Abstract
According to the agronomic requirements of garlic sowing, the garlic morphology is studied and a garlic seed metering mechanism with excellent seeding performance is designed. Based on this design, a new garlic seeding machine with an adjustable-size seeding device is developed to realize efficient single-seed metering and seeding of different varieties of garlic. Further, the design scheme of the garlic seeder prototype is established, with the key components of the garlic seeding being designed on the basis of the garlic seeding mechanism. To achieve garlic single-seed metering for different varieties of garlic, the optimal adjustment size of the garlic seed metering device is determined through discrete element simulation analysis. A field experiment confirms the effectiveness of applying the proposed garlic planter to field sowing in terms of the metrics of missing seed and multiple seed rates. The results of the discrete element simulation test reveal that an adjustment size of 40 mm yields the best single-seed metering performance. At an operating speed of 15–35 rpm, the metering device can achieve more than an 80% qualification rate of single-seed metering, with a unit speed of 0.628–1.465 m/s. Thus, the developed garlic seeding device meets the requirements of precision sowing in China and can effectively realize the mechanized planting of garlic.
Highlights
As an important economic crop in China, garlic has the largest planting area, output, and export in the world [1,2]
According to the simulation test results, when the operating speed of the seed metering device was 15–35 r/min, the qualification index of single-seed feeding of the seed metering device is greater than 80%
When the operating speed of the seed metering device is greater than 45 r/min, severe missing seed rates occur, thereby not meeting the requirements of precision sowing
Summary
As an important economic crop in China, garlic has the largest planting area, output, and export in the world [1,2]. The mechanization of garlic seeding can effectively save labor and improve production efficiency. The research of single-seeding metering technology for garlic seeding is an important direction of garlic sowing mechanization, which can effectively solve the performance problems of garlic sowing machines and improve the mechanization effect of garlic planting [6,7]. The agronomic requirements of garlic planting in European and American countries require simple mechanization, wide-row-spacing random seeding, and relatively large equipment. Most of those use spoon-chain seed metering devices [8,9,10,11]. In China, garlic planting agronomy requires small-row-spacing, high-density, and single-seed and upright sowing. Spoon-chain, rotary-table, and vibrating seed metering devices are widely used [12,13]
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