Abstract
Poor seedbed preparation may cause low yields and poor resource utilization. Therefore, novel sensor technology for seedbed quality evaluation is strongly needed to make sure good growing conditions are achieved efficiently. The objective of this study was to quantify the effect of the front leveling tines and the tillage depth of a cultivator on soil surface roughness and aggregate size distribution. Field tests were performed with a seedbed cultivator, using 5 different leveling intensities and 2 cultivation depths. Using a laser range scanner, the soil surface was mapped before, during and after cultivation. These surface maps were analyzed using Granulometry to estimate aggregate size distribution in the seedbed. Mean Weight Diameter (MWD) and Geometric Mean Diameter (GMD) were calculated based on these aggregate size estimates. Additionally, roughness was calculated based on the surface profiles produced by the laser range scanner. The leveling intensity showed a statistically significant effect on the MWD, GMD and roughness, however, the cultivation depth showed no evidence to suggest a significant effect. Finally, roughness calculated during and after cultivation had a good correlation, which shows that it is possible to use the laser range scanner for roughness measurements during the tillage operation.
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