This prototype Sumo DTS seed-and-fertiliser drill was busy pounding the working plots at Cereals.

It shares the same chassis and coulter system as the original DTS drill, which was launched in 2012, but the tank has been split and it’s got a new Sumo-built auger metering system.

This replaces the old cassette-type unit and is said to be much easier to calibrate. No parts need to be changed over and the gearing takes a few seconds to switch from large to small seed.

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It’s also got an agitator to help wind in lumpier fertiliser and there’s an optional heat exchanger bolted on the side of the fan. This is plumbed into the hydraulic circuit and is designed to keep fertiliser dry and flowing freely through the pipes on damper days.

The DTS strip-till drill uses an auto-reset tine to cut a slot for the seed up to about 250mm deep. This is followed by a seeding shoe that splits the seed into two rows of seed a few centimetres apart.

On the seed-and-fertiliser version, fertiliser is placed in the loose soil between the two rows of seed.

The 8m drill will be available in 2015 and prices have yet to be announced.