Mixture Of Maize Research Articles

The Effects of Corn Silage and Sunflower Silage and Their Mixtures at Different Levels on the Fattening Performance of Kıvırcık Lambs

Maize silage is widely used in the nutrition of ruminants worldwide. Nevertheless, maize is expensive and difficult to grow in cold and arid climates. To investigate the effects of feeding pure maize silage and different mixtures of maize and sunflower silages on the fattening performance of lambs. In the study, 40 Kıvırcık male lambs aged 2.5-3 months and with an average live weight of 23-25 kg were used as the animal material. The experiment was carried out for 56 days in a semi-open barn. In accordance with the experimental design, animals were divided into 5 different silage groups (100 maize silage, 75 maize silage+25 sunflower silage, 50 maize silage+50 sunflower silage, 25 maize silage+75 sunflower silage, 100% sunflower silage), so that there would be 8 lambs in each group. The lambs were housed in individual compartments during the experiment and fed individually. Silages were given ad libitum, and additional 700, 900, and 1,400 g concentrated feed was given daily between the 0th and 21st, 21st and 42nd, and 42nd and 56th days, respectively. During the fattening period, the values of live weight, daily live weight gain, feed consumption, and feed conversion ratio were determined. The differences among the live weight values of different silage groups during the trial period were found to be not significant (p>0.05), and the values obtained at the end of 8 weeks varied between 35.94 and 37.44 kg. The silage consumption of lambs fed different silage types showed significant differences (p

Dietary exposure of school children to aflatoxin and fumonisin through githeri and effectiveness of nixtamalization in reduction of these toxins in githeri from Turkana County.

Exposure of school children to aflatoxin and fumonisin is mainly through diet. In Kenyan public schools, children are given porridge made from maize flour for breakfast, a mixture of maize and beans, also known as githeri for lunch and ugali for dinner. Nixtamalization has proved to reduce mycotoxins in most cereals and not a mixture of maize and beans. This study, therefore, aimed to assess the exposure of primary school children in Turkana County to aflatoxin and fumonisin through maize-based food under the school meals program and the effectiveness of nixtamalization in the reduction of these mycotoxins. Samples of githeri were randomly collected from all public primary schools (n = 128) under the homegrown school meals program in Turkana County and analyzed for aflatoxin and fumonisin. The data was analyzed using SAS software, version 9.4. The deterministic model was used to calculate the estimated daily intake (EDI) and the margin of exposure (MOE) used to characterize the exposure risk. The contaminated samples were then treated with various concentrations of Ca(OH)2, 0.5-2.5%. The treated samples were cooked for 60 and 75min and soaked for 6 and 8h. Forty percent of the schools contained githeri samples with aflatoxin B1 levels above 5µg/Kg, the maximum limit for Kenya. Exposure to aflatoxin B1 and total aflatoxin was up to 2µg/kg/bw/day. The range for fumonisin exposure was 60-80µg/kg/bw/day. Ca(OH)2 concentration levels of up to 2.5% reduced aflatoxin by 75% and fumonisin by 72%. The findings indicate that githeri is contaminated with aflatoxin and fumonisin which exposes school children to these mycotoxins and nixtamalization can be used to reduce mycotoxin contamination in githeri.

基于蚯蚓运动特征的仿生筛清选性能试验研究

As the feeding mass of harvester continues to be increased, the accumulation of the maize mixture on the screen more serious, leading to a decrease in screening efficiency of the cleaning screen. The maize mixture on the screen was quickly transported backward through a bionic screen based on the motion characteristics of earthworms to reduce accumulation. However, the impact of the main operating parameters of this bionic screen on the cleaning performance was not yet clear. Therefore, the main operating parameters that affect the loss percentage and impurity percentage of maize grain in the cleaning device of bionic screen were simulated using CFD-DEM. Analysis of variance, regression and response surface were carried out on the test data, and the optimal parameter combination was obtained through parameter optimization: the concave depth of the screen surface was 25 mm, the installation angle of the screen surface was –5.5°, and the airflow velocity at the inlet of the cleaning device was 12.3 m/s. At this time, the lost percentage of maize grain was 1.56%, and the impurity percentage of maize grain was 1.85%, which met the requirements of national standards. The experiment provides reference and basis for the follow-up exploration of the screening mechanism of bionic screen.

Design and validation of novel maize grain cleaning loss detection system based on classification models of particle time-domain signals

Quantitative evaluation of grain cleaning loss is a central concern in maize intelligent direct harvesting. This study integrates particle time-domain signals with machine learning models to develop a novel grain cleaning loss detection system and create modular embedded companion software. Specifically, collisional time-domain signals of grains and impurities with varying mass gradients are captured, and abnormal data are eliminated utilizing the Mahalanobis Distance (MD) algorithm. Signal classification models incorporating diverse preprocessing methods are trained using Naive Bayes (NB) and Support Vector Machine (SVM) algorithms. Model performance is evaluated through internal leave-one-out-cross-validation (LOOCV) and external validation sets. The best classification model is integrated into the grain loss detection software, and bench tests verify real-time cleaning loss rates for detection systems. Results demonstrate that the SVM model with Savitzky-Golay (S-G) smoothing + Second-Order Derivative (SOD) preprocessing achieves the highest predictive accuracy, with 97.44 % and 96.15 % in training and validation sets, respectively. When the feeding rate of maize mixtures is 5 kg/s, absolute grain loss rates for three measurements are 1.62 %, 1.72 % and 1.86 %, respectively. Compared to traditional loss detection systems with multifunctional circuits, the novel loss detection system enhances the average accuracy of grain loss rate by 6.54, 6.82 and 8.93 percentage points. Hence, the proposed method and apparatus can be applied to detect grain cleaning loss quantitatively.

Contamination of water, soil, and plants by micropollutants from reclaimed wastewater and sludge from a wastewater treatment plant

Several studies have shown that plants can absorb various micropollutants. The behavior of micropollutants from wastewater treatment plant resources was comprehensively investigated in raised beds in which either a mixture of vegetables or maize was grown. The beds were either irrigated with treated wastewater or enriched with sewage sludge or composted sewage sludge. Over the year, samples of wastewater, water drained from the beds, soils and plants were analyzed. Of the seventy-five analyzed substances, fifty-four, thirty-three and twenty-seven were quantified in wastewater, sewage sludge, and composted sludge, respectively. Alarmingly, approximately 20 % of the compounds from wastewater were also detected in the solutions leached from the beds irrigated with wastewater (e.g., gabapentin, tramadol, sertraline, carbamazepine, its metabolites, and benzotriazoles). In addition, a gradual increase in the content of four substances (telmisartan, venlafaxine, carbamazepine, citalopram) was recorded in these beds. The compounds from both biosolids used for soil enrichment tended to remain in the soils (e.g., telmisartan, venlafaxine, sertraline, its metabolite, citalopram, and its metabolite). Only four compounds (sertraline and three benzotriazoles) leached from these beds. Uptake of some chemicals (e.g., gabapentin, tramadol, carbamazepine and its metabolite, and venlafaxine and its metabolite) and their accumulation in plant tissues was observed mainly in vegetables grown on beds irrigated with wastewater. However, daily consumption values for edible plant parts and individual compounds did not indicate a direct threat to human health. Results of this innovative study show possible risks associated with the use of these resources in agriculture. Of particular concern is the possible micropollutants percolation towards groundwater, including those for which high sorption and thus low mobility in the soil environment is expected, such as sertraline. Soil and crop contamination cannot be neglected either.

Enhanced sieving mechanism of novel cleaning screen and investigation of particle movement characteristics on the screen

A variable slope screen with a hole structure was designed to improve the cleaning performance of maize cleaning devices. The movement behaviour and sieving performance of maize mixture particles on the new and traditional screens were quantified using relative migration and through-screen mass ratio coefficients. Computational Fluid Dynamics and Discrete Element Method were applied to analyze these coefficients in this study. Results revealed that the new screen had a 37.96% higher relative migration coefficient than the traditional screen. The average through-screen mass ratio coefficient on the new screen was 24.61% of that on the traditional screen. These indicated that the new screen was better than the traditional screen for cleaning maize mixtures, and the simulation tests were validated through bench tests. This study provided a valuable reference for the high cleaning rate sieving of maize cleaning devices.

The Energy and Environmental Evaluation of Maize, Hemp and Faba Bean Multi-Crops

Agriculture uses a lot of fuel, fertilizers, pesticides and other substances, while emitting large amounts of GHGs. It is important to optimize these inputs and outputs. One such way is by increasing crop biodiversity. For this reason, single crops and mixtures of maize, hemp and faba bean as binary and ternary crops were investigated at the Experimental Station of Vytautas Magnus University, Lithuania. The results showed that consumption of diesel fuel was 31–46% higher than in single and 22–35% higher than in binary cultivations was found in a ternary crop. This had influence on the highest energy input of near twice higher than in maize and hemp single crops and maize+hemp binary crop, but similar with binary crops with faba bean. Despite this, the productivity of the ternary crop and, at the same time, the energy output were 2–5 times higher than in other treatments. This compensated for higher energy inputs and the energy efficiency ratio. In the ternary crop, energy productivity was from 1.1 to 2.8 times higher and net energy was 1.9–5.3 times higher than in other tested cultivations. The highest total GHG emissions were obtained in binary maize+hemp and maize+faba bean cultivations (1729.84 and 2067.33 CO2eq ha−1). Ternary cultivation with the highest energy inputs initiated average GHG emissions of 1541.90 kg ha−1 CO2eq. For higher efficiency, the ternary crop could be sown and harvested in one machine pass. Faba beans should be included in ternary crops, as their biomass makes up a significant part of the total biomass produced. We recommend reviewing the intercropped faba bean seeding rates, as faba bean seeds have a high energy input equivalent.

Determination of standardised ileal digestibility of amino acids in high-fibre feedstuffs and additivity of apparent and standardised ileal amino acids digestibility of diets containing mixtures of maize, sorghum, and soybean meal

ABSTRACT 1. Two experiments were conducted to determine the coefficients of standardised ileal amino acid digestibility for selected high-fibre feedstuffs (Expt.1) and to assess the additivity of coefficients of apparent (cAIAAD) and standardised (cSIAAD) ileal amino acid digestibility for diets containing combinations of sorghum, maize and soybean meal. 2. In Expt. 1, broiler chickens (324) were allocated to 54 metabolism cages (nine diets with six replicates). In Expt. 2, broiler chickens (315) were allocated to 63 metabolism cages (seven diets with nine replicates). The diets in Expt. 1 were a nitrogen-free diet plus eight semi-purified diets in which soybean meal (SBM), low-protein SBM (LPSBM), soybean hull, wheat bran, maize bran, rice bran, dried sugarbeet pulp or maize gluten feed were the only sources of protein in the respective diets. In Expt. 2, the seven diets were a nitrogen-free diet, and six semi-purified diets consisting of individual feedstuffs (SBM, maize, or sorghum) or combinations (maize and SBM; sorghum and SBM; or maize, sorghum, and SBM) as the only sources of protein. 3. In both experiments, all the broiler chickens received the same maize-SBM diet formulated to meet nutrient requirements according to the breeder’s recommendations from d 0 to 16. Allocated experimental diets were provided on d 16, and ileal digesta were collected on d 21. 4. In Expt. 1, SBM and LPSBM had greater (P < 0.01) cSIAAD for indispensable and dispensable amino acids than the other feedstuffs. The rice bran had greater (P<0.01) cSIAAD values than wheat bran and maize bran, except for Leu, Cys, and Pro. 5. In Expt. 2, predicted cAIAAD values for maize-SBM and maize-sorghum-SBM were generally lower (P<0.01) than actual values. The actual and predicted cSIAAD values for maize-SBM, sorghum-SBM and maize-sorghum-SBM combinations were not significantly different. 6. It was concluded that the standardised amino acid digestibility of sorghum, when combined with other feedstuffs, was additive and that approximately three-quarters of total amino acids in the assayed high-fibre feedstuffs, except for dried sugarbeet pulp and maize gluten feed, were digestible.

Kinetic characteristics of a bionic screen with continuous variable amplitude from front to rear and behaviour of maize mixture on the screen

To further improve the screening performance of bionic screen and enrich its screening theory, a mathematical model of its motion was established and its kinetic characteristics were analysed using MATLAB. The results show that the bionic screen exhibits a continuous variable-amplitude motion from its front to its rear. The process of maize mixture screened was simulated and analysed using the CFD-DEM-API. The results show that maize grains slide or roll on the screen mainly under the action of the variable amplitude of the different screen plates. The stratification of the maize mixture on the screen is enhanced by the concave motion of the screen plates. The impurities can be pushed backwards faster than the maize grains. The loss and cleaning rates of maize grains are 0.86% and 98.47%, respectively. The simulation results were verified by bench test. The study findings can help in the optimisation and analysis of cleaning devices.

Investigation of maize grains penetrating holes on a novel screen based on CFD-DEM simulation

Maize cleaning is one of the important processes in maize cleaning operations. To enhance the screening performance of the bionic screen further, the screening process of maize mixture was simulated by CFD-DEM, and the simulation results were validated experimentally. The behaviour of grains penetrating the bionic screen under different gestures was investigated. The grains that penetrate the screen holes by falling, rolling, and sliding account for 22.2%, 35.8%, and 42.0% of the total grains penetrating the screen holes. The results show that the grains exhibiting sliding and rolling behaviour are more easily able to penetrate the screen holes. The quantity of grains penetrating the screen holes in the plates 1–8 is gradually increased from 0 to 79, and the grains penetrate the screen holes better during the screen plates flattening upward. This study can provide a basis for designing a new screen and improving cleaning performance.

The Biomass Productivity of Maize, Hemp and Faba Bean Multi-Crops

Crop biomass is valuable not only from a nutritional and fodder point of view, but also from an energetic point of view. The main task is to increase biomass production while maintaining low nutrient and pesticide requirements and low ecological footprint. A stationary three-year field experiment was performed at the Experimental Station of Vytautas Magnus University, Lithuania, in 2020–2022. Single crops and mixtures of maize, hemp, and faba bean were investigated in terms of their biomass productivity. Results showed that as the crop diversification increases, the productivity of maize and hemp grown in the mixture decreases, while faba bean ensures high dried biomass productivity. During the three years of the experimentation, the highest total dried biomass was found in the ternary crop: on average, 1495.4 g m−2 per year. The highest dried biomass of the ternary crop was established in the first year of experimentation: 2081.1 g m−2. A decrease in biomass yields in the second and third years of the experiment was observed in all treatment plots. The results suggest that the low fertilization level (totally N 45, P 45, K 45 kg ha−1) in the experiment should be increased if multi-crop cultivations are to be regrown during vegetative seasons.

Anaerobic Fermentation of Silage from the Above-Ground Biomass of Jerusalem Artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus L.) and Maize (Zea mayse L.) as a New and Promising Input Raw Material for Biogas Production

Research of new input raw materials for biogas plants is a very actual topic. There are only a very few studies dealing with the possibility of using silage prepared from the above-ground parts of the Jerusalem artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus L.) and maize (Zea mayse L.) for methane production. This study deals with the determination of methane production and methane content in biogas during the fermentation of maize silage with dissimilar additions of the biomass of the Jerusalem artichoke (JA). Except for the effect of the JA’s addition on the yield of methane, we also studied its potential influence on the inhibition of the process of anaerobic digestion and the bacterial and methanogenic archaeal composition of anaerobic digestate. There were five model silages prepared; two of them contained only maize or JAs, and the remaining three were mixtures of maize and JA silages (30%wt; 50%wt and 70%wt). The fermentation tests showed that the JA addition (from 30 to 70%wt) resulted in the production of biogas decreasing, on average, by 15%. Based on the performed metagenomic analysis, we cannot confirm an essential influence of JA biomass addition on the composition of the community of microorganisms during fermentation.

Behavior of maize grains on the three-dimensional translational vibrating sieve

To improve the working efficiency of the cleaning device for maize mixture with a large feeding mass and to realize rapid dispersion of the maize grains on the sieve, a sieve with three-dimensional translational motion was designed based on a cylindrical cam. CFD-DEM (Computational Fluid Dynamics and Discrete Element Method) was used to investigate the motion of materials on the three-dimensional translational vibrating sieve (3TVS). The results show that the dispersion degree of transverse velocity of particles (DTVP) is correlated with the radius and rotation speed of the cam table and the height of the cylindrical cam positively. It is increased compared with the planar reciprocating vibrating sieve (PRVS). The effects of different factors on 3TVS cleaning device were obtained. This study provides a reference for designing a multidimensional-motion sieve for a large feeding-mass grains cleaning.

Breaking behaviour and interactions in maize and soybean meal while grinding of a hammer mill

The objective of the present study was to investigate whether mixing ratio of maize and soybean meal (SBM) affects the breaking behaviour during hammer-milling in terms of the nutrient properties and in vitro digestibility of fractionated particles. Mixtures of maize and SBM with different proportions (% Maize:SBM; 0:100, 25:75, 50:50, 75:25, 100:0) were hammer milled using a 2-mm screen. The obtained powder was sieved into seven fractions with size ranges from 0.149 to 1.190 mm. Results show that energy consumption of grinding mixtures increased from 3.8 to 48.4 kJ/kg with the maize proportion increasing from zero to 100%. Mixing proportion of maize and SBM showed significant effects on nutrient content of fractionated material. For hammer milled material <595 µm, the in vitro digestibility of crude protein (CP) and organic matter (OM) of fractionated material decreased with increasing particle size. Additionally grinding fractionated particles ≥595 µm over a 1-mm sized screen before in vitro digestion analysis increased the digestibility of OM and CP. Equivalent particle size (EPS) and geometric standard deviation (GSD) of hammer milled maize and SBM and their mixtures correlated better than geometric mean diameter (GMD) to OM and CP in vitro digestibility in a linear regression model. In summary, the mixing ratio of maize and SBM had a significant effect on the breaking behaviour of ingredients and in vitro digestibility of CP and OM of the isolated fractions. Mixing ingredients before grinding is suggested in terms of saving energy consumption. The GSD/EPS of ground material should be considered while studying the effects of particle size distribution on the in vitro digestibility of nutrients.

Behavior of maize particles on the bionic sieve designed based on the earthworm's contour

To improve the performance of cleaning device under a large feeding mass of maize mixture, a novel stagger-wave bionic sieve was designed based on the earthworm's contour to disturb maize particles. CFD-DEM (Computational Fluid Dynamics and Discrete Element Method) was used to simulate the behavior of particles on the bionic sieve. The results indicated that the motion of particles would be more dispersed after being disturbed. The behavior of particles was quantified by proposing the Dispersion Degree of Moving Directions of Particles (DDMDP). And the DDMDP on the bionic sieve under different structural parameters is 6.59%–18.42% higher than that on the planar sieve. The mechanism of the bionic sieve disturbing particles was revealed. The performance of cleaning device will be improved with increase of the DDMDP. And the simulation results were verified by bench test. This study will be helpful for the design and analysis of cleaning device.

Microbial Quality and Growth Dynamics in Shameta: A Traditional Ethiopian Cereal-Based Fermented Porridge

Shameta is a traditional, Ethiopian, cereal-based fermented porridge exclusively prepared for lactating mothers. The aim of this study was to determine the microbial quality of Shameta samples collected from households of lactating mothers and to determine microbial dynamics and physicochemical changes during laboratory fermentation of Shameta. Isolation and characterization of the dominant microbes and analysis of the physicochemical properties of samples were done following standard microbiological methods and analytical techniques. Results of this study showed that the highest mean count of lactic acid bacteria (8.33 log cfu/g) was recorded in a sample from laboratory-fermented barley-based Shameta, and the lowest (5.88 log cfu/g) in Shameta made from a mixture of barley and maize (BMS). In both barley-based and maize-based laboratory-prepared Shameta, the microflora were dominated by LAB, followed by yeasts. The dominant LAB were the genus Lactobacillus (74.85%), followed by Enterococcus (15.79%). It could be concluded that Shameta collected from households of lactating mothers are fairly safe for consumption, as the stringent physicochemical conditions of the final product could inhibit the growth of pathogens. However, as Shameta is a traditional fermented porridge fed to lactating mothers, we call for a further improvement to the fermentation process by using defined starter cultures.

Comparative effect of fertilization on cocoyam and component crops on Cocoyam-based intercropping systems in Uyo, Southeastern Nigeria

Field experiment was conducted at University of Uyo Teaching, research farm during the 2018 and 2019 cropping seasons to assess the effect of fertilization on cocoyam-based intercropping systems. The experiment was laid out in a randomized complete block design with three replications. Treatments were six fertilizers rates - 0kg/ha, NPK200kg/ha, NPK400kg/ha, PM2.5t/ha, PM5.0t/ha, Mixture (NPK200kg/ha + PM2.5t/ha) and six crop mixtures - Sole Cocoyam, Sole Melon, Sole Maize, Cocoyam + Maize, Cocoyam + Melon and Cocoyam + Melon + Maize). Result analysed with analysis of variance revealed PM2.5t/ha, NPK400kg/ha and Mixture (NPK200kg/ha + PM2.5t/ha) gave higher plant height, leaf area, stem girth in sole cocoyam, maize and melon respectively. PM2.5t/ha favoured leaf area, stem girths of cocoyam, maize with cocoyam + maize, cocoyam + melon and cocoyam + melon + maize crop mixtures. PM5.0t/ha gave higher values of corm, cormels, cormels weight, cormels number and cormels length in both sole cocoyam and mixtures (cocoyam + melon, cocoyam + maize, cocoyam + melon + maize) in both seasons respectively. PM2.5t/ha gave higher values of maize grain yield with cocoyam + maize, cocoyam + melon + maize crop mixtures. PM5.0t/ha and NPK400kg/ha gave higher melon seed values with cocoyam + melon and cocoyam + Melon + maize. Conclusively, it is recommended that application of organic fertilizer promotes higher yields and yield components in both sole and crop mixtures of cocoyam and maize respectively.

Fermentation Quality and Nutritional Traits of Cluster Bean-Maize Mixture Silages

In present study, effects of different mixture ratios of cluster bean (CB) and maize (M) on silage fermentation and nutritional traits were investigated. Based on dry matter (DM) ratios, maize and cluster bean plants were mixed in five different ratios (100% M, 75% M+25% CB, 50% M+50% CB, 25% M+75% CB and 100% CB). Pure maize, cluster bean and mixture were ensiled for 60 days. Effects of mixture ratios on investigated traits were found to be highly significant (p≤0.01). Increasing silage DM, ADF (acid detergent fiber), NDF (neutral detergent fiber), lactic acid, gas-methane production, metabolizable energy (ME) and organic matter digestibility (OMD) values and decreasing pH levels were observed with increasing maize ratio of the mixtures. Increasing silage crude oil (CO), crude ash (CA) and crude protein (CP) content and volatile fatty acids (acetic, butyric and propionic) were observed with increasing cluster bean ratio of the mixtures. Present findings revealed that improvements were achieved in DM, pH, nutritional traits and ME of the silages with mixtures of maize and cluster bean. It was concluded that 25, 50 and 75% maize ratios in mixtures provided significant contributions to silage quality.

Design and performance of a countersunk screen in a maize cleaning device

To increase the probability of particle penetration and decrease grain loss in maize cleaning devices, a countersunk screen was designed to enable particles move towards screen holes. The factors affecting the tendency of particles to penetrate screen holes and the various behaviours of particles penetrating screen holes were analysed by numerical simulation using couples computational fluid dynamics and the discrete element method (CFD-DEM). Simulations of a threshed maize mixture moving in a typical cleaning device were carried. An airflow of 12.8 m s−1 and the direction angle of 25° was utilised. Among the three kinds of arrangements of screen holes investigated, cleaning performance of a countersunk screen with H-type arrangement of screen holes was the best. The impact angle of particles on the screen was influenced by the airflow direction angle, and the speed of maize particles was the main factor influencing probability of penetration of particles. Screening efficiency was the best at an airflow velocity of 11.2 m s−1. As the angle of the sidewall around screen hole increased from 40° to 60°, the tendency of grains to penetrate the screen holes was enhanced. Grains slipping along the sidewall penetrated the countersunk screen hole with high efficiency, reducing inefficient impacts. The screening efficiency of cleaning device with countersunk screen was 35.20% greater than that with the similar standard round-hole screen.

Bionic design and performance test of maize grain cleaning screen through earthworm motion characteristics

The maize mixture feeding with a large mass cannot be migrated backward rapidly along the planar reciprocating vibrating screen, and it is easy to accumulate in the front of the screen, which leads to the decrease of screening efficiency. Based on the reverse engineering technology, using the wavy geometry formed during the earthworm (Pheretima guillelmi) moving as a bionic prototype, a bionic screen was designed to make the maize mixture migrate backward rapidly in the front of the screen. The contour curve of earthworm’s head in an axial contracted state was extracted and fitted to obtain its equation. Based on the difference of concave position of the lower surface’s wavy geometry during the earthworm moving, the motion of the bionic screen was divided into four postures, and the conversion between different postures of the bionic screen was realized by the cam drive mechanism. The kinematics simulation of the bionic screen was carried out through ADAMS, and the displacement and velocity of the bionic screen were analyzed. When the feeding mass of the maize mixture was set at 5 kg/s, 6 kg/s and 7 kg/s, the test results showed that the time of the maize mixture migrated (TOMMM) in the front of the bionic screen was shortened by 0.18 s, 0.71 s, and 1.36 s, respectively, compared with that of planar reciprocating vibrating screen. The total screening time (TST) of the bionic screen was shortened by 1.28 s, 1.33 s, and 1.53 s, respectively. The ability of the maize mixture to be migrated backward was improved. This study can provide a reference for the innovative design of the cleaning screen. Keywords: cleaning screen, maize grain harvester, material accumulation, earthworm, bionic design, motion characteristics DOI: 10.25165/j.ijabe.20211403.6534 Citation: Wang L J, Yu Y T, Zhang S, Feng X, Song L L. Bionic design and performance test of maize grain cleaning screen through earthworm motion characteristics. Int J Agric & Biol Eng, 2021; 14(3): 12–21.