Evaluation of Semi-Automatic Systems in Transplanting of Sugar-Beet   Bare-Root Seedlings

Taki, Orang; Asadi, Ardeshir

doi:10.22092/erams.2019.122669.1266

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Orang Taki ¹
Ardeshir Asadi ²

¹ Associate Professor, Agricultural Engineering Department, Isfahan Agricultural and Natural Resources Research and Education Center, Agricutural Research, Education and Extension Organisation (AREEO), Esfahan, Iran

² Assistant Professor, Agricultural Engineering Department, Isfahan Agricultural and Natural Resources Research and Education Center, AREEO, Esfahan, Iran

https://doi.org/10.22092/erams.2019.122669.1266

Abstract

In recent years, expanding of technics in transplanting of sugar beet bare-root seedlings has become one of the priorities of the Ministry of Agriculture of Iran. Bare-root seedlings grown in traditional nursery plots, have no uniformity in root size, therefore automatic transplanters are not so efficient to put seedlings properly into the furrows or to cover them properly with soil. To introduce a semi-automatic transplanter, common methods of conveying seedlings to the soil, including rotary grippers and gravitational delivery tube, were evaluated in a completely random design experiment. In gravitational method, dropping seedlings with different lengths into the bottom of the furrow resulted a non- uniform placement of their crowns, leading to establishment of less than one third of total planted seedlings. Implication of rotary grippers also caused some seedlings to be partly uncovered resulting in establishment of less than two third of total seedlings. Therefore, manual placement of seedlings directly into the soil opener was considered as an intelligent method for proper lodging of seedlings. By omitting the conveying mechanisms of the machines and modifying them for direct transfering of seedlings into the furrows, the quality of transplantation was considerably improved. Among the modified machines, the one with disk ridgers and floating units had an acceptable result with 86% stand establishment. However, low field capacity of the machine still does not guarantee the feasibility of the method in large scale sugar beet farms.

Keywords

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Agricultural Mechanization and Systems Research

Evaluation of Semi-Automatic Systems in Transplanting of Sugar-Beet Bare-Root Seedlings

References

References

Volume 21, Issue 74 - Serial Number 74
September 2020
Pages 67-82

Evaluation of Semi-Automatic Systems in Transplanting of Sugar-Beet Bare-Root Seedlings

References

References

Volume 21, Issue 74 - Serial Number 74September 2020Pages 67-82

Volume 21, Issue 74 - Serial Number 74
September 2020
Pages 67-82