Design and development of a single beam winged subsoiler with shallow leading tines and potato crop response to subsoiling
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Date
2004-07
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G.B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Pantnagar - 263145 (Uttarakhand)
Abstract
The design and development of a single beam winged subsoiler with shallow leading tines was carried out by selecting the best parameters from the past investigations to alleviate the subsoil compaction or hard pan problems. The position of shallow leading tines with respect to the main winged tine was set at 500 mm (fixed) in X-direction i.e. longitudinal plane, 1050 mm (fixed) in Y-direction i.e. lateral plane and 0.5 times the working depth of main winged tine in Z-direction i.e. vertical plane. The field testing of developed subsoiler was carried out in sandy loam soil at an average moisture content of 12.33% (d.b.) to evaluate its performance on the basis of changes in soil dry bulk density, specific draft and wheel slippage at 250, 350 and 450 mm depths of operation. The results showed that there was uniform reduction in soil dry bulk density throughout the profile with maximum reduction of 13.71% for 300-450 mm profile depth at 450 mm depth of operation. The specific draft was obtained 38.40% and 21.68% lower, but wheel slippage was 54.87% and 35.20% higher than that of 250 mm and 350 mm depths of operation, respectively for 450 mm depth of operation.
The field experiment conducted in sandy loam soil for comparison of potato crop response with three tillage treatments such as conventional i.e. disk harrow х 3 + planker х 1 (T1), combined active-passive tillage machine (T2) and Winged subsoiler + Disk harrow х 1 + Planker х 1 (T3) showed that soil dry bulk density reduced to the maximum of 13.55% and soil hydraulic conductivity increased by 1.71 times over initial field condition after subsoiling treatment. However, the clod MWD and draft force were obtained 4.60% and 17.52%, and 24.67% and 125.78% lower with treatment T2 as compared to treatment T1 and T3, respectively. The potato crop response studies showed that plant emergence was better upto 98.89% in case of tillage treatment T2. However, the dry matter of shoots and leaves, roots and tubers for treatment (T3) was 10.63% and 17.61%, 13.40% and 19.00%, and 12.85% and 19.21% higher over treatments T2 and T1, respectively. The potato tuber yields under grade A (53.530 q/ha) and grade B (63.505 q/ha) were significantly (p<0.05) higher in treatment T3 by 37.96% and 25.88%, and 43.68% and 14.41% over T2 and T1 treatments, respectively. The highest tuber yield of 189.750 q/ha was obtained with subsoiling treatment (T3) which was 8.80% and 11.70% higher than that of treatments T2 and T1, respectively.
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