Planters and their Components: Types, attributes, functional requirements, classification and description

Crop Production/Industries, Farm Management,

Precision Agriculture for Crop and Livestock Farming—Brief Review

In the last few decades, agriculture has played an important role in the worldwide economy. The need to produce more food for a rapidly growing population is creating pressure on crop and animal production and a negative impact to the environment. On the other hand, smart farming technologies are becoming increasingly common in modern agriculture to assist in optimizing agricultural and livestock production and minimizing the wastes and costs. Precision agriculture (PA) is a technology-enabled, data-driven approach to farming management that observes, measures, and analyzes the needs of individual fields and crops. Precision livestock farming (PLF), relying on the automatic monitoring of individual animals, is used for animal growth, milk production, and the detection of diseases as well as to monitor animal behavior and their physical environment, among others. This study aims to briefly review recent scientific and technological trends in PA and their application in crop and livestock farming, serving as a simple research guide for the researcher and farmer in the application of technology to agriculture. The development and operation of PA applications involve several steps and techniques that need to be investigated further to make the developed systems accurate and implementable in commercial environments.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Modelling and optimisation of no-till seeder dynamics for precise seeding depth

Achieving better seeding depth consistency in no-till seeding is a critical performance metric of the seeding machine and is of great importance due to its profound effect on reliable seed germination and seedling emergence resulting in a yield increase. Growing implementation of no-tillage in big size farms requires high-capacity seeding machines with increased operation speed and working width. Thus, the increased capacity of the seeding machine as well as harsh soil conditions like the surface undulations and the presence of previous crop residues make the desired working quality of no-till seeders challenging for both designers and manufacturers. The aim of this cumulative dissertation was to optimise a no-till seeder dynamics in terms of vertical motion stability for better seed placement under realistic high-capacity performance. To fulfil this aim, an approach to achieve the desired dynamic behaviour of the seeder was carried out based on three phases: (1) evaluation of the seeder dynamic performance by defining the relationship between the seeder dynamics and the corresponding seeding depth variation, (2) modelling and simulation of the seeding assembly motion dynamics to specify a control system (e.g. MR damper system) for dynamics improvement, (3) implementation of the defined system into the seeding assembly and testing of the new seeding assembly prototype. The present work was the first approach to optimise the dynamic motion behaviour of a no-till seeder by implementing an MR damper system into its seeding assembly for better seed placement under realistic high-capacity working conditions. The AMAZONEN no-till direct seeder was an ideal candidate for this investigation as it contains 12 identical tine type seeding assemblies where the operating depth is defined by the position of the packer wheel. Under working conditions, the maximum width is 3 m resulted from the inter-row distance of 0.25 m between the seeding assemblies. The seeding assemblies are provided with downforces using a hydraulic cylinder in order to keep the packer wheel of the assemblies on the ground and to maintain a consistent seeding depth during seeding operation. Concurrent and geo-referenced sensor data made it possible to acquire the dynamics parameters of the seeder and the corresponding soil surface profiles (the point where the packer wheel touches the ground). This together with the measured 3D geo-referenced position of the seeds gave the opportunity to define the reason of high variations in seeding depth. A sensor-frame was developed, utilising up-to-date sensor technology, to capture the seeder dynamics and to determine the corresponding soil surface profile. A combination of strains recorded at the three corresponding points of the seeding assembly using linear strain gauges was employed to calculate the vertical forces, draught forces and the profile impact forces. A new methodology was introduced to extract the absolute seeding depth from the combination of the determined surface profile and the measured 3D position of the seeds in absolute coordinates. Geo-referenced coordinates of seed positions in combination with geo-referenced surface profile and machine dynamics parameters, offered the possibility to define the reason of seeding depth variation. To do that, the relation between the forces (i.e. vertical and profile impact forces) and the variation of seeding depth was defined by correlating the spatial frequency contents of each dataset. An investigation of the seeder dynamics was carried out by modelling and simulating its performance based on measured data (e.g. determined surface profile and vertical forces) to define a system that can reduce the effect of the forces for better seed placement in no-till seeding. The seeding assembly together with and without a MR (magnetorheological) damper system, which was considered to be located in-between the coulter and the packer wheel, was introduced as a semi-active and passive system. Furthermore, three hysteresis models, such as Bingham, Dahl and Bounc-Wen model, were applied for the semi-active MR damper system behaviour. Among the models, the Bouc-Wen model demonstrated more significant improvements over the passive system model. Analysis of the performance of the semi-active MR damper implemented seeding assembly against the passive system proved the vertical motion dynamics of the assembly, in terms of vertical displacements (52.3%) and its affecting forces (54.1%) to be optimised for better seed placement. Testing the performance of the MR damper implemented seeding assembly compared with that of the original seeding assembly confirmed the potential of the MR damper implemented seeding assembly. The dynamics of the seeding assembly with the MR damper depicted a reduction of 67.69% in the amplitude of the impact forces compared to the original seeding assembly. Consequently, the improvement in the dynamics resulted in better seed placement. The variation of the damped seeding depth, as it was the performance of the seeding assembly with the MR damper, compared to the target seeding depth resulted in an absolute error of 11.9 mm for 95% of its samples, which is considerably less than the error with a value of 21.3 mm for the seeding depth variation resulted from the original seeding assembly. By designing the seeding assembly with the MR damper system, the dynamics of seeding machine can be significantly optimized for better seeding depth consistency.Das Erreichen einer gleichmäßigen Saattiefe ist bei der Direktsaat eine kritische Leistungsmetrik der Sämaschine und ist von großer Bedeutung für eine zuverlässige Keimung und ein gleichmäßiges Auflaufen des Saatgutes und der daraus resultierenden Ertragssteigerung. Die wachsende Implementierung von Nicht-Bodenbearbeitung in großen Betrieben erfordert Hochleistungs-Sämaschinen mit erhöhter Arbeitsgeschwindigkeit und großer Arbeitsbreite. So sorgen die erhöhte Kapazität der Sämaschine sowie harte Bodenbedingungen wie Oberflächenunebenheiten und das Vorhandensein von Ernterückständen dafür, dass die gewünschte Arbeitsqualität der Direktsaatmaschinen sowohl für die Konstrukteure als auch für die Hersteller eine Herausforderung darstellt. Das Ziel dieser kumulativen Dissertation war die Optimierung einer Direktsaat-Dynamik in Bezug auf die vertikale Bewegungsstabilität für eine verbesserte Saatgutplatzierung unter realistischen Bedingungen mit hoher Flächenleistung. Um dieses Ziel zu erreichen, wurde das gewünschte dynamischen Verhaltens der Sämaschine anhand von drei Phasen evaluiert: (1) Bewertung der dynamischen Leistung der Sämaschine durch definieren der Beziehung zwischen der Sämaschinendynamik und der entsprechenden Variation der Saattiefe, (2) Modellierung und Simulation der Bewegungsdynamik der Säaggregate zur Spezifizierung eines Steuersystems (z.B. MR-Dämpfersystem) zur Dynamikverbesserung, (3) Implementierung des definierten Systems in die Säaggregate und den Test des neuen Prototyps. Die vorliegende Arbeit war der erste Ansatz zur Optimierung des dynamischen Bewegungsverhaltens einer Direktsaatmaschine durch die Implementierung eines MR-Dämpfungssystems in ein Säaggregat für eine bessere Saatgutablage unter realistischen Arbeitsbedingungen mit hoher Kapazität. Die Direktsaatmaschine AMAZONE war ein idealer Kandidat für diese Untersuchung, da sie 12 identische Zinkenanbaugruppen enthält, bei denen die Arbeitstiefe durch die Position des Packerrades definiert wird. Unter Arbeitsbedingungen ist die maximale Breite 3 m, die sich aus dem Reihenabstand von 0,25 m zwischen den Säaggregaten ergibt. Die Säaggregate werden mit Hilfe eines Hydraulikzylinders mit Abtriebskräften versehen, um das Packerrad der Aggregate auf dem Boden zu halten und eine gleichbleibende Saattiefe während des Säbetriebs zu erhalten. Gleichzeitig erfasste und georeferenzierte Sensordaten ermöglichten die Erfassung der Dynamikparameter der Sämaschine und der entsprechenden Bodenoberflächenprofile (der Punkt, an dem das Packerrad den Boden berührt). Zusammen mit der gemessenen georeferenzierten 3D-Position der Samen ergab sich die Möglichkeit, die Ursachen für eine hohe Variation in der Saattiefe zu ermitteln. Es wurde ein mit modernster Sensortechnologie ausgestatteter Sensorrahmen entwickelt, um die Dynamik der Sämaschine zu erfassen und das entsprechende Bodenoberflächenprofil zu bestimmen. An drei bestimmten Punkten der Säaggregate wurde unter Verwendung von linearen Dehnungsmessstreifen Dehnungen aufgezeichnet, um die vertikalen Kräfte, Zugkräfte und die Profilaufprallkräfte zu berechnen. Eine neue Methodik wurde entwickelt, um die absolute Saattiefe aus der Kombination des ermittelten Oberflächenprofils und der gemessenen 3D-Position der Samen in absoluten Koordinaten zu extrahieren. Die georeferenzierten Koordinaten der Saatgutpositionen in Kombination mit georeferenzierten Oberflächenprofil- und Maschinendynamikparametern boten die Möglichkeit, die Ursache für die Variation der Saattiefe zu bestimmen. Um dies zu tun, wurde die Beziehung zwischen den Kräften (d.h. die vertikalen und Profilaufprallkräften) und der Variation der Saattiefe durch Korrelieren der räumlichen Frequenzinhalte eines jedes Datensatzes bestimmt. Eine Untersuchung der Sämaschinendynamik wurde durchgeführt, indem ihre Leistung basierend auf gemessenen Daten (z. B. bestimmtem Oberflächenprofil und vertikalen Kräften) modelliert und simuliert wurde, um ein System zu entwickeln, das den Einfluss der Kräfte auf die Samenplatzierung beim pfluglosen Säen verbessern kann. Das Säaggregat mit und ohne MR (magnetorheologisches) Dämpfersystem zwischen dem Säschar und dem Packerrad liegend, wurde als semiaktives und passives System eingeführt. Darüber hinaus wurden drei Hysteresemodelle wie das Bingham-, Dahl- und Bounc-Wen-Modell für das semiaktive MR-Dämpfersystemverhalten verwendet. Unter den Modellen zeigte das Bouc-Wen-Modell signifikantere Verbesserungen gegenüber dem passiven Systemmodell. Die Analyse der Leistungen der semiaktiven MR-Dämpfer-implementierten Impfanordnung gegenüber dem passiven System bewies, dass die vertikale Bewegungsdynamik in Bezug auf vertikale Fehlplatzierung des Samens (52,3%) und ihre beeinflussenden Kräfte (54,1%), um für besseres Saatgut optimiert zu werden Platzierung. Das Testen der Leistung der mit dem MR-Dämpfer implementierten Säanordnung im Vergleich zu der der ursprünglichen Säanordnung bestätigte das Potenzial der MR-Dämpfer-implementierten Säanordnung. Die Messung des Säaggregates mit dem MR-Dämpfer zeigte eine Reduzierung der Amplitude der Aufprallkräfte um 67,69% im Vergleich zur ursprünglichen Säeinheit. Folglich führte die Verbesserung der Dynamik zu einer besseren Saatgutplatzierung. Die Saattiefe, wie sie bei der Sämaschine mit dem MR-Dämpfer vorlag, wies im Vergleich zur Soll-Saattiefe bei 95% der Stichproben einen absoluten Fehler von 11,9 mm auf, der erheblich geringer ist als der absolute Fehler von 21,3 mm Saattiefe beim Vergleichsaggregat. Durch die Ausstattung der Sämaschine mit dem MR-Dämpfersystem kann die Ablagegenauigkeit in der Saattiefe signifikant optimiert werden

Optimising conservation tillage systems for wheat and oilseed rape production.

The aims of the thesis are to determine the effect of different conservation tillage systems on the agronomic, environmental and economic performance of a wheat and oilseed rape rotation, and to understand the processes involved so that the systems can be improved. The field research examined five systems over three seasons (September 2013 to August 2016) in two fields (one clay and one clay loam) in Northamptonshire. The most disruptive tillage treatment was the Farm system comprising the use of a Sumo Trio when establishing oilseed rape, and the Sumo Trio and a Kuhn seed drill when establishing wheat. The least disruptive system was a Väderstad Seed Hawk or Rapid. The other three treatments were all one pass conservation tillage systems comprising a Claydon Hybrid Drill, a Mzuri Pro til 3, and a Sumo Deep Tillage Seeder (DTS). To understand the effect on draught and soil disturbance, specific components of the systems were tested under controlled conditions at Cranfield University’s soil bin facility. The shallow working Väderstad required the lowest draught and disturbed less soil than deep working treatments. A low aspect ratio (working depth/implement width) and rake angle reduced the draught. In the field immediately after tillage, the Farm system showed the greatest reduction in bulk density and penetration resistance at 0-50 mm and 150-200 mm, but this effect was not maintained during the season. The level of surface residue was lowest (15%) with the Farm system and greatest (75%) with the Väderstad. The shallow Väderstad led to the highest earthworm abundance in all years and both fields, proportions of water stable aggregates and microbial biomass carbon in third and first year respectively. In the clay field, blackgrass infestation doubled from 8.2% in 2013-14 to 16.0% in 2015-16; it was not a major problem in the clay loam field. Due to high variability, there was no significant effect (p>0.05) of tillage treatments on the yield of wheat and oilseed rape over the 3-year trial period in either field, except when delayed drilling of oilseed rape with the Sumo DTS in September 2015 which led to reduced yields. At a reduced significance level of p=0.15, higher yields observed for Väderstad and Mzuri in the clay soil were associated with higher levels of organic matter. The relative profitability of the five systems was primarily determined by the assumed yields and secondly by the cost of the systems. The predicted annual net margin for the five systems varied from £545 to £659 ha¯¹. The calculated cost of the five tillage systems (assuming working areas ranging from 370 to 1,100 ha) ranged from £11 to £31 ha¯¹ a¯¹, with the lowest cost achieved by the 6 m Claydon system. Assuming blackgrass weeds are not an issue, shallow low disturbance systems can result in low costs, improved soil biology and carbon storage, and sustainable high yields

No-till cropping systems in Oklahoma

The Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service periodically issues revisions to its publications. The most current edition is made available. For access to an earlier edition, if available for this title, please contact the Oklahoma State University Library Archives by email at [email protected] or by phone at 405-744-6311

Increasing Sustainability Of Agricultural Systems Through Adaptive Crop Management Practices And Technologies

University of Minnesota Ph.D. dissertation. June 2017. Major: Applied Plant Sciences. Advisors: Michael Wells, Jeffrey Coulter. 1 computer file (PDF); vi, 92 pages.Cover crops can provide ecological services and improve the resiliency of annual cropping systems; however, cover crop use is low in corn (Zea mays L.)-soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] rotations in the upper Midwest due to challenges with establishment. Our objective was to compare three methods to establish five cover crops in corn at the seven leaf collar stage. Establishment methods included directed broadcast of seed into the inter-row (DBC), directed broadcast with light incorporation (DBC+INC), and a high-clearance drill (DRILL). Fall cover crop biomass was greater with the DRILL method than DBC for all cover crops except pennycress, and the DRILL and DBC+INC methods resulted in greater spring biomass for red clover and hairy vetch than DBC. Cover crop biomass and N uptake in the spring was among the greatest with winter rye (means = 971 kg DM ha-1 and 25 kg N ha-1, respectively). Cover crop treatments did not affect corn grain or silage yield, and reduced seed yield of the subsequent soybean crop by 0.4 Mg ha-1 (10%) only when poor termination of hairy vetch occurred at Lamberton. Soil nitrate N was reduced by winter rye at both locations and by hairy vetch, red clover, and pennycress at Waseca, compared to the no cover control. These results demonstrate that cover crops can be interseeded into corn at the seven leaf collar stage in the upper Midwest to reduce residual soil nitrate N while maintaining corn and subsequent soybean yields; however; appropriate timing and method of cover crop termination is critical to avoid competition with the subsequent soybean crop. Winterkill of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) causes substantial yield losses in northern environments, requiring alternative forages to meet livestock needs. This study explores the forage crop yield, nutritive value and N response of seven annual forage species and one grass-legume biculture, no-till planted into spring-terminated alfalfa. Forages were planted in late-May with split-plot factors of three N fertilizer rates (0, 56, and 112 kg N ha-1) and were harvested on approximately 30-d intervals. When successfully established, teff [Eragrotis tef (Zuccagni) ‘Summer Lovegrass’] and sudangrass [Sorghum bicolor (L.) subsp. drummondii (Nees ex Steud.) ‘PCS 3010’] were among the highest-yielding species, with yields ranging from 4.2 to 9.9 Mg DM ha-1 and 6.8 to 8.9 Mg DM ha-1, respectively. Fertilizer N increased yields of all species at Rosemount in 2014; however, N needs were met by terminated alfalfa at both locations in 2015. Weed biomass increased with the addition of fertilizer N in site-years when weeds were present. Nitrogen fertilization did improve forage nutritive value through decreased neutral detergent fiber concentration and increased crude protein concentration and neutral detergent fiber digestibility (48-hr in-vitro) in all site-years. However, N fertilization had no effect on economic net return in two of three site-years. Annual ryegrass [Lolium multiflorum (Lam.) ‘Jumbo’] most consistently resulted in the greatest net return. No-till planting annual forages into terminated alfalfa can provide forage to offset losses and utilize alfalfa N in situations of alfalfa winterkill. In-field estimations of alfalfa yield and nutritive value can inform management decisions to optimize forage quality and production. However, acquisition of timely information at the field scale is limited using traditional measurements such as destructive sampling and assessment of plant maturity. Remote sensing technologies (e.g. measurement of canopy reflectance) have the potential to enable rapid measurements at the field scale. Canopy reflectance (350‐2500 nm) and LiDAR-estimated canopy height were measured in conjunction with destructive sampling of alfalfa across a range of maturity at Rosemount, MN in 2014 and 2015. The full range of reflectance data was processed with stepwise regression using the Bayesian Information Criterion to identify individual wavebands most correlated with alfalfa nutritive value. Models were reduced by spectral range and number of wavebands to improve model utility., and cumulative Growing Degree Units (GDUs) and canopy height were added as predictors. Optimum predictions of R2 = 0.89, 0.91, 0.89, 0.87 for yield, crude protein, neutral detergent fiber, and neutral detergent fiber digestibility (48-hr in-vitro). This research establishes potential for remote sensing measurements to be integrated with environmental information to achieve rapid and accurate predictions of alfalfa yield and nutritive value at the field scale for optimized harvest management

Slope stability along active and passive continental margins: a geotechnical approach

Submarine mass movements are widespread at submarine slopes and play an important role in transporting sediments across the continental slope to the deep basin, as well as potential danger to both offshore infrastructures (e.g., pipeline, cables and platforms) and coastal areas (e.g., slope failure-induced tsunamis). Sliding of the sediments on continental slope takes place when the shear stress within sediments exceeds the shear strength thereby causing slope failure. Slope failures are generally controlled by long-term preconditioning factors (e.g., high sedimentation rate, weak layer and oversteepening) and short-term triggering mechanisms (e.g., earthquake, anthropogenic activity). However, the exact causes for the different slope failure styles are still poorly understood. In summary, this thesis investigates preconditioning factors and triggering mechanisms governing slope instabilities of three distinct submarine landslides areas in passive and active continental margin settings. Geotechnical properties of sediments from undeformed, headwall and deposits present different stress histories and shear strengths (undrained and drained shear strength). Geotechnical results are used for infinite slope stability of undeformed sediments under various conditions (undrained and drained, each static and earthquake conditions) to identify the preconditioning factors and quantify the influence of earthquakes as a key factor in slope failing mechanisms. The three distinct case studies are located at: (1) the passive continental slope of Uruguay and north of Argentina, (2) the low seismic and tectonically active Gela foreland basin, central Mediterranean continental margin, and (3) the moderate seismic and tectonically active back-arc basin, deeper slope of the Ligurian margin, Southern France