground cover. They can also be fitted on things like pasture rollers to reseed when rolling cattle pugging or just to thicken up a grass or clover pasture base.

Direct drills are used in farming operations where soil health is more of a concern or as a method of resowing crops where soil erosion is a concern or the ability to resown in areas of low rainfall to conserve soil moisture.

Conventional sowing methods have worked for many years however this doesn't mean they are best practice. Constant tilling of soil can kill worms and natural fungi essential to soil health. They are also known for causing erosion on slopes. That being said, for operating in a wide range of soils and conditions it is the most well proven way to achieve gemmation and high crop yields.

If you have questions about which method is best for your farm give Delmade a call 1800 335 623 our product specialists would be very happy to have a chat about your property and which method is best suited to you. 

Delmade Footer




Related Products

array(26) {
  [0]=>
  array(7) {
    ["name"]=>
    string(43) "Maschio Gigante Series Pneumatic Seed Drill"
    ["alias"]=>
    string(52) "products/maschio-gigante-series-pneumatic-seed-drill"
    ["product_code"]=>
    string(5) "w4-00"
    ["aus_made"]=>
    string(2) "No"
    ["delmade_product"]=>
    string(2) "No"
    ["video"]=>
    string(154) "[{"MIGX_id":"1","title":"","video":"3N9CXmqfP-U\/edit"},{"MIGX_id":"2","title":"","video":"8734QkuitD8"},{"MIGX_id":"3","title":"","video":"CeakDzkUqJE"}]"
    ["showForMainland"]=>
    string(0) ""
  }
  [1]=>
  array(7) {
    ["name"]=>
    string(14) "APV Air Seeder"
    ["alias"]=>
    string(23) "products/apv-air-seeder"
    ["product_code"]=>
    string(6) "w4-001"
    ["aus_made"]=>
    string(2) "No"
    ["delmade_product"]=>
    string(2) "No"
    ["video"]=>
    string(50) "[{"MIGX_id":"1","title":"","video":"TaDbkqeOIvA"}]"
    ["showForMainland"]=>
    string(0) ""
  }
  [2]=>
  array(7) {
    ["name"]=>
    string(51) "Centauro Isotronic - Combined Power Harrow & Seeder"
    ["alias"]=>
    string(60) "products/centauro-isotronic-combined-power-harrow-and-seeder"
    ["product_code"]=>
    string(5) "a6-27"
    ["aus_made"]=>
    string(2) "No"
    ["delmade_product"]=>
    string(2) "No"
    ["video"]=>
    string(50) "[{"MIGX_id":"1","title":"","video":"QDKTHXEP5W8"}]"
    ["showForMainland"]=>
    string(0) ""
  }
  [3]=>
  array(7) {
    ["name"]=>
    string(22) "OKO - Turbo Air Seeder"
    ["alias"]=>
    string(29) "products/oko-turbo-air-seeder"
    ["product_code"]=>
    string(5) "a6-34"
    ["aus_made"]=>
    string(2) "no"
    ["delmade_product"]=>
    string(2) "no"
    ["video"]=>
    string(0) ""
    ["showForMainland"]=>
    string(0) ""
  }
  [4]=>
  array(7) {
    ["name"]=>
    string(50) "Aitchison Grassfarmer - Tine Drill, 3pl, Seed Only"
    ["alias"]=>
    string(46) "aitchison-grassfarmer-tine-drill-3pl-seed-only"
    ["product_code"]=>
    string(5) "a6-28"
    ["aus_made"]=>
    string(2) "no"
    ["delmade_product"]=>
    string(2) "no"
    ["video"]=>
    string(0) ""
    ["showForMainland"]=>
    string(0) ""
  }
  [5]=>
  array(7) {
    ["name"]=>
    string(50) "Aitchison Grassfarmer - Disc Drill, 3pl, Seed Only"
    ["alias"]=>
    string(46) "aitchison-grassfarmer-disc-drill-3pl-seed-only"
    ["product_code"]=>
    string(5) "a6-29"
    ["aus_made"]=>
    string(2) "no"
    ["delmade_product"]=>
    string(2) "no"
    ["video"]=>
    string(0) ""
    ["showForMainland"]=>
    string(0) ""
  }
  [6]=>
  array(7) {
    ["name"]=>
    string(57) "Aitchison Seedmatic - Tine Drill, 3pl/trailing, Seed Only"
    ["alias"]=>
    string(53) "aitchison-seedmatic-tine-drill-3pl/trailing-seed-only"
    ["product_code"]=>
    string(5) "a6-30"
    ["aus_made"]=>
    string(2) "no"
    ["delmade_product"]=>
    string(2) "no"
    ["video"]=>
    string(50) "[{"MIGX_id":"1","title":"","video":"pZq-wxjEBlU"}]"
    ["showForMainland"]=>
    string(0) ""
  }
  [7]=>
  array(7) {
    ["name"]=>
    string(57) "Aitchison Seedmatic - Disc Drill, 3pl/trailing, Seed Only"
    ["alias"]=>
    string(62) "products/aitchison-seedmatic-disc-drill-3pl/trailing-seed-only"
    ["product_code"]=>
    string(5) "a6-32"
    ["aus_made"]=>
    string(2) "no"
    ["delmade_product"]=>
    string(2) "no"
    ["video"]=>
    string(50) "[{"MIGX_id":"1","title":"","video":"pZq-wxjEBlU"}]"
    ["showForMainland"]=>
    string(0) ""
  }
  [8]=>
  array(7) {
    ["name"]=>
    string(59) "Aitchison Seedmatic - Tine Drill, 3pl/trailing, Seed & Fert"
    ["alias"]=>
    string(65) "product/aitchison-seedmatic-tine-drill-3pl/trailing-seed-and-fert"
    ["product_code"]=>
    string(5) "a6-31"
    ["aus_made"]=>
    string(2) "no"
    ["delmade_product"]=>
    string(2) "no"
    ["video"]=>
    string(50) "[{"MIGX_id":"1","title":"","video":"pZq-wxjEBlU"}]"
    ["showForMainland"]=>
    string(0) ""
  }
  [9]=>
  array(7) {
    ["name"]=>
    string(59) "Aitchison Seedmatic - Disc Drill, 3pl/trailing, Seed & Fert"
    ["alias"]=>
    string(66) "products/aitchison-seedmatic-disc-drill-3pl/trailing-seed-and-fert"
    ["product_code"]=>
    string(5) "a6-33"
    ["aus_made"]=>
    string(2) "no"
    ["delmade_product"]=>
    string(2) "no"
    ["video"]=>
    string(50) "[{"MIGX_id":"1","title":"","video":"pZq-wxjEBlU"}]"
    ["showForMainland"]=>
    string(0) ""
  }
  [10]=>
  array(7) {
    ["name"]=>
    string(39) "Walco Allspray 1200 Liquid Fert Sprayer"
    ["alias"]=>
    string(48) "products/delmade-walco-liquid-fertiliser-sprayer"
    ["product_code"]=>
    string(5) "w4-01"
    ["aus_made"]=>
    string(2) "No"
    ["delmade_product"]=>
    string(3) "Yes"
    ["video"]=>
    string(50) "[{"MIGX_id":"1","title":"","video":"N-lILF0v7ck"}]"
    ["showForMainland"]=>
    string(0) ""
  }
  [11]=>
  array(7) {
    ["name"]=>
    string(64) "Walco Allspread 0.7 Single Axle Spreader - from $4,558.40 ex Tas"
    ["alias"]=>
    string(59) "products/walco-allspread-0.70-single-axle-trailing-spreader"
    ["product_code"]=>
    string(13) "nss0-70sdhlmg"
    ["aus_made"]=>
    string(2) "No"
    ["delmade_product"]=>
    string(3) "Yes"
    ["video"]=>
    string(0) ""
    ["showForMainland"]=>
    string(0) ""
  }
  [12]=>
  array(7) {
    ["name"]=>
    string(65) "Walco Allspread 1.75 Single Axle Spreader - from $4,783.90 ex Tas"
    ["alias"]=>
    string(59) "products/walco-allspread-1.75-trailing-single-axle-spreader"
    ["product_code"]=>
    string(11) "nss1-75sdmg"
    ["aus_made"]=>
    string(2) "No"
    ["delmade_product"]=>
    string(3) "Yes"
    ["video"]=>
    string(0) ""
    ["showForMainland"]=>
    string(0) ""
  }
  [13]=>
  array(7) {
    ["name"]=>
    string(65) "Walco Allspread 3.50 Single Axle Spreader - from $5,564.90 ex Tas"
    ["alias"]=>
    string(74) "products/walco-allspread-3.50-trailing-single-axle-std-wheel-base-spreader"
    ["product_code"]=>
    string(9) "nss3-50sd"
    ["aus_made"]=>
    string(2) "No"
    ["delmade_product"]=>
    string(3) "Yes"
    ["video"]=>
    string(0) ""
    ["showForMainland"]=>
    string(0) ""
  }
  [14]=>
  array(7) {
    ["name"]=>
    string(72) "Walco Allspread 3.50 Single Axle Wide Wheel Base - from $6,026.90 ex Tas"
    ["alias"]=>
    string(75) "products/walco-allspread-3.50-trailing-single-axle-wide-wheel-base-spreader"
    ["product_code"]=>
    string(9) "nss3-50wa"
    ["aus_made"]=>
    string(2) "No"
    ["delmade_product"]=>
    string(3) "Yes"
    ["video"]=>
    string(0) ""
    ["showForMainland"]=>
    string(0) ""
  }
  [15]=>
  array(7) {
    ["name"]=>
    string(64) "Walco Allspread 3.50 Tandem Axle Spreader- from $7,995.90 ex Tas"
    ["alias"]=>
    string(59) "products/walco-allspread-3.50-trailing-tandem-axle-spreader"
    ["product_code"]=>
    string(11) "nss3-50tdmg"
    ["aus_made"]=>
    string(2) "No"
    ["delmade_product"]=>
    string(3) "Yes"
    ["video"]=>
    string(0) ""
    ["showForMainland"]=>
    string(0) ""
  }
  [16]=>
  array(7) {
    ["name"]=>
    string(66) "Walco Allspread 6.75 Tandem Axle Spreader - from $10,377.40 ex Tas"
    ["alias"]=>
    string(59) "products/walco-allspread-6.75-trailing-tandem-axle-spreader"
    ["product_code"]=>
    string(11) "nss6-75tdmg"
    ["aus_made"]=>
    string(2) "No"
    ["delmade_product"]=>
    string(3) "Yes"
    ["video"]=>
    string(0) ""
    ["showForMainland"]=>
    string(0) ""
  }
  [17]=>
  array(7) {
    ["name"]=>
    string(61) "Walco Allspread 3.50 PTO 3PL Spreader - from $3,931.40 ex Tas"
    ["alias"]=>
    string(46) "products/walco-allspread-3.50-pto-3pl-spreader"
    ["product_code"]=>
    string(10) "nss3-50pto"
    ["aus_made"]=>
    string(2) "No"
    ["delmade_product"]=>
    string(3) "Yes"
    ["video"]=>
    string(0) ""
    ["showForMainland"]=>
    string(0) ""
  }
  [18]=>
  array(7) {
    ["name"]=>
    string(62) "Walco Allspread 6.75 3PL Hyd Open/Shut - from $6,670.40 ex Tas"
    ["alias"]=>
    string(66) "products/walco-allspread-6.75-pto-3pl-hydraulic-open-shut-spreader"
    ["product_code"]=>
    string(13) "nss6-75ptohos"
    ["aus_made"]=>
    string(2) "No"
    ["delmade_product"]=>
    string(3) "Yes"
    ["video"]=>
    string(0) ""
    ["showForMainland"]=>
    string(0) ""
  }
  [19]=>
  array(7) {
    ["name"]=>
    string(62) "Walco Allspread 12.75 PTO 3PL Spreader - from $9,717.40 ex Tas"
    ["alias"]=>
    string(47) "products/walco-allspread-12.75-pto-3pl-spreader"
    ["product_code"]=>
    string(11) "nss12-75pto"
    ["aus_made"]=>
    string(2) "No"
    ["delmade_product"]=>
    string(3) "Yes"
    ["video"]=>
    string(0) ""
    ["showForMainland"]=>
    string(0) ""
  }
  [20]=>
  array(7) {
    ["name"]=>
    string(31) "IRIS Multispreader - IOD & IODD"
    ["alias"]=>
    string(40) "products/iris-multispreader-iod-and-iodd"
    ["product_code"]=>
    string(5) "a6-23"
    ["aus_made"]=>
    string(2) "No"
    ["delmade_product"]=>
    string(2) "No"
    ["video"]=>
    string(0) ""
    ["showForMainland"]=>
    string(0) ""
  }
  [21]=>
  array(7) {
    ["name"]=>
    string(37) "Crump Spreader - 2t - Kurrajong Model"
    ["alias"]=>
    string(26) "products/crump-spreader-2t"
    ["product_code"]=>
    string(5) "a6-24"
    ["aus_made"]=>
    string(3) "Yes"
    ["delmade_product"]=>
    string(2) "No"
    ["video"]=>
    string(0) ""
    ["showForMainland"]=>
    string(0) ""
  }
  [22]=>
  array(7) {
    ["name"]=>
    string(37) "Crump Spreader - 3t - Kurrajong Model"
    ["alias"]=>
    string(42) "products/crump-spreader-3t-kurrajong-model"
    ["product_code"]=>
    string(5) "a6-25"
    ["aus_made"]=>
    string(3) "Yes"
    ["delmade_product"]=>
    string(2) "No"
    ["video"]=>
    string(0) ""
    ["showForMainland"]=>
    string(0) ""
  }
  [23]=>
  array(7) {
    ["name"]=>
    string(40) "XCEL 1250 Rear Discharge Manure Spreader"
    ["alias"]=>
    string(49) "products/xcel-1250-rear-discharge-manure-spreader"
    ["product_code"]=>
    string(5) "a6-15"
    ["aus_made"]=>
    string(2) "No"
    ["delmade_product"]=>
    string(2) "No"
    ["video"]=>
    string(0) ""
    ["showForMainland"]=>
    string(0) ""
  }
  [24]=>
  array(7) {
    ["name"]=>
    string(20) "Hi-Spec Side Slinger"
    ["alias"]=>
    string(29) "products/hi-spec-side-slinger"
    ["product_code"]=>
    string(5) "a6-16"
    ["aus_made"]=>
    string(2) "No"
    ["delmade_product"]=>
    string(2) "No"
    ["video"]=>
    string(0) ""
    ["showForMainland"]=>
    string(0) ""
  }
  [25]=>
  array(7) {
    ["name"]=>
    string(28) "Hi-Spec Vacuum Slurry Tanker"
    ["alias"]=>
    string(37) "products/hi-spec-vacuum-slurry-tanker"
    ["product_code"]=>
    string(5) "a6-17"
    ["aus_made"]=>
    string(2) "No"
    ["delmade_product"]=>
    string(2) "No"
    ["video"]=>
    string(0) ""
    ["showForMainland"]=>
    string(0) ""
  }
}





Search the Learning Centre

Can't find the answer your looking for? Try using the search button 👇 or click here to submit your question to the Delmade team for an answer!