2018 marks a significant milestone for Kverneland precision seeding equipment – it is the 25th anniversary of using electric seed metering drives (e-drive). It is an achievement that reinforces a wealth of electric drive experience that is unmatched by any other precision seeding company.
Electric drives for seed metering grew out of the development of the Unicorn Synchro in 1993, and have since advanced to e-drive II. Along the way, section control has evolved too, and combined with greater computing power, has led to the integration of the sophisticated Geoseed.
The adoption of electric drives to the Kverneland precision seeder ranges followed a licencing agreement in the early 1990’s with Kleine, allowing the patented electric drive to be integrated into the design of the Monopill.
Shortly after, Kverneland bought the precision seeding business from Kleine and incorporated this into the Soest business unit in Germany. This completed the process of rolling out full electric drive systems on both Monopill and Optima precision seeding ranges.
With 25 years’ experience of electric drives, the precision of Kverneland’s latest e-drive II is impressive. Geoseed level 1 synchronises seeding within the machine’s working width, while the more advanced Geoseed level 2 synchronises seeding on a pass-to-pass basis, across the entire field. This can also provide a diamond seed spacing pattern, giving optimum space and light for each plant.
Electric drive continues to be an integral part of the Kverneland precision seeder portfolio. Its sophistication has ensured that both the Optima and Monopill precision seeder ranges have become firm favourites among maize and sugar beet growers for example, as a result of their ability to eliminate overlaps.
This highly advanced seed placement capability has also made it possible to sow complex maize mazes using the Optima, but without mechanical intervention to complete a maze.
The Optima range is available in trailed and mounted versions, from six to 16 rows. Monopill seeders, traditionally the precision planter of choice for sugar beet growers, include rigid and folding models from 12-24 rows.
All Kverneland precision seeders can also be combined with the ISOBUS compatible iXtra LiFe front tank for liquid fertiliser applications.
