New seed sowing technique and equipment to raise level of crop yield

Abstract

The purpose of the paper is to verify the theoretical assumption on the operability of the design of a new sowing device, which has a number of advantages in comparison with the existing ones. It is known that the shortcomings of the existing planting and sowing machines lead to considerable crop losses (uneven germination and weakened plants due to incomplete use of soil potential) and, as a consequence, losses of expensive planting materials. It is also known that the existing equipment and techniques cannot reduce the number of field vehicle movements, which leads to excessive compaction of the soil, a deterioration of its microstructure, and a decrease in fertility, as well as additional financial costs. To solve the existing problems of planting, a new technique is proposed. It is implemented on the basis of a pre-distributed planting material on a specially prepared tape. Such a technical solution allows sowing expensive planting material by the piece and in a strictly distributed sequence and, as a result, minimizing losses and ensuring a uniform depth of planting. The design of the sowing equipment is simplified and the adjusting works, as well as the cost of labour, are reduced. To confirm the theoretical assumptions, we developed a laboratory plant, and this paper presents the results of experimental work, which confirms high technological capabilities of the proposed equipment in terms of homogeneity of the seeding depth and its constructive simplicity. The presented technique based on the specially prepared tape material allows carrying out simultaneously both planting and additional agrotechnical measures, such as point-by-point application of a dosed fertilizer, which leads to an increase in the ecological compatibility of products, simultaneous soil cultivation with herbicides, etc.