With current technology there is a limit to the minimum amount of small seeds (wheat, rice, oats, rape seed) that can be distributed in an area which is an obstacle in reducing production costs. Therefore, the development of precision seed meters for small grain crops has already begun. This paper presents the results obtained during the tests of the prototype of a seed meter consisting of a vertical double-face mechanical cylinder, concerning its functional performance in metering and placing rice seeds. Laboratory tests were made to access the percentage of cell fill, the regularity of longitudinal distribution of seeds and the mechanical injury to the seeds. The conclusions were: the percentage of cell fill ranged from 103.5 to 113.3% in the best operational conditions; the seed metering accuracy reached at outlet of the seed tube, expressed as acceptable time, was 34.5%; both the level of seeds in the hopper and the lateral inclination of the seed meter did not statistically affect the accuracy and, finally, the prototype caused mechanical injuries to of the seeds of the order of 3.5%.
seed meter; rice sowing; vertical cylinder
