Suitable Conservation Tillage Machinery for Loam-Silt Soils Based on the Amount of Crop Residue and Principal Component Analysis Method (PCA)

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 M. Sc. student, Biosystems engineering Dept., Faculty of Agriculture, Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz, Ahvaz, Iran

2 Assistant professor, Biosystems engineering Dept., Faculty of Agriculture, Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz, Ahvaz, Iran

3 Assistant professor, Department of Agricultural Machinery and Mechanization, Agriculture and Natural Resources University of Khuzestan, Mollasani, Ahvaz, Iran

Abstract

Reduction of tillage operations in conventional systems and its replacement with a reduced tillage and conservation systems is recommended in order to sustainable production in agriculture and preservation of soil and water resources. In this research, the effect of applying three types of conventional tillage machines with different geometry that have less rigidity of soil tillage than conventional tillage machines (Chisel packer, combined tiller and offset disc) on the performance parameters of tillage including Specific draft, specific tillage energy, and weighted average diameter of clods, roughness of soil surface and percent of crop residue on the soil surface. Tillage depth is fixed in 20 cm, forward speed was in three levels (2.5, 4.5 and 6 km/h) and tillage machinery type was in three levels. Double Split plot in Randomized Complete Block Design used in the study in which tillage depth (main factor), forward speed (secondary factor) and the tiller type (sub-secondary factor) were the independent variables. The results showed that the amount of residues remaining on the soil surface after soil tillage was negatively correlated with not only special draft but also with other indices (weighted average diameter of clods and roughness of soil surface), and crop residue after soil tillage was applied as a criterion for comparing soil tillage machinery. The results of the comparison of the ranking of treatments based on two methods (amount of crop residues after soil tillage and the Component Analysis method) showed that the combined tiller and the offset disc at low velocity and Chisel packer at high velocity is recommended for conservation systems of tillage.

Keywords

Main Subjects


Al-Suhaibani A S; Al-Janobi A (1997). Draught requirements of tillage implements operating on sandy loam soil. Journal of Agricultural Engineering Research, 66, 177–182.
Cresswell, H. P., Painter, D. J. & Cameron, K. C. (1991). Tillage and water content effects on surface soil physical properties. Soil and Tillage Research, 21, 67-83.
Drovicky, N. Z., Halaj, P., Perhacova, K. & Duracikava, L. (1998). Effects of tillage practices on soil properties. Int. Conf. on Agr. Eng., Oslo, Norway.
Erfani Far, S., Zibaei, M. & Kasraei, M. (2013). Application of Ideal-Fuzzy Multi-objective Planning in Optimizing Crop Pattern with Emphasis on Using Conservation Soil Techniques. Agriculture machinery, 28 (2), 118-124.
Gajri, P. R. & Arora, V. R.  (2006). Tillage for sustainable cropping. 243p.
Goudarzi, B., Asoodar, A. & Kazemi, N. (2015). Blade vibration impact on the performance of silty clay loam soil cover tillage, Agriculture machinery. 5(2), 357-367. (In Farsi)
Guzha, A. C. (2004). Effects of tillage on soil microrelief, surface depression storage and soil water storage. Journal of Soil and Tillage Research, 76, 105-114.
Hu, Z., Yi-zhong, L., Zhi-chen, Y. & Bao-guo, L. (2007). Influence of conservation tillage on soil aggregates features in north China plain. Agricultural Sciences in China, 6 (9), 1099-1106.
Hughes, K. A. and Baker, C. J. (1997). The effects of tillage and zero-tillage systems on soil aggregates in a silt loam. Journal of Agricultural Engineering Research, 22, 291-301.
Jacobs, C. O. & Harrel, W. R. (1983). Agricultral Power and Machinery. McGraw – Hill Book Co., New York . 613p.
Kazemi, N., Almasi, M., Bahrami, H., & Sheikhdavoodi, M. J. (2015). Construction and evaluation of a simultaneous monitoring system on the tractor's performance parameters - Remote devices. Journal of Agricultural Engineering, 38 (1), 109-125. (In Farsi)
Khaffaf, A., & Khadr, A. (2008). Effect of some primary tillage implement on soil pulverization and specific energy. Farm Machinery and Power, 731- 745.
Liu, J., & Chen,Y. (2010). Effect of tillage speed and straw Length on soil and straw movement by a sweep. Journal of Soil and Tillage Research, 109, 9-17.
Loghavi, M., & Hossein Pour, A. (2004). Attachment of a V-Weel Packer to a Moldboard Plow for Combining Primary and Secondary Tillage Operations. Iranian Journal Agricultural Science, 35 (4), 1015-1024. (In Farsi)
Martinez, E., Fuents, J. & Silv, P. (2008). Soil physical and wheat root growth as affected by no tillage and conventional tillage system in a Mediterranean environment of chile. Soil and Tillage Research, 99, 22-244.
Moreno, R. g., Alvarez, M. C. D., Alonso, A. T., Barrington, S. & Requenjo. A. S. (2008). Tillage and soil type effects on soil surface roughness at semiarid climatic conditions. Journal of Soil and Tillage Research, 98, 35-44.
Reshad Sedghi, A. & Loghavi, M. (2009). Effect of soil moisture in primary tillage and advance speed in disk cutting operation on dipping pruning performance as secondary tillage. Iranian Journal of Biosystem Engineering, 2, 131-138.
Sharratt, B., Zhang, M. & Sparrow, S. (2006). Twenty years of tillage research in subarctic Alaska, I. Impact on soil strength aggregation, roughness, and residue cover. Journal of Soil and Tillage Research, 91, 75-81.
Stevens, C. J., Quintan, J. N., Bailey, A. P., Deasy, C., Silgram, M. & Jackson, D. R. (2009). The effects of minimal tillage, contour cultivation and in-field vegetative barriers on soil erosion and phosphorus loss. Soil and Tillage Research, 106, 145-151.