Evaluation of tillage tools at different working speeds and soil water contents

Soil tillage is a relevant agricultural practice with important effects on soil physical properties and energy use. The objective of this study was to measure the cross-sectional area of worked soil, working depth, working width, draught and specific draught for different tillage implements, including disc plow, vibratory chisel plow and rigid chisel plow, at three soil water contents (0.05; 0.12 y 0.15 g g(-1)) and three forward speeds (1.12; 1.45 and 1.80 m s(-1)). The results showed that water content affects all the parameters analyzed, particularly for disk and vibratory chisel plow. The rigid chisel plow is energy efficient to loosen soil, with low specific draught and high cross-sectional area of working soil. Tillage at 0.12 g g(-1) water content gave the lowest draught requirement for soil aggregate reduction.