Who invented the seed drill?

Who invented the seed drill? English agriculturist Jethro Tull invented the seed drill.

Tull developed a horse-drawn mechanical seeder around 1701. Instead of scattering seed by hand, the machine placed it in regular rows at a more consistent depth and spacing, then covered it with soil. This improved germination and reduced wasted seed, while row planting made it easier to hoe between crops.

His invention formed part of a wider system known as drill husbandry or horse-hoeing husbandry. Tull promoted repeated cultivation of the soil and the use of horse-drawn implements to control weeds. He described his ideas in Horse-Hoeing Husbandry, published in 1731, helping spread them among agricultural reformers.

The common qualification is that Tull did not invent every form of row-seeding machine. Earlier drills had existed elsewhere, including in Europe and India. He is remembered because he substantially improved the design and brought the seed drill to prominence in Britain’s Agricultural Revolution.