What are the precautions you must take during sowing ?

After preparing the soil by ploughing, leveling and manuring, the seeds are planted into the soil. The process of planting the seeds in the soil is called sowing. Sowing can be done either manually by hand or by a seed drill. Sowing of seeds manually by hand is known as broadcasting.

In broadcasting or manual sowing, the seeds are scattered in the prepared field by hand. This method is not considered good because of the following reasons:

1. The spacing between the seeds may not be proper.

2. The seeds may not be sown at the right depth.

3. The seeds, which remain on the surface, may be picked up by birds.

The more appropriate way of sowing is to use a seed drill for sowing. A seed drill is a long iron tube having a funnel at the top. During sowing, it is attached to the back of the plough. As the plough moves in the soil, seeds are released through the seed-drill and sown into the furrows made by the plough. By using a seed-drill for sowing, it is possible to adjust the depth at which seeds are sown and also the spacing between the seeds. Thus, sowing with a seed drill is better than manual sowing by hand.

Precautions to be taken during sowing:

1. The seeds used for sowing should be healthy and free from diseases. In order to avoid the seed-borne diseases the seeds may be treated with fungicides.

2. The seeds should be sown at the right depth. If the seeds are just scattered on the surface of the soil, these picked up by birds. On the other hand, if the seeds are buried too deep, they may not get sufficient oxygen required for respiration and hence may not germinate.

3. The seeds should be sown with right spacing, so that the plants evolved from them can get sufficient nutrients, water and sunlight.

4. The seeds should not be sown in too dry or too wet soil. If soil is too dry, the seeds may not germinate because of lack of moisture (water) which is essential for germination. On the 9other hand, in too wet soil the seeds may not be able to respire properly. Moreover, the surface of wet soil on drying becomes very hard and hence the germinating plumule may not be able to come out.