USING AND VERIFYING SEEDCHASER MODEL TO EVALUATE THE ROLE OF TILLAGE MACHINES IN SEED WEED DISTRIBUTION IN NEW EL-SALHIA REGION

Abstract

The vertical distribution of weed seeds following tillage using SeedChaser Model for describing the vertical redistribution of weed seeds following the selected (a) different tillage implements, and (b) the initial seed distribution values. In order to validate of SeedChaser model, eight tillage implements were examined for estimation of the model including the conventional treatment which widely used in New El Salhia region (chiseling twice). The tillage implements were tested in field experiments and compare with data collected from estimation of the model. Tillage implements that were extrapolated were coded in the Java programming language which predicts the movement of weed seeds following a user selectable sequence of tillage events. The resulted data indicated that using Paraplow and disc plow showed a weed infestation which increased in few weeks, compared with other tillage techniques. While a significant reduction in weed infestation resulted during conventional tillage, and chisel plow treatments. In the 1st period on 22nd of June, no remarkable weeds infestation was happened, dry mass of the weeds was less than 45 (g/m2) in all treatments. While on 22nd of July, a remarkable existence of the weeds was found, it was less than 40 (g/m2) for conventional, chisel, mouldboard and rotovator implements, while it was more than 64 (g/m2) for both paraplow and disc plow. Through the last period on 22nd August the weed infestation was clearly found, the paraplow and disc plow were represented the higher values as compared with the other techniques, it was more than 114 (g/m2), while the conventional tillage treatment was the lowest value by less than 15 (g/m2). The crop yield values under studied simulated implements were ranked as conventional treatment > chisel plow > mouldboard plow > rotovator > rigid tine spike > power harrow > disc plow > paraplow. The obtained results revealed that the crop yield values ranged between 20410 to 39260 under studied treatments. Polynomial equations were computed for the measured and estimated data for all experimented implements which showed that R2 varied from 0.5673 to 0.9368 with no exceptions for non significant relations. This clearly means acceptable application of SeedChaser model for forecasting the distribution of weed seeds under El Salhia location with the applied implements.