Development of Planting Machine for Rush Seedling (Part 1)

Measurement of Physical Properties of Seedlings and Examination for Mechanization of Planting Operation

Abstract

In rush seedling production system, plug seedlings have been widely popularized. However, the planting operation requires a great deal of labor and takes a long time because seedlings with a few main stems and a bud are picked from mother plants and are planted into the tray one by one by manual operations. Therefore, it is desirable to introduce machinery into the planting operation. The purpose of this study is to develop a planting machine for rush seedlings. In this paper, physical properties of seedlings were measured to obtain basic data for designing the machine. Furthermore, specifications and functions of the machine were examined based on the results of measurements.