Integration of agricultural machinery and agronomy for mechanised peanut production using the vine for animal feed

Abstract

To improve the utilisation of peanut vines as animal feed and address the inability of current agronomic and agricultural machinery in China to adapt and the low levels of mechanised peanut production, a “three-stage” harvesting mode, “vine cutting harvesting – digging and drying – pickup and picking”, that produces peanut vines suitable for feed was proposed. The general agronomic process of mechanised peanut production under this mode was studied, and the requirements for integrating agricultural machinery and agronomy into each key production process were proposed. Plant characteristics, stubble height consistency and pickup effects were measured and tested in the field. The influence of ridge height differences, ridge width differences and row spacing differences on the variation coefficient of stubble height consistency and their significance were analysed. The results showed that the influence of ridge height differences and ridge width differences was significant and that of row spacing differences was not significant. The influence of pickup spring finger spacing, soil penetration depth, forward speed, variety, stubble height and the variation coefficient of stubble height consistency on the pickup rate and the pickup dropping rate, and their significance were studied. The results showed that the stubble height and its consistency variability coefficient had an extremely significant impact on the pickup rate and the spring finger spacing had a significant impact; the soil penetration depth and forward speed had significant effects on the pickup dropping rate, and the stalk connection force and the stubble height had an extremely significant impact.