Variable Rate Control of Equipment for Wheat Sowing and Fertilizing Applications

Abstract

A variable rate control system was developed to apply fertilizers and sow wheat seeds according to application map. This map denotes the amounts of fertilizers and seeds that can be applied in a particular area along with their positions. For this purpose, an applicator was assembled using rotary cultivators, metering devices, and drill units. The metering devices controlled the applied amount of seeds and fertilizers by independently controlling the rotational speed of two electrical motors. The maximum rate of application of the metering device was 11g/s for seeds and 72g/s for fertilizers. Field tests on variable rate application were performed while measuring the position, speed and heading of the applicator using an RTK-GPS. The developed machine could variably sow seeds at the accuracy of -3.1-1.2% and apply fertilizers at the accuracy of -4.9-0.4%.