Paperpot transplanting systems: overview and potential for vegetable production

The Paperpot system provides a relatively flexible approach to commercial transplanting of crops. Around the world, most of the research and application of this system has been on sugar beets. Compared to traditional hand-transplanted, field-grown, bare-root onions, there are several potential advantages of the Paperpot system, including reduced labor requirements, accuracy of placement, and fewer imported insect and disease problems. Comparison of three transplanters—carousel, BST, and chain-type—indicated the chain-type transplanter had lower labor inputs and a higher transplanting capacity than the other models. The BST transplanter was capable of placing 65% of the plants within a 3- to 5-inch plant spacing. The chain-type and carousel deposited 36% and 14%, respectively, within this same spacing. Yield was higher when onions were transplanted with the BST machine. This was attributed to the more-accurate placement of the onion plants. A four-row BST transplanter was capable of transplanting 0.4 acres/h of onions in field-scale trials.