Performance Investigation of Precision Seeding of a Multi-Rows Pneumatic Cylindrical System for Wheat

Abstract

Highlights By using the seed barrier mechanism, the cylindrical metering device was able to locate seeds through the six rows successfully and precisely. Each row's seed quality index was above 90%, with minor variations within and between rows. An oblong shape was used on the metering cylinder to be comfortable for wheat seeds. During field trials, the coefficient of variation for seed distribution was 3.43%. Abstract. The main objective of this study was to investigate the performance of a pneumatic cylindrical system with six rows for wheat precision seeding. The cylinder was coupled with a plastic barrier to prevent seeds from creeping over the cylinder and permit precise seed distribution. Results disclosed that the optimum negative pressures associated with 15, 20, and 25 rpm were 2.4, 2.7, and 3.00 kPa, respectively. 15 rpm resulted in a quality index of 90.96%, 90.88%, 90.86%, 90.76%, 90.56%, and 90.38%, while 20 rpm attained 91.30%, 91.02%, 91.06%, 90.86%, 91.32%, and 90.82%, and 25 rpm achieved 90.92%, 90.72%, 90.84%, 90.86%, 90.62%, and 90.80% for rows 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6, respectively. The highest seed feed index (91.32%) was obtained by row 4 at a speed of 20 rpm, while the lowest value (90.56%) was achieved by row 6 at 15 rpm. Both the separate rows' stability and the rows' consistent CV resulted in a CV range of less than 1.5 percentage points, with some tendency of 25 rpm to be more consistent than 15 and 20 rpm. Results concluded that the multi-row cylinder and the plastic barrier technique could satisfy the required seed precision without damage and be employed for further investigations. Keywords: Multi-row cylindrical, Pneumatic system, Seed precision, Wheat.