Mechanism of Mulch Film Cutter on Transplanting System for Mulching Cultivation of Early Season Culture Rice in Japan

The mechanism of the mulch film cutter assembly designed as an integral part of a rice transplanting device was developed for mulching cultivation of early season culture rice. This mulch film cutter assembly was directly attached to the transplanting device of the rotary type Japanese transplanter. The principle is that the knife cut a planting slit on the polyethylene film while the planting finger immediately plants seedling into the soil through the planting slit. Computer results implied that the knife of the mulch film cutter assembly can make appropriate planting slit on the polyethylene film as the planting finger effectively plants the seedlings into the paddy soil through the same planting slits.