Volume 27, 391

Tropical Grasslands (1993) Volume 27, 391–395

Tropical pasture establishment.
15. Experiences with the band-seeder in commercial pastures

I.J. PARTRIDGE¹, P.T. KNIGHTS² and G. ELPHINSTONE³

¹Department of Primary Industries,Toowoomba,
²Roma and
³Gympie, Queensland, Australia

Abstract

The Connor Shea Napier band-seeder was tested by graziers and QDPI staff over a wide range of country in the inland and coastal Burnett, the Maranoa and the eastern uplands of southern Queensland from 1989–1991. Survival of the planted legume species was variable because of almost continuous drought conditions over the 2 years.
Although the band-seeder had some minor design problems, all operators were impressed by its ability to operate effectively in rough country and by its low power requirement. Most graziers with average-sized properties considered the purchase cost too high for the specialised use; they would continue to use the cheaper and more versatile plough/rolling-drum seeders on flat or rolling terrain.
The band-seeder had no peer on land too steep, too stony or too heavily timbered for conventional machinery but, under such conditions, a 2-row, mounted seeder might be a more appropriate configuration than the standard 3-row, trailed model.