EFFECT OF THE DISTANCE BETWEEN THE CUTTING DISC AND FURROW OPENERS EMPLOYED IN ROW CROP PLANTING ON SOIL MOBILIZATION

Abstract

ABSTRACT The objective of this study was to determine the effect of the longitudinal distance between a cutting disc and a fertilizer furrow opener on the operational performance of the furrow opener working at different forward speeds during soil mobilization. The soil in the experimental area was classified as Typic Hapludalf with a loam soil texture. The experiment involved 24 treatment combinations in a 2 × 3 × 4 factorial scheme. These combinations were formed by the interaction of the following factors: furrow opening mechanisms, longitudinal distance from the center of the cutting mechanism to center of the furrow opener, and forward speeds. The effects of the tools on the soil mobilization variables were characterized in three phases: analysis of the natural profile and elevation and mobilization of the soil using a microprofilometer. A statistical analysis of variance was performed on the acquired data and the significance of the factors was verified using an F test. The furrow opener factor significantly substantially influenced all variables, whereas the distance significantly modified only the soil swelling and elevated soil area, with a reduction of approximately 30% in this variable when separating the mechanisms by an additional meter. Likewise, for a hoe furrow opener, the speed significantly influenced only the maximum depth of the furrow. Hence, we recommend the installation of fertilizer furrow openers close to the cutting mechanisms to increase the quality of the furrows produced in seeding operations using the direct planting system.

Keywords

• agricultural engineering
• machinery-soil relation
• agricultural machinery
• field test
• direct planting