Sowing: Definition, land preparation, methods and precautions

What is sowing?

Sowing, also known as seeding, is the art of placing a seed in suitable soil conditions for proper germination and growth. Seeding entails planting the right number of seeds per unit area, the depth at which the seeds are buried in the soil, and the distance between rows. 

Here are a few safeguards, which should be taken during this agricultural procedure, including selecting high-quality seeds, maintaining the proper depth and distance, and ensuring the soil is clean, healthy, and free of pathogens like fungus and other diseases. For seeds to germinate—the process by which seeds grow into new plants—all these measures are necessary.

Once the soil is arranged, the crop is planted. This is done in many ways. Rice is sown using the method of transplanting seedlings. Vegetables like ladyfinger are sown on the ridges while green leafy vegetables like spinach are sown in beds. Vegetables like bitter gourd, pumpkin and watermelon are sown by poking them inside the soil one by one.

Land preparation before sowing

Preparing the soil is the first step in growing a crop.

Extensive root penetration can be achieved by stirring and loosening the soil. The growth of numerous soil bacteria, earthworms, etc., which enrich the soil with humus and other necessary nutrients, is facilitated by loosening the soil.

 The three procedures that make up soil preparation are as follows:

• Ploughing

• It enables plant roots to stoke deep soil penetration. Loose soil also gives the roots better aeration, allowing them to breathe easily, which helps the plant become firmly rooted.
• In addition to removing weeds and other unwanted items from the field, ploughing promotes the growth of worms and microorganisms, which perform decomposition and add nutrients and humus to the soil. 

• Levelling

The land surface is made plain through land levelling. It makes the soil more capable of retaining water, improving yield. The leveller, which is a large wooden or iron board, is the tool used to level the earth. Water distribution during irrigation is made possible by levelling the field. The last stage of soil preparation is this.

• Manuring

Even before starting planting seeds, add manure to the soil to boost its richness. To ensure that the fertilisers blend into the soil, we add them before we plough the area.

Methods of sowing

Traditional method

Source: Pinterest

The seeds were usually sown using an instrument shaped like a funnel. The funnel is full of seeds, which go through two or three pipes with pointy, sharp ends. On the plough shaft,  the tool is attached. When seeds are kept in a funnel, they gradually descend through the pointed ends that pierce the ground, planting themselves deeply. Traditionally dropping seeds by hand is known as ‘ Kera’ and dropping seeds through a mechanical method is called ‘Pora’.

Source: Pinterest 

Broadcasting

The most widespread and basic technique for planting seeds is broadcasting. Scattering seeds throughout the ground is the definition of broadcasting.

Mechanically or manually, both processes are used in the broadcasting method. Seeds are scattered evenly (or as evenly as we can) over the soil while working manually by holding the seeds in our hands. There is an uneven distribution of seeds; some are overlaid, while others are left exposed. The quantity of seeds to be disseminated is mechanically controlled. It causes seeds to be scattered evenly across the soil. This is followed by planking. Ensure that the broadcaster is an expert.

Benefits of  broadcasting

• The manual approach is inexpensive.
• Compared to other procedures, it takes less time.
• Small-seeded crops where plant-to-plant distance is negligible or irrelevant should use this strategy.
• Large area of land can be sown in very less time

Drawbacks of broadcasting

• This approach has an uneven dispersal of seeds. The seed does not germinate uniformly, varying densities and depths. Also, as the spacing between rows and lines is not maintained, intercultural is challenging.
• Some of the seeds have no soil covering them. Wherever the appropriate moisture is not present in the soil, the germination will be gappy and faulty.

Source: Pinterest

Drilling

This process involves continuously pouring seeds into furrow lines, which are then covered and compacted by dirt. The spacing between the seeds varies. It’s accomplished by using a seed drill or a seed-cum-fertilizer drill. The right number of seeds are sown at the proper depths and locations. Most seeds are now sown using seed drills, which provide higher precision and allow seeds to be sown evenly and at the required rate. There are several methods for drilling, including:

1. Sowing after the plough.

2. Tractor-drawn seed drills

3. Bullock-drawn seed drills

Benefits of the drilling method

• Labor-intensive and time-consuming,
• Only high-quality and bold seeds are sowed, 
• Strict supervision is needed.
• Manures and amendments can be applied alongside seeds during drilling.
• Less seed is needed.

Drawbacks of the drilling method

• It takes more time; 
• It requires more labor and is more expensive.

Dribbling

Source: Pinterest 

Dribbling is the most typical method of inserting seeds into holes drilled in the seedbed and covering them. In this technique, holes are drilled at a specific depth and spaced at a particular distance apart to place seeds. The dibbler is the equipment used for dibbling. To make precise boreholes in the field, a conical tool is employed. In this approach, seeds are inserted into apertures constructed at a specified dispersal depth and clear profundity. Tiny seedlings shouldn’t go through this cycle because it is so laborious. Dribbling is the most famous technique are used to plant crops.

Benefits of the dribbling method

• • Less seed is needed than with other methods
  • Spacing between rows and plants is maintained
  • Germination is quick and uniform
  • Seeds can be plunged at a desired depth in the moisture zone
  • Maintaining an optimal plant population
  • Not requiring an implement for sowing
  • Taking an intercrop in crops that are spaced farther apart
  • Crosswise inter-cultivation is possible.

   

Drawbacks of the dribbling method

• labor-intensive and time-consuming,
• only high-quality and bold seeds are sowed, 
• strict supervision is needed.

Seed dropping behind the plough

The seeds are manually insinuated into the furrows that have been manually dug in the field during this procedure, either continuously or at predetermined intervals, by a man operating the plough. The depth of the plough affects how deep to sow. Many different food crops, including maize, peas, wheat, barley, and gram, are dispersed using this approach in rural areas. A tool called a malobansa was used to sprinkle seeds into the furrows left by the plough. A bamboo tube with a funnel-shaped mouth makes up the device. Two men are required to scatter the seeds.  The first person controls the bullocks and the plough while the other scatters the seed. 

It uses two techniques known as Kera and Pora. In the manual technique known as Kera, one man throws the seeds behind the plough. However, this approach requires a lot of time and labor.

Benefits 

• Simple and affordable procedure.
• It is possible to maintain the correct seed rate and spacing.

Drawbacks 

• Time-consuming and requires additional labour.
• Less control over the depth of seed sown because it is persistent by the width of the furrow the plough creates.

Transplanting

Before being placed on a previously prepared ground, seedlings undergo preliminary grooming at a nursery. Flower and vegetable cultivation is a prevalent practice. The transplanting process is time-consuming. A transplanter is gardening equipment used to put seeds in the ground.

Example: Paddy Crop

Nursery required for 

• Special attention is given to certain seedlings.
• It can support many crops each year.
• Small-seed crops like rice, which need shallow seeding and regular irrigation for good germination, are the ones for which it carried out.

Check row planting

The seeds are dispersed in straight, parallel furrows. For the method, a piece of equipment known as a check row planter is used. Both the spacing between rows and plants is constant.

Hill dropping

In this kind of sowing, the chosen seeds are dropped at predetermined locations but not continuously. As a result, there is a constant distance between each plant in a row. The separation between plants in a row varies when seeds are sown with drills because they are deposited continuously. In a row, there is a fixed distance between each hill. The tools are referred to as planters.

Precautions to be taken during sowing

• During the seed-sowing process, a few important safety considerations must be observed.
• The proper spacing should be used while sowing the seeds to ensure that the plants that grow from them have access to enough water, sunlight, and nutrients.
• A healthy and disease-free batch of seeds should be used for sowing. The seeds can be treated with fungicides to prevent diseases that are spread by contaminated seeds.
• To foster germination, the seeds must be placed in the soil at the proper depth. Birds will eat seeds that are scattered on the soil’s surface. Contrariwise, if the seeds are buried too deeply, they might not receive the proper amount of oxygen needed for respiration and can not germinate.
• The soil shouldn’t be too dry or damp when planting seeds. The seeds may not germinate if the soil is too dry because a lack of moisture (water) is necessary for germination. Too much moisture in the soil may prevent seeds from breathing correctly. Damp soil’s surface becomes rigid after drying, making it possible that the germinating plumule won’t be able to emerge.

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