Analysis of Sowing Methods, Prospects for Improvement
Authors:   Central Ukrainian National Technical University, Deikun Viktor , Kropivnyy Volodymyr ,   Central Ukrainian National Technical University, Moskalchenko Roman ,   Central Ukrainian National Technical University
Published: December 2023

One of the most important technological measures in agricultural production is the sowing of agricultural crops. Therefore, it is important to choose a sowing method that will create optimal conditions for the germination and development of the seeds of cultivated plants. Sowing methods depend on the biological characteristics of crops (different crops are not equally demanding on soil fertility, the amount of heat, lighting, humidity, etc.). One of the main requirements for sowing methods is the creation of optimal sowing density, which ensures the most intensive growth of the assimilation leaf surface - the main factor of yield. Scientists have conducted a number of studies, developed designs of combined working bodies of sowing machines and distribution devices for transporting and distributing seed material along the width of the coulter, identified the main shortcomings and proposed ways to simplify them and improve the quality of work when sowing seeds of grain crops. However, the problem of increasing the efficiency of using the entire design width of the coulters can be successfully solved if the mathematical justification of the technological parameters of the elements of the working body is applied. The purpose of the article is to conduct an analysis of sowing methods, to carry out a literature and patent review of the constructions of combined working bodies for shelf-free tillage with simultaneous subsoil-broadcasting of grain crops or in-soil application of mineral fertilizers, analysis of the constructions of distribution devices of various authors and the efficiency of their use. If you evaluate the working bodies for transporting and distributing the material when it is placed in the soil comprehensively according to three main indicators: the simplicity of the design, its reliability and ensuring the quality indicators of the execution of the technological process, then preference should be given to the working bodies with distributors of passive action. In this case, the first two indicators are simultaneously provided. In our opinion, the issue of the quality of the execution of the technological process - the uniformity of the distribution of the material along the width of the working body is urgent, therefore it requires a deeper study and the establishment of the main groups of factors that affect this indicator. A significant drawback of most theoretical studies of the process of material distribution along the grip width of a flat-cutting working body is that the distributor is considered as a final factor and a structural element on which the main characteristic of the process depends - the uniformity of distribution, but in real conditions this indicator is significantly redistributed as a result of particle contact with soil. The considered areas of improvement of the working bodies for continuous sowing are effective, but their practical use is limited, because in some cases the design of the machines is significantly complicated, in others, the designs of the distributors themselves are too complicated, and their scope of use is limited. At the same time, with modern trends in the field of tillage, its minimization, when more and more combined tools are used, which reduce not only the cost of obtaining a crop, but also, what is no less important, the load on the soil and the environment, from an ecological point of view, it proves the necessity further improvement of the designs of combined weapons and their working bodies. Therefore, in our opinion, work on improving the structures of such working bodies and further research into the parameters and modes of their functioning are promising.