Active Seed Depth Control for No-tillage Systems

Abstract

In no-tillage (NT) systems, soil strength variability and plant residues amplify difficulty in seeding operations to achieve uniform seeding depth for increased seedling emergence and crop yield. This study aims to increase seedling emergence in NT systems in order to promote NT crop cultivation to farmers in Hokkaido, Japan by demonstrating a prototype model for a conventional tillage (CT) seeder modified for NT seeding applications. A commonly used pneumatic seeder was tested with one of its four seeder units fitted with a hydraulic control system that actively regulates seeding depth based on the soil surface profile. Tests were conducted on intermixed plots of CT, replicated residue-free NT, and actual NT treatments for sugar beet and soybean cultivation. Seedling emergence population was monitored for both controlled and uncontrolled rows of the seeder. Crop yields between tillage treatments were measured. Statistical analysis showed significant difference in seedling emergence between the controlled and uncontrolled rows in the replicated NT treatments. No significant difference in crop yields was observed between tillage treatments. In this study, the developed control system performed well under replicated NT treatments. Adoption of NT cultivation of soybean and sugar beet as an alternative to CT was possibly demonstrated in this study.