Numerical simulation and field tests of minimum-tillage planter with straw smashing and strip laying based on EDEM software

Existing devices for dry direct-seeded rice with film mulching in northern China have limitations such as imprecise sowing, unadjustable sowing depth, and seeding device blocking. In this regard, this study proposes a combined seeding method of ‘mini shovel + telescopic pipe’ for dry direct-seeded rice with film mulching. A precision seeder for dry direct-seeded rice with film mulching was developed through theoretical calculations, discrete element modelling (DEM) simulations, and field experiments. The configuration and diameter of the rollers were obtained. Twelve telescopic pipes were evenly distributed on the circumference of the roller, with a contact ratio exceeding one. This ratio reduced the slip rate of the roller effectively. Subsequently, DEM was used to develop a 33 central composite design. The response surface was established with the sowing depth as the response value. According to agronomic requirements, the sowing depth was set to 20 mm. The optimal combination of working parameters was obtained by optimizing the regression equation. The field experiments showed that the performance of the precision seeder for dry direct-seeded rice with film mulching satisfied the requirements of agricultural production, working stably and reliably. The developed device represents a useful solution for dry direct-seeded rice with film mulching.

Section: Dem Simulationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Design, DEM Simulation, and Field Experiments of a Novel Precision Seeder for Dry Direct-Seeded Rice with Film Mulching

Zeng

Luo

et al. 2021

“…As a kind of direct straw-mulching method in China, conservation tillage with straw smashing is an effective method to reduce pollution and enhance fertility in agriculture. This is the main existing production pattern among the grain-producing areas in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River [4,5]. In practice, nonuniform straw mulch will affect the growth of seedlings and hinder the smooth operation of fertilizer and sowing machines.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Uniformity Detection for Straws Based on Overlapping Region Analysis

Feng

Xie

et al. 2022

Self Cite

Nowadays, the advanced comprehensive utilization and the complete prohibition of burning fully covered straws in croplands have become increasingly important in agriculture engineering. As a kind of direct straw-mulching method in China, conservation tillage with straw smashing is an effective method to reduce pollution and enhance fertility. In view of the high straw-returning yields, complicated manual operation, and the poor performance of straw detection with machine vision, this study introduces a novel form of uniformity detection for straws based on overlapping region analysis. An image-processing technology using a novel overlapping region analysis was proposed to overcome the inefficiency and low precision resulting from the manual identification of the straw uniformity. In this study, the debris in the gray map was removed according to region characteristics. Through using morphological theory with overlapping region analysis in low-density cases, straws of appropriate length can be identified and then uniformity detection can be accomplished. Compared with traditional threshold segmentation methods, the advantages of an accurate identification, fast operation, and high efficiency contribute to the better performance of the innovative overlapping region analysis. Finally, the proposed algorithm was verified through detecting the uniformity in low-density cases, with an average accuracy rate of 97.69%, providing a novel image recognition solution for automatic straw-mulching systems.

“…Accordingly, it is adopted all over the world, especially in North America, Oceania, Europe and Asia, and is used in many crops, including corn, wheat, soybean and so on [2]. With the development of agricultural machinery, the efficiency of the no-tillage drill has become the focus of research [3]. The no-tillage drill under full straw retention can help to achieve the processes of straw chopping, straw transport, sowing, fertilization and straw mulching once and for all, which are widely used in many areas of China [4].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Optimization and Experiment of Straw Back-Throwing Device of No-Tillage Drill Using Multi-Objective QPSO Algorithm

Zhang

et al. 2021

Self Cite

Reducing operation energy consumption is the development demand of conservation tillage equipment. In order to solve the problems of high power consumption and the easy blockage of the no-tillage drill under full straw retention, the key parameters of the straw back-throwing device were optimized in this study. The Box–Behnken central combination test method was used to analyze the influence of the impeller rotating speed, feed quantity and cross-sectional area of the throwing pipe on the specific power consumption and throwing speed, the mathematical models of which were built with the aid of the least square method. In addition, the mathematical models were optimized by using a multi-objective quantum behaved particle swarm optimization (QPSO) with an improved target weighting coefficient. The optimization results indicated that, when the impeller rotating speed was 2287 r/min, the feed quantity was 1.1 kg/s and the cross-sectional area of the throwing pipe was 506.997 cm2, the specific power consumption and throwing speed by the models were 7528 m2/s2 and 11.73 m/s, respectively. The models were verified by comparing the optimization results with the measured data in the simulation filed tests, which proved that the multi-objective QPSO algorithm was feasible to optimize the working and structural parameters of the straw back-throwing device of the no-tillage drill under full straw retention. The results provide references for the parameter optimization of similar no-tillage drills under straw retention.