Research Status and Progress of Potato-Soil Separation Device in Potato Harvester

As the fourth largest food crop globally, potatoes play a vital strategic role in ensuring food security. China ranks among the world leaders in both potato cultivation area and total production. The mechanization level during the harvesting stage is a critical factor driving industrial upgrading, creating an urgent demand for high-efficiency, low-damage combined harvesting equipment. As the core component of potato combine harvesters, the design and operational performance of potato-soil separation devices directly affect the overall machine efficiency, soil removal effectiveness, and product quality. This paper reviews the research progress on potato-soil separation devices in domestic and international potato harvesters, analyzes the structural designs and research status of mainstream global devices, and explores the application advances of key technologies such as Discrete Element Method analysis, high-speed imaging, and monitoring techniques in these systems. Future development directions are also discussed to provide references and technical insights for the development of high-efficiency, low-loss potato-soil separation devices.