Methods of Planting

Humanity has been farming since almost the beginning of time. By dropping a seed into the ground, covering it with dirt, and watering it, humankind knew that the seed they planted would grow into the same type of plant from which the original seed came.

Over the centuries, the process of planting has changed into various methods, but the basics and results remain the same – a seed will grow into the same type of plant from which it came. This article discusses planting in depth, including the various current planting methods.

The short history of farming

From hunting and gathering to farming

Although farming or agriculture began in different parts of the globe, its development around 12,000 years ago changed how humans lived. Since the ancient humans learned planting and farming, they moved away from their earlier nomadic-hunter-gatherer way of life in favor of permanent settlements, agriculture, and a reliable food supply. If the weather was good, they knew they would have readily available food and would have the ability to store some food for when the weather did not cooperate.

The domestication of wild plants began between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in Mesopotamia (West Asia). Ancient humans collected seeds of wild plants and buried them in the ground. They planted these seeds in areas where they would get the right amount of sunlight and ensured the seeds would get as much water as needed. Several weeks or months later, the seeds grew into plants, blossomed, and bore grains, and people harvested food crops. 

The people developed irrigation and canal networks in Mesopotamia and Egypt to help manage and control water flow from the rivers, ensuring the water’s availability for crops. They also learned which plants grew best with the available water source.

The wild ancestors of today’s domesticated grains, including wheat and barley, are traced to the Near East region. Meanwhile, cereal was first grown in Syria around 9,000 years ago.

Regarding fruits, historians and scientists found evidence that figs were first cultivated in Jericho on the West Bank around 11,000 years ago, making them the oldest cultivated fruit.

Although the transition from a nomadic-hunting-gatherer to a farmer-settled way of life was gradual, it was marked by early Neolithic-era villages where people were already using stones for grain processing.  

Archaeological evidence points to the earliest known cultivation of rice and millet in China, which occurred during the same Neolithic period. The oldest known rice paddy fields in the world, located in eastern China, further support the evidence of ancient farming techniques like fire and flood control.

More agricultural advancements and techniques

During the Bronze Age, advancements in metalworking techniques resulted in the development of more robust, durable, and reliable farming tools. They enabled more efficient tilling, leading to increased farming productivity. Inventions, such as the moldboard plow and crop rotation, were introduced during this era.

Due to agriculture, civilization was born, and cities emerged. As humans could now produce food through farming plants and animals to meet the growing demand, the global population skyrocketed from around five million people 12,000 years ago to approximately eight billion.

Fast forward to the agricultural revolution from the 16th to 19th century. During that period, society witnessed significant agricultural productivity in Great Britain. As the population grew and the demand for food increased, the country sought ways to maximize its agricultural productivity with the smallest amount of resources, especially land. 

For example, farmers introduced high-yield crops such as wheat, barley, and turnips to replace low-yielding ones like rye. During the agricultural revolution in Britain, farmers began to use advanced tools and machinery, as well as developed chemical fertilizers, to increase output. 

Farmers could take advantage of the flourishing trade and capitalism by selling their produce, especially to far-flung regions experiencing food shortages and higher prices. Now, farming and agriculture were no longer just about feeding people; they also became an opportunity to profit in the growing market.

Farming and agriculture in the 20th century and beyond

In the mid-20th century, farmers began a quest for self-sufficiency in supplying food for the rapidly growing population. While the reasons for self-sufficient farming may vary by country, such as rapid urbanization and famine, each country developed new technologies and innovations that made feeding larger populations feasible. These innovations included pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, and modern irrigation systems. Scientists also launched genetically engineered hybrid crops that provided high yields while also being less vulnerable to pests and climate change.

However, some of these innovations harmed the environment. For instance, fertilizers and pesticides contaminated bodies of water and fresh water supplies and depleted nutrients in the soil. Some genetically engineered crops require too much water, thus accelerating water scarcity. Many varieties of rice and wheat have gone extinct. The population of several pollinators, particularly bees, is threatened due to invasive plants and animals, indiscriminate human activity that leads to the loss of their natural habitat, and climate change.

As the world progresses through the 21st century, much evidence suggests that we may be on the threshold of a new agricultural revolution driven by information technology and artificial intelligence. These emerging innovations seek to optimize farming productivity and sustainability, as well as respond to existing and new challenges like ballooning population, declining workforce in agriculture, and climate change. We have already seen precision agricultural sensors monitoring the condition of the soil and autonomous machines watering crops, distributing fertilizers, picking weeds, and more. 

As noted earlier, farming began in different parts of the world, so no single factor or combination led people to turn to agriculture. The factors that caused people to plant crops differed from one country or region to another.

For instance, it is speculated that climatic changes in the Near East during the end of the Ice Age brought seasonal conditions that benefited annual plants such as wild cereals. Growing pressure on natural food resources may have forced people to turn to homegrown solutions in East Asia and elsewhere. But whatever the origins are, farming and agriculture sowed the seeds for the modern era.

Methods of planting

Planting crops has several methods, widely varying in techniques and implements used. Different plants require different planting methods.

1. Broadcast seeding (or broadcasting) – This method involves spreading or scattering seeds, by hand or machine, over a relatively large land area. In this method, the seeds are not usually covered with soil, so it is practiced for smaller seeds that cannot be sown in rows by dropping them one by one. 
2. Dibbling – This method involves placing the seeds in holes or pits in a seedbed at a predetermined depth and spacing. It is often done by hand or with tools such as a dibble (thus the name), spade, hoe, and other planters.
3. Seed drilling – This planting method uses a seed drill that positions the seeds in uniform rows and buries them to a specific soil depth. In this manner, it protects the seeds from being eaten by animals (especially birds), washed away, or dried up under sun exposure.
4. Transplanting (or replanting) – It moves an actively growing plant from one location to another. The purpose of transplanting is to look after the seedlings in a controlled and protected area during their initial growth stage, e.g., a greenhouse or nursery. Once the young plants have developed their roots and their systems have become stronger and more resilient to outside conditions, they are replanted in the main field outdoors for further growth and production. One example is rice transplanting.
5. Hill dropping – A “hill” can be understood as an elevated place in a field where seeds are dropped, and hilling plants can be a great gardening and farming technique. This planting technique involves dropping selected seeds at a predetermined spacing but not in a continuous stream. The spacing between plants in a row is constant. Hill dropping is seen as the opposite of seed drilling, where the seeds are dropped in a steady stream, but the spacing from one plant to another in a row is not usually constant.
6. Check row planting – In this planting method, the seeds are planted precisely along straight and parallel furrows. The rows are usually in two perpendicular directions. This spacing facilitates cultivation and harvesting and keeps the fields free of weeds. A machine called a check row planter is used for this technique. 
7. Precision seeding – This method involves placing the seeds in an accurate depth and spacing. It completely contrasts with broadcast seeding, where the seeds are distributed across the entire area.
8. Hydroseeding – The hydroseeding method combines a specialized mixture called a “slurry” and then applies it to an intended surface using high pressure. The slurry usually consists of seeds, fiber mulch, fertilizer, soil amendments, and water. A hydroseeder tank stores and transports the slurry and then sprays it over the prepared ground under high pressure.

Advantages to the different methods of planting

Every planting method has its advantages and disadvantages. This section discusses the advantages of each  first. 

1) Broadcasting:

• It is faster and easier to apply.
• It does not require any special skills or tools.
• It is ideal for certain small-seed crops (rice, wheat, oats, millets, cotton, etc.), spices (like cumin and coriander), and leafy vegetables.
• It ensures better soil coverage.
• It helps in preventing soil erosion.
• The seeds can be scattered over irregular, uneven, or sloping terrain.

2) Dibbling

• It facilitates conservative tillage.
• It minimizes soil erosion.
• You only need fewer seeds.
• It enables rapid and uniform seed growth.
• It allows the easier processes of weeding and harvesting.
• Crop maintenance becomes easy.

3) Seed drilling

• It requires fewer seeds.
• It distributes seeds evenly.
• It is less time-consuming compared to other planting methods.
• It can improve the crop yield ratio (or seeds harvested per seed planted) as much as nine times.
• It ensures proper depth and equal distance, improving proper seed germination.

4) Transplanting

• In the transplanting method, saving and utilizing seeds is possible, which is usually costly.
• It is easier to take care of seedlings inside a nursery or greenhouse.
• It allows the seedlings to develop roots. 
• The plants will have better resistance against pests, weeds, and diseases.
• Transplanting makes growing crops under unfavorable climatic conditions possible.
• It reduces costs in inputs, usage, and labor to some extent.

5) Hill dropping

• The correct plant spacing prevents overcrowding.
• Fixed spacing allows the plants to grow their roots properly, accessing water and essential nutrients in the soil.
• Fixed spacing allows proper air circulation between the plants, reducing the risk of pests and diseases. 
• It enables faster and more successful seed germination.

6) Check row planting

• It provides better weed control compared to other planting methods.

7) Precision seeding

• It uses fewer seeds.
• The crops will be easier to monitor.
• Better spacing means higher and healthier yields. Because of the proper distance between plants, they don’t have to fight over nutrients to grow properly.
• It saves money and time.

8) Hydroseeding

• It is quicker and safer than manual planting.
• The plants retain their moisture.
• It is cost effective
• It saves time.
• It minimizes the risk of soil erosion
• Hydroseeding allows you to cover vast or hard-to-reach areas.
• It can be used in industries and applications other than agriculture, such as lawn care, landfills, and erosion control.

Disadvantages to the different methods of planting

1) Broadcast seeding

• It can waste a lot of seeds.
• There is no uniformity in spacing and depth of planting and germination.
• The seeds can be lost to animals (especially birds), winds, and surface runoff.
• Distributing seeds through mechanization is impossible.
• It is difficult to establish an optimum plant population.
• The crops are more vulnerable to pests and diseases.

2) Dibbling

• If the seeds are not planted at a uniform depth, uniform germination might not be possible.
• It is laborious and time-consuming.
• It is costly compared to other planting methods.

3) Seed drilling

• It is time-consuming.
• It requires more labor.
• It is costly compared to other planting methods.
• It is not ideal in clay and rocky soils.
• Technical expertise is required for using the seed drill.

4) Transplanting

• It extends the planting season by starting early, which means more work and labor.
• Transplanted plants are prone to breaking and collapsing due to strong winds and heavy rain unless protected by barriers.
• After transplanting, the new plants require more care and attention (such as watering them).
• Root damage may occur.
• You need a good nursery or greenhouse if you’re going to grow many transplants.
• Some transplanted plants can acquire diseases from the parent plant.

5) Hill dropping

• It requires more water.
• It makes it easier for some pests (such as voles) to disrupt the cultivation of crops.
• To allow faster and more proper germination of seeds, the “hills” should be piled up regularly.

6) Check row planting

• It can be time-consuming and labor-intensive.

7) Precision seeding

• It can be very costly. A seeder requires a significant investment. Plus, the machine requires regular maintenance to work optimally.
• Learning curve. A seeder is a complex piece of farming equipment, which means that farmers who acquire seeders must learn how to operate them efficiently.

8) Hydroseeding

• It is not ideal for do-it-yourself farming.
• It requires a lot of water.
• It requires precision. 
• Hydroseeding during the dry season can waste time and effort without irrigation.
• It is cost-effective only when used in larger areas.
• It is not accessible in remote areas.
• It can raise environmental concerns (such as harming existing flora).

Conclusion

Agriculture has been a fundamental part of human civilization, and its history and development date back thousands of years. From the rudimentary hand tools at the dawn of civilization to high-tech precision farming in the modern era, agriculture has undergone significant changes, improvements, and advancements throughout history.

The different planting methods tackled here in this article highlight the essence of sowing in farming. Before sowing or transplanting, it is essential to take the proper precautions, including the appropriate soil depth, adequate distance between the plants, and overall good soil management. These precautions are crucial for proper seed germination, so crops grow healthy and yield high.