Influence of tractor with frontal punching para-plough on soil physico-mechanical properties

Abstract

Recently, subsoil tillage has been widely used in the technology of seedbed preparation. This is explained by the fact that with this seedbed preparation technique, the soil structural composition is less disturbed since it is not overturned; the natural properties and biological activity are preserved, but soil loosening is made. Along with the positive features of this technique, the removal of excess moisture in deep layers worsens in the soils based on heavy loams. To eliminate this drawback, such an operation as soil slitting is performed in order to increase soil water permeability. In this regard, the research target was a punching para-plough which was patented as an invention. Its key feature is that its working body does not loosen the soil layer at a depth, but punches it with simultaneous compaction of the soil walls. This punching para-plough was installed on a class 5 (K-700A) semi-frame wheeled tractor aggregated with BDM-6×4p disc harrow. For comparison, we used a K-700A tractor with BDM-6×4p disc harrow without a punching para-plough installed. It was found that the installation of the proposed punching para-plough on the tractor due to the redistribution of the load between the tractor axles, there was a decrease of soil density in the arable horizon of 0.15 m by 7%, hardness decrease by 6.07% and rut depth decrease by 10.4% as compared to serial machine and tractor unit.