Influence of speed measurement method on performance of an electric-drive maize precision planter

An accurate speed measurement method is a prerequisite for an electric-drive precision planter. However, the influence of speed measurement methods on planting quality under different field conditions is unclear. In this paper, an electric-drive precision planter compatible with different speed measurement methods was built. Then, an experimental study was conducted to compare the influence of real-time kinematic positioning global navigation satellite system, global navigation satellite system, rotary encoder, and Doppler radar on the planting quality under different field conditions (tillage and no-tillage fields) and operational speeds (4, 6, 8, 10 km h(-1)). The results indicated that the speed measurement method had a significant effect (p < 0.05) on quality of feed index and multiples index, but it had no significant effect (p > 0.05) on missing index and coefficient of variation. The real-time kinematic positioning global navigation satellite system is the best for the electric-drive precision planter under typical working conditions (tillage and no-tillage fields); the average quality of feed index was 98.4 %, and was 86.8 %, respectively in the tillage and no-tillage field. The rotary encoder is an alternative in tillage fields, and the global navigation satellite system is an alternative in no-tillage fields. The results of the study quantify the influence of speed measurement methods on planting quality under different field conditions, which can help promote the development and application of electric-drive planting technology to safeguard maize yields.