DEVELOPING AN AUTOMATIC PRECISION SEEDING UNIT (APSU) FOR POT SEED PLANTING

This research aims to develop an automatic precision seeding unit (APSU) for planting seeds in pots inside greenhouses. The study evaluated three seed suction nozzle diameters (0.5, 1.0, and 2.0 mm) and four types of seeds (Armenian cucumber, pepper, turnip, and okra). The key performance indicators involved the number of seeds captured per stroke, total time for seeding one pot, and deviation relative to the pots’ centers. The results showed that a nozzle diameter of 1.0 mm was the most effective for okra and Armenian cucumber seeds, resulting in average yields of 1.0 and 1.46 seed(s) per pot, respectively. The 0.5 mm nozzle showed optimal performance for pepper and turnip seeds, achieving 1.33 and 1.46 seeds per pot, respectively. The average time for seeding one pot, including all three stages, is approximately 35 seconds. These findings endorse the improvement of productivity and accuracy in automated greenhouse seeding, furthering precision agriculture as a state-of-the-art technological strategy.