Design and laboratory test of a seed metering device of sowing soyabean seeds

The objective of this work was to evaluate the chemical and physical characteristics of grains of soybean (Glycine max) cultivars for food processing. Metering device is the heart of planter and its function is to distribute seeds uniformly at the desired application rates. Manual method of seed planting, results in low seed placement, more consuming time, spacing efficiencies and serious back ache for the farmer which limits the size of field that can be planted. The objective of this study was to design a new seed metering device (plate type) sowing for soyabean to overcome seed damage, seed loss and non-uniform distribution of seed. Physical properties of seed parameters play important role in design of cell in a metering device for easy flow of seed. To achieve the best performance of device under laboratory test including calibrated seed rate, seed damage percentage, uniformity of seed spacing in row used grease belt system, missing rate and germination percentage were found 26.99 kg, 2.4%, 24cm, 2.12% and 93%, respectively. The basic requirements for small scale cropping machines are, they should be suitable for small farms, simple in design and technology and versatile for use in different farm operations. A manually operated template row planter was designed and developed to improve planting efficiency and reduce drudgery involved in manual planting method. Seed planting is also possible for different size of seed at variable depth and space between two seed.