Comparison Study between the Field Performance of a Movable Boards and Conventional Ditch Openers in Cultivated and Uncultivated Soils, Part 3: The Specific Resistance

Abstract

The field performance of movable boards ditch opener (MB) andconventional ditch opener (CD) was contrasted by using a specific resistance todetermine the optimum performance of either one of them. The comparisonwas conducted using three operating depths (30, 40 and 50cm), three anglesbetween the boards of MB (45, 60 and 750), one angle for CD (650) because itsboards were fixed, three wings width of the foot of MB whereas, for CD, oneshare width (35cm) and two soil types (cultivated and uncultivated). CD couldnot penetrate the uncultivated soil more than 25cm so that there was oneoperating depth. The results of the experiments showed that SR for MBdecreased as the operating depth, the angle between the boards and the width ofthe wings of the foot in both soil types were increased. Specific resistance (SR)for CD also decreased as the operating depth increased in the cultivated soil,but in the uncultivated soil, CD could not penetrate the soil more than 25cm.SR for MB was lower than that for CD for all operating depths, the anglebetween the boards, the width of the wings of the foot in both soil types. SR forMB and CD in the cultivated soil was low compared to uncultivated soil. Thesoil type decreased SR for MB more than the operating depth, the anglebetween its boards and the width of its wings. On the other hand, the anglebetween its boards reduced SR more than the width of the wings and theoperating depth. MB surpassed CD in giving lower SR and that means the fieldperformance of MB was higher than that for CD.