Effect of Soil Moisture Content on Pulverization Energy of Moldboard Plow in Silty Loam Soil

Abstract

Field experiment was conducted to study the pulverization energy requirements to plow Moldboard plow in silty loam soil at three levels of moisture content including (8.92,16.62,29.24%) and three plowing depth (10, 15.25 cm) and three forward speed (0.45, 0.70, 1.05 m.sec-1) according to design RCBD method of split-split block design. The results showed that the soil in a moisture content 16.62% significantly surpass compared with soil in moisture content 8.92% and 29.24% in decreasing draft force, specific energy and Mean Weight Diameter (MWD) by 20.34% and 31.53%, 21.10% and 32.39%, 67.99% and 72.06%, respectively, while the equivalent energy and pulverization efficiency of the soil in a moisture content 16.26% increase compared with soil with moisture content 8.92% and 29.24% by 6.33% and 12.92%, 22.68% and 52.61%, respectively. The plowing depth had significant effect on all pulverization energy requirements indicators, whereas the draft force and Mean Weight Diameter (MWD) increased when increasing the plowing depth, while the specific energy, equivalent energy and pulverization efficiency decreased. The forward speed had a significant effect on the pulverization energy requirements. The draft force, specific energy and pulverization efficiency increased when increasing forward speed while Mean Weight Diameter (MWD) decreased. The results showed that the optimal operation conditions of plow were when the soil with a moisture content 16.26% and forward speed 1.05 m.sec-1 and plowing depth 10 cm, this the interference achieved best pulverization efficiency and Mean Weight Diameter (MWD) were 80.36% and 15.35 mm respectively.