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2025 Vol.7, Issue 3 Preview Page

Research Article

Design and performance evaluation of a double crank five bar and finger type medicinal crop transplanter
Md Razob Ali1
,
Md Nasim Reza12
,
Md Aminur Rahman1
,
Jong Myung Choi3
,
Kyu-Ho Lee12
,
Sun-Ok Chung12*†
,
Kanghee Jeong4*†
1Department of Agricultural Machinery Engineering, Graduate School, Chungnam National University, Daejeon 34134, Republic of Korea
2Department of Smart Agricultural Systems, Graduate School, Chungnam National University, Daejeon 34134, Republic of Korea
3Department of Horticultural Science, Graduate School, Chungnam National University, Daejeon 34134, Republic of Korea
4Corperation X-one, Anyang 14119, Republic of Korea
*Corresponding Author
†These authors equally contributed to this study as corresponding author.
30 September 2025. pp. 243-263
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Abstract

Medicinal crop cultivation in Korea holds substantial economic value and cultural significance. Nevertheless, current cultivation practices predominantly depend on labor-intensive manual transplanting methods. Such reliance on human labor frequently results in variable planting precision, elevated operational expenditures, and constrained scalability, posing considerable challenges to sustainable agricultural advancement. To mitigate these issues, this research introduced and evaluated two innovative transplanting mechanisms specifically customized for medicinal crops, a double-crank five-bar linkage transplanter and a finger-type bare-root transplanter. The finger-type mechanism is designed to address the handling requirements associated with delicate medicinal seedlings, whereas the five-bar linkage mechanism was optimized to facilitate higher operational speeds combined with precise trajectory control during transplanting. Both transplanters were developed using computer-aided design (CAD) modeling and evaluated under actual field conditions using Angelica gigas seedlings for finger-type transplanter and Rehmannia glutinosa seedlings or five-bar type transplanter. Key performance indicators included transplanting speed, seedling damage rate, and planting accuracy. The finger-type transplanter demonstrated a transplanting rate of 72 seedlings per minute, maintaining a low seedling damage rate of 2% and a missed planting rate of 1%. The five-bar linkage transplanter achieved a operational speed of 88 seedlings per minute, with slightly increased seedling damage and missed planting rates of 3% and 4%, respectively. These findings indicate that the five-bar linkage system is suitable for high-throughput transplanting tasks, whereas the finger-type mechanism better accommodates fragile medicinal crops that necessitate higher planting precision. This study provides valuable insights into the mechanization of medicinal crop transplanting and opportunities for developing hybrid systems that integrate the strengths of both mechanisms.

Keywords
Agricultural machinery
Medicinal crop
Finger-type transplanter
Five-bar linkage mechanism
seedling damage
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Information
  • Publisher :Korean Society of Precision Agriculture
  • Publisher(Ko) :한국정밀농업학회
  • Journal Title :Precision Agriculture Science and Technology
  • Journal Title(Ko) :정밀농업과학기술
  • Volume : 7
  • No :3
  • Pages :243-263
  • Received Date : 2025-09-01
  • Revised Date : 2025-09-18
  • Accepted Date : 2025-09-22
  • DOI :https://doi.org/10.22765/pastj.20250018
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