Tropicultura (Jan 2008)
Effets des outils de reprise de labour sur l'état structural du sol et le rendement d'une culture de pomme de terre
Abstract
Effects of Shallow Plowing Tools on the Soil Structural State and the Potatoes Crop Yield. Effects of three tillage tools (disc harrow, teeth harrow and rotary cultivator) on two physical characteristics of silt-sandy soil (resistance to the penetration Rp and voluminous mass Mv) and their potential influence on fresh matter and total yield of potato were studied at the experimental field of the Horticultural School, Chott-Mariem (Sousse). Results show that the three tools reduce the resistance penetration and the voluminous mass of soil tilled especially using disc harrow at 15 cm depth (Rp= 2.8 daN/cm2 and Mv= 1.03 g/ cm3) compared with non tilled soil (Rp= 11.4 daN/cm2, Mv= 1.43 g/cm3). Highest fresh matter yield was obtained (at 130 days) after soil ploughing with disc harrow showing an average increase of 33, 24, 18 and 15% respectively for leaves, tubercles, stems and roots compared with other tools. Best tubercles yield was also reached using disc harrow showing an increase of 21% and 24% compared, respectively, to teeth harrow and rotary cultivator.
