Influence of seed positioning during sowing on the amount of deviation of plant sprouts from the straightness of rows

Abstract

To care for crops without damaging plant sprouts, a safe distance must be maintained from the wheels of the tractor and the working parts of the agricultural machine to the root system of the plant rows, which is determined by the size of the protective zone. Despite this, in some cases, during inter-row cultivation or care of crops, damage occurs to individual plant sprouts that are significantly deviated from the axis of symmetry of the row. This is due to the type of location of the seeds during sowing relative to the axis of symmetry of the seed row, the profile of the field and the content of the soil fraction of the surface layer of soil located above the sown seeds, gaps in the steering drive connections and the qualifications of the driver. Among them, the first two factors are probabilistic in nature and significantly affect the deviation of seedlings from the straightness of the rows and the setting of the size of the protective zone. Theoretical and experimental studies have shown that the deviation of sprouts under the influence of these factors from the straightness of the rows of plants is on average ±2.58 cm, which should be taken into account when determining the size of the protective zone.