KONDININ Group researchers Ben White, Josh Giumelli and Mark Saunders recently hit the road to talk to farmers in Western Australia, Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland, examining disc seeders from 11 popular manufacturers in the process.

As the ultimate weapon in a zero till cropping system, disc seeders have their share of both critics and proponents. Many users of tine systems cannot see past the disc seeder's purchase price, multitude of moving parts and wearing surfaces, as well as finicky behaviour in wet conditions.

But set up correctly, a disc machine can reward owners with low soil disturbance, superior residue handling, accurate seed placement and increased sowing speed. And when needing to get a large crop in the ground with a narrow window of opportunity, a disc seeder's speed will prove to be a distinct advantage, and save both fuel and man hours. "