The OMEGA OO_FL air drill offers a high degree of versatility and allows seeding technology to be adapted to specific field conditions and grower requirements. On this page you will learn which conditions the implement is suitable for, what seeding and row spacing options it offers, how seeding can be combined with simultaneous fertilizing or cover crop seeding, and what agronomic and ecological benefits these solutions provide. The overview also covers important risks and limitations of individual configurations, so you can select the optimal settings for maximum work efficiency and high-quality crop establishment.

Maximum versatility of the OMEGA OO_FL air drill

Suitable conditions for seeding

Reliable seeding in any terrain

Comprehensive equipment allows the OMEGA OO_FL air drill to adapt to all conditions. It is suitable for seeding in light, medium-heavy, and heavy soils. Coulters mounted via parallel linkage maintain consistent working depth even in hilly and undulating terrain. It is primarily intended for seeding into soil prepared in advance, but with appropriate equipment it can alternatively sow directly into plowed soil, cover crops, or crop residues.

Variable drilling options

Drilling into cultivated soil

High-performance air drill

The crushbar levels out terrain irregularities.
The individual rubber packer breaks clods and helps keep the implement level.
The disc section then loosens the seed bed, or it may not need to be deployed at all.
Fertilizer coulters place fertilizer/seed into the mid row.
The rear individual rubber packer reconsolidates the soil.
The seeding bar drills into a precisely and evenly prepared seed bed.

Possible risks:
Setting the coulter pressure too high, which places seeds too deep for successful germination.

Drilling into cultivated soil with crop residues

The right equipment enables drilling into crop residues

The individual rubber packer breaks clods and presses plant material against the soil surface.
The disc section then reliably cuts plant biomass and mixes it with the soil.
Turbo coulters precisely cut plant residues and create a furrow for the seeding coulters, limiting their clogging.
The rear individual rubber packer reconsolidates the soil.
The seeding bar drills into a precisely and evenly prepared seed bed.

Possible risks:
With a large amount of crop residues, the seeding coulters may clog. It is important to use TURBO coulters that cut plant biomass and create a furrow in front of the seeding coulters. For improved throughput of residues through the implement, a row spacing of 16.7 cm is recommended.

Drilling into a cover crop

Occasionally the implement can be used to drill into live biomass

The individual rubber packer breaks clods, flattens, and presses plants to the soil surface.
The disc section then reliably cuts plant biomass and mixes it with the soil.
Turbo coulters precisely cut plant residues and create a furrow for the seeding coulters, limiting their clogging.
The rear individual rubber packer reconsolidates the soil.
The seeding bar drills into a precisely and evenly prepared seed bed.

Possible risks:
With a large amount of biomass, the seeding coulters may clog. It is important to use TURBO coulters that cut plant biomass and create a furrow in front of the seeding coulters. For improved throughput of residues through the implement, a row spacing of 16.7 cm is recommended.

Drilling into untilled soil

In specific cases, the implement can be used for no-till drilling

The disc section with aggressive discs loosens the top layer of soil, cuts plant residues, and mixes them with the soil.
Turbo coulters precisely sever plant residues and create a furrow for the seeding coulters, limiting their clogging.
The rear individual rubber packer reconsolidates the soil.
The seeding bar drills into the prepared seed bed.

Possible risks:
On heavy or stony soils, the disc section may not reliably prepare a seed bed. With a large amount of crop residues, the seeding coulters can clog; therefore, it is important to use TURBO coulters to cut plant biomass and create a furrow ahead of the seeding coulters. For better throughput of residues through the implement, a row spacing of 16.7 cm is recommended. If a front packer is absent, consider implement stability and the resulting pressure on the drawbar.

Drilling into heavy or wet soil

Performs well even in demanding conditions

The individual rubber packer crushes clods and presses crop residues onto the soil surface.
The disc section lifts to avoid pulling moisture and forming clods.
Profi coulters break up and loosen heavy soil.
The rear individual rubber packer reconsolidates the soil.
The seed bar plants into the prepared seed bed.

Potential risks:
At high soil moisture, clods can form and clog the coulters. For good throughput of material through the implement, it is advisable to select a row spacing of 16.7 cm.

Row spacing

Spacing according to conditions

Flexible row spacing for every seeding

Row spacing 12.5 cm
Row spacing 16.7 cm
Row spacing 25 cm
Row spacing 12.5-25-12.5

Narrower rows reduce the conditions that favor competitive weeds, thereby lowering the need for subsequent herbicide control. This approach is especially common for spring seeding. Narrower rows improve overall ground cover and reduce water evaporation. Narrow row spacing increases canopy moisture and slows drying of leaf surfaces, making stands more susceptible to fungal diseases.

This spacing performs reliably when working with larger amounts of crop residues or in no-till systems. Wider spacing improves throughput of material through the implement. Wider rows allow better airflow, which reduces conditions favorable to disease. This option also promotes better tillering of plants and allows a lower overall seeding rate.

The advantage of wider row spacing is that it enables mechanical weed control. Typically, the seeding rate is lower, saving on seed costs. In wider rows, liquid fertilizers can also be applied during the growing season. Wider rows offer the option to sow cover crops into the mid rows and are commonly used on organically managed farms.

OMEGA OO_FL also enables seeding into dual ranks with spacing 12.5-25-12.5. This technology is particularly suitable in drier areas where the larger space between rows provides a longer water supply to the plants. Wider dual ranks also find application on organically managed farms.

Simultaneous fertilizing and seeding of cover crops

Without optional equipment

The simplest solution for standard seeding

A two-chamber air cart allows storage of up to two types of material in a single pass. Seeding can be performed in two ways:

Uniformly — the contents of both air cart chambers (seed/fertilizer) are distributed evenly across the full width of the seed bar.
Alternately — the contents of each chamber are applied per coulter.

With fertilizing discs

Placement of fertilizer into the mid row

The two-chamber air cart enables placement of seed along with fertilizer in a single pass. The configuration with fertilizing discs allows application of fertilizer into the mid row.

With the ALFA air cart

Even more seeding options

The two-chamber air cart holds up to two components for a single pass. An additional ALFA air cart in this configuration also enables broadcast application of fertilizer/seed/bioagents. Seeding options include:

Evenly: distribute the combined contents of the two air carts across the entire working width of the seeding toolbar, with simultaneous broadcast application of seed/fertilizer/bioagents behind the disc section or between the seeding coulters.
Alternately: deliver the contents of each chamber to alternating seeders, with simultaneous broadcast application of seed/fertilizer/bioagents behind the disc section or between the seeding coulters.

With fertilizing discs and the additional ALFA air cart

Seeding cover crops with simultaneous fertilizing

The two-chamber air cart holds up to two components for a single pass. An additional ALFA air cart also enables broadcast application of fertilizer/seed/bioagents. The configuration with fertilizing discs allows application of fertilizer into the mid row. Seeding options include:

Using the contents of one air cart across the entire working width of the seeding toolbar with simultaneous fertilizing, or seeding a cover crop into the mid row, together with broadcast application of seed/fertilizer/bioagents behind the disc section or between the seeding coulters.

Ecology and sustainability

Gentle seeding for more sustainable farming

More moisture, less erosion and compaction

Retention of moisture in the soil
Soil erosion
Soil compaction
Reducing fertilizer leaching
Soil organisms
Biodiversity

The disc section of the OMEGA OO_FL air drill creates an ideal soil structure that reliably captures and retains precipitation. Profi coulters gently and shallowly loosen the soil even in demanding conditions, preparing it to retain water more effectively. Subsequent soil reconsolidation by the individual rubber packer accelerates restoration of soil capillarity and ensures firm seed-to-soil contact, which is essential for uniform crop emergence. Track eradicators loosen the tractor wheel rows at the same time, reducing soil compaction and the formation of wheel tracks that would otherwise promote runoff of water and soil from the field.

Thanks to its wide range of optional accessories, the OMEGA OO_FL air drill can be adapted to field conditions, minimizing the risk of water and wind erosion. Wider row spacing allows more crop residues to remain on the field, cushioning raindrop impact and reducing surface runoff while also preventing wind-driven particle loss. The Frontpack and CRUSHBAR strip drag reliably level the field across the full working width, preventing rills that would channel larger volumes of water off the field.

The OMEGA OO_FL air drill is designed so that soil pressure is distributed across the full width of the individual rubber packer. This significantly reduces the formation of compacted layers and their negative effects on soil properties.

Fertilizer discs and coulters on the OMEGA OO_FL air drill enable on-target fertilizing placement directly into the crop root zone. Fertilizer placed there acts in the root zone and is readily taken up by the roots, substantially reducing the potential for nutrient losses to the surrounding environment.

The disc section performs shallow discing, allowing seedbed preparation and drilling in a single pass, which reduces the number of required agronomic operations and passes. Fertilizer discs and coulters enable on-target fertilizing placement directly into the crop root zone. These technologies substantially reduce negative impacts on soil organisms that are essential, among other things, for decomposing crop residues and releasing nutrients in a form accessible to crops.

The dual-chamber air cart of the OMEGA OO_FL air drill enables seeding multiple species in a single pass, contributing to species diversity in the field ecosystem. The optional ALFA air cart offers the additional option of a further chamber for storing different seed or bioagents in microgranule form.

Agronomic benefits of the OMEGA OO_FL air drill