ArrowTube

Seed-orienting delivery system

Seeds planted with conventional delivery systems drop into the furrow at random orientations, leading to uneven emergence and poorly aligned leaves, which limits sunlight capture and ultimately yield. ArrowTube maximizes each plant's ability to capture sunlight by placing seeds in an optimal orientation without sacrificing depth, spacing or singulation, boosting yield potential.

Equipped for

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Coming Soon: A Revolutionary Seed Tube

Control of seed depth, spacing, singulation and now....orientation.

ArrowTube will be commercially available in late 2026. Contact your local Precision Planting Premier Dealer for more information.

Seed Orientation

And what it means for your farm.

What is seed orientation?

Orientation is the way that a seed is positioned in the furrow. When planted by a traditional seed tube, the orientation can vary greatly from seed-to-seed, from tip up to tip down or sideways.

Corn kernel variations in seed orientation.

Seed Science

Corn kernels always germinate in the same way, with an embryo on one side of the seed. The embryo will imbibe water (aka soil moisture) and begin germinating. When the kernel is positioned tip down in the furrow, the coleoptile will start to germinate upward, moving closer and closer to emerging from the ground.

If, instead, the kernel is placed tip up, the coleoptile will begin growing downward. It will eventually realize this and make a u-turn to start growing upward, but will cause a delay in emergence.

Why Orientation Matters

Our in-field research suggests that incorrect orientation of a seed can have several negative agronomic effects, including:

Utilization of more time and energy getting to the soil surface.
Overlapping plant leaves above the ground, resulting in less sunlight capture.

» Seed Orientation Study

Variation in growth of corn plants that were planted with a traditional seed tube without orientation.

Tip down and aligned with the furrow is the most effective seed orientation.

Not Your Ordinary Seed Tube

Controlling the seed from the box to the soil.

Placed For Performance

Research has proven that uniform emergence and maximized light capture are the foundations of crop yield. Every plant that lags behind costs you bushels. ArrowTube is the only seed delivery system designed to optimize orientation, ensuring seeds are placed in the best position for enhanced canopy coverage, even emergence and early vigor.

In-field corn plant at V2 with roots exposed and ideal leaf orientation.

What is ArrowTube?

ArrowTube is a seed delivery system that optimizes seed placement in the soil to achieve a tip-down, aligned with the furrow orientation. This positioning allows the coleoptile a straight path to the soil surface, reducing the amount of energy and time the plant takes to emerge and promoting optimal leaf orientation. ArrowTube not only optimizes seed orientation, but controls all aspects of seed placement, including depth, seed spacing and singulation to help each plant reach its fullest potential.

ArrowTube seed delivery system on a John Deere row unit.

How it Works

ArrowTube transitions the seed directly from the meter into the delivery system by a pair of accelerator wheels. As the seed takes a lap around the accelerator loop, it is aligned to be released into the delivery tube at high velocity and stability. The helical tube ensures the seed maintains its stability as it travels to the ground where it wedges into a slot created by the subfurrow knife, ensuring the seed sticks the landing with its tip down and embryo facing sideways.

ArrowTube using centrifugal force to orient a corn kernel tip down.

In-Furrow Comparison

A look inside the soil.

Traditional Seed Tube

A traditional seed tube drops seeds into the soil in random orientations.

ArrowTube

ArrowTube controls the seed all the way into the furrow with optimal orientation, giving the coleoptile a direct route to the surface and minimizing leaf overlap.

Uniform Emergence, Maximum Canopy

The proof is in the research.

Orientation Matters

Placing seeds tip down can make a difference in emergence timelines. Late-emergers result in decreased yields, ultimately impacting your bottom line.

» Day of Emergence Study

» Seed Orientation Study

2018-2024 multi-year corn emergence yield loss percentage chart

Leaf Orientation

The position that a seed is planted in the soil ultimately affects the way its leaves are oriented as it grows. The orientation of the plant leaf is inclined to align with the orientation of the seed's embryo. When the embryo is oriented toward the adjacent row, less leaf overlap occurs. This results in more sunlight capture and moisture conservation while reducing weed pressure and encouraging greater plant growth.

» Leaf Orientation Study