Study on path planning of mechanized harvesting of ratoon rice in the first season based on the capacitated arc routing problem model

The stubble crushing caused by the harvester during the first season of ratoon rice harvesting will directly affect the grain yield of the ratoon season. In this work, a harvester path planning method for quadrilateral fields to address the harvester driving path problem of the first season of ratoon rice mechanized harvesting is proposed. This research first analyzes the operational characteristics and requirements of ratoon rice first-season mechanized harvesting, and then models the mechanized harvesting process of ratoon rice in the first season as a capacitated arc routing problem (CARP) considering the fact that the harvester cannot complete the full-coverage harvesting operation at one time due to the limitation of grain bin volume. The genetic algorithm (GA) with strong global search capability is used to solve it, and the selection and variation links of the algorithm are improved. The path planning method proposed in this article can dynamically find the optimal harvester travel route according to the specific conditions of the field and the parameters of harvester implements. The simulation test shows that the CARP method performs better in terms of harvesting path length and crushed area compared to the conventional rectangular detour and foldback reciprocating harvesting paths. The degree of optimization of this method is influenced by various factors such as the width of the cutting table, the turning radius of the harvester, and the size of the grain bin capacity. This research provides a more efficient and flexible path planning method to improve the efficiency of ratoon rice first-season mechanized harvesting operations and optimize the harvester’s operating path, which can well meet the operational requirements.