Method and apparatus for transplanting corps

摘要

Apparatus for automatically transplanting seedlings from cells in a seedling tray having open bottoms into a crop row in the ground of a field includes a vehicle operable for travel over the field, an opener shoe for creating a seedling-receiving furrow in the ground, a carriage mounted on the vehicle for receiving the seedling tray, a plant setter mechanism operable for controllably displacing a seedling from the seedling tray and depositing it in the furrow, wherein the plant setter mechanism includes an elongate impaler dimensioned for insertion through the upper surface of the seedling to hold it internally, the plant setter mechanism also including a displacement device for displacing the seedling in a substantially vertical orientation into the ground and a soil-packing device mounted on the vehicle operable for laterally redirecting soil from the furrow toward a deposited seedling so as to pack soil therearound.