Preliminary Results Detailing the Effect of the Cultivation System of Mulched Ridge with Double Row on Solanaceous Vegetables Obtained by Using the 2ZBX-2A Vegetable Transplanter

Abstract

China is the largest vegetable producer in the world, and vegetable production is more geographically concentrated in the Huang-Huai-Hai region and the Yangtze River Basin. There are significant challenges ahead for increasing the average yields of the vegetables in this region. The effects of a cultivation system, a mulched ridge with a double row (MRDR), were evaluated by using the 2ZBX-2A vegetable transplanter newly designed in this paper. The key parameters of the equipment were designed and optimized by using the human–computer interaction method and the discrete element method according to agronomy requirements. Compared with the traditional ridge (TR) system on two typical solanaceous vegetables (eggplant and capsicum), the uniformities of the plant spacing and the planting depth in the MRDR system were significantly improved. Finally, the fresh fruit yield in the MRDR system increased significantly (p < 0.05) by 40.8% and 35.3% compared with that in the TR system for eggplant and capsicum, respectively. In addition, the water use efficiency (WUE) was also 54.9~59.7% higher under the MRDR system than under the TR system. All the results indicate that the MRDR system has the potential to improve the yields and WUE of solanaceous vegetables in the Huang-Huai-Hai Plain of China.

Integrating soil mulching and subsurface irrigation for optimizing deficit irrigation effectiveness as a water-rationing strategy in tomato production

“…According to Singh and Kamal (2012), compared to bare soil, using black plastic sheets as soil mulch increased tomato yield from 20.7 to 29.8%. Additionally, He et al (2023) reported that, compared to the conventional cultivation system using bare soil, the water use efficiency of pepper and eggplant was 54.9-59.7% higher under the cultivation system involving plastic mulch on the soil.…”

Sustainable Improvement of Planting Quality for a Planar 5R Parallel Transplanting Mechanism from the Perspective of Machine and Soil Interaction

“…As the planar 5R parallel transplanting mechanism plants Salvia miltiorrhiza seedlings, the planter interacts with the soil to form the cavity and then opens, which allows the Salvia miltiorrhiza seedlings to fall into the formed cavity [8]. On the one hand, the naked root Sustainability 2023, 15, 9582 2 of 15 seedlings of Salvia miltiorrhiza have no substrate as a support, and the seedlings lean against the side of the cavity under the action of the soil backflow after transplanting, which ensures the upright degree of the naked seedlings by relying on the contour of the duckbill [9]. On the other hand, the process of transplanting Salvia miltiorrhiza seedlings on mulch film is carried out by the planter piercing the mulch film to plant the Salvia miltiorrhiza seedlings, and the size of the hole for the cavity determines the damaged degree of the mulch film [10].…”

Evaluation of the Functional Parameters for a Single-Row Seedling Transplanter Prototype

“…Unlike duckbill [27] or dibble [28]-type planters with an external control mechanism, the system designed for the prototype has seedling release flaps from the planting device, controlled by a cam under the action of its own weight force.…”