Seeder Calibration for Cereal Crops: Methods and Challenges: A Review

Calibration of the seed drill is of the utmost importance in crop planting because it directly affects the inputs and planting density, hence the yield. This review discusses the traditional methods and recent advancements in seed drill calibration. The traditional calibration is usually done while stationary or within a specific area under controlled conditions using the weighing method. It is time-consuming and subject to human error. Other challenges for the traditional calibration are that it does not account for wheel slippage and changes in forward speed that happen in real field conditions and it has no feedback about the seeding process on the go. Recent advances in seeding technology employed optical sensors, digital cameras, and computer software to replace traditional methods in calibrating the drills and monitoring the seeding rate on the go. Additionally, radar-based algorithms are used to determine the actual drill forward speed, bypass wheel slippage, and synchronize the seed metering speed with the actual forward speed rather than the ground wheel rotation. In addition, these modern systems could update the drill calibration on the go by accounting for travel speed and seeder working condition changes. In conclusion, incorporating these new techniques of monitoring and adjusting the seeding rate on the go with those sensors to determine the forward speed allows us to replace the traditional method of drill calibration, achieve high seeding uniformity, and improve input efficiency. An economic evaluation of these advanced technologies will encourage more adoption of them and, hence, move toward global agricultural sustainability.