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Purpose <p>Intercropping improves agricultural sustainability by enhancing biodiversity and optimizing resource use, but its adoption is limited by labor-intensive and crop-specific seeding methods. The primary aim of this study was to develop and evaluate a mechatronic-controlled seed metering mechanism that enables precise, real-time, and crop-specific seed placement for intercropping, addressing the challenges of variable seed spacing and seed rate.</p> Methods <p>A novel seed metering system was designed, comprising a compartmentalized seed box, metering rollers for large, medium, and small seeds, and an electronic control system. The control unit included a rotary encoder, stepper motors with drivers, a microcontroller, and a Bluetooth module. A custom Android application enabled real-time input of seeding parameters. The system was programmed using the Arduino IDE and evaluated in the laboratory using a sticky belt setup. Tests were conducted across varying belt speeds (2–5&#xa0;km/h), cell shapes (circular, elliptical, triangular), and cell counts. Key performance metrics— variation in seed spacing (VSS), missing index (MI), multiple index (MU), quality of feed index (QFI), and precision index (PI)— were analyzed. Optimization was performed using response surface methodology.</p> Results <p>Elliptical cells showed superior performance with the lowest VSS and MU and the highest QFI. Circular cells had the lowest MI but the highest MU, while triangular cells exhibited intermediate results. Optimized configurations achieved up to 99.5% desirability.</p> Conclusion <p>The developed mechatronic system delivers precise and flexible seed placement suitable for multi-crop precision sowing and for intercropping arrangements that require independent rate and spacing control. Unlike existing systems limited to fixed two-crop patterns, this system enables real-time, independent control of up to three crops with adjustable spacing through a closed-loop microcontroller-based mechanism. Its encoder-synchronized, stepper motor design with mobile-app control eliminates mechanical adjustments, offering superior flexibility, accuracy, and efficiency in multi-crop sowing operations.</p> Graphical Abstract <p></p>

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A Mechatronic Controlled Seed Metering Mechanism for Precision Intercropping

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年2月17日

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  • Swapnil Choudhary,
  • Mukesh Jain,
  • Ganesh Upadhyay,
  • Naresh Sihag,
  • Bharat Patel,
  • Vijaya Rani

摘要

Purpose

Intercropping improves agricultural sustainability by enhancing biodiversity and optimizing resource use, but its adoption is limited by labor-intensive and crop-specific seeding methods. The primary aim of this study was to develop and evaluate a mechatronic-controlled seed metering mechanism that enables precise, real-time, and crop-specific seed placement for intercropping, addressing the challenges of variable seed spacing and seed rate.

Methods

A novel seed metering system was designed, comprising a compartmentalized seed box, metering rollers for large, medium, and small seeds, and an electronic control system. The control unit included a rotary encoder, stepper motors with drivers, a microcontroller, and a Bluetooth module. A custom Android application enabled real-time input of seeding parameters. The system was programmed using the Arduino IDE and evaluated in the laboratory using a sticky belt setup. Tests were conducted across varying belt speeds (2–5 km/h), cell shapes (circular, elliptical, triangular), and cell counts. Key performance metrics— variation in seed spacing (VSS), missing index (MI), multiple index (MU), quality of feed index (QFI), and precision index (PI)— were analyzed. Optimization was performed using response surface methodology.

Results

Elliptical cells showed superior performance with the lowest VSS and MU and the highest QFI. Circular cells had the lowest MI but the highest MU, while triangular cells exhibited intermediate results. Optimized configurations achieved up to 99.5% desirability.

Conclusion

The developed mechatronic system delivers precise and flexible seed placement suitable for multi-crop precision sowing and for intercropping arrangements that require independent rate and spacing control. Unlike existing systems limited to fixed two-crop patterns, this system enables real-time, independent control of up to three crops with adjustable spacing through a closed-loop microcontroller-based mechanism. Its encoder-synchronized, stepper motor design with mobile-app control eliminates mechanical adjustments, offering superior flexibility, accuracy, and efficiency in multi-crop sowing operations.

Graphical Abstract