Abstract
We performed a 2-year cultivation demonstration and management evaluation in a field with a 3-year, 4-crop paddy-upland rotation system of a large individual agricultural management entity at Kora, Inukami, Shiga prefecture, Japan to verify effects of the introduction of a high-speed ridge forming seeder for soybean （4-row prototype） cultivation, developed cooperatively by the National Agriculture and Food Research Organization and Agritechno Search Co., Ltd. for paddy-upland rotation systems. Then we compared those results with those obtained using a rotary seeder conventionally used in the area （hereinafter designated as the conventional machine）. Compared to results obtained with the conventional machine, the seeding efficiency and work efficiency in intertillage ridging of the 4-row prototype were as high as 2 and 1.4 times, respectively. In 2020, when heavy rains occurred in July, in the fi eld where the 4-row prototype was used where ridging was conducted during seeding, resulting in better initial growth than in the fi eld sown using the conventional machine. For both years, the grain weight in the 4-row prototype fi eld was at least equivalent to that achieved using the conventional machine. The numbers of nodes and pods were significantly greater in 2020. Management was evaluated based on the results presented above, indicating increased profits by 1,277 – 3,673 yen per 1000 m2 because the 4-row prototype exhibited better work efficiency for seeding and intertillage ridging than the conventional machine, thereby reducing the labor cost by approximately 50% and ensuring at least equivalent yield. Based on those points explained above, introduction of the 4-row prototype to large agricultural management entities is estimated to have strong effects because it can seed large areas during the rainy season if the soil is in good condition. Therefore, stable yields and better profits can be expected.
