Disc Furrow Research Articles

Critical assessment of furrow openers and operational parameters for optimum performance under conservation tillage

Conservation Agriculture (CA) is an innovative approach that promotes sustainable farming while enhancing soil health. However, residue management challenges often hinder its adoption, causing farmers to burn crop leftovers in fields. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of various furrow openers under simulated soil bin conditions. Three types of furrow openers were examined: single disk (SD), Inverted T-type furrow opener with a plain rolling coulter (ITRC), and double disc (DD) furrow opener. Tests were conducted at different forward speeds (1.5, 2, and 2.5 km h−1) and with three straw densities (1, 2, and 3 t ha−1) at a consistent working depth of 5 cm. Draft measurements were obtained using load cells connected to an Arduino-based data-logging system. Results indicated that draft requirements increased with forward speed and straw density, while straw-cutting efficiency decreased with these factors. Average draft values for SD, ITRC, and DD were 290.3 N, 420 N, and 368.5 N, respectively, and straw-cutting efficiencies were 53.62%, 59.47%, and 74.89%, respectively. The DD furrow opener showed the highest straw-cutting efficiency (81.36%) at a working speed of 1.5 km h−1 and a straw density of 1 t ha−1, demonstrating optimal performance compared to other furrow openers.

Agronomic Techniques and Mechanized Harvesting Techniques for Yams Status and Countermeasures

Yams are increasingly recognized for their good health benefits as people increasingly focus on healthy eating and wholesome eating. However, the high cost of yam cultivation and harvesting, as well as the limited level of mechanization, severely restricted the development of the industry. For this deep rhizomatous, brittle, and breakable yam crop, mechanized harvesting is prone to breakage, skin breakage, and low damage rates to the intact crop. In this paper, we have analyzed the characteristics of yam, the current situation of the yam economy in China, the development of mechanized techniques for yam harvesting at home and abroad, and the constraints. In addition, the development of casing yam cultivation techniques and mechanization of harvest is also promising. It mainly introduced plowshare furrow openers, disc furrow openers, spiral furrow openers and chain furrow openers, double-row chain yam planting and harvesting machines, spiral yam harvesting and planting machines, fully hydraulically suspended single-row yam harvesters and vibrating yam harvesters.

Influence of Design of the Disk Furrow Opener of No-Till Sowing Machines on the Seedbed Quality

In the context of modern agriculture knowledge of soil properties becomes essential for the optimization of crop production. An increasing interest can be observed in last few years for conservative soil management practices such as no-tillage, that promise many long-term benefits for soil health. Aim of this research was to investigate the soil preparation mode for three models of disks (one flat and two corrugated) across different sowing speeds (3, 8 and 11 km/h) in order to identify ways to optimize no-tillage technology for crops with higher row spacing. Results have shown that soil cone index is a useful indicator for characterization of the general effect of sowing equipment on seedbed quality and consequently on root growth and plant development. More attention should be given in the future to possibilities to develop furrow openers and machines adapted to particular soil conditions as well as with real-time adjustment, in order to increase precision and feasibility of no-till sowing.

Discrete element method simulation of disc type furrow openers in paddy soil

For granular materials, discrete element modeling is one of the best computer tools to simulate their behavior and interactions. A field experiment was carried out to evaluate the performance of disc furrow openers in paddy soil. Discrete element simulation was done to develop a 3D DEM model for notched, toothed and double disc furrow openers using EDEM software. Hertz Mindlin contact model with bonding was applied for simulation to fulfill the obligations of the soil moisture and bonding between the cohesive particles. Simulated and field experimental data were compared to determine the applicability in the different working conditions. The results of the simulation validated the applicability of the Hertz-Mindlin contact model with bonding to simulate the no till paddy soil using an extremely narrow tillage tool. The calibrated value of normal and shear stiffness was 5×107 N/m, and the calibrated value of bond normal and shear strength was 3×107 Pa. The relative error (–1.7% to 20.6%) for the double disc furrow opener was lower as compared with that notch typed (29.2% to 44.4%) and toothed type (31.5% to 45.9%) furrow openers. Keywords: soil tillage, discrete element method, discrete element modeling, furrow opener, paddy soil DOI: 10.25165/j.ijabe.20201304.4800 Citation: Ahmad F, Qiu B J, Ding Q S, Ding W M, Khan Z M, Shoaib M, et al. Discrete element method simulation of disc type furrow openers in paddy soil. Int J Agric & Biol Eng, 2020; 13(4): 103–110.

Development of the Seed Drill to Suit Planting in Wet Soil

In this study, the seed drill with double disk furrow openers was developed to suit planting in wet soil (Heraty sowing) by adding an auxiliary furrow opener, disk cleaning blade and soil firming roller. The performance of the developed seed drill was evaluated at different planting forward speeds of 1.8, 2.3, 3.1, and 4.2 km/h; different sowing depth of 5, 6 and 7 cm; and two different soil moisture content of 34.5 and 31.1% (d.b.). The emergence ratio, emergence period, seed scattering, slippage ratio were measured, and also the required power, consumed energy and total cost were estimated. The obtained results revealed that the developed seed drill can used for sowing in wet soil (Heraty sowing) at planting forward speed not exceed a limit of 2.3 km/h, sowing depth ranged between 5 - 6 cm and soil moisture content not exceed 31.1% (d.b.).

Design and Fabrication of a Semi-Automatic Cassava Planter

A single-row semi-automatic cassava planter was developed at the Department of Agricultural and Environmental Engineering, Federal University of Technology, Akure, Nigeria. The planter consists of a hopper, a roller-picker, cutting unit, a belt conveyor acting as the metering device, a double disc furrow opener, a double disc furrow coverer, a gear transmission system, the frame and the land wheels. The planter is driven by a tractor of 41 horsepower (30.6 kW). The field test showed that the semi-automatic cassava planter satisfied the functional requirements of a planter. The planter was found suitable at a functional efficiency of 95.45%. The evaluation of the performance of the planter to determine its relationship with the forward speeds, land preparation, and lug arrangement of rigid wheel will further be carried out. This development will reduce the cost of planting by eliminating the extra labour required behind the tractor by the presently available commercial planters. It will also increase cassava production, reduce the present drudgery in planting cassava as well as attracting the youths into agricultural production.

The mechanism of resistance-reducing/anti-adhesion and its application on biomimetic disc furrow opener.

The black soil of Northeast China is sticky and agglomerates easily, which often adheres to the surface of a traditional furrow opener during the furrowing process. In this paper, biomimetic design principles in resistance-reducing, anti-adhesion and resistance-reducing mechanism of biomimetic disc furrow opener were studied. Nine kinds of singular convex hull, nine kinds of singular wedge and nine kinds of mixed convex hull and wedge structural biomimetic disc furrow opener were designed, and the furrowing process with the soil simulated by finite element method (FEM).Three types of biomimetic disc furrow opener with less resistance were manufactured by laser processing for comparative test in soil bin based on the simulation results. The test results showed that the resistance of the biomimetic disc furrow opener was less than that of the ordinary disc. The soil-disc stress, influence of biomimetic structures, moisture content and furrow speeds on resistance were discussed. The resistance-reducing rate of D-BC-3 reached the maximum value 15.36% at the furrow speed of 0.6 m/s and the soil moisture content of 20%. It is believed that the biomimetic design principles can provide the significant inspirations for the future design of disc furrow opener with drag reduction.

Performance of hoe and triple disc furrow openers on no-till grain drills in a fine sandy loam soil

The success of no-till crop production depends largely on achieving initial crop establishment. Many designs of no-till grain drill furrow openers have been developed to cut through surface residue and plant seeds into undisturbed soil; the opener performance can vary widely under different soil and residue conditions. A field experiment was conducted to compare seeding performance, implement draft and tractor fuel consumption for two no-till grain drills with contrasting opener types, hoe and triple disc, for planting wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) under Atlantic Canada conditions. A randomized complete block experimental design was employed with two no-till openers, three ground speeds, 5, 8 and 11 km h−1, and three target seeding depths, 20, 40 and 60 mm. Emergence counts and actual seeding depths were measured. Drill draft and tractor fuel consumption were measured with an instrumented tractor. Opener type and ground speed had no effect on seeding depth, vertical scatter of seed, or emergence rate indicating that both opener types performed equally well. Effect of ground speed on opener draft was not significant (P > 0.05), but effect of seeding depth was highly significant (P < 0.001) for both opener types; opener draft was about 200 N higher for the hoe than the triple disc opener at the same speed and depth. Tractor fuel consumption (L h−1) was higher for higher ground speeds, but when fuel consumption was expressed on an area basis (L ha−1), the fuel consumption was lower at higher ground speeds owing the improved tractor operating efficiency. This demonstrates opportunities for fuel savings by proper matching ground speed to tractor size. The results are applicable to similar soil conditions throughout the world, but may not be applicable in different or more difficult no-till seeding conditions such as a fine textured cohesive soil, compacted soil or large quantity of surface residue.

Seed‐Drill Opener Type and Crop Residue Load Affect Canola Establishment, but Only Residue Load Affects Yield

Core Ideas Canola establishment can be affected by the residues of the previous crop.Different planting tools may handle crop residue differently.Tine and disc furrow openers at different residue loads were tested.Canola performed best when established with tine openers and when residue load is low. Handling crop residue during planting operations is a challenge to conservation agriculture (CA) farmers worldwide. It remains unclear which tools are most effective in which conditions. Canola (Brassica napus L.), an oilseed crop widely used in rotation with cereals, is particularly sensitive to seedbed conditions, and thus may be influenced by residue loads and the choice of seed‐drill openers. To identify optimal planting practices, this study compared the performance of disc and tine openers on canola establishment, growth, and yield under differing residue loads in a Mediterranean‐type climate region. First, soil disturbance caused by disc and tine openers was evaluated to assess their effect on seedbed conditions; and second, the interacting effects of the openers with different residue loads was investigated. Tine openers and low crop residue loads resulted in the best (P &lt; 0.05) canola establishment. However, canola at reduced plant populations compensated in both biomass and grain yield, so that no yield differences resulted from different opener types, and only small yield differences occurred between residue loads (P &gt; 0.05).

Performance Evaluation of IARI Wheat Seed-cum-Fertilizer Plot Drill for Pearl Millet-Wheat Cropping System on Permanent Raised Bed System

A four-row IARI seed-cum-fertilizer plot drill developed at ICAR-IARI, New Delhi for permanent raised bed system was evaluated under pearl millet-wheat cropping system. The machine was fitted with two Oyjord metering mechanisms with four outlets for metering seed and fertilizer. Successful seeding on raised beds with pearl millet crop residue was achieved by first cutting the plant residue with a plain disc coulter, followed by seed drilling in narrow slit furrows opened by double disk furrow openers. The plot drill required 33.56 kW tractor for its operation in sandy loam soils, and two operators to feed measured quantity of seed and fertilizer. Field capacity of the plot drill was 0.17 ha.h-1 at 1.5 km.h-1 forward speed of operation. Field machine index, field efficiency and cost of operation were 72.72, 80 % and ` 648/- per hour, respectively. The plant stands of wheat sown on permanent raised beds with the developed plot drill were significantly higher than with precision plot drill.

DEM and soil bin study on a biomimetic disc furrow opener

To reduce the resistance and energy consumption of disc furrow openers, biomimetic coupling disc furrow openers (BCDFOs) that were inspired by digging animals (e.g., the convex hull of a dung beetle pronotum and the back-ridge scales of a pangolin) were designed as biomimetic coupling elements. The resistance of BCDFOs, analyzed by the discrete element method, was less than that of the common flat disc furrow opener (CFDFO). The effects of different structures on soil disturbances in the forward and lateral directions were analyzed. The soil swelling rate and soil disturbance coefficient were calculated to evaluate the soil disturbance characteristics. Three less resistant BCDFOs were manufactured and tested in soil bins with different working conditions (furrow speed = 0.6, 1 and 1.4 m/s; soil moisture contents = 18% and 22%). It was found that the furrow resistance of the BCDFOs was obviously less than that of the CFDFO under the same test conditions, thus indicating that the BCDFO concept was an efficient bioinspired design for efficient agriculture tillage.

Semeadura direta com diferentes mecanismos sulcadores: alterações em propriedades de um Latossolo Bruno e produtividade das culturas

The mechanisms of seeding machines to cut the mulch, mobilize the topsoil and deposit the seeds in the furrows modify soil properties and interfere in crop growth. This study sought to evaluate the effects of furrow openers and scarification on the attributes of a South Brazilian latosol (Bruno – oxisol) and crop yields. The treatments were: double disc furrow opener (DD); shovel type furrow opener (S); shoe type furrow opener (SH); and scarification followed by double disc furrow opener (SC+DD). Samples were collected at 0-10, 10-20 and 20-40 cm and evaluated for soil physical (bulk density, total porosity, macro and microporosity), chemical (pH, Ca, Mg, K and P) and organic carbon content. The normality of data was tested, and the analysis of the variance was performed (F test, p<0.05), and the means was compared by Tukey’s test (p=0.05). Soil attributes were analyzed for each layer separately. After four years it was observed that the bulk density is still affected by scarification, which reduces it. The successive use of DD in the winter for the implantation of the crops caused the homogenization of the soil, although with no differences on the other physical and chemical properties. In general, grain yield and dry mass were higher in the treatment that used scarification and the double disc during the summer, and the shoe type when compared to shovel type.

Performance Evaluation of IARI Wheat Seed-cum-Fertilizer Plot Drill for Pearl Millet-Wheat Cropping System on Permanent Raised Bed System

A four-row IARI seed-cum-fertilizer plot drill developed at ICAR-IARI, New Delhi for permanent raised bed system was evaluated under pearl millet-wheat cropping system. The machine was fitted with two Oyjord metering mechanisms with four outlets for metering seed and fertilizer. Successful seeding on raised beds with pearl millet crop residue was achieved by first cutting the plant residue with a plain disc coulter, followed by seed drilling in narrow slit furrows opened by double disk furrow openers. The plot drill required 33.56 kW tractor for its operation in sandy loam soils, and two operators to feed measured quantity of seed and fertilizer. Field capacity of the plot drill was 0.17 ha.h-1 at 1.5 km.h-1 forward speed of operation. Field machine index, field efficiency and cost of operation were 72.72, 80 % and ` 648/- per hour, respectively. The plant stands of wheat sown on permanent raised beds with the developed plot drill were significantly higher than with precision plot drill.

Design and experimental validation of sliding knife notch-type disc opener for a no-till combine harvester cum seed drill

One major constraint in developing a combine harvester cum seed drill (CHCSD) is the limited space available for the attachment of no-till furrow openers. Investigating the straw stubble cutting and furrow opening performance of small-sized disc furrow openers is critically important for the development and the optimization of the no-till seeding assemblies. A set of down-scaled sliding knife notch-type disc opener (SKO), modified notch-type disc opener (MNO) and smooth-type disc opener (SDO), with upper size limit of 160 mm, were designed and fabricated for field testing. Experimental results show that for small-sized disc furrow openers of the same type, a larger disc diameter yields a greater furrow depth and width. For small-sized disc furrow openers with an identical diameter, SKOs yield a greater furrow depth and width than MNOs, with SDOs yielding the lowest values. The measured furrow depth and width for an SKO with diameter of 160 mm are 3.52 cm and 3.56 cm, respectively, meeting the no-tillage furrowing requirements for a CHCSD. The highest stubble cover rate of 62.5% is obtained for the SKO with diameter of 160 mm. Therefore, this opener has greater ability to remove stubble from the furrow and seeding band than the other designs. Finally, experimental results of the stubble cutting rates confirm that, for irregularly placed straw and residue, the stubble cutting rate of the SKO with diameter of 160 mm is the highest at 61.7%. Keywords: no-tillage, small-sized, disc furrow opener, furrow type, stubble removal DOI: 10.25165/j.ijabe.20181104.3498 Citation: Qin K, Ding W M, Ahmad F, Fang Z C. Design and experimental validation of sliding knife notch-type disc opener for a no-till combine harvester cum seed drill. Int J Agric & Biol Eng, 2018; 11(4): 96–103.

Design and experiment on 2KF-15 type disc cutter and shallow fertilization machine in rubber plantation

At present, the trenching and fertilization machine has a serious weed plug problem when trenching and fertilization operation in rubber plantation. So a disc cutter and shallow fertilization machine in rubber plantation named 2KF-15 was designed, the design scheme used the front disc cutter cutting the grass, while using the rear of the disc furrow to trenching, the prototype of a disc anti-plugging trenching and shallow fertilization machine was completed. Afterwards, a series of trenching and fertilization field experiments were carried out, and the results showed that the ditching depth of this machine could achieve from 131 to 176 mm, and the average depth could reach 156 mm, the ditching depth stability coefficient could achieve 90.3%; The fertilizer amount of this machine could achieve from 113.2 to 156.4 kg/hm2, the average fertilizer amount reach 134.2kg/hm2, the fertilizer amount stability coefficient could achieve 89.6%, the fertilizer broken rate was 0%, the fertilizer coverage rate of 98.4%;The situation of fertilizer accumulation occurred less by using this machine, and the fertilization performance was relatively stable. This new designed machine for trenching, fertilization and covering the soil were carried out at the same time. So the number of operations could be effectively reduced. This new designed machine does not only meet the agronomic requirements of rubber plantation fertilization, but also provides a reference for the trenching and fertilization operation in other.

Comparative Performance of Various Disc-Type Furrow Openers in No-Till Paddy Field Conditions

Different furrow openers are required to be evaluated for their suitability to manage rice straw for direct planting of wheat in paddy fields. This study was carried out to assess the straw-cutting ability and draft requirements of four different disc-type furrow openers (notched, toothed, smooth-edge single disc, and double disc) in no-till paddy fields. The openers were attached to an in-field traction rig equipped with S-type load cells, and tested using three operating depths of 30, 60, and 90 mm, and three traveling speeds of 0.1, 0.2, and 0.3 m s−1. Vertical and horizontal forces acting on the openers were observed using LabVIEW software based data acquisition system. The results of this study indicated that the furrow opener type, operating depth, and speed significantly influenced the horizontal and vertical forces, as well as straw-cutting ability of the furrow openers. The highest draft and vertical force were noted for double disc-type furrow openers. The mean straw-cutting efficiency of notched, toothed, and smooth-edge single disc and double disc furrow openers were 12.4, 46.2, 11.4, and 78.5%, respectively. The double disc furrow opener (DD) produced the lowest level of hair-pinned straw and had the highest straw-cutting efficiency with a value of 88.6% at 90 mm operating depth, and therefore had the best performance in comparison with other furrow openers.

RELAY SOWING OF WHEAT IN THE COTTON–WHEAT CROPPING SYSTEM IN NORTH-WEST INDIA: TECHNICAL AND ECONOMIC ASPECTS

SUMMARYCotton–wheat (CW) is an important cropping system in South Asia. Wheat yields under a conventional CW system are generally lower compared to a rice–wheat system due to delayed seeding. Relay seeding of wheat can help timely sowing, capturing residual soil moisture of last irrigation to cotton, and increase the productivity and profitability of CW system. The field experiment included two Bt-cotton genotypes having different canopy cover (RCH 776 and MRC 7017), two types of relay seeders (RSs) for cotton planted at 67.5-cm and 101-cm row spacing and four types of relay seeding methods (manual broadcast, strip rotor (SR) and zero-till double disc and conventional till). Relay planting of wheat allowed one additional boll picking, which increased seed cotton yield by 12% compared with conventional tillage wheat. Cotton genotypes and RSs had no effect on emergence and yield of wheat. The RSs with SR and zero till double disc furrow openers performed better in terms of wheat emergence and grain yield compared to zero-till tine openers. Under relay seeding, wheat sowing was advanced by 31 days, which increased grain yield by 18.8% compared with conventional tillage practice. Net returns from the CW system with relay seeding of wheat were higher by US$ 311 to 425 ha−1 compared with the conventional CW system.

COMPARITIVE EFFECT OF SOME PLANTER FURROW OPENERS AND SEED COVERING DEVICES ON SOME SOIL PROPERTIES AND CROPS PRODUCTIVITY

Two field experiments were carried out at a private farm in East Qantara; Ismailia Governorate, Egypt during two cultivated successive seasons (summer and winter) of 2011. The experimentsaimed to compare the effect of planter furrow openers (single disc, double disc, hoe and shoe) and seed covering devices (press wheel, paddles and drag chains) on some soil physical properties and energy consumed of seeding operation as well as seed germination and biological yield of corn silage (Zea mays) and pea (Pisum sativum ) on sandy loam soil under sprinkler irrigation system. The comparative effect of studied furrow opener devices on the values of soil bulk density of cultivated surface soil depth (0- 15cm) under both crops in this study were ranked as hoe > shoe > single disc > double disc. While, the comparative effect of studied covering devices on the soil bulk density of cultivated surface soil depth values were ranked as wheel > paddles > drag chains. Under studied treatments, the lowest of soil bulk density value was 1.40 and 1.38 g/cm3 for double disc furrow with drag chains treatment at 40 and 3 days after the planting date of the corn silage, respectively. The obtained results showed that soil porosity values at 40 days of the planting date of the corn silage and pea plants were lower than after 3 days of planting under studied treatments. Under the same treatments, the soil porosity highest value was about 47.92 and 47.17 % for double disc furrow with drag chains treatment after 3 and after 40 days of the planting date for corn silage, respectively. At the same treatments, the highest value of soil porosity was 50.19 and 49.43 % for double disc furrow opener with drag chains treatment after 3 and after 40 days of the planting date of the pea plants, respectively. Soil water content takes the same trend of obtained results of soil bulk density and soil porosity using the furrow opener devices, while it takes the opposite trend with using covering devices at the same treatments. The obtained results revealed that the consumed energy values of corn silage varied 35.65 to 51.02 and 31.93 to 45.73 kW. h /fed for corn silage and pea plants under studied treatments, respectively. Generally the single disc furrow openers was less double disc, shoe and hoe furrow openers respectively. The biological yield values of corn silage varied between 39260 to 20410 kg/fed and 5299 to 815 kg/fed for pea plants under studied treatments, respectively. Also, the obtained results showed that the highest value of biological yield was 39260 and 5299 kg/fed at double disc furrow with wheel treatment for the corn silage and pea plants under the same treatments, respectively. The using double disc furrow opener with wheel treatment at seeding operation is preferabletreatment for increasing the productivity of studied crops.

A New Approach for Determination of Seed Distribution Area in Vertical Plane

The objective of this study was to develop a new method to evaluate the seed distribution area in vertical plane and compare it with the other methods. For this purpose, the different calculation methods of seed distribution area namely, standard deviational ellipse, voronoi polygons with delaunay triangulation, integral method, and developed one, the concave hull algorithm was considered and compared in this study. Three different types of no-till seeders equipped with hoe (NS1), single disc (NS2) and winged hoe (NS3) type openers were used and operated at three different tractor forward speeds (0.75 m s-1, 1.25 m s-1 and 2.25 m s-1). According to the results obtained from the study, it was found that the newly developed seed distribution evaluation procedure, concave hull, provided the smaller area values of the distributed seeds as compared to others. The influences of seeders were tested and it was found that the no-till seeder which has disc type furrow opener spread the seeds into larger areas. However, maximum variations of sowing depth values were observed at the no-till seeder with single disc furrow opener. Increasing tractor forward speeds resulted in an increased variation of sowing depth

Peformances of various furrow openers, covering components, and forward speeds of no-till seeders for sowing of winter wheat

ABSTRACT In the no-till method, seeds are placed in rows opened by furrow openers that can work under stubble field conditions, and are covered with soil and plant residue using covering components. Furrow openers and their properties are extremely effective in sowing seeds at certain depths and intra-row distances for various emergence and growth conditions. The performance of furrow openers depends on the sowing depth uniformity, the inter-row and intra-row seed distribution uniformity and the percentage of seed emergence. The purpose of this study is to determine effects of no-till seeders with different furrow opener types, covering components and forward speeds on certain important physical properties of the soil, stubble and seed distribution, and seed emergence of winter wheat. Three different types of no-till seeders; disc (NS-1), narrow hoe (NS-2), and chisel type furrow openers (NS-3), two different types of covering components; chain and spring type, and two forward speeds; FS-1 (2.7 km h -1 ) and FS-2 (5.4 km h -1 ) were used to achieve the purpose of this study. The no-till seeder with a disc type furrow opener achieved better stubble distribution on the soil surface, seed distribution, and percentage of seed emergence in comparison to no-till seeders with narrow hoe and chisel type openers. The best coverage rate of stubble on the soil surface, seed distribution, and percentage of seed emergence were obtained at a forward speed of 2.7 km h -1 . While the spring type covering component increased the inter-row and intra-row seed distribution uniformity and percentage of seed emergence in comparison to the chain type covering component, it decreased the mean emergence time.