Experimental Evaluation of Rootstock Clamping Device for Inclined Inserted Grafting of Melons

Abstract

A grafting machine is a kind of machine that can quickly graft scion to rootstock instead of manual grafting. Currently, an inclined inserted grafting machine uses the mechanical clamping method, which can easily damage the rootstock seedlings due to its high stiffness, thus, reducing the success rate of grafting. This study proposed an effective, flexible clamping device for grafting. The suction hole diameter (HD), the negative pressure (NP), and the surface inclination angle (IA) of the clamping device were studied via a single factor experiment to obtain optimal parameter ranges. Optimal HD, NP, and IA were 2–3 mm, 4–8 kPa, and 10–20°, respectively. The orthogonal experiment results showed that the optimal parameter combination for maximum holding success rate was HD, 2.5 mm; NP, 6 kPa; and IA, 10°. The experimental verification was carried out using the optimal parameter combination, with a holding success rate of 98.3% and no damage. This study provides a reference for the optimal design of an inclined inserted grafting machine.

Keywords

• inclined inserted grafting
• mechanical damage
• flexible holding
• orthogonal experiment
• optimal design