A study on effectiveness of fluted feed roller metering device for high-speed soybean sowing

This study investigated the usability of available fluted feed roller for high-speed drilling of soybean seeds. A 7-grove fluted roller having roller, with a roller diameter of 56 mm and a flute diameter of 20 mm, was evaluated in a laboratory setup of a stationary seed drill. The laboratory setup consisted of seed hopper, metering mechanism, delivery pipe, plastic bucket, precision weighing balance, screw mechanism, variable speed motor system, and data acquisition system. The fluted roller was operated in replicated trials at four feed shaft speeds (8, 13, 18 and 23 rpm), three exposure lengths (1/3^rd, 2/3^rd and full) and at two widths of slot (WS) between roller and bottom plate of the feed unit 10 and 20 mm. Flow accuracy calculated for each trial revealed that the flow accuracy is significantly affected by fluted roller speed and active exposure length. For an optimal flow accuracy, the fluted feed roller should be operated with a full exposure length, at a fluted roller speed of 23 rpm at both WS for the soybean seeds. The best result for seed flow accuracy was found with fluted roller speed of 23 rpm, full exposure length, and 10 mm WS.