Research progress and development in anti-blocking methods for no-till seeders in regenerative agriculture

Regenerative agriculture (RA) is nature-based solution which has its core intention to improve soil health through elevated soil organic content and nitrogen, as well as reduced chemicals input and mechanical operations, so as to realise the sustainable development of agriculture, namely enhanced soil carbon sequestration, maximised biodiversity and improved quality of water, vegetation and land-productivity. No-till seeding and ground cover are two critical practices of RA in terms of managing soil, reducing water and wind erosion, and enhancing water infiltration characteristics. However, no-till seeders are regularly blocked by crop residue in RA systems, causing more energy inputs and less crop yield outputs. Anti-blocking methods are essential for the no-till seeding technology (NST) and have been developed over the past years. A comprehensive summary about typical furrow openers and corresponding tool characteristics and current anti-blocking methods for no-till seeding are reported. The anti-blocking methods for NST are introduced in five aspects: residue management before seeding, straw cutting, straw removing, improving straw fluidity and other methods (i.e. automatic navigation and high pressure air shooting). This review also recommends five future research directions about further improving the anti-blocking performance of no-till seeders to promote the development of NST and RA. The study discusses implications for improving the anti-blocking ability of no-till seeders and satisfying the principles of the RA by reducing energy inputs (i.e. less fuel consumption) and raising the outputs of crop yields.