Development of High Speed Ridge Forming Seeder for Soybeans Adapting to Moist Soil Conditions

—Study of Disk Cultivation Ridging and Seeding Mechanism—

Abstract

In recent years, the Japanese government has encouraged soybean planting. However, the suitable seeding period is only for 2 weeks, and more than 80 % of soybean fields are converted from rice paddy. The purpose of this study was to improve existing seeding techniques for rapid and stable seeding of soybean in moist soil conditions. A machine that combines rotary cultivation, ridging, and seeding has previously been developed. However, operation speeds were as slow as 0.3-0.6 m/s, and seeding was not effective in the moist soil conditions. In this study, we tested an experimental machine with disk cultivation that achieved a maximum ridging speed of 2 m/s and a new, high seeding speed of 1.5 m/s, which ensured stable seeding.