Performance of a seeder according to the displacement velocity and furrowing mechanism for fertilizer deposition

Abstract

ABSTRACT Agribusiness daily increases the demand for machinery with better efficiency, seeking to reduce operating costs and improve the quality of the sowing process. The objective of present study was to evaluate the quality of the longitudinal seed distribution and the operating performance of a seeder-fertilizer according to displacement velocity and furrowing mechanism for fertilizer deposition. The assay was conducted in the experimental area of the Department of Agricultural Engineering of the Federal University of Ceará. The experimental design was randomized blocks, in a 2 x 3 factorial, with four replicates with two furrowing mechanisms for fertilizer deposition (double disc and shank) and three displacement velocities (4.7, 6.3 and 8.2 km h-1). The results demonstrate that for the quality of seed distribution, the best performance was obtained with the use of the shank at velocity of 6.3 km h-1. The tractor-seeder set provided better operating performance using the disc, which promoted the lowest specific consumption at the velocity of 4.7 km h-1.