Improving Sowing Uniformity of a Maize High-Speed Precision Seeder by Incorporating Energy Dissipator
Round 1
Reviewer 1 Report
Comments and Suggestions for Authorsrow 53: 15 degrees instead of 150
rows 83-86: incomplete phrase "In order to...." and there is nothing in the phrase
fig. 2 and formulas at row 121: the components of the peripheral velocity are not drawn correctly and the first two formulas are not OK (see the attached file); a reference for the last formula, please, because I got a slightly different one (see the attached material), , but maybe it's because of the heat (36 degrees);
row 126. again, better use "degree" instead of "0", or [0], to make the text more clear.
row 150: "...velocity of the seed at the end of the motion is 1.84 m·s-1 ≤ vt2 ≤1.98 m·s-1" - how were these velocities obtained?
rows 151-157: Figure 2 should present the displacements lx1, lx2, ly1, ly2
row 155: "...velocity of the seed at the end of the motion is 1.01 m·s-1≤ vt2 ≤ 1.055 m/s...= - again, how were these values obtained?
row 175: there should be a graphical representation of the forces involved;
row 178: weight of the seed, not gravity on the seed
row 182: what are the normal coincidence and tangential coincidence?
row 187, eq. 4: I guess it is dq not dq
row 188: what is "normal momentum"?
rows 212-218: as this section refers to the "Design of the energy dissipation device" a diagram of this device should be included in order for the reader to better understand its construction.
row 269. I guess it si TEMA Classic (as in row 264), not TEAM Classic?
rows 271-282: a schematic of the test rig would be more appropriate then the photo. I understand that the real dissipation device looks similar to the funnel 6, shown in fig. 1.
row 278: " the seeds are released manually..." - where is the release point in relation with the bracket 2, fig. 4? Again, a schematic diagram of the test rig would clarify these aspects.
row 279: were is the "smooth acrylic plate" in fig. 4? As mentioned above, a schematic of the test rig is necessary.
section 2.6 Field experiments: how the energy dissipating device incorporated into the actual seed transport system?
row 303: "....are used as the test indexes." - in laboratory conditions?
rows 332-333. incomplete sentence
References section
Many papers are in Chines, so only a chines speaking person could read them. I would suggest the inclusion of relevant papers with the in-extenso content available in English.
References 29 and 30 are not cited
row 398: "When Seeds come into contact with a viscous fluid..." - the seeds have indirect contact with the fluid, as the fluid is contained into a polyethylene bag
rows 398-408: sub section 3.1. should start with these lines
row 418: "...maize seeds might impact the flexible material..."
figures 9-12: the actual curves are barely visible; the graphics should be improved
Table 3: the terms (E, F etc.) should be explained in a footnote of the table.
rows 603-605: all these indices resulting from experimental tests (leakage rate, multiple rate etc.) should be presented in subsection 2.6, explaining how were they measured
Comments for author File: 
Comments.pdf
The subject of the paper is an important one, but the paper should be improved.
Author Response
Please see the attachment.
Author Response File: Author Response.pdf
Reviewer 2 Report
Comments and Suggestions for AuthorsThe manuscript tries to improve sowing uniformity of a maize high-speed precision seeder by incorporating energy dissipator. It is an innovative approach. The manuscript could be recommended for publication after improvements.
Please find hereby some suggestions about the shortcomings.
1. How did the authors determine the performance indexes such as the miss index, the multiple index, the quality index, and the CV index? Please provide the equations used and their references.
2. At the end of the abstract, it is recommended to include two additional sentences that address the following: What practical implications do the results have, and what issues remain unresolved?
3. What is the theoretical basis of improving sowing uniformity by incorporating energy dissipator?
4. Fig 16(c) shows that the quality index with and without energy dissipation device don't change considerably. Please explain did you study that the difference between the results is significant?
5. At the end of the Discussion section, disclose future research.
6. During the high-speed operation of the corn planter, dust will fall on the energy dissipation device within a certain period of time. How much impact does dust have on the energy dissipation effect?
7. There is no space between characters and units, such as line 382. Please pay attention to the full text search correction.
Comments on the Quality of English LanguageMinor editing of English language required.
Author Response
Please see the attachment.
Author Response File: Author Response.pdf
