Abstract:Aiming to address the challenges associated with heavy clay soil, high stubble retention, insufficient stability in furrowing depth, and stubble interference with seedling emergence in Southern China, a seedbed preparation device integrating rotary pressing for ridge formation, stubble cutting, furrowing, soil covering, and compaction was developed. Accordingly, a compatible multi-purpose planter was designed to achieve combined sowing of rapeseed, wheat, and corn in wet fields with stubble retention. The overall design scheme of the planter was elaborated, featuring an active rotary pressing seedbed preparation device. Through an analysis of the interaction mechanism between the components and stubble, as well as the optimization of critical component designs, the configuration of the ridge-forming and furrowing device was determined, along with the structural dimensions and kinematic parameters of four types of disc coulters. Discrete element method (DEM) simulations were conducted to model the stubble cutting process under the combined action of an active disc coulter and a runner-type opener. The results indicated that the optimal cutting performance was achieved with an Archimedean spiral disc rotating at 301. 18 r/ min and a runner-type opener width of 31.49 mm. Bench tests were subsequently constructed and executed; the relative error for both the stubble cutting rate and soil disturbance area between the bench tests and simulation results was less than 10% , confirming the reliability of the simulation model. Field performance and sowing trials demonstrated that, under heavy clay soil conditions with stubble retention, the multi-purpose planter achieved a ridge surface flatness of 15.68 mm and a seed furrow stubble cutting rate of 93.7%. The sowing depths for rapeseed, wheat, and corn were 13.2mm, 30.4mm, and 52.2mm, with depth stability coefficients of 90.6%, 86.4%, and 88.2%, respectively. These performance metrics satisfied the agronomic requirements for the cultivation of rapeseed, wheat, and corn. The research result can provide a valuable reference for the design of multi-purpose planters in the rapeseed-wheat-corn planting regions of the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River.