Soil physical characteristics and soil-tillage implement draft assessment for different variants of soil amendments
Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Faculty of Engineering, Department of Machinery Utilization, Kamycka 129, CZ 165 21 Prague 6 – Suchdol, Czech Republic
*Correspondence: psarec@tf.czu.cz
Abstract:
The article discusses the results of measurement of soil physical properties and implement draft that has been done within field trial established at Sloveč in the year 2014. Different variants of treatment with substances for soil (PRP Sol) and manure (PRP Fix) amendment with organic fertilisers of various origins have been examined in terms of their influence on several parameters including energy demand for soil tillage. In the first stage, soil physical properties, i.e. soil bulk density and cone index, were measured. The results indicate that at soil upper layer, cone index of all the trial variants dropped relative to control regardless of the manure origin, manure treatment with PRP Fix, or the application of PRP Sol. Concerning soil bulk density, observed drop in values can be discerned with the application of cattle manure, and with majority of variants using pig manure where there are high dosage rates, but the drop was found also with PRP Sol alone. Subsequently, draft of chosen tillage implements was measured in order to assess potential decrease in energy demand of treated variants. There was almost 3% drop in aggregate unit draft after manure, and soil and manure activators’ application compared to the control. The decrease was attained in all variants except three. Two of them were the variants of untreated manure (cattle and poultry origin) application and the third was the variant of poultry manure treated with PRP Fix with additional application of PRP Sol. Here though, the difference was minor only.
Key words:
activator of organic matter, draft, manure application, soil properties