Fertilizer structure has been confined to the fertilization mode for summer corn in the Huang-Huai-Hai region of China, such as one-time basal application ("one-shot") or base-topdressing splits. There has been a serious mismatch between nutrient supply and crop demand in recent years. This study aims to propose the V-shaped layered fertilization and its mechanical supporting device. The spatial distribution of the layered fertilization was integrated with the controlled release of the specialized fertilizers. A systematic investigation was conducted using pot experiments, device design, discrete element simulation, and field validation. In the pot experiments, seven treatments (CK, T2, T3, T4, T5, T6, and T7) were carried out to investigate the effects of different fertilizer types (conventional and controlled-release urea) and application modes (single-side, bilateral, and bottom) on the maize agronomic features, soil nitrogen dynamics ammonium-N and nitrate-N, and crop yield. A V-shaped layered fertilization planter was designed with the optimal fertilization strategy (T7) that was identified from the pot experiments. Its core component, the double-disc opener, was theoretically analyzed to determine the structural parameters (the disc diameter and disc angle) and operational parameters (the forward speed). A simulation model of the opener-soil-fertilizer interaction was established using the discrete element method (EDEM). A quadratic orthogonal rotational combination was employed with the disc diameter, disc angle, and forward speed as the experimental factors, while the operational resistance and fertilization qualification rate as the performance indicators. Regression models were developed and then optimized to determine the optimal parameters. Field trials were carried out to verify the operational performance of the prototype with the optimal parameters. Fertilization positioning accuracy was achieved to clarify the impact on the root development and final yield. The pot experiment results showed that compared with other treatments, the T7 treatment (controlled-release urea combined with conventional phosphorus and potassium fertilizers applied in bilateral and bottom layers at a ratio of 30%, 30% and 40%) increased the stem diameter, leaf area and chlorophyll content of maize. More importantly, this treatment could maintain a relatively high level of soil ammonium nitrogen and nitrate nitrogen in the late growth stage of maize, effectively prevent the occurrence of nitrogen deficiency, and realize the matching of nutrient release with crop demand. Ultimately, the maize yield in the T7 treatment reached 31.7050 g, which was significantly higher than that in all other treatments (P＜0.05). Simulation results were derived into the optimal combination of the parameters: The disc diameter of 360.75 mm, disc angle of 10.97°, and forward speed of 4.26 km/h. The predicted operational resistance was 239.71 N, and the fertilization qualification rate was 95.69% under the optimal combination of the parameters. Field tests confirmed that the highly accurate positions of the fertilization were measured with an average vertical distance of 39.6 mm for the side fertilizer to the seed, a horizontal distance of 99.4 mm between side fertilizer bands, and a vertical distance of 110.7 mm for the base fertilizer to the seed. All parameters were within a 10 mm error margin from the design targets, indicating the high performance of the device. The trials demonstrated that the V-shaped fertilization (VF) treatment significantly promoted the root growth, thus resulting in longer, denser root systems with more aerial roots, compared with the conventional fertilization (CF). Ultimately, the VF treatment achieved a 100-grain weight of 37.42 g and a yield of 11 100 kg/hm², which were significantly greater than the CF treatment's 31.85 g and 9 520 kg/hm² (P＜0.05), indicating a yield increase of 16.6%. The VF treatment with the controlled-release and conventional fertilizers was effectively achieved in the precise spatial and temporal nutrient supply, thereby enhancing the nitrogen utilization efficiency, maize root and shoot development, as well as the yield. The supporting device was optimized through discrete element simulation. Features rational design and stable performance fully meet the agronomic requirements for precise fertilization. This finding can provide a theoretical foundation and effective technical solution for simplified, efficient, and high-yielding maize cultivation.

Maize and weed identification can often require for the high accuracy under varying lighting conditions, particularly at the seedling stage of the maize growth. In this study, an accurate and rapid detection method was proposed to detect the maize and weeds in the field using the WEED-YOLOv10 framework. Detection performance was then enhanced to maintain the computational efficiency. High-resolution images were captured from the field using UAVs. A dataset was then constructed for the maize and its weeds. The YOLOv10 architecture was served as the baseline. But its backbone network was replaced with the ConvNeXtV2, in order to extract the detailed features from the input images. Convolutional block attention module (CBAM) was integrated into the network, in order to further enhance the robustness against lighting disturbances. This module was also focused the attention on the most relevant features in the image. Irrelevant information was mitigated to improve the model performance under diverse environments. Additionally, a SlimNeck structure was introduced to optimize the computational efficiency of the network. Unnecessary processing was then reduced to maintain the high feature representation. Focaler-EIoU loss function was incorporated to improve the localization accuracy. Precise identification was realized on both maize and weed instances, even in challenging scenarios. Experimental results demonstrated that the WEED-YOLOv10 outperformed the baseline model over several key evaluation metrics. The high accuracy reached 85.4%, the recall rate of 88.1%, and the mean average precision (mAP) of 90.9% at an intersection over union (IoU) threshold of 50% (mAP@50). Significant improvements were achieved in the mAP at the IoU thresholds from 50% to 95% (mAP@50:95), with a score of 48.5%. The F1-Score was 86.7%, indicating the high performance to balance the precision and recall. Compared with the baseline, the WEED-YOLOv10 model was improved by 2.4, 2.9, 3.5, 7, and 2.6 percentage points of accuracy, recall, mAP@50, mAP@50:95, and F1-score, respectively. The inference speed was also highly optimized as 28.7 frames per second, when deployed on an NVIDIA Jetson Orin NX. The weed detection was obtained to balance the speed and accuracy in real time. In addition, the targeted pesticide spraying was integrated to capture the recognition signals. The herbicide application was precisely controlled using the output, in order to treat only weeds rather than the maize plants. Field tests demonstrated that the spraying system achieved a high spraying accuracy of 93.7%, a coverage rate of 90.5%, and a target deviation of only 1.45 cm. The weed was detected at a speed of 20.10 frames per second, suitable for the weed control in maize fields. A reliable and efficient solution can be offered for the weed detection under complex lighting conditions. The high speed, accuracy and precision of the weed control can greatly contribute to the field operations in intelligent farming. The WEED-YOLOv10 system can be expected for the more sustainable, precise and efficient agricultural practices. This finding can also provide the high productivity and resource management in precision agriculture.

Here Mo₂FeB₂ cermet coating was prepared on the surface of the furrow opener tip using plasma cladding. The microstructure, phase composition, microhardness and wear resistance of the coating were investigated to improve the wear resistance and to address the susceptibility to failure in the tillage process. Firstly, cladding current, cladding speed, powder delivery rate and cladding distance were set as the experimental parameters. The optimal combination of process parameters was obtained using orthogonal test: cladding current 80 A, cladding distance 10 mm and cladding speed 20 cm/min. Subsequently, the wear-resistant cladding coatings was prepared under the optimal conditions. The microstructure and phase composition of the cladding coatings were characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM), energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS) and X-ray diffractometer (XRD). The results revealed that excellent metallurgical bonding was achieved between the cladding coatings and the substrate. The microstructure consisted of square, butterfly, cross darts, dendritic structures as well as irregular long strips of hard phase along with network eutectic microstructure and iron-based bonding phase. The phase composition included Mo₂FeB₂, M₃B₂(M: Mo, Fe, Cr), (Cr, Fe)₇C₃, MoB, CrB, Fe₂B and Fe-Cr solid solutions. The hardness and wear resistance of cladding coatings were characterized using microhardness tester and the reciprocating friction and wear tester. An outstanding decreasing trend in microhardness from the surface to the substrate was observed for the cladding coatings, indicating a smooth transition in stress between cladding coatings and the substrate. The average microhardness of the cladding coating reached 9 618 MPa, which was 2.79 times higher than that of the furrow opener tip. The wear test showed that the average wear amount (19.20 mg) and the average friction coefficient (0.294) of the cladding coating were reduced by 52.9% and 42.4%, respectively, compared with the substrate. Wear tests under various loads revealed that the friction coefficient between the cladding coating and the substrate gradually decreased with the increasing load, yet overall remained lower than that of the substrate. The wear morphology of the cladding coating under different loads was found to be lighter compared to the substrate. This was attributed to the presence of terterine borides with the high hardness, which acted as a wear-resistant skeleton, accompanying with the eutectic microstructure and bonding. The Mo₂FeB₂ cladding coating exhibited improved anti-plowing and anti-falling properties, leading to better wear resistance when compared with grade 45 steel substrate. The soil tank test was conducted using self-made friction and wear testing machine. The average wear of the tip of the coated layer was reduced by 70.4% (4.60 g), compared with the conventional tip (15.54 g). Field test demonstrated that the average wear amount (34.34 g) of the coated furrow opener tip was only 43.4% of that of the conventional one (79.06 g) in real soil conditions. The wear morphology revealed that the presence of the coating was effectively resisted the soil wear. The original appearance of furrow opener tip was maintained after a long time of wear, thus demonstrating the exceptional wear resistance. The results of this study can provide theoretical reference and feasible technical solutions for improving the wear resistance of agricultural machinery's soil-engaging parts.

Cultivation and sowing agricultural machinery equipment plays a pivotal role in influencing the quality and efficiency of cultivation operations across 133 million hectares of arable land in China. The rapid advancement of agricultural mechanization has led to heightened demands for enhanced wear resistance and extended service life of soil-engaging components in cultivation and sowing agricultural machinery, including rotary tillers, plowshares, deep loosening shovels, rake blades, and trenchers. Consequently, there is a paramount need to bolster research efforts aimed at enhancing the surface wear resistance of soil-engaging components in agricultural machinery and equipment. Building upon this premise, this study provides a comprehensive overview of the current research status regarding the enhancement of surface wear resistance in soil-engaging components within agricultural machinery and equipment. Initially, the primary forms of wear and failure in soil-engaging components of agricultural machinery and equipment are elucidated, encompassing abrasive wear, fatigue wear, and corrosion wear. Concurrently, the wear mechanisms of soil-engaging components in agricultural machinery, influenced by external factors such as abrasive particle shape, external load, soil moisture content, and pH value, are delineated, alongside an overview of diverse research methodologies concerning these mechanisms. Subsequently, detailed elaboration is provided on the progress in research and development of surface treatment processes, including surface melting, welding, thermal spraying, laser surface strengthening, chemical heat treatment, and brazing. Furthermore, an exploration and analysis of the disparity in wear resistance and strengthening technology for soil-engaging components between China and foreign nations are conducted from four perspectives: wear mechanism, material research and development, structural design, and manufacturing processes. Although domestic enterprises and researchers have conducted significant research, a noticeable disparity persists between soil-engaging components in domestic tillage and broadcasting equipment and their foreign counterparts. The research and development system remains imperfect, and there is a misalignment between promotion and application, thus hindering the formation of an internationally competitive industry chain for wear-resistant soil-engaging components. Finally, addressing the current challenges and deficiencies in the failure mechanisms, materials, structures, and processes of soil-engaging components in tillage and sowing machinery, this paper discusses the research and development directions aimed at enhancing wear resistance in agricultural machinery and equipment. 1) Enhance research on the wear resistance of soil-engaging components in diverse operational environments of tillage and sowing machinery; 2) Utilizing tribological theory, analyze the interaction laws of "environment, component, and material," thereby intensifying the development and research of substrate and coating materials for soil-engaging components; 3) Improve the optimization design of soil-engaging component structures to fulfill requirements for wear resistance, longevity, drag reduction, and lightweight properties; 4) To ensure the synchronized attainment of precision, strength, toughness, wear resistance, and prolonged service life in soil-engaging components, research on the process system of such components will be fortified, thereby furnishing theoretical foundations and technical support for research and engineering applications pertaining to enhancing surface wear resistance.