Numerical simulation and experiment of the emergence of young potato sprouts through soil‐covered plastic mulching

Abstract

AbstractIn this paper, the effect of covering the plastic film mulch with soil of different thicknesses, on the resistance of potato young stems to break through the plastic film was simulated using the explicit dynamic analysis software LS‐DYNA. The constitutive models of young potato stems, plastic film, and covering soil, specific to potato cultivation on the Loess Plateau of Northwest China, were established. The influence of the covering soil thickness on the resistance to breaking by the potato sprout was analyzed and the film breaking time and sprout resistance to growth were then compared. The simulation results reveal that, to minimize both film breaking time and resistance to sprout growth, a thickness of about 40 mm of the film‐covering soil can be considered a good choice in potato cultivation using plastic‐film mulching technology. The results were confirmed experimentally by the authors and matched previous experimental research reported in the literature.