Abstract
ABSTRACT The use of microgranular fertilizers is currently increasing, with low application rates as an obstacle in the mechanization. This study aimed to verify the performance of helical metering mechanisms using microgranular fertilizer. Four different fertilizer-metering mechanisms were tested at two pre-established dose rates (35 and 50 kg ha−1) and seven longitudinal angles (−15°, −10°, −5°, 0°, +5°, +10°, and +15°). The experiment was carried out according to Brazilian standards. The results showed that the longitudinal inclination affects the actual fertilizer dose in all tested metering systems. Metering mechanisms with a helicoid with longitudinal and lateral overflow presented a similar dose, according to the variation of the longitudinal inclination. The metering mechanism with two helicoids showed the highest dose variation, while the metering mechanism with a helical thread and longitudinal overflow, filled between the shaft and the helicoid, had the best performance.
Highlights
Sowing is a practice that needs high precision, as it is one of the first stages within the production process of a given crop, being responsible for placing the seed and creating an environment for its development, and problems at this stage may not be reversed throughout the crop cycle (Ferreira et al, 2010).In the Brazilian scenario, around 94.4% of seedcum-fertilizer drills are equipped with helical- or augertype fertilizer metering mechanisms (Francetto et al, 2015), found in different models and showing changes relative to the metering principles, i.e., gravity and overflow
There is a lack of information regarding their distribution by seed-cum-fertilizer drills
The doses were measured using a modification in the rotation of the fertilizer-metering shaft to quantify the fertilizer mass dosed in 30 seconds with the bench at 0° of inclination, considering a seed-cum-fertilizer drill in level, with a speed of 1.39 m s−1 and distance between rows of 0.45 m
Summary
Sowing is a practice that needs high precision, as it is one of the first stages within the production process of a given crop, being responsible for placing the seed and creating an environment for its development, and problems at this stage may not be reversed throughout the crop cycle (Ferreira et al, 2010).In the Brazilian scenario, around 94.4% of seedcum-fertilizer drills are equipped with helical- or augertype fertilizer metering mechanisms (Francetto et al, 2015), found in different models and showing changes relative to the metering principles, i.e., gravity and overflow. Gravity models have one thread or two threads with an inverted rotation, and overflow models have longitudinal or lateral overflows. These metering mechanisms have dose variations that can reach 70% (Reynaldo & Gamero, 2015; Garcia et al, 2017; Rosa et al, 2019). There is a lack of information regarding their distribution by seed-cum-fertilizer drills. In this sense, this study aimed to verify the performance and carry out the modeling of four helical screw fertilizer-metering mechanisms of seed-cumfertilizer drills when dosing microgranular fertilizer at different longitudinal inclinations
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
