Design and experiment of electronic seeding system based on response surface method

A new electronic seeding device was designed for large-sized seeds, such as soybean, corn, and peanuts, that supports an independent electronic-controlled seeding process. The developed seeding device consists of a programmable logic controller, pulse generator, stepper motor, and stepper motor driver. Based on the Box-Behnken Design model, the effects of different factors on the plant spacing control were analyzed, and the control parameters of the seeding system were optimized by correlation analysis. Through performance tests, the results of the research showed that the coefficient of variation of plant spacing was found to be affected by the interaction between shaft speed and belt speed, in which the belt speed was dominant. And the optimal control conditions by using Box-Behnken Design model are as follows: the seed shaft speed was 0.60 r/s, the soybean hundred-grain weight was 22 g, and the belt speed was 1.5 m/s. The results of the experiments showed that the socket-roller seeding device successfully completed the seeding test, and its performance index was in accord with the applicable standards for single grain precision seeding equipment.