Design and testing of the mechanical picking function of a high-speed seedling auto-transplanter

Abstract

To improve the low transplanting efficiencies and simplify the complex structures of current automatic transplanters, a mechanical high-speed transplanter for picking plug seedlings that is suitable for planting on plastic films was designed. The main components were an automatic seedling picking system and a basket-type planting system, which were used for the following processes: automatic picking, planting, soil covering, and suppression of plug seedlings. The performance test was performed on the automatic transplanter with 60-day-old pepper seedlings. The transplanting efficiency was tested at speeds of 40, 60, 90, and 120 plants·min−1. The results showed that the coefficient of variation (CV) of the plant spacing and the missed transplanting rate increased with the planting frequency, whereas the qualified rate of planting perpendicularity and the qualified rate of planting decreased with the increase in the planting frequency. All planting indices met the JB/T 102912013 standards. The results of this study showed that the auto-transplanter could perform high-speed transplanting on the basis of completing the following functions: automatic picking, planting, soil covering, and suppression of plug seedlings.