Aiming at the problems of high penetration resistance of hole-forming parts for rapeseed transplanter and unstable shape of transplanting hole under rice field with large amount of previous stubble and high soil viscosity in southern China, the cone diameter, the cone tip chamfering angle and the soil penetration depth of the hole-forming parts were optimized by single-factor and multi-factor simulation test based on discrete element method for the self-developed crawler transplanter. The results showed that the cone diameter, the cone tip chamfering angle and the soil penetration depth of the hole-forming parts had an significant influences on the effective depth and the penetration resistance resistance. Optimal parameter combination was the cone diameter of 52 mm, the cone tip chamfering angle of 40°, the soil penetration depth of 86.30 mm by multi-factor EDEM simulation test. Soil bin tests were carried out to verify the optimal parameter combination for hole-forming. It is showed that EDEM simulations were consistent with variation trend of penetration resistance of hole in soil bin tests. The effective depth of hole was 55.4 mm and 56.6mmwith an error of 2.1% and the penetration resistance of hole was 57.5 N and 54.7 N, with an error of 4.9%, for EDEM simulation and soil bin test, respectively.