Abstract:In response to the problems such as narrow inter-row space on hilly tea gardens, unstable operation of fertilization machines due to surface residues, uneven fertilization, poor mobility and difficulty in trenching, a coaxial spiral trenching and deep loosening fertilization integrated machine was designed, which can simultaneously perform deep loosening, trenching, fertilization and soil covering operations. The key components such as the trenching device and the fertilizer discharge device were optimized. The kinematics and mechanics model of spiral fertilization of soil particles were established, and the critical rotational speed of the spiral trenching tool was determined. A soil-machine interaction model based on the discrete element method was proposed. Single-factor and Box-Behnken central combination experiments were carried out, and a regression model of trenching performance and parameters was established. The operation parameters were optimized by using multi-objective optimization methods. The optimization results were a forward speed of 0.20 m/s, a rotational speed of the spiral trenching tool of 193.23 r/min, and a spiral angle of the tool of 30.12°. Under the optimized combination parameters, the stability coefficient of trenching depth was 98.56%, the consistency coefficient of trench bottom width was 97.32%, the soil covering rate was 83.14%, the stability coefficient of fertilizer discharge was 98.76%, and the uniformity coefficient of fertilizer discharge was 98.05%. The field test showed that the average values of the stability coefficient of trenching depth, the consistency coefficient of trench bottom width, the stability coefficient of fertilizer discharge, the uniformity coefficient of fertilization and the soil covering rate were 95.01%, 93.07%, 97.73%, 97.49% and 81.67%, respectively. All the indicators met the agronomic requirements for fertilization in hilly tea gardens. The research results can provide an effective technical equipment reference for the mechanized, efficient and precise fertilization in hilly tea gardens.