Design and Development of Fertilizer Point-Applied Device in Root-Zone

Highlights We proposed an intermittent fertilization device driven by a Geneva mechanism. We explored fertilizer particles distribution performance by DEM-MBD simulation. We studied the factors affecting the distribution length of fertilizer particles in the FPAD. It showed that the mechanical implementation of RZF is effective in improving fertilizer utilization. Abstract. Root-zone fertilization (RZF) can improve fertilizer utilization, but effective mechanical implementation methods are lacking. This article innovatively proposes an intermittent fertilization device driven by a Geneva mechanism, which can discharge fertilizer into points. The fertilizer discharge uniformity of the fertilizer feeder device was studied. The DEM-MBD method examined the factors affecting the distribution length of fertilizer particles in the fertilizer point-applied device. When the height of the fertilizer discharged is lower, the amount of fertilizer released from the hole is smaller. The operating speed is slower, the distribution of fertilizer particles is more concentrated, and the concentration of fertilizer particles discharged by the 5-slot fertilizer discharging device is better than that of the 6-slot fertilizer discharging device. Field experiments show that the average plant height and diameter of RZF is higher than Banding fertilization (BF) in different growth periods, which can increase the yield by 4.57%. It shows that the mechanical implementation of RZF is effective in improving fertilizer utilization. Keywords: DEM-MBD, Fertilizer point-applied device, Particles distribution, Root-zone fertilization.