26 At Precision Planting, they spend a lot of time thinking about sunlight. They understand that a plant’s entire purpose is to convert light into grain, and the more efficiently it captures that light, the more yield potential a farmer can unlock. That’s the foundation behind ArrowTube, a new seed‑delivery system designed by Precision Planting to orient every seed tip‑down and embryo‑out—two factors that directly influence emergence timing and leaf alignment. By controlling orientation without sacrificing spacing, depth, or singulation, it helps crops emerge more uniformly and align leaves for better sunlight capture and higher yield potential. Precision Planting is a leading developer of retrofit precision‑ag technologies designed to improve the agronomic and economic performance of modern crop production systems. Founded on the principle that incremental improvements at the planter can deliver outsized gains at harvest, the company has built a global reputation for engineering solutions that enhance seed placement, emergence consistency, nutrient delivery, and overall field efficiency. As part of PTx, AGCO’s precision agriculture brand, Precision Planting operates from its headquarters in Tremont, Illinois, with additional facilities in Morton, IL; Pontiac, IL; Fargo, North Dakota; Bremen, Indiana; and Westminster, Colorado. Its technologies are available worldwide through an extensive dealer network and are also integrated into new equipment from major OEMs (original equipment manufacturers), including Case IH, Massey Ferguson, Fendt, and Horsch. Farms.com Precision Agriculture Digital Digest talked with Bryce Baker, the North America Tactical Marketing Manager at PTx about the ArrowTube technology. As noted, the goal of the corn plant is to turn sunlight energy into grain. “ArrowTube is able to orient seeds for both; seeds planted tip down create the shortest path for the coleoptile of the plant to reach the soil surface, creating the fastest emergence possible.” He continued: “When the embryo of the seed is facing the adjacent row, the leaves tend to grow across the row rather than down the row, which allows for improved sunlight capture. ArrowTube optimizes seed placement for both of these things.” Without sacrificing depth, spacing, or singulation, Baker explained that ArrowTube works with existing vSet meters and takes the seed from it (vSet is a Precision Technologies seed‑metering and control technology, not a brand). After leaving the loop, the seed enters a helical- shaped tube that has a riding wall and a guide wall that essentially create a corner that the seed sits in; the helical shape of the tube, like rifling or a tube slide, uses centrifugal force to hold the seed in the corner of the riding and guide wall which keeps the seed orientation all the way to the furrow. PHOTOS: Precision Planting STRAIGHT AS AN ARROWTUBE Precision Planting’s new ArrowTube system is engineered to orient every seed for faster emergence, better leaf alignment, and improved sunlight capture. ANDREW JOSEPH FARMS.COM
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