Development and test of an air-suction type precision direct seeding machine for pepper

Objective  To solve the problems of high cost, high labor intensity and low production efficiency in pepper planting, seeding and transplanting, an air-suction type precision direct seeding machine for pepper was developed considering pepper planting pattern and agronomic requirements in south area.

Method  The machine consists of a main frame, a copying mechanism, a fan, a transmission system, a derailleur, an air-suction seed device, a ditching device and a pressing device, which can complete the ditching, seeding, soil covering and pressing operations at one time. The seed metering machine uses the principle of taking seeds by negative pressure and discharging seeds by breaking pressure. According to the seeding requirements and physical characteristics of pepper seeds, the size of seeding plate, the number and size of seeding holes were determined. Sowing precision and quantity requirements were ensured. The seeding part is connected with the main frame by a parallel four-bar copying mechanism, so as to realize the ground copying of the seeding monomer and ensure the ditching and seeding depth.

Result  Field test results showed that the average qualified rate of 1−3 grains/hole was 91.16%, the average leakage seeding rate was 0.18%, and the average repeat seeding rate was 8.66%. In tests of different hole distances, qualified rates for different hole distances were above 89%, the repeat rate was below 4.85%, the leakage seeding rate were below 11%, the coefficients of variations of the hole distances were below 23.77%, and the qualified rate of seeding depth was 86%.

Conclusion  The working performance of the whole machine meets the requirements for pepper planting. This research can provide a reference for the research and development of precision vegetable seeders.