Effect of narrow opener geometry on lateral surface soil movement and implications for no-till seeding
Date
2011
Authors
Solhjou, A.A.
Fielke, J.M.
Desbiolles, J.M.A.
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Conference paper
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Resilient food systems for a changing world: 5th world congress of conservation agriculture, 2011, pp.167-170
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5th World Congress of Conservation Agriculture 2011 (26 Sep 2011 - 29 Sep 2011 : Brisbane, Australia)
Abstract
Australian no-till farming often uses narrow point openers to open the soil and place seed and fertilizer in the soil. They are generally used in conjunction with spraying pre-emergence herbicides for weed control and are followed by press wheels to pack soil over the seeds. These openers can create excessive soil disturbance and soil throw, with the effect of increasing the depth of soil cover on adjacent furrows (Desbiolles and Saunders, 2006), increasing stimulation of weed seed germination (Chauhan et al., 2006) and enhancing seedbed soil moisture loss (Chaudhuri, 2001). In Australian farming systems, pre-emergence herbicides are often mechanically incorporated by the sowing operation, and excessive lateral soil throw at seeding can result in herbicide contaminated soil reaching adjacent seed rows (Derpsch, 2007, Desbiolles and Saunders, 2006). The factors previously identified in the literature affecting soil movement include: soil condition such as texture, moisture and structure (Sharifat, 1999), tool settings such as speed and depth (Sharifat, 1999; Godwin, 2007) and opener geometry (Sharifat, 1999; Godwin, 2007; Chaudhuri, 2001). This paper reports on the soil movement created by a range of narrow points with various rake angles (angle contained between the active face of the opener and the direction of travel) and the use of a commercial bent leg style opener. The work used small aggregate size cubes in a grid pattern over the depth profile and across the path of the opener, acting as tracers to indicate 3D soil movement. This report outlines the results of surface tracer displacements only, as an estimate of the likely movement of pre-emergence herbicide sprayed on the soil surface by the mechanical incorporation process. This movement can affect both the efficacy of weed control and the potential risk of crop damage.
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Copyright 2011 A.A. Solhjou, J. Fielke, J. Desbiolles