Leonardo da Vinci designed a seed drill to spread seeds in regular rows.
His agricultural design used a hopper to hold seed and a mechanism to deliver it into the soil as the machine moved. Regular placement could reduce waste and make later cultivation easier than scattering seed by hand. The concept reflects Leonardo’s interest in applying controlled mechanical motion to farming.
Leonardo’s notebooks contain designs for agricultural machines, including devices associated with sowing. His seed-drill concept was not the same as the large mechanized drills used in modern agriculture, which use calibrated metering systems, furrow openers, and covering mechanisms. Nor should every later seed drill be attributed to him.
The broader history of seed drills includes earlier and later developments in Europe and Asia. Leonardo’s contribution is best understood as an inventive Renaissance proposal for mechanized, more orderly sowing rather than a confirmed commercial machine.