Designing, Developing and Testing of a Seeder for Tree...

JOUR. OF NAT. RESOUR. & ENVIRON. STU. , 1. 3, 26-37, (12) 2013 ISSN 1683-6456 (Print): ISSN 2332-0109 (Online) 26

Date Received 10/12/2013 Date Accepted 27/10/2013.

Abstract - The objectives of this research were to design,

develop and assess a seeder that can construct ditch and

regulate tree seeds in the bottom of the ditch. One seeder

unit, of a horizontal seed plate metering type, was selected

and jointed to the rear of a ditcher frame. Eight seed plates

were made. Four for Hashab (Acacia senegal) and four for

Talh (Acacia seyal) and they drilled to 1, 2, 3 and 4 cells

according to the seed size of tree type. The developed seeder

was tested during seasons 2011 and 2012 in rainfed and

irrigated areas. The tested treatments for the two tree

species were the combination of number of cells per seed

plate and number of teeth on drive and driven gears

combination. Some machine parameters, socioeconomic and

cost analyses were studied. The developed seeder was

mounted and operated by a tractor of 75 to 80 Hp. It

constructs ditch and regulates spacing between tree seeds in

the bottom of the ditch simultaneously. The resulting

spacing between seedlings ranged from 1 to 8 meters. The

developed seeder saves much tree seeds (27% to 88% for

Hashab and 61% to 93% for Talh) and it is economically

feasible compared to the traditional method. The developed

seeder found acceptance and appreciation from

professionals. It can be used to seed tree seeds for agro-

forestry or forest plantation in both irrigated and rainfed

areas.

Index Terms: Agro-forestry, Rain water conservation,

Tree seeding, Acacia seeding

I. INTRODUCTION

The total land under crop production in rainfed sector of

Gedarif State is about 3.4 million hectares; most of it is

mechanized farming. The development of this

mechanized rainfed farming was at the expense of the

forest area [1]. There is a reduction in land covered by

forest in the State because of horizontal expansion in field

crops beside seasonal variation in rainfall which resulted

in a remarkable reduction in the production of tree seeds

[2]. However, since early 80s a law has been ratified and

prescribed to maintain and acclimatize the deteriorating

forest cover. The law states that trees must be planted in

10% of rainfed farm area and 5% of irrigated farm area.

However, in Gedarif state only 0.065% of the 3.4 million

is covered by tree belts [3]. Implementation of the 10%

trees area law in rainfed areas faces difficulty due to

unsuitable and uneconomical methods of tree seed

seeding being used in the area. The traditional method for

seeding tree seed is by Wide Level Disk (WLD) which

broadcasts seeds randomly in the soil at variable depths,

resulting in patchy trees stand. A seed rate of 2.38 to 3.57

kg/ha is usually used. Collection and process of tree seed

is difficult and expensive. Hence, tree seed seeding

method should be economical and efficient in the uses of

the seeds [4]. Moreover, the germination of tree seeds and

establishment of its seedlings require sufficient soil

moisture for adequate period of time.

To implement a successful and sustainable forest

plantation programme that helps the enforcement of the

10% trees area law, the following points should be

considered: a) a water harvesting technique that secures

germination of tree seeds and seedling establishment to

face dry spells during the season [5], b) suitable and

economical seeding method that are efficient in using

trees seeds [4], c) spacious regulated spacing between tree

seedling to allow the use of farming machines during land

Designing, Developing and Testing of a Seeder

for Tree Seeding and in situ Water Harvesting

Imad-eldin A. Ali Babiker1, Lotfie A. Yousif

2, Hassan A. Elgezouli

3, Bakri S. Mohammed

4, Mohamed Y. Daffalla

5

and Ebtehag H. Babiker6

1-Dry Land Section, Forestry Research Center (FRC) Agricultural Research Corporation (ARC) Soba- Khartoum, Sudan. Email: [email protected]

2- Agricultural Engineering Research Program, Agricultural Research Corporation (ARC), Gedarif, Sudan. Email: [email protected].

3- Forestry Research Center (FRC), Agricultural Research Corporation (ARC), Gedarif, Sudan. Email: [email protected]

4- Forestry Research Center (FRC), Agricultural Research Corporation (ARC), Gedarif, Sudan. Email: [email protected]

5- Agricultural Engineering Research Program, Agricultural Research Corporation (ARC), New Halfa, Sudan. Email: [email protected]

6- Agricultural Economics Research Program, Agricultural Research Corporation (ARC), Gedarif, Sudan. Email: [email protected]


preparation, cultivation and harvesting of crops, and d)

economic and social values of tree species grown in the

area [6]. For example, Hashab (Acacia senegal) and Talh

(Acacia seyal) have economical values and highly

demanded by the local communities. These two species

are used for producing Gum Arabic and for home

domestic and social uses.

According to the findings obtained by [7, 8] that

seeding at the bottom of the ridge improved soil moisture

content, here in this research we try to use and modify this

methodology for planting tree seeds by using ditcher.

Planting and seeding equipment are divided into

four major types; broadcast seeder, seed drills, row crop

seeders, and air seeders. The main functions of a seeding

machine were well described by [9, 10]. The seed

metering mechanism is the most important component of

a seeder, by which the seeding rate is controlled.

The main objective of this research was to

develop a tree seeder to achieve the following: a)

Regulate spacing between tree seeds within the row; b)

Harvest and conserve rain water; c) Conserve tree seeds

and optimize its seeding cost; d) Test the developed

seeder at different ecological sites; and e) Conduct socio-

economic evaluation for the developed seeder.

II. MATERIALS AND METHODS

Seeder development

Function criteria of the seeder

1- Constructs a ditch for the purposes of in-situ

rain water harvesting.

2- Seeding tree seeds at the bottom of the

constructed ditch at required or acceptable

spacing

3- Mounted on tractor 3-point hitch with

weight that matches its lifting capacity.

4- Simple and safe to operate.

Description of the selected seeder unit

One unit of scraped TATU seeder was selected.

It composed of fertilizer and seed metering systems. The

seed metering mechanism was of horizontal seed plate

type. The furrow opener is double disk type. The seeder

unit operates independently through a drive wheel (press

wheel) which provides motion when it is rotating. The

drive wheel transmits motion to the seed metering

mechanism drive shafts through sprockets and chains.

One sprocket was mounted on the seed metering

mechanism drive shaft and the other sprocket on drive

wheel shaft. A bevel gear of 16 teeth was fixed on the

center of the seed metering mechanism drive shaft. This

bevel gear was coupled with another horizontal bevel gear

of 40 teeth. The later bevel gear makes seed plate rotate in

a horizontal plane.

Implement development

The seeder was locally made in a workshop in Gedarif

town during season 2011. The parts, materials, machine

and tools used for the fabrication were locally available.

A ditcher of medium size was selected for the purpose of

this study. It is mounted on the three points hitch system

of the tractor.

Seeder modifications and assembly

The modified parts in the selected seeder units were as

follows:

1- The fertilizer metering device and double disk

furrow opener were removed from the seeder

unit.

2- The front frame of seeder unit was strongly

welded to the rear of the ditcher at front frame on

which the three points hitch is existed. The rear

parts of the seeder unit could be separated from

the ditcher by screwing out the bolts on its

frame.

3- A seed box of rectangular shape and 0.03 m3

capacity was made from metal sheets of 0.5 mm

thickness.

4- Eight seed plates were made of cast iron; four for

Hashab and four for Talh were finished by lathe

machine and drilled to 1, 2, 3 and 4 cells

according to the seed size of each tree type.

5- A rubber seed tube was tightened to the seed

outlet opening.

Plate 1 describes the main parts of the developed seeder

and its assembly attached to the ditcher.

Seed rate regulating method

The seed rate regulating method of this type of

seeder depends on the required spacing between the seed

within the row, number of cells per seed plate and number

of teeth on sprockets combinations. Seed plate of suitable

cells size and different sprockets combination were

selected for seeding tree seeds. Table 1 and Plate 2 show

the specifications of the fabricated seed plates for Hashab

and Talh. The equation used to calculate theoretical

spacing between each two seedlings was as follows:

D = DWC/(NCP * SRR)

…………………………………………….. (1)

Where:

D = Distance between seedlings (m)

DWC = drive wheel circumference, m

NCP = No of cells per seed plate

SRR = speed reduction ratio


Speed reduction ratio was calculated according to the

following formula:

SRR = (D1/R1) * (D2/R2)

………………………………………………. (2)

Where:

D1 = number of teeth on the first drive sprocket

R1 = number of teeth on the first driven sprocket

D2 = number of teeth on the second drive sprocket

R2 = number of teeth on the second driven sprocket

TABLE 1.

Specifications of seed plates for Hashab and Talh

Item Hashab Talh

Number of cells / plate 1, 2, 3 and 4 1, 2, 3 and 4

Cell shape Circular Circular

Cell diameter, mm 13 9

Seed plate diameter, mm 188.9 188.9

Direction of seed plate motion Clockwise Clockwise

Number of seeds/cell 3 3

4

1

7

2

3

10

8 9

6 5

1. Press wheel

2. First drive sprocket

3. First driven sprocket

4. Connecting chain

5. Seed covering device

6. Seed tube

7. Seed box

8. Ditcher sheer

9. Ditcher wing

10. Hitch system

Plate 1. Main parts of the developed planter


Seeder field test

The developed seeder was first checked for parts

fitness and then tested to ensure that the seeds

were poured and dispensed regularly.

The developed seeder was tested during two

seasons (2011 and 2012) in three sites in rainfed

areas and one site in irrigated sector. In the first

season the seeder was used to seed Hashab and

Talh for the purpose of agro-forestry in Gedarif

research farm in rainfed area (Plate 3). A seed

plate of two cells of suitable size which was

driven by sprocket combination of 18 X 30 teeth

was used. The seed plates were designed

according to the characters of Hashab and Talh

seeds (Table 2). Hashab was sown in 9 rows of

350 m length at inter row spacing of 5, 8 or 12 m.

The same was done for Talh (Plate 3).

TABLE 2.

General characteristics of Hashab and Talh

Characteristics Hashab Talh

Seeds shape Nearly round to flat olive Oval

100 seeds weight (g) 9.8 4.2

No of seed/Kg 11000 21000

Seed size, mm 8 -12 6 – 9 long 4 -5 wide

Bulk density (g/cm3) 0.71 0.85

Plate 2. Seed plates used for seeding Hashab and Talh


Monthly rainfall data at the experimental sites,

seasons 2011 and 2012 were presented in Table 3.

The following parameters were determined:

forward speed (km/hr), constructed ditch

dimensions, fuel consumption and work rate, in

addition to spacing between seedlings. Seed

quantity required to seed one hectare as well as

cost of seeding were calculated. Moreover,

socioeconomic analysis was made with

respondents of 29 forests specialist and engineers

through direct questionnaire. Also economic

analysis was made based on data collected from

ministry of agriculture of Gedarif State,

department of forests and the Tree Seeds Center.

Plate 3. The use of the developed planter to seed tree seeds for agro-forestry, Gedarif Research Farm,

rainfed area

Plate 4. Testing the developed planter in New Halfa Research Farm, irrigated scheme


TABLE 3.

Monthly rainfall and rainy days at the experimental sites, seasons 2011 and 2012

Sites and seasons Rain data June July August September Oct. Total

G. R. F., 2011 Rain (mm) 0 4.3 196.7 54.5 0 255.5

Rainy days 0 2 9 5 0 16

Alazaza, 2012 Rain (mm) 90 81.5 345 78 29 623.5

Rainy days 4 5 14 6 2 21

Umserage, 2012 Rain (mm) 92 192 157 16 23 480

Rainy days 5 8 8 2 3 26

Paired sample t-test was carried out to

analyze the differences between the theoretical

and actual spacing for Hashab and Talh species

according to the procedure described by [11].

Moreover, simple linear correlation analysis was

conducted according to [12].

III. RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS

Machine working parameters

The performance of the developed seeder in all

sites was almost alike in terms of speed, work rate

and fuel consumption for the two tree seeds

species (Table 4). This is because the developed

seeder was operated by tractors of 75 – 80 hp

power. The obtained working speed was in the

range of the field speeds that reported by [13].

The constructed ditch was suitable for the purpose

of rain water harvesting; it is dimensions ranged

between 1.06 to 0.74 m, 0.60 to 0.52 m and 0.44

to 0.33 m for width, depth and shoulder,

respectively (Table 4). These dimensions depend

on soil type and conditions and ditcher adjustment

in term of the angle at which the ditcher penetrate

the soil.

TABLE 4.

Machine working parameters

Seasons 2011 2012

Sites Gedarif Research Farm NHRF Umserage

Parameters Hashab Talh Hashab Talh Hashab Talh

Germination % 70 67 54 68 54 68

Seeds damage % 2.6 10 3 12 - -

Speed km/hr 8.4 8.5 8.0 8.1 7.7 8.1

Work rate ha/hr 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.4

Fuel consumption, L/ha 12.2 12.2 12.2 12.2 12.0 12.0

Constructed ditch dimensions

Width, m 1.06 0.76 0.74

Depth, m 0.60 0.54 0.52

Shoulder, m 0.33 0.44 0.43

The seeder resulted in higher seed damage

percentage for Talh (10 and 12%) compared to

Hashab (2.6 and 3%) during seeding operation.

This difference in damage percentages attributed

to seed shape and hardness. [14] reported that

higher damage in Talh seeds was due to seed

shape, weight, size and moisture.

Effect of seeder on tree seeds

Table 5 shows the performance of the seeder on

tree seeds for agro-forestry in Gedarif Research

Farm. The obtained spacing (3 m) was almost

matching the theoretical one. It was observed that

as row spacing increased from 5 m to 8 m and 12

m, seed rate decreased, this help in saving tree

seeds. However, [15] indicated the importance of

tree spacing on the tree productivity especially in

arid-land conditions.


TABLE 5.

Performances of the developed seeder on seeding tree seeds for agro-forestry

Tree seeds species

Raw spacing (m)

Hashab

5 8 12

Talh

5 8 12

Theoretical spacing (m) 3.13 3.13 3.13 3.13 3.13 3.13

Actual spacing ( m) 3 3 3 3 3 3

Theoretical plant density/ha 7668 4791 3195 7668 4791 3195

Actual plant density/ha 2267 1667 1111 2267 1667 1111

Adjusted seed rate (kg/ha) 0.70 0.44 0.30 0.37 0.23 0.15

The developed seeder was able to seed the two

species under investigation with variable seed

plates and gear combinations. At New Halfa

Research Station (irrigated Farm) the resulting

spacing was almost similar to the theoretical one

in most cases (Table 6). At Umserage site

although the experiment was sown late (18

September) the Talh seeds emerged but Hashab

did not. The resulted spacing between seedlings

form different treatments followed the trend of the

theoretical spacing (Table 6), but it was a little bit

wider than the theoretical one. This may be due to

the germination percentage.

The statistical analysis showed that there is highly

significant (P <0.05) correlation between actual

and theoretical seedlings spacing. The simple

correlation coefficient (r) was 0.98, 0.95 and 0.99

for Hashab and Talh in New Halfa and Talh in

Umserage sites, respectively (Table 6).

These results imply that the developed seeder

could adjust the intended spacing between

seedlings with high level of accuracy. Generally,

as the number of cells per plate increased the

spacing between seedling decreased, and as

number of teeth in the driven gear increased the

spacing decreased too. The developed seeder can

seed tree seeds at spacing between seedlings

ranging between more than one to eight meters.

Hence, the seeder can be used to seed tree seeds at

narrower or wider spacing according to the target

from forest plantation. However, the growth and

yield of Acacia albida affected by tree spacing

[16]. Moreover, T-test for comparison between

the theoretical and actual seedlings spacing

showed no significant differences for Hashab and

Talh in New Halfa site as shown in Table 7. This

proves that the developed seeder is able to seed

tree seeds at the required plant density. [17]

revealed that Acacia senegal farming systems on

Vertisol is very much affected by tree spacing.


TABLE 6.

Effect of the developed seeder on spacing of Hashab and Talh at New Halfa Research Station (N. H. R.

S.) and Umserage sites and their simple linear correlation coefficient

No of cells/plate G. C. R* Theoretical

spacing, m

Actual spacing, m

N. H. R. F Umserage

Hashab

1

14 – 30 7.92 8 Nil

18 – 30 6.26 6 Nil

22 – 30 5.18 6 Nil

2

14 – 30 3.96 4 Nil

18 – 30 3.13 3 Nil

22 – 30 2.59 3 Nil

3

14 – 30 2.64 3 Nil

18 – 30 2.09 2 Nil

22 – 30 1.73 2 Nil

4

14 – 30 1.98 2 Nil

18 – 30 1.56 1 Nil

22 – 30 1.30 1 Nil

r**

0.98

Talh

1

14 – 30 7.92 8 8.15

18 – 30 6.26 8 6.71

22 – 30 5.18 4 5.46

2

14 – 30 3.96 4 4.28

18 – 30 3.13 4 3.21

22 – 30 2.59 3 2.80

3

14 – 30 2.64 3 2.70

18 – 30 2.09 3 2.31

22 – 30 1.73 2 1.83

4

14 – 30 1.98 2 2.17

18 – 30 1.56 2 1.58

22 – 30 1.30 1 1.46

r**

0.95 0.99

*G.C.R = gear combination ratio, **r = coefficient of simple linear correlation

TABLE 7.

T- Test for theoretical and actual spacing for Hashab and Talh in different site

Sites New Halfa Research Farm Umserage

Tree seeds species Hashab Talh Talh

Variance of differences between means 0.0114 0.0421 0.0012

Standard deviation 0.1070 0.2051 0.0351

T value - 0.5140* - 1.4873* -5.5142

Df 11 11 11

Probability of t 0.6174 0.1650 0.0002

Confidence limits 0.055 to 0.236 0.305 to 0.451 0.193 to 0.077

T – Tabulated value = 2.201, * significant

However, at Alazaza site, in the second season, no

emerged seedlings were observed for both tree

species (Hashab and Talh). This was mainly due

to high rainfall after sowing as shown earlier

(Table 3), which resulted in over flooding and

water logging that caused seeds rottening or

seedlings death. This means that early sowing of

tree seeds by this seeder in high rainfall areas is

not suitable; however, it may be suitable in late

sowing.

Economic analysis Results of the economical analysis of the tree

seeder for agro-forestry are presented in Table 8.

The developed seeder resulted in economical

reduction in seed rate while maintaining the


recommended or required tree population. This

resulted in reducing the cost of plantation of both

Hashab and Talh compared to traditional WLD

seeding method (Table 8). The total seeding cost

of traditional method is similar to that when

seeding by the developed seeder at 5 meter

spacing between rows, but the differences were

clear in 8 and 12 meter spacing. For agro-forestry

the developed seeder saved on the average about

2.0 kg/ha of seeds for Talh and Hashab when

compared to the traditional method which uses 2.4

kg/ha.

TABLE 8.

Economic analysis of the developed seeder compared to traditional seeding of Hashab and Talh.

Tree seeds species Hashab Talh T. M.*

Row spacing( m) 5 8 12 5 8 12

Seed rate (kg/ha) 0.70 0.44 0.30 0.37 0.23 0.15 2.4

Seed costs (SDG/ha) 4.9 3.1 2.1 2.6 1.6 1.1 16.8

Seeding operation cost (SDG/ha) 43 27 18 43 27 18 29

Total seeding cost SDG/ha 47.9 30.1 20.1 45.6 28.6 19.1 46

Seeds saved (kg/ha) 1.7 2.0 2.1 2.0 2.2 2.3 -

*T. M. = traditional method

The results showed that seeds cost of Hashab and

Talh that used by the developed seeder is less

expensive compared to the traditional WLD

method (Table 9). This is mainly because the

developed seeder saves much tree seeds (27% to

88% for Hashab and 62% to 93% for Talh) than

the traditional broadcasting method. Moreover, no

thinning will be needed when using the developed

seeder which means less follow-up cost.

Table 9.

Economic analysis of the developed seeder compared to traditional seeding method of Hashab and Talh

No of

cells/plate

G. C. R* Seed rate

(kg/ha)

Seed cost

(SDG/ha)

Total seeding cost

(SDG/ha)

Saved seeds %

Hashab

1

14 – 30 0.29 2.58 73.58 88.0

18 – 30 0.36 3.27 74.27 84.9

22 – 30 0.44 3.95 74.95 81.7

2

14 – 30 0.57 5.17 76.17 76.1

18 – 30 0.73 6.53 77.53 69.7

22 – 30 0.88 7.90 78.90 63.4

3

14 – 30 0.86 7.75 78.75 64.1

18 – 30 1.09 9.79 80.79 54.7

22 – 30 1.31 11.82 82.82 45.3

4 14 – 30 1.15 10.33 81.33 52.2

18 – 30 1.46 13.11 84.11 39.3

22 – 30 1.75 15.73 86.73 27.2

Traditional method 2.4 21.6 81.1 0.0

Talh

1

14 – 30 0.15 1.35 72.35 93.7

18 – 30 0.19 1.71 72.71 92.1

22 – 30 0.23 2.07 73.07 90.4

2

14 – 30 0.30 2.71 73.71 87.5

18 – 30 0.38 3.42 74.42 84.2

22 – 30 0.46 4.14 75.14 80.8

3

14 – 30 0.45 4.06 75.06 81.2

18 – 30 0.57 5.13 76.13 76.3

22 – 30 0.69 6.19 77.19 71.3

4

14 – 30 0.60 5.41 76.41 74.9

18 – 30 0.76 6.87 77.87 68.2

22 – 30 0.92 8.24 79.24 61.8

Traditional method 2.4 21.6 81.1 0.0

*G.C.R = gear combination ratio


Results of the social survey Results of the social survey are presented in Table

10. Twenty nine professionals in the field of

forestry 25 and Agric. Engineers (4) were

interviewed about the newly developed seeder.

All of the respondents were over 33 years, 97%

were married, 55% have higher education and

93% have more than 6 years experience in their

fields. These results indicate their maturity and

dependable judgment. All of the respondents

mentioned that the developed seeder is a useful

machine for soil moisture conservation, since it

constructs ditches and seeding simultaneously.

They also proved its validity for forest plantation

and agro-forestry system. Mentioning that seeding

tree seeds in the ditch furrow can result in seeds

rottening and seedlings death (21%), conserving

soil moisture (52%) and protecting seedling from

hard conditions (27%). Moreover, 93% of the

respondents said that the developed seeder can

help in regulating trees-seeds within the row.

Seventy nine percent of them reported that the

developed seeder is speedy compared to the

conventional method. Considering the suitable

rain-fed areas for implementing this machine 45%

and 31% of them mentioned that it is suitable for

lower and medium rainfall areas, respectively. On

the other side, they mentioned that seeding trees in

rows at a definite space is a useful method but not

implemented (69%), not useful and not

implemented (7%) and useful and implemented

(24%). These findings implied that the developed

seeder is acceptable and technically viable. From

economic stand point, 97% of the professionals

mentioned that the developed seeder can save tree

seeds while all of them reported it reduces the

thinning costs and it is economically feasible.

TABLE 10.

Results of the social survey on modified seeder for tree seeding

Items Social evaluation Score Percent

Education level

Diploma 3 10

B. SC. 10 34

M. SC. 10 34

Ph. D. 6 21

Years of experience

< 5 years 2 7

6 to 10 years 12 41

> 11 years 15 52

Technical evaluation

Capability of modified seeder for regulating tree-seeds within the row

Capable 27 93

Not capable 2 7

Performing two operations (constructing ditch & seeding) by modified seeder

Useful 29 100

Validity of modified seeder for tree seeding

Valid 29 100

Suitable areas for using modified seeder

Low rainfall areas 13 45

Medium rainfall areas 9 31

High rainfall areas 2 7

All rainfall areas 5 17

Performance of modified seeder compared to traditional method

Speedy 23 79

To some extent slow 5 17

Slow 1 3

Seeding forest trees in rows at a definite distance is

Useful but not implemented 20 69

Not useful and not implemented 2 7

Useful and implemented 7 24

Existence of tree seedlings inside ditch furrow help in

Seed rotting and seedling death 6 21


Conserve water 15 52

Protect seedling from hard conditions 8 27

Moisture conservation

Conserve 29 100

Economic evaluation Saving tree seeds at seeding by modified seeder

Save 28 97

Not save 1 3

Reducing thinning cost by seeding tree seeds by modified seeder

Yes 29 100

Economical feasibility of modified seeder

Feasible 29 100

IV. CONCLUSIONS

1- A seeder for constructing ditch and

regulating tree seeds was developed.

2- The developed seeder fulfilled the

intended design criteria and successfully

performed its intended jobs. It can be

easily mounted and operated by a tractor

of 75 to 80 Hp.

3- The performance of the developed seeder

is satisfactory in terms of constructing

ditches and seeding tree seeds

simultaneously. It can seed tree seeds at

spacing between seedlings ranging from

1 to 8 m.

4- The developed seeder saves much tree

seeds and it is economically feasible

compared to the traditional tree seeds

seeding method.

5- The developed seeder found acceptance

and appreciation from professionals.

6- The developed seeder can be used to

harvest water and to regulate the spacing

between tree seeds (Hashab and Talh) in

the bottom of the ditch for forest

plantations in irrigated and rainfed areas.

Acknowledgment: This research work was

carried out under a project funded by the

International Development Research Center

(IDRC) and the Department For International

Development (DFID) that is called: “Managing

Risk, Reducing Vulnerability and Enhancing

Agricultural Productivity under a Changing

Climate”.

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