ISHS Acta Horticulturae 614: VI International Symposium on Protected Cultivation in Mild Winter Climate: Product and Process Innovation
MECHANIZATION OF VEGETABLE SOWING IN NURSERIES |
| Authors: | S. Failla, G. Tornello |
| Keywords: | greenhouses, production process, seeding efficiency, work capacity, work organisation |
| Abstract:
The regulations that are now in force regarding Nursery Gardening outline the quality requirements for reproduction materials and the need for adequate inspection of the production process. In relation to such requirements, this paper examines the sowing stage, which is a fundamental phase of the production process of young vegetable plants, in two different farms. Aspects linked to sowing machines arranged in series and to the organisation of the work were noted. This was done with the dual aim of highlightingthe sowing stages that can affect the rational organisation of the work and which can, at the same time, affect the agronomic quality, as well as the hygiene conditions of the reproduction materials. The results have demonstrated the need, wherever possible, of more rational planning of sowing in order to limit the incidence of accessory work time and to increase the work capacity of the sowing lines. From a comparison of the two lines, one using a roller sowing machine and the other a plate sowing machine, it can be seen that the work capacity is determined by the type of sowing machine and the speed of the line and not, to a certain extent, by the number of workers employed. Regarding the occurrence of seed absence and multiple seeds, the plate sowing machine is more precise and therefore requires less manual work for the correction of errors. The results show that both lines are efficient as regards the uniformity of the filling of the seeding boxes and their dampening. | |
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