Vegetos
(An International Journal of Plant Research & Biotechnology)
Performance evaluation of furrow openers for conservation tillage in intensive rice–wheat system
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Research Articles | Published: 27 June, 2025
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Keywords: Agricultural mechanization, Conservation tillage, Furrow openers, Discs, Sustainable agriculture
Abstract
This study was aimed to compare the performance of three different furrow openers, namely, concave disc (CD), double disc (DD), and punch hole (PH) in a paddy stubble field with excessive residues for the intensive rice–wheat rotation system (IRWRS). The furrow openers were tested under specific field conditions at three different working speeds (1.7, 2.2, and 3.4 kmh−1) and stubble heights (38, 45, and 52 cm). Efficacy of pertinent treatments were evaluated by measuring various dependent parameters such as plant emergence (PE), effective tillers (ET), plant height and the grain yield. The experimental results showed that the type of furrow opener and forward speed significantly impacted the dependent parameters. The CD and DD furrow openers outperformed the PH opener in plant PE, ET, and grain yield. Furthermore, the study found that, the performance of the furrow openers decreased substantially with an increase in forward speed. Overall, the CD furrow opener was found to be the most suitable tool for no-tillage seeding in the IRWRS, which could contribute to the adoption of conservation agriculture practices.
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Author Information
Department of Farm Machinery and Power Engineering, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, India