Authors

Abstract

To improve the efficiency and standardization of strawberry production and address the low automation and unstable planting quality of existing transplanters, this study developed a fully automatic strawberry transplanter and optimized its core planting mechanism. The machine and planting device were structurally designed based on the biological characteristics of strawberry seedling plugs and agronomic requirements, with the goal of enhancing seedling uprightness and overall operational performance. A coupled DEM–MBD simulation approach was applied to establish a dynamic interaction model among the planter, soil, and seedling plugs within the EDEM–RecurDyn co-simulation environment. Using seedling uprightness as the primary performance indicator, single-factor experiments were conducted to clarify the effects of opening angle, planting depth, and planting frequency on planting quality. A three-factor, three-level Box–Behnken design was then used to optimize the parameters, yielding an optimal combination of a 27° opening angle, 130 mm planting depth, and 48 plants/min planting frequency, corresponding to a predicted uprightness of 86.72°. Field validation showed a planting qualification rate consistently above 90% and a plant-spacing coefficient of variation below 4%, outperforming current operational standards. These results confirm the efficiency and reliability of the proposed planting mechanism and provide a practical foundation for developing precision transplanting equipment for protected horticultural crops using coupled simulation and parameter optimization.

Abstract in Chinese

为提高草莓种植的机械化与标准化水平，针对现有移栽装备自动化程度低、栽植质量不稳定等问题，本研究研制了一款全自动草莓移栽机并对其栽植装置进行优化设计。依据草莓钵苗的生物学特性与农艺需求完成整机与栽植装置构型设计，以提升钵苗直立度和作业性能为目标。采用DEM–MBD耦合仿真方法，在EDEM–RecurDyn环境下构建栽植器、土壤与钵苗的动态作用模型，并通过单因素试验分析开口角度、入土深度和栽植频率对栽植直立度的影响规律。进一步利用三因素三水平BBD响应面法进行参数优化，确定最优参数组合为开口角度27°、入土深度130 mm、栽植频率48 株/min，对应仿真预测直立度为86.72°。田间试验表明栽植合格率稳定在90%以上，株距变异系数小于4%，显著优于现行作业水平。本研究验证了装置的高效性与可靠性，为设施作物精准移栽装备研发提供了参考。