Abstract: A self-propelled vegetable transplanter was designed to address the technical challenges of low mechanization level, high labor cost, poor adaptability of existing equipment, and wheel slippage on sandy loam soil in vegetable transplanting for solar greenhouses in Xinjiang. The machine was developed based on the local agronomic pattern characterized by “narrow passages, sandy loam soil, and double-row planting”. The transplanter mainly consisted of a seedling supply and delivery mechanism, a transplanting mechanism, a hydraulic balance system, and a power transmission system, and its key structural parameters were determined through theoretical analysis. Field tests were conducted at the protected agriculture base in Ying'awati Township, Hotan Prefecture, Xinjiang. The results showed that the operating speed of the machine ranged from 1.0 to 2.0 km/h, and the transfer speed reached 4.0 to 6.0 km/h. Under the conditions of a plant spacing of 300 mm and a transplanting depth of 60 mm, the qualified upright seedling rate reached 96.9%, the lodging rate was 3.1%, and the plant spacing variation coefficient was 4.5%. All these indicators were superior to those of traditional manual transplanting, and the row spacing deviation was less than or equal to 3 mm. All indicators met the requirements of the industry standard JB/T 10291-2013 Dryland Planting Machinery and the agronomic requirements for mechanized vegetable transplanting in solar greenhouses in Xinjiang. This design improved the mechanization level and operational efficiency of protected agriculture transplanting.

Key words: solar greenhouse, self-propelled vegetable transplanter, design and performance, Xinjiang