Adoption Behavior of Mechanized Seed Corn Harvesting: A Sequential Decision-Chain Analysis of Drivers and Constraints Based on 786 Household Surveys in the Hexi Corridor, China

To investigate the adoption behavior and decision-making mechanism of mechanized ear harvesting for seed corn, this study analyzed 786 household survey data from the Hexi Corridor using binary logistic regression, marginal effect analysis, interaction effect tests, and mediation models. The results revealed that the overall adoption rate of mechanized ear harvesting stands at 31.8%, with significant variations across regions and farm sizes. Adoption was found to follow a sequential decision chain: ‘technical feasibility → economic feasibility → comparative benefit assessment.’ Parental line lodging resistance (OR = 3.48) and field contiguity (OR = 3.01) were shown to positively influence adoption indirectly, mediated by perceived harvest loss reduction and perceived machinery efficiency enhancement. A 1% increase in kernel breakage rate is associated with a 2.7 percentage-point reduction in adoption probability. Enterprise-organized mechanical services were identified as the strongest adoption driver (OR = 6.19) and were found to function as a ‘scale equalizer’, significantly reducing the adoption advantage of larger farms (interaction coefficient B = −0.043, p = 0.024). Additionally, a pronounced scale-threshold effect is identified: adoption rates are observed to rise sharply beyond 3.33 hm2, contradicting linear scale-adoption assumptions. These findings highlight the critical roles of inclusive enterprise services, a minimum efficient scale, and the sequential decision process. Coordinated innovation across breeding, equipment engineering, and extension systems is required for sustainable mechanization.