The Study on the Design Factors of the Groove-Roller Seed Metering Device for Seeder of Foxtail millet & Sorghum

Purpose: This research was conducted to determine the design factors of a seed-metering device for the development of a seeder. The device allows the seeder to sow precisely one to three seeds of foxtail millet and sorghum. To obtain fundamental information regarding the design of the seed-metering device, examination of the physical properties of foxtail millet and sorghum was conducted. Methods: Based on the results of an adaptability test using an existing seeder with foxtail millet and sorghum, an experimental roller-type seed-metering device was made. The seeding factors considered during the experiment were the width, length, and depth, as well as the shape of the groove in the seed-metering roller. By adapting an analysis of variance, the experimental results of the seeding factors were analyzed. Results: The measured results of the respective lengths and widths of the seeds were 2.11 and 1.64 mm for foxtail millet, and 3.68 and 3.32 mm for sorghum, respectively. The weight of 1,000 seeds was 2.43 g for foxtail millet and 17.5 g for sorghum. The seeds were of an elliptical shape, considering the length and width. A sieve analysis showed that the size distribution of foxtail millet was quite regular whereas that of sorghum was irregular. Conclusions: The seeding results showed that the rates of incorrect planting were low when the groove of the roller-type metering device is an elliptical type. To sow one to three seeds, the groove of roller-type metering devices 2.0 mm x 4.0 mm x 1.5 mm (width x length x depth) for foxtail millet, and 4.0 mm x 8.0 mm x 3.0 mm and 4.5 mm x 8.0 mm x 3.0 mm (width x length x depth) for Sorghum.