Creation of longitudinal cracks on planting rows to enhance seedling emergence of cotton.
2009
Asadi, Ardeshir | Safa Pur, Farhad | Taki, Ourang | Miran Zadeh, Mokhtar | Qazvini, Hamid Reza
Stand establishment in crusting soil is one of the main problem in the production of crops with delicate seedlings such as cotton, onion and rape seed. The development of natural desiccation cracks along the planting lines is a new technique that can creates a route by which seedlings could emerge. In this research a pneumatic row crop planter was modified to provide physical conditions that are conducive to development of longitudinal cracks in the vicinity of planting lines. The results of first year showed that a by using a pre-opener in front of the main opener and a conical wheel which was replaced with the original flat wheel of the machine a shallow v-shaped furrow would remain on the planting lines. This led to development of longitudinal cracks over 85% of planting line which in turn brought about an emergence rate of 62% for cotton seeds where soil condition was similar to what farmers prepare for their conventional method. Comparing this technique with conventional method in Isfahan region showed that by using onetenth of the seed used currently in broadcasting method, a desirable stand establishment can be achieved without crust breaking or further thinning. This resulted in a more uniform stand distribution and a saving equal to wage of 14 laborer-days per hectare. Considering the higher moisture content of soil at deeper layer the effect of sowing depth on emergence rate was evaluated. The results revealed that as the sowing depth increases from 3-4 cm to 6-7 cm the emergence rate decreased and the crack techniqe could not improve seedlings emergence.
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