Easy to operate water and fertilizer integration machine main buyer country

When you hear about a “simple machine for integrating water and fertilizers,” you immediately imagine a panel with three buttons - but in fact, even basic models have nuances that turn out to be critical in the field. In Russia, people often look for unpretentious equipment, but under “simplicity?” everyone understands their own: some - minimal maintenance, some - an intuitive interface, and some - resistance to our frosts. This is where the real difficulties begin.

What does "simplicity" really mean? in Russian field conditions

We at ?Shandong Lingyao Intelligent Agriculture Technology Co.,Ltd? At first they focused on functionality - sensors, automatic dose adjustments, synchronization with weather stations. But after the first deliveries to the Voronezh region, it became clear: farmers curse the menu with five levels of settings. We had to reconsider the control logic - now ourwater and fertilizer integration machinehas a “tractor driver mode” with physical knobs and just one screen for basic settings.

By the way, about the frosts. In 2022, in Tatarstan, one of the systems failed - it turned out that the plastic cover of the flow sensor became brittle at -25°. Now we test all components in contact with water in a chamber down to -35°, even if the data sheet allows -20°. Trifle? But it is precisely such little things that determine whether the equipment will work in the February thaw.

Another point is water quality. In the Krasnodar Territory, water hardness reaches 300 mg/l, and this killed imported injectors within a season. We had to develop removable filters with backwash - now they can be cleaned without tools in 10 minutes. This is the same “simplicity” that cannot be shown in the brochure, but which in the field is valued more than a Wi-Fi module.

Mistakes we made when adapting technology

I remember how in 2021 they installed a batch of systems in the Stavropol region - everything was according to the textbook: German pumps, Israeli electronics, our software. Two months later a call: “Your control unit is melting in the sun?” It turned out that the black body heated up to 70° in the shade - we had to urgently change it to white and add ventilation fins. Now all cases are tested in a heat chamber simulating direct radiation.

It’s a different story with connection to Russian tractors. Initially, we used standard ISO brackets, but it turned out that on the old MTZ-82 the mounts “walk?” by 3-4 cm. I had to develop adjustable brackets with a power reserve - it seems nonsense, but without this installation took not 2 hours, but a whole day with a sledgehammer and welding.

The most annoying thing is when the equipment works perfectly in demo mode, but does not withstand the realities. Like that system with a touch screen that stopped responding when wearing gloves, we had to go back to buttons with tactile feedback. Now, before launching the model, we give the prototype to the machine operators - let them twist it, knock it, try to break it.

Why did the Russian market become a priority?

When we analyzedbuyer's primary country, Russia turned out to be not the most obvious, but the most promising option. There are both large agricultural holdings with technology parks and small farms here, where one system is used for 15 crops. This forces us to find a balance between automation and flexibility.

For example, in the Rostov region one client uses ourwater and fertilizer integration machinealternately for barley, sunflower and chickpeas - the software had to be modified to save three independent profiles with quick switching. In Europe, such a request is rare - there is usually specialized equipment for one crop.

Another important point is service. In Kazakhstan or Uzbekistan, dealer networks are less developed, but in Russia we can rely on partners in key regions. For example, through the website https://www.lyzhihuinongye.ru we are now organizing on-site master classes - we show not how to press buttons, but how to diagnose problems by the sound of the pump or the color of the indicators.

How we rethought filter design after field testing

Initially, the filters were arranged vertically - beautifully, compactly. But in the Volgograd region, a machine operator showed how sand clogs the lower section in one shift, while the upper section remains clean. We switched to a horizontal arrangement of cartridges - now maintenance is 2 times less frequent, although it takes up more space.

Another improvement is the transparent lids on the filters. It would seem, why doesn’t everyone do them? It turns out that UV stabilization is expensive. But we found a compromise - an opaque case with a polycarbonate window only in the visibility zone of the pollution level. Trifle? But the operator sees when it’s time to clean without disassembling the unit.

The most unobvious thing is the color of the markings. Red for emergency valves, green for working valves - standard. But at dusk or in dusty air, these colors merge. We added relief marks: one strip is the main line, two are the bypass, three are the drainage. Now you can determine the contour by touch even at night.

What's behind the "smart features"? in real conditions

When are we at ?Shandong Linyao Intelligent Agriculture Technology Co.,Ltd? When we talk about intelligent systems, we do not mean artificial intelligence, but simple algorithms that save time. For example, automatic flushing of the pipeline after applying fertilizer - no need to wait 20 minutes at the end of the shift, the system itself determines the completion of the cycle.

Or pressure control - previously the operator was constantly looking at pressure gauges, now the system itself bleeds air during surges. But it is important not to overload the functions: in the basic version we left only what is really needed - autostart, PH/EC control, dry-running protection. Everything else is an option for those who are willing to pay for complexity.

An interesting case happened in the Belgorod region - there the customer asked to duplicate all readings on mechanical pointer instruments. He said: “Electronics can burn out, but the arrow will always show?”. I had to build in a hybrid display system - more expensive, but more reliable. And this is typical for Russia - here they value the opportunity to work even in the face of refusals.

Why is designing for a specific farm more important than universality?

For the last two years we have beenShandong Linyao Intelligent Agriculture Technology Co.,Ltdabandoned the concept of “one system for all?”. Now every project begins with an analysis: what crops, what irrigation, what water, what fertilizers. For example, potatoes require emphasis on drip irrigation, and grains require sprinkling.

One of the most successful adaptations is a system for greenhouse farms in the Moscow region. It is important not onlyintegration of water and fertilizers, but also precise control of the solution temperature. I had to add heat exchangers with smooth adjustment - it turned out that heating by 2-3 degrees accelerates the absorption of phosphorus by 15%.

We are currently working on a project for Crimea - there is a problem with water salinity. Standard systems work, but not optimally. We are developing a special regime adjusted for mineralization in order to maintain effectiveness even with high salt content. This is the case when deep adaptation is indispensable.

What has changed in the approach to operator training?

Previously, we brought thick manuals of 100 pages - no one read them. Now we make cards with pictures: how to start it in 3 steps, what to do in case of error E-05, how to clean the filter without tools. It turned out that visual instructions are 4 times more effective.

They also introduced QR codes on control panels - you point your phone, and you get a video about this particular node. Especially useful for seasonal workers who are seeing equipment for the first time. But this is not ideal either - some farms have poor internet, so we duplicate the video offline through pre-installed tablets.

The most unexpected breakthrough is audio prompts. We created a mode where the system announces by voice: “Attention, the pressure in the line is dropping?” or ?Rinsing completed in 2 minutes?. Machine operators say that this saves time - there is no need to be distracted by the screen while driving. A simple solution, but how it was missed before!