Horsch has spent five years developing its new precision seeding unit, which puts in its first on-machine appearance within the Maestro precision planter. Yet this ‘seed on demand’ metering system is destined for much more than just planting maize. As just one example of what’s to come, the German firm has already trialled the seeding unit with oilseed rape.
When Horsch first sat down to develop the Maestro precision planter it had several goals in mind. The company wanted the drill to be capable of planting maize, soya beans, sunflowers and sugar beet at travel speeds of up to 15km/hr, and it had to have a wide working width that could tuck in to under 3.0m for transport. Unlike other precision seeders, the Horsch Maestro carries its seed in a central hopper rather than in the more familiar individual seed bins above each coulter. But to make this configuration work, Horsch’s designers had to apply some out-of-the box thinking and conjure an altogether different seeding unit.
To gain a better view of the metering unit you simply need to remove two knobs to expose the 120mm slotted metering disc. You can then see how the seed is sucked into the slots in the disc from the small seed reservoir, which, in turn, is replenished from a 2,000-litre hopper. This ‘seed on demand’ system ensures that there’s always a supply to the seeder unit.
