Invention and Verification Based on Self-Propelled Electric Seeder for Tea Plant

To solve the problems of insufficient sowing equipment, low sowing efficiency, and poor sowing uniformity of tea plants, a self-propelled electric tea plant seeder was authorized by a Chinese patent (ZL202310665671.9) and made a prototype. The key structure of the planter was designed based on the physical characteristics of the tea seeds and the agronomic requirements of tea planting, and the structural parameters were determined. The motor and battery configurations are determined by calculating the power consumption of the entire machine. In the field experiment, the driving gear (A), Ditching Depth (B), and planting gear position (C) were used as test factors, and the Acceptance Index (AI), Replay Index (RI) and Leakage Index (LI) are used as test indexes. The test results showed that the driving speed and planting gear position significantly affected the acceptance index, replay, and leakage index, whereas the ditching depth had little effect on the performance indices. When the driving speed was medium, the ditching depth was 30 mm, and the planting gear position was in the third gear, with a corresponding acceptance index of 87.22%, replay index of 8.89%, and leakage index of 3.89%. The test prototype has good working quality and can provide theoretical guidance for production practices.