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A rotary tiller is a common tillage tool for straw incorporation in an intensive tillage system. However, rotary tillage for seedbed preparation in dense-straw mulching conditions experiences high torque and poor performance of straw incorporation. Nowadays, a great deal of studies have been focused on mimicking the morphological features of low-resistance animals to improve the performance of soil-engaging tools. Accordingly, the present study investigated the performance of three C-type rotary blades (i.e., conventional, serrated, and biomimetic) under three straw lengths (50, 100, and 150 mm) for incorporation of straw into the field using an in situ field tillage testing bench. Compared to the conventional and serrated blades, the biomimetic blade had lower straw displacement (decreased by an average of 50 mm and 7 mm, respectively), higher straw burying rate (increased by an average of 5.2% and 7.8%, respectively), better straw distribution (decreased by an average of 9.1% and 10.4% on the coefficient of variation, respectively), as well as lower torque and power (decreased by an average of 3.3 N·m and 4.4 N·m, respectively) under all straw lengths. The improved performance of the biomimetic blade could be attributed to the fact that its typical teeth configuration was designed by mimicking the smooth arc of the mole-rat's claw. These results demonstrated that the biomimetic-designed blade could be a better option for incorporating dense straw into the field conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As brown mushrooms are both delicious and beneficial to health, the global production and consumption of brown mushrooms have increased significantly in recent years. Currently, to ensure the quality of brown mushrooms, selective manual picking is required, and the delicate surface of the mushrooms must not be damaged during the picking process. The labor cost of picking accounts for 50–80% of the total labor cost in the entire production process, and the high-humidity, low-temperature plant environment poses a risk of rheumatism for the laborers. In this paper, we propose a novel underactuated gripper based on a lead screw and linear bearings, capable of operating with flexible force control while simultaneously measuring the diameter of the mushrooms. The gripper features three degrees of freedom: lifting, grasping, and rotation, and enabling it to approach, grasp, and detach the mushroom. A thin-film force sensor is installed on the inner side of the fingers to achieve accurate grip force measurement. The use of a PID algorithm ensures precise grip force control, thereby protecting the brown mushrooms from damage. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed gripper has a static grasping force error of 0.195 N and an average detachment force overshoot of 1.31 N during the entire picking process. The in situ measurement of the mushroom diameter achieves 97.3% accuracy, with a success rate of 98.3%. These results indicate that the gripper achieves a high success rate in harvesting, a low damage rate, and accurate diameter measurement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The advancement of agricultural mechanization necessitates precise and standardized classification based on technical characteristics to enhance green, efficient, and high-quality development. The current lack of scientific and standardized definitions and classifications for various types of agricultural machinery has become a bottleneck, complicating the machine selection and affecting the compatibility of the machinery with optimized field operations. To address this complexity, we propose a comprehensive classification method that integrates principal component analysis (PCA), cluster analysis, and the qualitative analysis of the functional components for defining and scientifically classifying harvesters. The key functional and technical properties of harvesters were analyzed, and eight primary parameters (machine weight, cutting width, feed rate, rated power, overall machine length, width, height, and working efficiency) were selected, supplemented by nine key functional components (walking mechanism, cutting device, threshing device, separating device, cleaning device, grain collecting device, grain unloading device, cabin, and track size). In the first step, principal component analysis was performed to reduce the dimensionality of the parameters, yielding three principal components with contribution rates of 41.610%, 28.579%, and 15.134%, respectively. One primary parameter from each component was selected for further analysis. In the second stage, Q-type cluster analysis classified the harvesters based on the squared Euclidean distance between the operational parameters, resulting in three classes of harvesters. Finally, functional component analysis provided detailed insights, further refining the classification into four major categories: mini, small, medium, and large harvesters. The results of this work provide a scientific basis for the definition and classification of the harvester products available on the market. This method offers a robust framework for the rational selection and planning of agricultural machinery, promoting sustainable mechanization with a focus on technical parameters and functional attributes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rain‐fed rice (Oryza sativa L.)–wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) (RFRW) rotation can be a resource‐saving solution for sustainable cropping systems. However, conventional puddled and flood transplanted rice, repeat tractor compaction, and years of shallow rotary tillage and paddy–dryland rotation had a negative impact on soil physical in the RFRW rotation (e.g., soil consolidation and shrinkage, shallow tillage layer). A 4‐yr field experiment was established to determine if different post‐paddy tillage systems would improve soil physical properties and plant factors. We compared no‐tillage (NT), conventional rotary tillage (RT), and deep tillage (DT) to improve the deteriorated soil structure, soil water, wheat root system, and grain yield. The results indicated that DT increased the average soil water content by 7.25% and 9.98%, increased field capacity by 9.58 and 5.23%, and decreased the soil bulk density by 6.2 and 2.2% at 0‐to‐20‐cm soil depth in 4 yr as compared to NT and RT, respectively. The NT increased the average relative soil moisture and had higher soil bulk density at 0‐to‐20‐cm depth. The DT deepened the root growth and increased the total root point numbers by 21.0 and 22.8% at 0‐to‐40‐cm soil depth in 4 yr, respectively, compared with NT and RT. In 4 yr, the DT significantly achieved higher average grain yield by 5.3 and 13.5%, respectively, compared with NT and RT. Overall, DT after rice was shown to be a promising management approach for improving wheat yields and might enable sustainable intensification of RFRW rotation. Core Ideas: Traditional puddling destroys the soil structure resulting in hardpan and a shallow tillage layer.Post‐paddy tillage is a tool to improve soil physical properties and plant factors for wheat.Deep tillage improves soil physical properties, wheat roots, and grain yield.Deep tillage is a promising management strategy for sustainable rain‐fed rice–wheat rotation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this letter, a novel digital predistortion (DPD) model for broadband power amplifier (PA) linearization is proposed, namely Attention Mechanism based Bidirectional Long Short‐term Memory Network (AM‐BiLSTM) model. In order to verify the linearization performance of the AM‐BiLSTM model in digital predistortion process, a 100 MHz bandwidth 5G new radio (5G NR) signal is employed to test a sub‐6G PA operating at 2.6‐GHz. The experimental results show that the adjacent channel power ratio (ACPR) of the PA with AM‐BiLSTM model can be improved by 24 dB which is 6 dB and 3 dB better than the generalized memory polynomial (GMP) model and the Chebyshev polynomials LSTM (CP‐LSTM) model in ref [1], repspectively. Therefore, the proposed AM‐BiLSTM model is very effective for the DPD linearization of broadband PAs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Straw incorporation after tillage plays an essential role in soil organic matter and fertility. Despite the importance of understanding the effect of tillage on straw distribution in the soil, an accurate method to measure and evaluate the spatial distribution of straw has not been developed. In this work, we proposed a method for quantifying straw distribution in soil following tillage. The approach uses a straw spatial coordinate digitizer, Pro/Engineer drawing software, and MATLAB visualization software. Straw of four different lengths was mixed into soil by a rotary tillage. Results indicated that the uniformity of straw spatial distribution decreased with the increase of straw length. T50 (50‐mm straw length) had the greatest uniformity. As a result, it is recommended that straw be cut to 50 mm or shorter. This work offers a new insight into the quantitative analysis of straw spatial distribution in soil. Core Ideas: A novel method for measuring and evaluating the straw spatial distribution was developed.The uniformity of straw distribution in multiscale direction was accurately quantified.The accumulation and dispersion of straw in the soil after tillage was visually described.Short straws were more evenly distributed in the soil than long straws. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]