Real Direct Seeding method

Pioneer of Real Direct Seeding

Vieskan Metalli is the pioneer of direct seeding in Finland. Since 1998, over 1200 units have been manufactured and in spring 2010 the total area sown with VM Real Direct Seeding Drills exceeded 190 000 hectares. It covers about 20% of the spring seeding area in Finland.

The definition Real Direct Seeding was introduced to distinguish the machine and the method from the traditional direct seeding drills intended for minimally tilled soils, which require preparation of the soil.

Seeding directly in stubble

VM Real Direct Seeding saves time and reduces crop production costs. It is also an environmentally friendly cropping method that improves the soil profile. In VM Real Direct Seeding, the seeds are sown in the stubble of the previous plant stand without any preparation of the soil whatsoever. The method is new in Finland, but in other parts of the world it has been in use for decades. The VM Real Direct Seeding Drill is also suitable for the seeding of ploughed and tilled soil, but if the soil is tilled, the savings drop by a half. In 2008, the cultivated area under direct seeding globally, i.e. the no-till area was over 100 million hectares.

In spring and autumn

The previous direct seeding drill models on the Finnish market were intended for seeding of minimally tilled soil and the manufacturers of these machines recommend direct seeding only under the most favourable conditions, primarily in autumn. The VM Real Direct Seeding Drill is specially designed for seeding in stubble. The seeding in stubble is possible both in spring and in autumn.

Seeding technique

As the coulter rotates, it cuts a furrow in the soil, in which the seed and the fertilizer are placed. As the seed and the fertilizer are placed in the same furrow, it has been possible to reduce the number of coulters by a half. Therefore the weight on each coulter is 30 percent higher than in machines equipped with separate fertilizer coulters. The coulter weight is great enough to enable seeding in stubble without preparation of soil. The machine does not require high tractive power. Seeding is possible even with a medium-sized tractor.

Plant protection

As ploughing and tilling are omitted, perennial weeds are killed by glyphosate spraying.

Growing pace

The soil covered by stubble warms up and dries out more slowly than with tilled soil and seeding can be started a little later than in traditional farming. Soil where Real Direct Seeding has been applied is able to catch up the delay by autumn and in most cases the harvesting may be started at the same time. In Real Direct Seeding most of the growth takes place in late summer. When the growing season in traditional farming has come to an end, the growth of the stand seeded applying the Real Direct Seeding method still continues.

Seeding time

Users of Real Direct Seeding drills say that the best seeding time is a few days, or even a week, later than in traditional farming. In general the best time for couch grass spraying is when the farmers who apply traditional farming methods set out for tilling. The field will be ready for seeding 1-3 days after the spraying, depending on the weather.

Environmentally friendly seeding method

The VM Real Direct Seeding method reduces nutrient emissions to bodies of water and carbon dioxide emissions to the atmosphere by 70%. See emissions to the natural environment.
The method also improves the profile of the soil and its crop growing capacity. As the activity of micro-organisms increases and the eco-system becomes active, the need for chemical fertilizers gradually decreases.

The glyphosate used for killing perennial weeds breaks up as a result of microbial activity during summer in the top layer of the soil and thus is not harmful to the environment.