Adjustment time and offset of a system for spatially variable rate fertilisation

The aim of this research is to measure the adjustment time and offset of a cheap systemfor spatially variable rate fertilisation, designed, developed and set up by the MechanicsSection of I.T.A.F. Department.In order to test the system, a centrifugal fertiliser spreader, working by gravity, wasmodified connecting an actuator with the two hopper shutter slides. Two differentactuator types were tested, in order to measure the accordingly variable adjustment timeand offset.The adjustment offset of the centrifugal spreader increases with increasing machineaverage forward speed and decreases with increasing fertiliser rate, considering the samerate variation.The main components of the system can be mounted on different agricultural machinesfor spatially variable rate crop input application.