Seedbed preparation of the upper soil layer

Abstract

Increasing crop yields is the most important condition for intensifying agricultural production. High quality of various technological operations of soil preparation can significantly increase yields. It is especially important to prepare soil before seeding, it forms a habitat for plants, ensures uniform seeding in depth. Using heavy machines in agriculture, surface and subsurface soil layers undergo mechanical deformation with inevitable deterioration of its physical and biological properties. Density of surface and subsurface horizons increases, number of pores with a size of 0.2 … 10 microns decreases, which determine soil moisture content. Productivity of cultivated plants is influenced by effective fertility of not only surface layer, but also machines and tractors. Many studies have established that soil deformation during movement of cultivator hoe or wedge consists of two stages. At the first stage, soil particles located in close proximity to the hoe are displaced forward, forcing the layers in front to compress, when stresses in soil reach their limit values, a shift occurs at some distance from the toe of the hoe. At the second stage, soil begins to intensively move forward and upward and move along surface of working body. In this regard, resistance of soil to movement of individual parts of working body will be different. The article describes research that helps to determine ground unevenness. One of the possible measures to prevent compaction of the subsurface is presented - improving technology of preparing upper surface soil layer.