Performance and Effects on Soybean Cultivation of Disk Cultivator-Ridger (Part 2)

——Comparison of Effects on Trafficability, Soil Pulverizing Performance and Earthing up Performance with Rotary Cultivators——

Abstract

The effects on trafficability, soil pulverizing performance and earthing up performance of disk cultivator-ridgers were investigated 30 times in five fields planted with soybean in comparison with rotary cultivators. The following results were obtained. (1) In wet soil conditions, we observed over 30% slippages of the tractor installed with a disk cultivator-ridger and an up-cut rotary cultivator. (2) The soil pulverizing performance of a disk cultivator-ridger in wet soil conditions was better than that of a down-cut rotary cultivator installed with earthing up ridgers, and was almost the same as that of an up-cut rotary cultivator. (3) Although there was no significant difference in optimal earthig up rate, the rate of buried soybean plants and rate of lodged soybean plants between the disk cultivator-ridger and the rotary cultivator, earthing up performance near the plants of the disk cultivator-ridger was better than that of the rotary cultivator.