Drill (agriculture)
Encyclopedia
In agriculture
and gardening
, a drill is a shallow furrow in which seed
s or bulb
s are placed during seeding. A drill is commonly created by dragging a hoe
through the soil in a straight line, leaving a furrow of a centimeter or two for smaller seeds, or a deeper trench of several centimeters for flower
bulbs and seed potatoes. It makes seeding faster than by individually burying seeds, and also facilitates the creation of straight rows. On a larger scale, for example, in planting potato
es, a tractor
can pull a furrower implement that quickly creates drills that can be manually or mechanically seeded and covered.
In a farming context, drill may also refer to a seed drill
, any of a number of mechanical devices used to precisely place seeds in rows.
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
and gardening
Gardening
Gardening is the practice of growing and cultivating plants. Ornamental plants are normally grown for their flowers, foliage, or overall appearance; useful plants are grown for consumption , for their dyes, or for medicinal or cosmetic use...
, a drill is a shallow furrow in which seed
Seed
A seed is a small embryonic plant enclosed in a covering called the seed coat, usually with some stored food. It is the product of the ripened ovule of gymnosperm and angiosperm plants which occurs after fertilization and some growth within the mother plant...
s or bulb
Bulb
A bulb is a short stem with fleshy leaves or leaf bases. The leaves often function as food storage organs during dormancy.A bulb's leaf bases, known as scales, generally do not support leaves, but contain food reserves to enable the plant to survive adverse conditions. At the center of the bulb is...
s are placed during seeding. A drill is commonly created by dragging a hoe
Hoe (tool)
A hoe is an ancient and versatile agricultural tool used to move small amounts of soil. Common goals include weed control by agitating the surface of the soil around plants, piling soil around the base of plants , creating narrow furrows and shallow trenches for planting seeds and bulbs, to chop...
through the soil in a straight line, leaving a furrow of a centimeter or two for smaller seeds, or a deeper trench of several centimeters for flower
Flower
A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to effect reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism for the union of sperm with eggs...
bulbs and seed potatoes. It makes seeding faster than by individually burying seeds, and also facilitates the creation of straight rows. On a larger scale, for example, in planting potato
Potato
The potato is a starchy, tuberous crop from the perennial Solanum tuberosum of the Solanaceae family . The word potato may refer to the plant itself as well as the edible tuber. In the region of the Andes, there are some other closely related cultivated potato species...
es, a tractor
Tractor
A tractor is a vehicle specifically designed to deliver a high tractive effort at slow speeds, for the purposes of hauling a trailer or machinery used in agriculture or construction...
can pull a furrower implement that quickly creates drills that can be manually or mechanically seeded and covered.
In a farming context, drill may also refer to a seed drill
Seed drill
A seed drill is a sowing device that precisely positions seeds in the soil and then covers them. Before the introduction of the seed drill, the common practice was to plant seeds by hand. Besides being wasteful, planting was very imprecise and led to a poor distribution of seeds, leading to low...
, any of a number of mechanical devices used to precisely place seeds in rows.