DESIGN AND TESTING OF DUAL-STATION HIGH EFFICIENCY WHOLE TRAY AIR-SUCTION SEEDING ASSEMBLY LINE FOR RICE SEEDLING CULTIVATION

To address the high efficiency and precision seeding requirements for rice factory seedling cultivation, a whole tray air-suction dual-station high efficiency seedling cultivation and seeding assembly line was designed. Based on the whole-tray air-suction principle, the study focused on the design of a dual-suction seed tray dual-station precision hole-to-hole seeding device, a transverse seedling tray conveying device, and an automatic seed replenishment device. Nan Jing 46, Nan Jing 5055, and Koshihikari rice seeds were used for seeding performance experiments on the assembly line. The impact of workstation configuration and production efficiency on the empty hole rate, reseeding rate, damage rate, and seeding precision was analyzed. Experimental results showed that the dual-station precision seeding method significantly improved seeding efficiency. When the seeding efficiency reached 2000 trays per hour, the seeding rate of 1-3 seeds per hole was 90.1%, while the damage rate, empty hole rate and reseeding rate were 0.38%, 0.84%, 9.06% respectively. This study shows that combining the whole tray air-suction principle with transverse seedling tray conveying device, dual-station precision hole seeding device, and automatic seed addition device can significantly enhance the seeding efficiency while ensuring the seeding accuracy, achieving a seeding efficiency of over 2000 trays per hour. This study provides an important reference for further improving the seeding accuracy and efficiency of precision rice seedling cultivation and seeding assembly line.