Mountain Potato Harvester

In September, on the arid plateau of Longzhong, potatoes gradually enter the harvest season. Recently, in the sloping land of Taiping Village, Lujiagou Town, Anding District, Dingxi City, the sound of electric motors and the fragrance of sweet potatoes were heard. The on-site demonstration, evaluation, and promotion activities of the joint harvesting of potatoes in hilly and mountainous areas are being carried out here. 11 agricultural machinery enterprises from all over the country bring 24 sets of equipment to compete on the same stage. Research experts, agricultural technology promotion personnel, and representatives of planting cooperatives gather around the field to observe the operation, compare performance, and discuss cooperation. A tailor-made agricultural machinery "parade" is being held in the fields.

Gansu Province is one of the three major potato producing areas in China and also the largest breeding base for virus-free sweet potatoes. By 2025, the potato planting area in the province will reach 8.8635 million mu, of which 70% will be distributed in hilly and mountainous areas and slopes. The fragmented plot, steep slope, narrow working space, and difficulty in promoting mechanization have become obstacles for potato harvester machines. This event specifically chose a complex field in Lujiagou Town to allow agricultural machinery to practice "real knives and guns" in mountainous environments.

Among the 24 sets of equipment displayed on site, there are 13 sets of potato harvester equipment specifically designed for hilly and mountainous areas, covering various types such as tracked, wheeled, and suspended. As the homework instructions were issued, one harvester after another slowly entered the field along the ridge line. The digging shovel accurately cut into the soil layer, and the drum screen rolled and separated. The soil fell down from the gaps, and the potatoes entered the potato collection box along the flexible conveyor belt. The entire process of digging, crushing, separating, and collecting potatoes was carried out in one go.

Don't be fooled by the small size of the machine, its ability is not small. "Pointing to the flexible turning track harvester, the agricultural machinery operator introduced that this model developed for terraced fields around the mountains has a minimum turning radius of only 1.5 meters and can adapt to 25 degree slope operations. It is independently driven by dual tracks and can turn around in place, especially suitable for the operation scene of small terraced fields in the northwest.

This new potato harvester focuses on solving the problem of separating potatoes and soil in sticky and heavy soil. After operation, the potatoes are clean and have less skin damage, attracting many growers to squat down and carefully examine them.