The Effect of Working Speed on Indices Used for the Evaluation of Seedbed Conditions

Crop establishment largely depends on the methods of tillage for seedbed preparation. Seedbed conditions and related problems have recently attracted considerable interest for research. The intensity of the soil compaction achieved because of tillage is related to the working speed of the implement used. The effect of working speed on indices used for the evaluation of seedbed preparation （index of soil texture, actual tillage depth, soil bulk density and the proposed index of leveling） were investigated by applying four different systems of tillage and using different tillage implements. The relationships of the indices investigated to working speed are also presented graphically for all tillage implements used. All relationships were found to be linear with the working speed and the corresponding coefficients of determination were very close to unity. Useful conclusions, which may be used by extension services for the selection of the proper working speed of the implements used for seedbed preparation, are reached. Finally the general conclusion is that reciprocating harrows may be introduced into energetic tillage systems for seedbed preparation.

Study on Seedling Techniques of Artocarpus nanchuanensis

[Objective] This study aimed to solve the problems of low seed germina- tion rate and difficult bareroot seedling transplanting in artificial cultivation of Arto- carpus nanchuanensis, a native species in China. [Method] Under different seed treatment and seedling style, the seed germination rate and seedling emergence rate of A. nanchuanensis were investigated. [Result] tn both sand bed and direct sowing yellow soil, the seed germination rate, seedling survival rate and seedling emergence rate in the treatment II were all higher than those in the treatments I and III. The average seed germination rate, seedling survival rate and seedling emergence rate in sand beds were 1.5%, 16.27% and 13.95%, respectively higher than those in direct sowing yellow soil. The average seedling emergence rate in sand beds was 2.46% higher than that in containers. Among the 8 kinds of light matrix formulas, the growth of seedlings in the formula VIII was best. In the three treatment groups, the seedling emergence rates, seedling heights and ground diame- ters in the formula VIII were all significantly different from those in the other formu- las. The seedling growth in the formula I and III ranked second, while the seedling emergence rate, seedling height and ground diameter in the formula VII were the poorest. [Conclusion] If conditions allow, the formulas I （meadow soil：vermiculite：yel- low soi1=5：3：2）, III （meadow soil：perlite：yellow soi1=5：3：2） and VIII （peat：forest top soi1=6：4） should be promoted in seedling with light matrixes.

Seed Zone Properties and Crop Performance as Affected by Three No-Till Seeders for Permanent Raised Beds in Arid Northwest China

The no-till seeders of various soil opener configurations have been shown to produce various soil physical responses in relation to soil and climate conditions, thus affecting crop performance in permanent raised beds （PRB） systems. This is particularly important in arid Northwest China where large volumes of residue are retained on the soil surface after harvest. In Zhangye, Gansu Province, China, a field trial assessed the effects of three typical （powered-chopper, powered-cutter and powered-disc） PRB no-till seeders and one traditional seeder on soil disturbance, residue cover index, bulk density, fuel consumption, plant growth, and subsequent yield. In general, seedbed conditions and crop performance for PRB no- till seeders seeded plots were better than for traditional seeded plots. In PRB cropping system, the powered-chopper seeder decreased mean soil disturbance and increased residue cover index compared to powered-disc and -cutter seeders. However, the results indicated that soil bulk density was 2.3-4.8% higher, soil temperature was 0.2-0.6℃ lower, and spring wheat emergence was 3.2-4.7% less. This was attributed to greater levels of residue cover and firmer seedbeds. Spring maize and wheat performance in the powered-cutter and -disc treatments was better （non-significant） than powered- chopper treatment. So powered disc no-till seeder, which generally provided the best planting condition and the highest yield, appeared to be the suitable seeder in heavy residue cover conditions. Considering the precision requirements for soil disturbance and residue cover, the powered strip-chopping no-till seeder could be a suitable option for PRB cropping system in Northwest China. Although these results are preliminary, they are still valuable for the design and selection of no-till seeders for PRB cropping systems in arid Northwest China.

Film identification method based on improved deeplabv3+ for full-film double-ditch corn seedbed

This study aimed to investigate the task demand of intelligent unmanned fertilizer application in seedling stage of corn planted in full-film double-ditch seedbed,a film identification method based on improved DeepLabv3+ identification method for full-film double-ditch corn seedbed was proposed.The differences in performance indicators of the original Deeplabv3+ network taking Xception as the backbone network and the network model that replaced three lightweight backbone networks,MobileNetV2,MobileNetV3 and GhostNet were tested.At the same time,the network models,classical semantic segmentation was introduced to PSPNet and UNet for comparative test.The MIoU of DeepLabv3+ network model that replaced its backbone network increased by 5.01%,and FPS improved by 206%compared with original network,and the model size reduced by 90.3%.The three DeepLabv3+ models after replacing the backbone network were further compressed,and the two-layer expansion convolution with low expansion rate in ASPP was deleted,and the common convolution after feature fusion was replaced by the depthwise separable convolution to obtain a lightweight network model.After testing the improved network model,it was found that the average decline of precision indicators was only 0.17%,FPS raised to 66.5,with an average increase of 25.5%,and the size of the model was compressed to 10.53 MB.Test results showed that,the improved model showed excellent performance,and could provide important technology and method support for the research and development of intelligent topdressing and field management on full-film double-ditch corn seedbed during seedling stage.

Design and test of the arc-shaped nail-tooth roller residual film recovery machine from the sowing layer

Residual films on the sowing layer produced after mulching in Xinjiang farmland,harm the sowing quality and root growth of crops.In this study,a sowing layer residual film recovery machine based on a radial plate arc-shaped nail-tooth roller structure was designed.Meanwhile,the key device structures were designed and the main working parameters were analyzed.Then,taking the working depth,the forward speed of the machine and the rotation speed of the nail tooth roller as the test factors,and the film collection rate and film intertwining rate as the test indicators,the single factor tests and the Box-Behnken response surface tests were carried out to evaluate the performance of the sowing layer residual film recovery machine.Consequently,the results showed that the order of significant factors was the working depth,the forward speed of the machine,and the rotation speed of the nail tooth roller.Besides,the optimal working parameters were determined,which the working depth,the forward speed of the machine,and the rotation speed of the nail tooth roller were 100 mm,4.8 km/h,and 49.3 r/min,respectively.Moreover,the predicted value of the film collection rate was 69.20%.Finally,the verification test was taken with the optimal working parameter,and the results showed that the film collection rate was 66.84%,and the film intertwining rate was 1.39%.The relative error between the test value and the predicted value of the film collection rate was 3.40%.It indicated that the machine can perform the collection of sowing layer residual films.This study can provide a theoretical basis and reference for the design of new sowing layer residual film machines.

Numerical simulation and analysis of mechanized suppression process of seedbed with whole plastic film mulching on double ridges

In order to achieve the construction standard of high mechanized performance of the seedbed with whole plastic-film mulching on double ridges,in this study,the forms of suppression failure were analyzed,and the key factors influencing the suppression performance were determined based on the structure of the seedbed suppression device and its working principles.The discrete element method was adopted for numerical simulation on the suppression process of the seedbed with whole plastic film mulching on double ridges;the parameters during the interaction between the suppression device and seedbed soil were extracted and analyzed,such as contact area,sinkage and horizontal traction resistance trend of press wheels on big ridges and furrows of small ridge.Taking the suppression load on big ridges,suppression load on furrows of small ridge,and advancing velocity of the combined operation machine as the independent variables,qualified rate of suppression as the response value,a mathematical model between the test factors and qualified rate of suppression was established,to explore the influence sequence of the factors on suppression qualified rate.The optimal working parameters of the suppression device were finally obtained:the suppression load on big ridges was 40 N,suppression load on furrows of small ridge was 69.8 N and the machine advancing velocity was 0.98 m/s,and the achieved mean value of suppression qualified rate was 92.6%.Field verification test showed that the mean value of suppression qualified rate was 90.3%,a mere difference of 2.3%compared with the simulation result.The actual operation of the sample machine was basically consistent with the simulation process and could reveal the mechanized suppression operation mechanism of the seedbed with whole plastic film mulching on double ridges,indicating that the established DEM model and its parameter setting were relatively accurate and reasonable.