Assessing the influence of speed of operation on soil cover thickness and width, field capacity and field efficiency

Abstract

A mini tractor operated mulch laying machine with fertilizer arrangement machine was developed for laying of plastic mulch paper for different crops. All the machine components i.e. three-point linkage, bed former, drip lateral laying unit, fertilizer application unit, mulch paper roll carrier unit, press wheel and soil covering unit mounted on the main frame. The machine performance evaluated in the actual field conditions. The results of soil parameters concluded that, the moisture content of soil 20.4 percent, bulk density of soil 1.27 g/cm3 and soil pulverization index 1.7 mm. The speed of operation shows their effect on the thickness of soil cover, width of soil cover, field capacity and field efficiency. The performance results concluded that, decreasing the speed of operation allows the equipment to disturb and move more soil, which results in an increases layer of soil thickness and width of the soil cover. The field capacity and field efficiency increase with higher operational speeds and improves overall productive time and reduce the non-effective time per hectare.