The Impact of Vertical Seedling Placement Non-Uniformity on Survival Performance and Agrocenosis Biopotential
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.32515/2414-3820.2026.56.78-84Keywords:
seedlings, planting depth, survival rate, mechanization, precision, adaptive controlAbstract
The article addresses the problem of improving the precision of vegetable seedling transplantation as a key direction in the mechanization of vegetable production in Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova. It is substantiated that the systematic reduction of areas sown with vegetable crops is driven by water resource scarcity, degradation of irrigation networks, and an acute shortage of skilled labor, which necessitates a transition to full automation of the transplanting process.
It is demonstrated that deviations of the actual planting depth from the optimal value exceeding ±5–10 mm disrupt the physiological conditions of plant development: shallow planting causes temperature stress and dehydration, whereas excessively deep planting leads to root system asphyxia and root collar rot. A mathematical model of the dependence of seedling survival rate on depth deviation, based on a normal distribution, is proposed. It is established that the typical accuracy of mechanical (±10–15 mm) and hydraulic (±5–10 mm) stabilization systems is insufficient and reduces yield by 10–20%. The necessity of developing adaptive control systems ensuring an accuracy within ±1–2 mm is substantiated.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Iurie Melnic, Vladimir Badiul, Mihail Cătană, Angela Melnic
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