Cost Effective:

Seed drills with a tyned undercarriage are generally much cheaper to purchase than disc seeders.

Ease of Maintenance:

Tyned drills are simpler to maintain in the field as there are no moving parts. Regular maintenance tasks, such as changing worn-out points, are straightforward and cost-effective.

Flexibility and Versatility:

Tynes offer greater flexibility and a wider drilling window, allowing farmers to plant crops even in unfavourable conditions. Tyne drills exhibit greater versatility across different soil types, ensuring effective seed placement in varying agricultural landscapes.

Herbicide Compatibility:

Tyne systems permit the use of pre-emergent herbicides like trifluralin, aiding in weed management.

Wet Conditions:

Tynes excel at placing seeds accurately in wet conditions. The soil channels prevent clumping and compaction, whilst their minimal disturbance nature preserves the soil's water absorption capabilities and enhances drainage, allowing excess moisture to escape the seed zone. These conditions are vital for preventing water pooling around seeds, ensuring optimal germination and plant growth.

Reduced Residue:

Tyne drills leave behind a reduced mulch layer, minimizing pest damage and the need for fungicides.

Fertiliser Banding:

Tynes tend to band fertiliser better than disc units, offering an efficient nutrient placement for optimal crop growth. 

Less Soil Compaction:

Seed drills with tyne openers exert less pressure on the soil surface, as pulling the tynes forward creates a downward force holding the tines in the soil. Significantly less weight is required to gain and maintain penetration with a tyne opener compared to a disc, minimising soil compaction.

Water Drainage:

Narrow channels created by tine drills facilitate water drainage, reducing the risk of waterlogging and improving soil structure.

Seed Placement Accuracy:

Tyne drills offer superior and precise seed placement, crucial for uniform crop emergence, especially in wet conditions. The narrow tines create well-defined seed furrows, ensuring that each seed is placed at the desired depth with minimal variation.

Depth Variation:

Most tine drills are on a fixed frame resulting in varying depths of seed across the width of the drill when going across uneven ground. 

Soil Disturbance:

Tyne drills inevitably disturb more soil than disc drills, which may hinder weed germination but could enhance crop establishment in some scenarios.

Residue Management:

Tyne openers are less effective at managing surface residues, potentially impacting moisture retention and weed control. 

Reduced Trashflow Performance:

Tyne drills can be challenging when sowing in dense residues, which build up around the tynes and dragged with the machine, often resulting in dumps in large piles. This can result in inconsistent seeding. Tyned machines struggle in heavy stubble with narrow spacings.

Wider Row Spacings:

To combat trash build-up, tyned machines often have wider row spacings. However, this is generally a disadvantage for farmers looking to improve moisture reserves in untilled soils.

Soil Throw:

Tyne systems create more soil throw, posing challenges for no-till objectives and soil conservation efforts.

Rock Throw:

In rocky conditions, where rocks are buried beneath the soil, tynes may pull these up and 'throw' them, posing potential risks of damage to machinery or injury to people.

Accurate Seed Depth:

Disc drills offer independent movement on each assembly, allowing for precise and consistent seed depth control.

Soil Disturbance:

Disc drills excel in creating superb seedbeds with minimal soil disturbance, ideal for drilling into tall, dense cover crops.

Weed Control:

The narrower row spacings allowed with disc drills help crops fight off weeds, reducing herbicide reliance.

Dry Conditions:

Disc drills improve rainfall infiltration and moisture retention in dry soils. Soils drilled with discs also tend to be more resistant to wind and water erosion. In very low rainfall conditions, drilling through stubble cover can significantly increase grain yield.

Rocky Conditions:

Discs may improve sowing performance in rocky conditions. Discs tend to roll or ‘bounce’ over stones and rocks instead of pulling them to the surface like tynes tend to.

Efficient Sowing:

Disc systems enable faster sowing rates, as there is no need to fracture the soil. This enhances operational efficiency and productivity, particularly when needing to sow large areas. The narrower row spacings enable a denser seeding profile.

Reduced Input Costs:

Disc systems cause less drag and reduce fuel use, offering potential input cost savings for growers such as fuel and time. 

No-till Farming:

Whilst zero-till seeding is very achievable with a tyne seed drill. disc seeders can better plant through stubble retained for many years with minimal soil disturbance, contributing to soil stability and retention of organic matter.

Mixed Pastures:

Disc seeders can plant supplementary pasture seed species within existing pastures without causing harm to existing crops.

Open Slot Effect:

Disc drills may leave seeds vulnerable in open slots, especially in wet conditions, increasing the risk of chemical damage and pest infestation. Presswheels or soil rollers that close the furrow over the seed and press it into the soil can mitigate this issue.

Hairpinning:

Discs may not cut the stubble but only push the stubble into the furrow, inhibiting seed-to-soil contact and increasing the risks of the seed springing back with the straw.

Maintenance Costs:

Disc drills entail higher upkeep costs due to their complex design and moving parts. They require constant upkeep to maintain consistency and accuracy.

Susceptibility to Stones:

Disc drills may struggle on rocky land with high stone content, as they bounce over the stones which leads to increased wear on the discs and undercarriage assembly and reduced effectiveness.

Wet Conditions:

Disc seeders exhibit limited adaptability in wet conditions, primarily due to the risk of open slots and excessive moisture retention causing crop damage during heavy rainfall before seedlings are established fully. The absence of tynes for levelling wheel tracks, combined with the rotation of discs, can exacerbate soil compaction along the seeded rows in wet conditions. This compacted surface impedes water infiltration and root development, adversely affecting crop growth.

Weight Requirements:

Disc drills require significant weight to ensure there is enough downforce to achieve effective soil penetration, which can contribute to soil compaction.

Herbicide Limitations:

Disc systems cannot use certain pre-emergent herbicides that penetrate stubble layers, potentially affecting weed control efficacy.

Pest Management:

Disc drills used in a no-til system may create a favourable environment for certain pests, such as slaters and millipedes, in the heavy mulch layer, increasing the risk of crop damage.

Disease Management:

Retained residues in disc farming systems may contribute to disease proliferation, necessitating careful variety selection and an effective fungicide program.