Influence of Combined Drill Coulters on Seedbed Compaction under Conservation Tillage Technologies

All over the world, including the Middle and East European countries, sustainable tillage and sowing technologies are applied increasingly broadly with a view to optimising soil resources, mitigating soil degradation processes, saving energy resources, preserving biological diversity, etc. As a result, altered conditions of tillage and sowing technological processes are faced inevitably. The purpose of this study is to determine the seedbed topsoil hardness when using a combined sowing coulter in different sustainable tillage technologies. The research involved a combined coulter consisting of two dissected blade discs and a shoe coulter. In order to determine soil hardness at the seedbed area, a multipenetrometer was used. It was found by experimental studies that in loosened soil, a combined sowing coulter equally suppresses the furrow bottom, walls and soil near the furrow; therefore, here, soil hardness was similar at all researched depths and no significant differences were established. In loosened and compacted (double-rolled) soil, the impact of a combined coulter on the hardness of seedbed soil surface was more considerable at a depth of 2 mm. Soil hardness at the furrow bottom and walls to a distance of up to 26 mm was 1.1 MPa. At a depth of 10 mm, the greatest hardness was established at the furrow bottom. In loosened and heavily compacted (rolled for 6 times) soil, at a depth of 2 and 10 mm a combined coulter most of all compacted the furrow bottom, which has a hardness of 1.8 MPa. At a depth of 20 mm, soil hardness within the whole investigated area varied insignificantly and fluctuated by around 2.0 MPa. The hardness of furrow walls and soil near the furrow was by approximately 1.0 MPa lower than that at the furrow bottom

Authors:

• E. Šarauskis
• L. Masilionyte
• Z. Kriaučiūniene
• K. Romaneckas

Keywords:

• Coulters design
• seedbed
• soil hardness
• combined coulters
• soil compaction.

References:

[1] Arvidsson J., Westlin A., Sörensson F. Working depth in non-inversion
tillage - Effects on soil physical properties and crop yield in Swedish
field experiments. Soil & Tillage Research, 2013. 126, pp. 259-266.
[2] Arvidsson J., Bölenius E., and Cavalieri K. M. V. Effects of compaction
during drilling on yield of sugar beet (Beta vulgaris L.). European
Journal of Agronomy, 2012. 39, pp. 44-51.
[3] Cavalieri K.M.V., Arvidsson J., Silva A.P., Keller T. Determination of
precompression stress from uniaxial compression tests. Soil Tillage
Research, 2008. 98, pp. 17-26.
[4] Feiza V., Feizien├À D., Au┼íkalnis A., Kadžien├À G. Sustainable tillage:
results from long-term field experiments on Cambisol //
Žemdirbyst├À=Agriculture, LŽI, LŽ┼¬U. - Akademija, 2010. Vol. 97, No.
2, pp. 3-14.
[5] Hou X., Wang X., Li R., Jia Z., Liang L., Wang J., Nie J., Chen X., and
Wang Z. Effects of different manure application rates on soil properties,
nutrient use, and crop yield during dryland maize farming. Soil
Research, 2012. 50(6), pp. 507-514.
[6] McKenzie, Blair M. Spatial and temporal variability in soil physical
conditions for root growth: interactions between soil, water and root
growth for sustainable agriculture. Agrociencia, 2012.16.3: pp. 208-213.
[7] Mohammadi, K., Heidari, G., Khalesro, S., Sohrabi, Y. Soil management,
microorganisms and organic matter interactions: A review. African Journal
of Biotechnology, 2012. 10(86), pp. 19840-19849.
[8] Romaneckas K., Buragien├À S. Impact of conventional and sustainable
soil tillage and sowing technologies on physical-mechanical soil
properties. Environmental Research, Engineering and Management,
2009. 49(3), pp. 36-43.
[9] Romaneckas K., Pilipavičius V., Šarauskis E. Impact of seedbed density
on sugar beet (Beta vulgaris L.) seed germination, yield and quality of
roots. Journal of Food, Agriculture & Environment, 2010. 8 (2), 599-
601.
[10] Romaneckas K., Romaneckien├À R., Pilipavi─ìius V., ┼áarauskis E. Effect
of Sowing Depth and Seedbed Rolling on Sugar Beet, Zemdirbyste-
Agriculture, 2009. Vol. 96, No. 1, pp. 39-52.
[11] Šarauskis E., Vaiciukevicius E., Romaneckas K., Sakalauskas A., and
Baranauskaite R. Economic and energetic evaluation of sustainable
tillage and cereal sowing technologies in Lithuania. Rural Development
2009, Proceedings, 2009. 4 (1), pp. 280-285
[12] Satkus A., Velykis A. Modeling of seedbed creation for spring cereals in
clayey soils. Agronomy research, 2008. 6, pp. 329-39.
[13] Slepetiene A., Liaudanskiene I., Slepetys J., Velykis A. The influence of
reduced tillage, winter crops and ecologically managed long-term monoand
multi-component swards on soil humic substances // Chemistry and
Ecology. 2010. Vol. 26: 4, pp. 97-109.
[14] Tarakanovas P., Raudonius S. The program package "Selekcija" for
processing statistical data. Akademija, Kedainiai, 2003. pp. 56 (in
Lithuanian).