Choking of seed drill during sowing of wheat generally occurs due to excessive soil moisture, weeds or agricultural residue present in the field. The developed monitoring system for detecting the choking of boot comprised three units: sensing unit, processing unit and alert unit. A direct incidence infrared (IR) emitter and IR receiver were selected for detecting choking of boots of a seed drill. A microcontroller board was used to process the detected choking output signals of these sensors and to produce signals, using the uploaded programing code in the microcontroller board, to alert the tractor operator about choking of boot of the seed drill. IR emitter and receiver were fixed opposite to each other 180° apart at the bottom end of the seed tube. The alert unit comprised audible (continuous buzzer) and visual (red LEDs) outputs and was fixed on the dashboard of a tractor. The performance of the developed system for a tractor drawn 9×200 mm seed drill was evaluated in the laboratory as well as in the field with wheat seeds at different seed rates. The developed system detected choking, independent of seed rate in all the boots of the seed drill. However, there was a time gap observed between choking actually occurred and sensed by the developed monitoring system. This was due to height at which the emitter and receiver were fixed from the bottom of the boot. The system produced both audible and visual signals successfully to alert the operator about choking of the boots in the field. | A monitoring system for detecting choking of boots of a seed drill
