Sowing or seeding is the art of placing seeds in the soil to have good germination in the field. A perfect seeding gives the correct amount of seed per unit area, the correct depth at which seed is placed in the soil and the correct spacing between row-to-row and plant to plant. In this blog, we are going to learn about different sowing methods.

Sowing Methods

There are different sowing methods such as Broadcasting, Dibbling, Drilling, Seed dropping behind the plow, Transplanting, Hill dropping, and Check row planting. Let us learn about all these different sowing methods.

i. Broadcasting

� Broadcasting is the process of random scattering of seed on the surface of seedbeds.
� It can be done manually or mechanically both.
� When broadcasting is done manually, uniformity of seed depends upon the skill of the man.
� Soon after broadcasting the seeds are covered by planking or some other devices.
� Usually higher seed rate is obtained in this system.
� Mechanical broadcasters are used for large-scale work.
� This machine scatters the seeds on the surface of the seedbed at controlled rates.

ii. Dibbling

� Dibbling is the process of placing seeds in holes made in seedbeds and covering them.
� In this method, seeds are placed in holes made at definite depth at fixed spacing.
� The equipment used for dibbling is called a dibbler.
� It is a conical instrument used to make proper holes in the field.
� Small hand dibblers are made with several conical projections made in a frame.
� This is a very time-consuming process, so it is not suitable for small seeds.
� Mostly vegetables are sown in this way.

iii. Drilling

� Drilling consists of dropping the seeds in furrow lines in a continuous flow and covering them with soil.
� Seed metering may be done either manually or mechanically. The number of rows planted may be one or more.
� This method is very helpful in achieving proper depth, proper spacing and the proper amount of seed to be sown in the field.
� Drilling can be done by
(1) Sowing behind the plow
(2) Bullock drew seed drills
(3) Tractor drew seed drills.

iv. Transplanting

� Transplanting consists of preparing seedlings in the nursery and then planting these seedlings in the prepared field.
� It is commonly done for vegetables and flowers. It is a very time-consuming operation. Equipment for placing plants in the soil is called a transplanter.
� In this method, seeds are first sown in nurseries after soaking them in water for 24 hours.
� After 4 weeks when the seedlings are about 20cm tall, they are uprooted and are planted in the flooded fields so that they can grow again.
� As this entire process is done by hand, a lot of manual labor is required.

Advantages of Transplantation :
i. Lot of labor is required which is easily available.
ii. When resowing, the weeds are removed.
iii. There is less wastage of seeds as in broadcasting.

v. Japanese method of cultivation � This method includes:
� The use of less, but good quality seeds.
� Sowing the seeds in raised nursery beds.
� Transplanting the seeding in rows to make weeding and fertilizing easy
� It also involves much use of manure to obtain a higher yield.
� This method ensures three times higher yields; hence it has been successfully adopted by many rice cultivation regions in Asia.

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