Determination of quality of cultivation by means of soil spiker

Studies are carried out with the purpose of increase of soil cultivation quality through the improvement of technological process and design of a soil spiker with variable wedge angle of needles. When rotary needle working organs influence the soil, the following processes take place: the partial soil casting back and aside, soil layer hoeing, clods crumbling, plant remains burial and their extraction from soil, weed destruction and leveling of microrelief roughness. Quality indicators of performance of soil cultivation process by means of experimental section of soil spiker are determined. Investigations of soil cultivation process by means of experimental and serial sections of soil spiker are carried out on an experimental unit. Experimental section contains a disk with needles having the wedge angle of 9 and 5 degrees. The section of universal multifunction 5.4 beet hoe is used as a serial one. The soil samples are obtained in soil layers at a depth of 0-5; 5-10 and 10-20 cm. Soil quality indicators are determined according to state standards of the Ukraine 11465-2001 «The quality of the soil. Determination of dry matter and mass humidity» and 11272-2001 «The quality of the soil. Determination of density of structure on dry weight». The experiments are conducted in three replications. Following quality indicators of soil loosening by means of soil spiker are established as results of the studies: the cutting (destruction) of weeds in treatment area is 98.5%; the content of fractions of size up to 25 mm for needles with wedge angle of 5 degrees is 88.2%, for needles with wedge angle of 7 degrees - 90.5%, for needles with wedge angle of 9 degrees - 93.5%.

soil spiker, soil spiker needle, soil density, soil moisture, cultivation depth