EVALUATION OF THE PERFORMANCE OF A BELT METERING SYSTEM FOR SOYBEANS PLANTED WITH A GRAIN DRILL

Abstract

Grain drills have been used to meet the needs of crop producers seeking to take advantage of narrow row spacingin soybean production. While seemingly adequate for field-scale soybean production, grain drills have produced standirregularities that have affected small plot field studies. A project was undertaken at three Purdue Agricultural Centerlocations to compare the performance of conventional fluted wheel and a new belt-type metering system on grain drills usedto plant soybeans. Performance was measured by capturing and weighing seed from each row during calibration and bymeasuring stand counts and yields from field plots planted with the two metering systems. Calibration was performed for threeseed sizes and three seeding rates. The belt-type seed singulation system produced apparently more consistent distributionof seeds and a numerical reduction in plant stand variability. Yields produced by soybeans planted with the two meteringsystems did not differ significantly.