Seeding Boot Lateral Seed and Fertiliser Placement
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current seeding apparatuses face issues such as excessive soil throw, poor root growth, seed and fertiliser tube blockages, mud build-up, wear protection failure, seed bounce, poor early crop vigour, inadequate chemical incorporation, and high maintenance costs, limiting their effectiveness and efficiency in seeding operations.
Innovation Solution
A seeding boot for tillage implements with laterally spaced seed outlets and rearwardly positioned fertiliser outlets, designed to minimize soil disturbance, prevent blockages, and promote root growth by placing seeds and fertiliser in optimal positions, featuring wear-resistant coatings and a streamlined configuration for reduced drag and extended lifespan.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If fertiliser is placed directly below the seed, then fertiliser accessibility to roots is improved, but fertiliser toxicity to seedlings increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from vertical placement (fertiliser directly below seed) to lateral placement (fertiliser adjacent to seed in a side-by-side configuration). This dimensional change allows roots to access fertiliser horizontally as they grow laterally, maintaining accessibility while avoiding the toxic concentration that occurs with direct vertical placement.
Solution Approach 2:
The seeding apparatus places fertiliser in position adjacent to the seed before the seedling emerges and before root growth occurs. This preliminary positioning ensures that when roots grow laterally, they encounter fertiliser at appropriate concentrations, avoiding both toxicity from direct placement and deprivation from delayed placement.
2Productivity
If fertiliser is deep banded 30 mm or more below seeds, then fertiliser placement efficiency is improved, but root access to fertiliser is restricted in cold wet conditions
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of deep vertical banding, the patent uses lateral placement at a shallower depth adjacent to the seed. This dimensional shift allows roots to access fertiliser through lateral growth in the same soil layer, which is more reliable in cold wet conditions where deep root penetration is limited.
Solution Approach 2:
The fertiliser is placed in a specific local zone adjacent to the seed rather than deep below it. This creates a localized fertiliser band in the optimal depth zone where roots can reliably access it, particularly in conditions where deep soil is cold and wet.
3Ease of manufacture
If seed outlets face downwardly, then seed delivery is simplified, but outlet blockage with mud increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent orients the seed outlets asymmetrically to face laterally or upward rather than uniformly downward. This asymmetric orientation prevents mud from directly blocking the outlet opening while still allowing seeds to be delivered effectively, resolving the conflict between simple delivery design and blockage resistance.
4Manufacturing precision
If paired row seed tubes have small outlets, then seeding precision is improved, but flow of larger seeds is restricted
Solution Approach 1:
The seeding system uses adjustable or interchangeable seed tubes and outlets that can be dynamically configured for different seed sizes. This allows the system to maintain precise seeding control while adapting to various seed dimensions, enabling use with larger seeds like peas, chickpeas, and beans.
5Strength
If the boot is big and bulky, then structural strength is improved, but soil throw increases causing chemical damage to seedlings
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs curved or streamlined boot design elements that redirect soil flow smoothly rather than creating sharp edges that throw soil. The curved geometry maintains structural integrity while reducing the harmful lateral throw of soil that could damage emerging seedlings.
6Device complexity
If seed and fertiliser are placed on the same plane, then equipment simplicity is improved, but fertiliser toxicity risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent positions fertiliser outlets at a different vertical depth or lateral position relative to seed outlets, creating spatial separation in the same equipment structure. This dimensional differentiation allows simple equipment design while preventing fertiliser toxicity by ensuring seeds and fertiliser are not in direct contact at the same location.
Data Source
AI summary
A seeding boot for a seeding apparatus mountable adjacent a soil-opening disc of a tillage implement. The seeding boot including: a boot body mountable at, or adjacent, a lower portion of the soil-opening disc; a seed distributor on the boot body, the seed distributor having at least one seed outlet spaced laterally from the soil-opening disc; a seed inlet, connectable to a source of seeds to be planted, for the seed distributor; and at least one fertiliser distributor, the at least one fertiliser distributor having at least one fertiliser outlet located rearwardly of the soil-opening disc, and downstream of the at least one seed outlet. The seed distributor has a substantially hollow distributor body connected to the seed inlet, and a pair of substantially hollow wings extend substantially laterally from the distributor body and are each provided with a respective one of the at least one seed outlets.