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.

Design and experiment of the key components of the seeding monomer for high-speed corn no-till seeders

Aiming at the problems of uneven plant spacing,row spacing and sowing depth due to the collision of seeds with the tube wall or bouncing on the floor of the seed guide tube with the increase of operation speed of the current corn no-till planter,in this study,the high-speed seed belt technology was combined with the finger clip seed discharge device,a kind of high-speed no-till planter monomer was designed and installed in high-speed seed tube.At the same time,simulation analysis was made on the movement law of seeds in the seed guide tube when they fell from the finger clip seeder and the main structural parameters and the range of key parameters of the high-speed seed tube were determined.Through the prototype,the single-factor and quadratic orthogonal rotational combination test method,and the machine operating speed,the height of the high-speed seed tube and the seed guide angle were selected as the test factors in the seeding performance test.After parameter optimization,the optimal working parameters were determined:the machine forward speed was 12.18 km/h,the height of the high-speed seed tube from the ground was 42.22 mm,and the seed guide angle of the high-speed seed tube was 8.82°.The field test verified that under this parameter combination,the qualified-seeding index was 94.95%,the multiple-seeding index was 2.37%,and the missing-seeding index was 2.48%,showing stable working performance and satisfied the sowing and agronomic requirements of the no-till seeding operation.

Design of the real-time detection system based on LabVIEW for no-till seeder working performance

In order to ensure the working performance of the seeder,reduce the labor intensity of manual testing,and improve the efficiency and accuracy of the detection,a real-time detection system for detecting the performance of no-till seeders was designed based on the LabVIEW software platform of virtual instrument technology and the MCC USB-231 data acquisition card.The detection system can be used to detect the seeding quality index and residue cover index.The detection of the seeding quality index included the middle detection between the metering device and the opener,the end detection between the opener and the furrow.The result of the field test showed that the detection accuracies of seed quantity,multiple index,and miss index were 94.51%,92.83%,and 91.81%,respectively.The fault position can be accurately determined,and the measurement accuracy of residue cover index was 94.54%.The working performance of the no-tillage seeder can be monitored by the detection system to avoid the occurrence of reseeding and miss-seeding and improve production efficiency.

Anti-blocking performance of ultrahigh-pressure waterjet assisted furrow opener for no-till seeder

No-till planting method is widely used for maize-wheat two-crops-a-year area in the North China Plain.However,cruel soil conditions,especially the large number of maize stalks which are hard to cutoff covering,often cause an unsatisfying planting quality.Based on the authors’previous investigation,ultrahigh-pressure(UHP)waterjet is capable to solve this problem and obtain qualified seedbeds.Thus,a UHP waterjet assisted furrow opener for no-till seeder was designed.Field tests showed that double-disc furrow openers worked well with UHP waterjet,since the sharpened disc blades could help to cut soil and residue,meanwhile,minimize soil disturbance.Response surface method(RSM)was used to investigate the relationship among forward speed,waterjet pressure,jet impingement angle and anti-blocking performance(stalks cutoff ratio and depth of soil cutting),and a Box-Behnken three-factor design was used to identify the optional operation parameters.A total of 17 combinations were conducted,and the results showed all three operation parameters significantly affected anti-blocking performance.Stalks cutoff ratio and depth of soil cutting increased with the increase of waterjet pressure,jet impingement angle,and decreased with the increase of forward speed.The optimization analysis indicated that when waterjet pressure was 267-280 MPa,jet impingement angle was 80.2°to 90.0°and forward speed was 4.00-4.42 km/h,the overall performance of UHP waterjet assisted double-disc furrow opener for no-till seeder was maximized.Stalks cutoff ratio could be above 95%and no blockage occurred.This study may provide a new approach and reference for the anti-blocking technology of no-tillage seeding.

Simultaneous Application of Controlled Availability Fertilizers to Seeding Furrows with Seeding Increases Grain Yield and Quality of No-Till Cultivated Common Wheat in Japan

In Japan, common wheat is cultivated in upland fields converted from paddy fields, where poor drainage and high precipitation cause delay of sowing, lodging at the jointing stage, difficulty in topdressing at the ripening stage, and low yield. No-till cultivation has been promoted to overcome these problems but the yield is still low due to the lack of proper fertilizer application protocols. In this study, we determined whether an additional application of two kinds of Sigmoid coated urea as controlled availability fertilizers (CAFs) to the standard fertilization protocol for tillage cultivation can increase the yield and lodging resistance in no-till cultivated common wheat. Also, additional fertilization was applied to the seeding furrow simultaneously with seeding using a V-furrow no-till direct sowing (VFDS) machine. No-till cultivated plants had more tillers than tillage cultivated ones and consequently higher number of panicles and yield, caused by increased fertilizer application. The point-injected CAFs to the seeding furrow, which eluted at the jointing and ripening stages greatly increased the grain yield and protein content, respectively, compared to broadcast topdressing of ammonium sulfate at each stage. The simultaneous sowing and fertilization of additional CAFs using VFDS method in multi-year tests in farmers’ fields significantly increased the yield of no-till cultivated common wheat, and can be adopted by Japanese local farmers.

Mechanized Transplanting of Rice(Oryza sativa L.)in Nonpuddled and No-Till Conditions in the Rice-Wheat Cropping System in Haryana,India

The common practice of establishing rice in the rice-wheat system in India is manual transplanting of seedlings in the puddled soil. Besides being costly, cumbersome, and time consuming, puddling results in degradation of soil and the formation of a hard pan, which impedes root growth of subsequent upland crops. In addition, decreased availability and increasing cost of labor have increased the cost of rice cultivation through conventional methods. Because of these concerns, there is a need for mechanized transplanting of rice which is less labor-intensive and can ensure optimum plant population under nonpuddled and/or no-till conditions. A large number of on-farm trials were conducted at farmers’ fields in Haryana, India, from 2006 to 2010 to evaluate the performance of the mechanical transplanted rice (MTR) under nonpuddled and no-till situations as compared to conventional puddled transplant rice (CPTR). Compared with CPTR, nonpuddled MTR produced 3%-11% higher grain yield in different years. Rice cultivars, viz. HKR47, HKR127, PR113, PR114, PB1, PB1121, CSR30, and Arize6129, performed consistently better under nonpuddled MTR as compared to CPTR. Performance of different cultivars (PR113, PR114, HKR47, and Pusa 44) was also better under no-till MTR as compared to CPTR. The “basmati” cultivar CSR30 performed equally in no-till MTR and CPTR systems. The results of our study suggest that rice can be easily grown under nonpuddled and no-till conditions with yield advantages over the CPTR system. Even in the case of similar yield between CPTR and MTR systems, the MTR system will help in reducing labor requirement and ultimately, will increase overall profits to farmers.

Design and Kinematic Analysis of a Driving Roller-type No-till Seeding and Hole-forming System

Conventional no-till seeders should cut or remove crop straw and residue,when in operation and thus present a number of problems,including high performance requirements for the cutting component,high power consumption,dust raising and interference from intertwined straw.In view of this,in this study,a driving roller dibbling-type no-till seeding and hole-forming(DGR-NT-SHF)system was designed to be capable of penetrating soil and creating holes without requiring any special preparation of the surface covering.The core mechanism of this system consisted of a land wheel-driven driving roller and a duckbill-type roller seeder,which were internally tangent to one another.The rotating roller rolled the straw into a thin layer,and the duckbills extended from the roller and penetrated this thin layer of straw and subsequently formed the holes and planted the seeds.Based on kinematic analysis,a mathematical model was established to depict the relations between the rear angle of the duckbill(α),the front angle of the duckbill(β),the angular velocity of the duckbill-type roller seeder(ω0),the angular velocity of the roller(ω1),and the aperture of the duckbill outlet on the roller(θ).In contrast to a driven roller-type no-till seeding and hole-forming DNR-NT-SHF system,several parameters of the DGR-NT-SHF system were established for planting seeds at a plant spacing that was an integral multiple of 100 mm:the radius of the duckbill-type roller seeder,200 mm;radius of the roller,400 mm;α,23°;andβ,5°.Based on the analysis of the models using the MATLAB Image Processing Module with a relation betweenω1 and the number of outlets on the roller as the constraint,the optimal number of outlets on the roller and theω1/ω0 ratio were determined to be 21 and 4/7,respectively.Kinematic simulation on a digital prototype was performed using computer aided three-dimensional interactive application(CATIA)to observe the motion of the DGR-NT-SHF system,when the duckbills on the duckbill-type roller seeder were open and to determine the locations of the duckbills relative to the outlets.To ensure the duckbills could be successfully opened,the chord length of the outlets was ultimately determined to be 71 mm.The prototype test results showed that the DGR-NT-SHF system met the design requirements and that the operation was straightforward and reliable.In addition,compared to the DNR-NT-SHF system,the DGR-NT-SHF system performed better in penetration and exerted no impact on the duckbills,thus providing an effective technical option for no-till seeding.

Strawponic for No-Till Potato Production

Strawponic is an innovative and exotic system for growing potato on soil surface using crop straw as cover mulch. A field trial was carried out at the American University of Beirut in Lebanon to test the efficacy of this system for small potato producers. Barley (Hordeum vulgare) straw mulch at 25, 50 and 75 t/ha was used to cover potato tubers in no-till system. Potato plant number, height, number of shoots and leaves, root and shoot dry weight, and potato yield were collected. Results showed that all tested rates of straw significantly increased potato yield in comparison to the till system. Marketable yield was the highest with no-till potato at 50 and 75 t/ha compared to no-till potato at all tested surface straw rates. None of the treatments was harmful to potato plants compared to the till potato. This study could be a promising gate for production of potato for small-scale farmers.

Bowen Ratio Energy Balance Measurement of Carbon Dioxide (CO₂) Fluxes of No-Till and Conventional Tillage Agriculture in Lesotho

Global food demand requires that soils be used intensively for agriculture, but how these soils are managed greatly impacts soil fluxes of carbon dioxide (CO2). Soil management practices can cause carbon to be either sequestered or emitted, with corresponding uncertain influence on atmospheric CO2 concentrations. The situation is further complicated by the lack of CO2 flux measurements for African subsistence farms. For widespread application in remote areas, a simple experimental methodology is desired. As a first step, the present study investigated the use of Bowen Ratio Energy Balance (BREB) instrumentation to measure the energy balance and CO2 fluxes of two contrasting crop management systems, till and no-till, in the lowlands within the mountains of Lesotho. Two BREB micrometeorological systems were established on 100-m by 100-m sites, both planted with maize (Zea mays) but under either conventional (plow, disk-disk) or no-till soil mangement systems. The results demonstrate that with careful maintenance of the instruments by appropriately trained local personnel, the BREB approach offers substantial benefits in measuring real time changes in agroecosystem CO2 flux. The periods where the two treatments could be compared indicated greater CO2 sequestration over the no-till treatments during both the growing and non-growing seasons.

Increasing the appropriate seedling density for higher yield in dry direct-seeded rice sown by a multifunctional seeder after wheatstraw return

Dry direct-seeded rice(DDR) sown using a multifunctional seeder that performs synchronous rotary tillage and sowing has received increased attention because it is highly efficient,relatively cheap,and environmentally friendly.However,this method of rice production may produce lower yields in a rice–wheat rotation system because of its poor seedling establishment.To address this problem,we performed field experiments to determine the rice yield at five seedling density levels(B1,B2,B3,B4,and B5=100,190,280,370,and 460 seedlings m-2,respectively) and clarify the physiological basis of yield formation.We selected a representative high-quality rice variety and a multifunctional seeder that used in a typical rice–wheat rotation area in 2016 and 2018.The proportion of main stem panicle increased with increasing seedling density.There was a parabolic relationship between yield and seedling density,and the maximum yield(9.34-9.47 t ha-1) was obtained under B3.The maximum yield was associated with a higher total spikelet number m-2 and greater biomass accumulation from heading to maturity.The higher total spikelet number m-2 under B3 was attributed to an increase in panicle number m-2 compared with B1 and B2.Although the panicle numbers also increased under B4 and B5,these increases were insufficient to compensate for the reduced spikelet numbers per panicle.Lower biomass,smaller leaf area,and lower N uptake per plant from the stem elongation stage to the heading stage were partially responsible for the smaller panicle size at higher seedling density levels such as B5.The higher biomass accumulation under B3 was ascribed to the increases in the photosynthetic rate of the top three leaves m-2 of land,crop growth rate,net assimilation rate,and leaf area index.Furthermore,the B3 rice population was marked by a higher grain–leaf ratio,as well as a lower export ratio and transport ratio of biomass per stem-sheath.A quadratic function predicted that 260-290 seedlings m-2 is the optimum seedling density for achieving maximum yield.Together,these results suggested that appropriately increasing the seedling density,and thereby increasing the proportion of panicles formed by the main stem,is an effective approach for obtaining a higher yield in DDR sown using a multifunctional seeder in a rice–wheat rotation system.

基于PLC技术的播种机电气自动化技术探究

以进一步提升小麦播种机的作业控制精度及综合播种效率为目标,选取电控单元为改进设计出发点,基于PLC与电气控制技术展开布局设计与应用探究。结合小麦播种所要达到的作业标准及其结构组成特点,建立用于实现精准智能控制的理论计算模型,并进行规范的PLC自动控制程序设计与电气组件配置,形成高质量的全闭环自动播种系统,展开PLC电气控制下的播种作业性能验证。试验结果表明:基于PLC技术的小麦播种机结构控制改进设计,可令播种控制准确率与播种合格率同步得到显著提升,重播率与漏播率分别可控制在5.26%与3.37%,整机播种作业试验效果良好,具有很强的实践推广性,可为类似播种农机智能化的发展提供借鉴与参考。

育种播种机钢索复卷测程装置的结构设计与试验

目前,小区育种播种机定长获取方式主要通过人工测量,效率低且作业强度大,严重制约了小区育种机械的快速发展。为此,设计了一种钢索复卷测程装置,采用自动收放式测程,通过探测装置检测钢索固定的钢制或橡胶等材质球体获取小区育种播种机区间位置数据信号。为了确定不同前进速度下钢索复卷测程装置连续工作的合理参数范围,通过样机试验对装置进行参数优化。试验结果表明:往复导线轮V型角度在10°~20°之间,往复丝杠长度在400~450mm之间,装置运行稳定且无钢索缠绕和收排线集中等问题,带有触点式的行程开关的信号传输和控制运行稳定可靠,达到了育种播种机测程的要求。

俯仰式播种单体仿形性能检测试验台设计与试验

为解决播种单体仿形机构性能难以检测的问题,设计了俯仰式播种单体仿形性能检测试验台。阐述了试验台组成结构与工作原理,对其高速传动系统、液压升降系统、监控系统以及关键部件参数进行设计。应用ANSYS软件对台架整体和关键部件进行静力学分析和模态分析,验证结构设计的合理性。为检验俯仰式播种单体仿形性能检测试验台的实际检测效果,以德邦大为1205型牵引式免耕精量播种机播种单体为研究对象,先以液压杆伸出量与传送带速度为试验因素,以监控系统误差为评价指标进行试验。试验得出,在液压杆伸出量为0~200 mm范围内,监控系统角度传感器最大误差为0.69 mm;在传送带速度8~19 km/范围内,光电编码器最大误差为0.18 km/h。确认监控系统准确性后,再以单体速度为试验因素,采集速度8、10、12 km/h下地块的起伏数据为目标曲线,以地形起伏模拟曲线的绝对误差平均值为指标进行单因素试验,试验得出,所设计的试验台可有效模拟田间地面的起伏频率与起伏量,绝对误差平均值为1.86 mm,满足播种单体仿形性能检测需求。

多重扰动清种式大蒜单粒取种排种器设计与试验

针对勺链式大蒜播种机取种过程中常出现的漏种、重种问题,设计了一种多重扰动清种式大蒜单粒取种排种器。取种勺在充种阶段获取多粒蒜种,经多重扰动清种,最终取种勺内仅余1粒蒜种。本文以金乡蒜种为研究对象,阐述了排种器的工作原理,确定了排种器的各项参数和多重扰动装置的最佳安装位置。通过DEM-MBD耦合仿真试验,分析了倾斜角、取种勺线速度对充种成功率的影响,以及凹槽形状对单粒取种率的影响。运用Box-Behnken中心组合试验方法,以第2弧形突出部分坡度、倾斜角、取种勺线速度为试验因素,以单粒取种率和漏种率作为评价指标,开展了三因素三水平正交试验。利用Design-Expert 8.0.6数据分析软件,分析了各因素对单粒取种率与漏种率的影响,对试验因素进行优化,确定了多重扰动装置最佳结构参数。设计试验台对仿真结果进行验证,倾斜角、取种勺线速度分别为15°、0.07 m/s的条件下,通过调节多重扰动装置与取种勺凹槽顶端距离适配不同级别蒜种,当Ⅰ级、Ⅱ级、Ⅲ级蒜种距离分别为0、6.1、12.1 mm时,单粒取种成功率分别为92.2%、97.2%、95.6%,具有良好的取种性能。

玉米免耕播种机振动特性及对排种器排种性能的影响

为研究玉米免耕播种机振动特性以及振动对排种器漏播指数和重播指数的影响,搭建一套由振动加速度传感器、电荷放大器、USB采集卡组成的播种作业振动测试系统,在玉米免耕播种机免耕地表作业时进行振动测试采集播种作业的振动信号。因田间工作环境复杂,使用经典滤波法中的IIR滤波器滤除所采集振动信号中其他高频干扰信号,对田间采集振动信号进行时域分析,均方值作为时域分析指标值。结果表明:振动加速度均方根随着作业速度和旋耕机转速的增加呈线性增加,旋耕机转速和作业速度是引起玉米免耕播种机振动的主要因素,影响顺序为:旋耕机转速>作业速度。使用二次积分法对田间采集信号进行分析,得出播种机作业时最大振动位移为16.004mm,对振动信号进行频域分析,使用直接法求出功率谱密度。结果表明:玉米免耕播种机振动频率主要在0~100Hz之间,频率分布与旋耕机转速影响较大。根据田间振动信号所得工作参数搭建振动试验台,以播种机振动频率、振动幅值、作业速度为试验因素,合格指数、漏播指数为评价指标进行3因素3水平响应面试验。结果表明:作业速度、振动幅值和振动频率对合格指数和漏播指数影响较为显著。各因素对合格指数影响顺序为:振动幅值、作业速度、振动频率;各因素对漏播指数影响顺序为:振动幅值、振动频率、作业速度。研究结果可为降低玉米免耕播种机振动和优化指夹式排种器提供理论参考。

3D建模在播种机产品设计上三维艺术仿真

以SolidWorks2015仿真软件设计播种机为例,通过引入三维艺术,完成了播种机零部件结构的设计,并通过修改零部件特征完成了播种机3D模型和整机装配。经过SolidWorks 3D虚拟建模和装配,得出了如下结论:利用Solidworks2015对播种机进行3D建模和装配,符合播种机实际生产制造流程。

基于预知维修的小麦播种机运行监控系统设计

为了减少播种机故障频率,提升小麦播种机的播种效率和播种质量,基于预知维修对小麦播种机的运行监控系统进行了设计。系统的主要组成包括主控单片机、检测系统、显示监控系统、报警系统及电源。为了对播种机进行预知维修,将灰色模型和神经网络模型结合,建立了动态灰色神经网络模型,并进行了算法设计。为了验证小麦播种机监控系统性能和预知维修算法的有效性,对其进行了监测精度和趋势预测试验,结果表明:监测系统的监测精度较高,播种机可有效对数据趋势进行预测。

基于机器深度学习的小麦播种机控制系统研究

针对我国小麦播种机自动控制系统的可靠性及灵敏度不高的问题,基于机器深度学习对小麦播种机的控制系统进行了设计和改进。小麦播种机的主要组成包括控制系统、排种系统、监控系统、电力系统、机架和驾驶室、覆土镇压和排肥装置。为了使播种机的控制系统能有效进行图像检测识别,提升播种机的控制精度,采用机器深度学习中的卷积神经网络算法对控制系统进行设计,并采用迁移学习的方式对模型进行训练和检测。为了验证播种机控制系统的性能,对其进行播种精度控制和播种性能测试试验,结果表明:播种机的精度和性能均符合播种机的设计要求。

基于智能逆变技术的玉米精播机性能优化

为进一步提升我国玉米精播机的综合作业效率,以性能优化提升作为研究目标,基于智能逆变技术的深度应用展开分析。以电控逆变处理与调速机制相融合为出发点,建立正确的电控模块逆变应用数学模型,通过控制分析与硬件优化,进行整机作业试验。结果表明:基于智能逆变技术应用的玉米精播机性能优化效果明显,排种精准率与播深合格率分别可提升至94.46%与94.05%,满足精量播种机的设计要求;同时,种子的重播率与漏播率可降低至3.83%与3.06%,整机作业运行稳定,各零部件指令执行协同性好,综合效率相对提升了5.88%,充分体现了智能逆变应用的准确性与适应性,可为类似农机播种装备优化提供参考。

先进制造技术对播种机零部件生产的经济模型分析

首先,介绍了先进制造技术理论知识,分析了播种机整体结构及生产工艺;然后,阐述了BP神经网络分析播种机零部件生产的经济模型的依据,并搭建和实现了BP神经网络成本估算模型;最后,进行了生产验证。验证结果表明:基于BP神经网络对播种机零部件估算比较准确,采用先进制造技术生产的自动排种部件成本较普通制造设计下降12%,证实了系统的正确性和可靠性。