Development of Electronic Metering Mechanism for Precision Planting of Seeds

Abstract

Precision agriculture is the application of technologies and principles to manage spatial and temporal variability associated with all aspects of agricultural production for the purpose of improving crop performance and environmental quality. With this objective an electronic metering system was developed by the use of inclined plate type metering mechanism. The metering unit was synchronized with the forward speed with the help of proximity sensor and micro controller. The developed metering unit was tested in the laboratory for Ground nut at various forward speeds of 2.5, 3 and 3.5 Km/h. The seed to seed spacing, seed rate and seed breakage was calculated over greased seed belt and the results were statistically analyzed. The optimum condition for operation was found to be 2.5 km/h at a metering plate speed 50 rpm.