Farmers around the world have long used seed-monitoring solutions of varying complexity. The market offers a whole range of systems that help carry out sowing efficiently – from the simplest factory-installed monitoring technologies, to solutions that transmit data to farm-data-management software.
The system that’s right for you depends on the set of functions your planter needs. Do you need to adjust seeding density manually or using prescription maps? Maybe you want to sow while simultaneously controlling the application of various materials – from seed to chemicals and fertilizer? Or perhaps you need to automatically control a large number of row units? Whatever the situation, carefully assess your requirements – for example, variable-rate application control, automatic section control and seed monitoring – to find the right solution for your farm.
What a seed-monitoring system can tell you
The simplest seed-monitoring system should check whether sowing is actually happening across every row. More functional systems provide statistical data on the sowing process and warn about serious planter problems in real time.
Analyzing seeding density and singulation accuracy
Any piece of data you get from a seed-monitoring system has value. Two key statistical parameters give an idea of how well the planter or a given row unit is performing.
Seeding density. Put simply, this parameter gives feedback on the number of single seeds that didn’t result in skips or “doubles”. If you see seeding-density values dropping, check whether skips, doubles, or a combination of these errors has appeared.
Singulation accuracy. Similar to seeding density, this parameter reports the number of seeds placed at the correct spacing. Skips, overlaps and speed can all affect this parameter.
Keep in mind that many planters have adjustable threshold values for most parameters. Changing these thresholds can improve or worsen performance, but can also smooth out or eliminate cyclical singulation-accuracy problems.
Two important reasons to use seed-monitoring system data
You can’t fix what you don’t know about. The main benefit of using a seed-monitoring solution is that, when set up correctly, it will flag problems that arise during sowing, detecting skips, doubles and row failures. And most importantly, the system detects these problems while you can still take timely action, rather than after the crop has already emerged.
1. Correcting sowing errors in real time
Peace of mind during sowing is priceless. Will you know for certain what was or wasn’t planted in every row? Detecting planter problems the very moment they occur – that’s exactly where the value of a seed-monitoring system becomes clear. Thanks to the seed-monitoring system and the navigation display working together, you can catch problems as they arise and fix them on the go, right in the field, getting feedback in real time. Meanwhile, as you work, your display collects data to log every operation performed, not only so you can be confident sowing was done accurately and correctly, but also to help you identify annual trends and prepare information for next year’s sowing season.
2. It’s not you. It’s your planter
If you’ve invested in a seed-monitoring solution, the information you get will only be useful if you actually use it. Discovering that your planter isn’t working correctly can be an unpleasant fact, but if your monitoring system is set up correctly, it flags planter problems that need fixing to protect your yield.
Common problems
- The planter needs servicing. Often it all comes down to a simple calibration or adjustment described by the manufacturer, which can change everything.
- Software needs updating. Maybe it’s time to think about updating the planter’s hardware so you can get the most out of it.
- You may need to slow down. As simple as it sounds, changing seed type, seed coating and seed size can significantly affect seed-metering performance. Reducing the tractor-planter’s speed (or the seed-feed rate) can deliver a higher yield.
A seed-monitoring system can do everything possible to boost yield, but only if you use the information it gives you and take the appropriate action. As you use this technology more and more, you’ll gain additional benefits, being able to compare performance year over year across everything from the planter and seed varieties to individual field plots, to make better-informed decisions that increase yield and cut down on errors and rework. Seed monitoring is just one tool in the precision-agriculture toolkit. Learn more about managing rate and application control with Trimble® Field-IQ™.
Yevgen Kondratyev
Tel.: +38 50 450 47 82
E-mail: e.kondratyev@astra-group.com.ua
