Design and Testing of an Automatic Strip-Till Machine for Conservation Tillage of Corn

Successive years of straw mulching and returning straw to the fields in Northeast China have made strip-tillage necessary, and reasonable strip-tillage operations can create conditions for crop growth. However, there are limited research studies on the related equipment applicable to this area. In this paper, an automatic control strip-tillage machine is designed. According to the conventional planting pattern of maize in this region, the operative processes of the machine were determined, and a suitable strip seedbed structure could then be constructed under straw mulching conditions. The type of coulters and the structural parameters of the V-type soil-crushing wheel were determined through theoretical analysis. Based on the air spring and electric linear actuator, the plowing depth control system and the straw width control system were developed, respectively, so as to improve the stability of the machine operation. Field tests showed that when the forward speed, tillage depth, and theoretical width were 6-12 km/h, 6-12 cm, and 18-24 cm, respectively, the straw clearing rate, soil crushing rate, and tillage depth and breadth stability were higher than 90%, and the soil flatness was less than 2 cm. All the indexes satisfied the agronomic and technological requirements of corn cultivation. The results of this study can provide equipment and technical support for the further popularization of conservation tillage technology.