Effect of Soil Characteristics, Seeding Depth, Operating Speed, and Opener Design on Draft Forces During Direct Seeding.
B. A. Collins and D.B. Fowler

ABSTRACT

Direct seeding practices that promote soil and water conservation and reduce input costs have become an increasingly accepted alternative to conventional tillage systems in western Canada. The objective of the present study was to determine the relative importance of soil characteristics, seeding depth, operating speed, and opener design on draft forces during direct seeding in central Saskatchewan. Draft was measured for nine different openers operated at 1-5cm seeding depths and thee ground speeds in four untilled Chernozemic soils that differed in soil moisture and/or texture. The average increase in opener draft for all fields was 4% for each km h^-1 increase in speed. Although the range in soil consistency was small, there was a 24% increase in draft in heavy clay compared to sandy loam soil. Draft force of the average opener increased by nearly 20% for each centimeter increase in seeding depth. However, highly significant interactions among most of the variables investigated indicated that the relative performance of openers was not consistent for the range of conditions evaluated. Large differences among the draft forces of different openers operated at different depths in soils with different consistencies were particularly noteworthy. For example, a 4.5-fold increase in the draft of a low versus a high draft opener operated at 1.25 versus 5.0cm seeding depth at 7.5 km h^-1 in moist, heavy clay soil emphasized the large influence that opener design and seeding depth have a tractor power requirements and direct seeding input costs.

Keywords

Seeding depth, Operating speed, Opener design, direct seeding, raft forces, chernozemic soils

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