Experiments and Performance Evaluation of a New Wheat Seed Shooting Device for the North China Plain

Abstract

HighlightsA noncontact mechanical wheat seed shooting device was developed for use in the North China Plain.The shooting depth increased with increasing shooting velocity and with increasing shooting angle.The tested parameters were statistically significant for average shooting depth (ASD), coefficient of variation of shooting depth (CVSD), and coefficient of variation of seeding amount (CVSA).The results from bench and field experiments indicated that the performance of the shooting device with the optimized parameters could fully meet the planting requirements for winter wheat in the North China Plain.Abstract. Planting performance is essential for wheat planters and seed emergence. In this study, a noncontact mechanical wheat seed shooting device was developed to simplify the planter structure, eliminate blockage of the soil-contacting parts, and enhance the stability of the sowing depth. A preliminary model of shooting wheat was developed using DEM software to simulate the shooting depth. The modeling results showed general trends of increased shooting depth with increasing shooting velocity and shooting angle, and decreased shooting depth with increasing shooting height. The shooting depth exceeded 30 mm when the shooting velocity of the wheat seeds was greater than 30 m s-1 and the shooting height was less than 150 mm. Additionally, to increase the stability of the sowing depth, this study investigated the effects of three operating parameters (forward speed, rotational speed of the shooting device, and shooting height) on the average shooting depth (ASD), shooting velocity of seed (SVS), coefficient of variation of shooting depth (CVSD), and coefficient of variation of seeding amount (CVSA). The SVS was proposed as an indicator of shooting performance. A three-factor central-composite experiment was performed to understand the parameter interactions and verify the optimal parameter values. The results from bench and field experiments demonstrated that the performance of the shooting device with the optimized parameters could fully meet the sowing requirements for winter wheat in the North China Plain. The ASD, CVSD, CVSA, and SVS of the seed shooting device with the optimized parameters were 34.6 mm, 9.3%, 13.9%, and 35.8 m s-1, respectively. The seed damage rate (SDR), seed germination rate (SGR), and coefficient of variation of seeding uniformity (CVSU) in the field experiment were 0.9%, 88.2%, and 13.5%, respectively. Keywords: Coefficient of variation of shooting depth, Shooting device, Shooting velocity, Winter wheat.