Desenvolvimento e validação de uma plantadora/transplantadora de precisão

Abstract

The machines used in agriculture to facilitate and speed up work have emerged over time, through the observation of the need to improve and streamline agricultural production processes. Tifton (Cynodon sp) is an improved forage, which brings the possibility of good productivity, but due to its vegetative propagation characteristics, producers still find it difficult to plant. Thus, from observation in the field, the need arose to develop a project and manufacture the prototype, capable of facilitating transplanting, offering the possibility of distributing the seedlings in different spacings, but with uniformity of distribution, according to the specific need of each farmer. The bibliographic research allowed to know the components to be used in the assembly of the prototype, and the definition of the best transmission mechanism. The prototype design, made using a digital tool, allowed the search for suitable components for assembly. This was carried out in a workshop, which had adequate tools for cutting, welding and equipment assembly. The seedlings used for the field validation stage were grown in flexible polypropylene trays, with a nominal cell volume of 12.5 cm3, using commercial substrate indicated for seedling formation. Therefore, the objective of the work was: the conception, the development of the project, the assembly of the prototype and the validation in the field. Built, almost in its entirety, with discarded parts of other agricultural equipment, which implied a small financial contribution. The validation was carried out in a typical Distroferric Red Latosol, with 65% clay, when it presented a friable moisture condition, with a firm consistency. In the validation of the prototype, an acceptable distribution of tifton forage seedlings was observed, when used at a speed lower than 2 km/h, for the spacing between seedlings of 1.2 meters, in the line.