TY  - JOUR
AU  - Guo, Lifeng
AU  - Wu, Fahui
AU  - Huang, Junjie
AU  - Wang, Yizhe
AU  - Bao, Yujian
AU  - Li, Ziliang
AU  - Wu, Yuzhu
AU  - Tang, Ru
AU  - Su, Zhongbin
AU  - Xie, Qiuju
AU  - Ma, Zheng
AU  - Wang, Liwei
AU  - Zhang, Xin
PY  - 2026
TI  - Design of the compact, stable vertical rice seedling frame for cold regions with DLI-based dynamic light control
JO  - International Journal of Agricultural and Biological Engineering
SN  - 1934-6344
SP  - 112
EP  - 119
VL  - 19
IS  - 2
AB  - Traditional flat-bed rice nurseries in cold regions require large areas and suffer from inefficient tray movement and instability. A compact vertical rice seedling frame is developed in this work, which integrates a triangular-stabilized tray support, a four-point conveying mechanism, and anti-tilt/anti-torsion features, coupled with a dynamic lighting control strategy based on daily light integral (DLI). The mechanical design was validated by finite-element analysis under design loads, and collision-free operation was confirmed by digital mock-up simulation and prototype tests. In greenhouse trials comparing the vertical frame to conventional flat cultivation, the frame increased space-use efficiency to ΔP = 119.29% (i.e., ≈19.29% higher than the flat bench), while maintaining seedling coverage at 98%±1% (ns) and stem diameter (ns), and producing significantly shorter (more compact) seedlings (p<0.05; a/b). These results demonstrate a practical pathway for high-density automated seedling production in cold climates using intelligent vertical systems.
UR  - https://doi.org/10.25165/j.ijabe.20261902.10316
DO  - 10.25165/j.ijabe.20261902.10316