To improve seedling pickup performance，an elastic penetration-type seedling claw was designed. The mechanical properties of seedling pots were experimentally measured，and the Hertz - Mindlin with JKR model in EDEM，using 65 Mn material，was selected for the simulation. The rolling distance served as the response value to calibrate contact parameters between seedling pot particles and the material. Dynamic modeling of the seedling claw was completed in RecurDyn，and coupled EDEM -RecurDyn simulations were conducted to investigate the effects of penetration depth and speed on seedling pickup. The analysis indicated that a penetration depth of 33 mm and a speed of 150 mm/s resulted in optimal pickup performance. A test bench was then constructed to validate these findings，confirming the simulation results with a 100% success rate in seedling pickup and less than 5% damage to the seedling pot matrix，demonstrating excellent effectiveness.