Evaluation of the Performance of a Belt Metering System for Soybeans Planted with a Grain Drill

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