https://doi.org/10.4081/jae.2024.1578

An air-assisted mechanical hill-seeding device for foxtail millet (Setaria italica)

Early Access
Published: 16 April 2024
Foxtail millet (Setaria italic), hole forming device, precision seeding, quality index
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Authors

Lingxin Bu
North Minzu University, Yinchuan, Ningxia, China.
Qianwen Kou
North Minzu University, Yinchuan, Ningxia, China.
Adilet Sugirbay
Technical Faculty, S. Seifullin Kazakh Agro Technical University, Astana, Kazakhstan.
Jun Chen
College of Mechanical and Electronic Engineering, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, China.
Yu Chen
jdxy73@nwafu.edu.cn
College of Mechanical and Electronic Engineering, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, China.

Setaria italica (foxtail millet) plays an important role in human nutrition, animal feed, and agriculture. However, the difficulty in realizing precision seeding introduces challenges to the planting and industrialization of foxtail millet. To address the challenge of suboptimal seeding effects for foxtail millet seeds, we engineered an air-assisted mechanical foxtail millet hole seeder equipped with a duckbill hole-forming device. Through bench testing, we investigated the influence of the wire diameter of the return spring on the seeding effect, as well as the interactive effects of the vacuum pressure of the seed-metering device and the rotational speed of the dibber wheel on seeding performance. The results show the following. (1) With the return spring having a major diameter of 44 mm, minor diameter of 2 mm, and length of 70 mm, wire diameters of 1.4, 1.6, and 1.8 mm were evaluated for conformity with standard requirements for the quality index. Given the reduced tearing extent with a smaller wire diameter, a wire diameter of 1.4 mm was selected. (2) The vacuum pressure of the seed-metering device and the rotational speed of the dibber wheel had a significant impact on the quality index. Using the response surface methodology (RSM) for parameter optimization, we aimed to maximize the qualification rate and minimize the missing and double seeding rates. Optimal parameters were found with an inlet vacuum pressure of −7.8 kPa, a dibber wheel speed of 75 r/min, and a seeder forward speed of 1.69 m/s (6.08 km/h). These settings achieved a quality index of 89.88%, a multiples index of 1.56%, and a miss index of 8.56%, in accordance with model predictions. Field tests were conducted with the determined parameters, revealing that at a seeder forward speed of 1.67 m/s (6 km/h) and a metering device vacuum pressure of −7.8 kPa, the average seed spacing was 16.51 mm, the hole spacing coefficient of variation was 2.55%, the mean seeding quality index was 88.46%, and the seedling pass rate was 97.77%. Thus, the designed air-suction-assisted mechanical foxtail millet hole seeder complies with the standard requirements and represents an advancement in agricultural machinery for small grain crops.

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How to Cite

Bu, L., Kou, Q., Sugirbay, A., Chen, J. and Chen, Y. (2024) “An air-assisted mechanical hill-seeding device for foxtail millet (<em>Setaria italica</em>)”, Journal of Agricultural Engineering. doi: 10.4081/jae.2024.1578.
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