Development of a Crawler-Type Self-Propelled Machine with Trenching, Fertilizing, and Soil-Covering Components for Hilly Orchard

Jun Li, Chaodong Mai, Ye Zeng, Zhao Li, Runpeng Jiang, Qinglin Weng, Jiamin Cai, Qian Wang and Can Li ()
Additional contact information
Jun Li: College of Engineering, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
Chaodong Mai: College of Engineering, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
Ye Zeng: College of Engineering, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
Zhao Li: College of Engineering, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
Runpeng Jiang: College of Engineering, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
Qinglin Weng: College of Engineering, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
Jiamin Cai: College of Engineering, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
Qian Wang: College of Engineering, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
Can Li: College of Engineering, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China

Agriculture, 2025, vol. 15, issue 4, 1-25

Abstract: In response to the issues of high energy consumption, limited functionality, and uneven soil–fertilizer mixing in mechanical operations for trenching and fertilizing in hilly orchards, this study proposes the design of a crawler-type self-propelled machine, integrating three main functions: trenching, fertilizing, and soil covering. The key components of the trenching device, fertilizing device, and soil-covering device were designed. Three fertilizing simulation models (pre-plant, mid-plant, and post-plant) were established using EDEM discrete element software. The soil–fertilizer mixing effects under each mode were analyzed, with results indicating that the post-plant fertilizing mode better meets the soil–fertilizer mixing requirements for deep organic fertilizer application. Using trenching speed, forward speed, and bending angle of the trenching knife as experimental factors, with operating power consumption and soil–fertilizer mixing uniformity as evaluation indicators, a Box–Behnken experiment was conducted to optimize the parameters of the trenching and fertilizing components. A regression model was established to analyze the interaction between experimental factors and indicators. The optimal operational parameter combination was determined as follows: trenching speed of 265.03 r/min, forward speed of 0.40 m/s, and bending angle of trenching knife of 130°. Under these parameters, the trenching power consumption and soil–fertilizer mixing uniformity were 1.74 kW and 77.15%, respectively. Orchard verification tests on the machine showed that under the optimal parameters, the relative errors in trenching power consumption and soil–fertilizer mixing uniformity between the field tests and simulations were 7.40% and 4.50%, respectively. These results meet the agronomic requirements for trenching and fertilizing, and the study provides valuable references for the application of related technologies in orchard trenching and fertilizing operations.

Keywords: agricultural machinery; trenching; fertilizing; soil covering; EDEM simulation; parameter optimization (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/15/4/430/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/15/4/430/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jagris:v:15:y:2025:i:4:p:430-:d:1594359

Access Statistics for this article

Agriculture is currently edited by Ms. Leda Xuan

More articles in Agriculture from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().