Aim of study: The objective was evaluating the peanut combining process quality in three soil tillage systems associated with threshing and separation systems efficiency of peanut combine available on market.
Area of study: Brazil.
Material and methods: The treatments were three soil tillage systems (conventional, reduced and strip) and two harvesters with different threshing systems. The losses were collected (subdivided in internal mechanisms, pickup platform, and total losses) in fifteen points for each treatment, as impurity samples, following the statistical process control.
Main results: The soil tillage only in sowing line reduced the peanut combining quality (30.4% more mineral impurities and 37.7% more vegetal impurities). The machine with tangential flow presented lower capacity of mineral impurity removal, regardless the soil tillage system.
Research highlights: The losses were similar for conventional and reduced soil tillages, which indicates that it would be possible to reduce the number of agricultural operations before peanut sowing, consequently lessening costs without loss in process quality.
A study was undertaken comparing the water requirements of two common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) cultivars to generate specific recommendations aimed at optimizing water use. To accomplish this work, the agronomic performance, responsiveness to water and water productivity of these two common bean cultivars of determinate and indeterminate growth habits were identified. The 2-year experiment was carried out during the winter growing season in the southeast of Brazil. Cultivars IAC Imperador, with an early season of determinate growth habit, and IPR Campos Gerais, having a mid-season of indeterminate growth habit, were subjected to five irrigation levels (54, 70, 77, 100, and 132 % of the crop evapotranspiration).Water deficit affected agronomic performance, reducing plant height (by up to 29 %), leaf area index (by up to 40 %), soil cover fraction (by up to 28 %), and grain yield (GY -by up to 31 %), in both cultivars. In contrast, excess water was more detrimental to cultivar IAC Imperador. Cultivar IPR Campos Gerais produced 18 % more than GY, showing superior water productivity and response to irrigation depth than IAC Imperador. Out of all the variables evaluated, the soil cover fraction correlated the most with grain yield in both common bean cultivars during the 2-year study. In other words, cover fraction evaluation in common bean allows for estimating crop production potential, which helps producers and technicians in their decision making regarding management practices. Thus, a cultivar directly affects water use in common bean production, thereby suggesting the need for a or water conservation strategy and sustainability of irrigated common bean production.
The working depth and ballasting are factors that can influence directly the operational and energy performance of a mechanized set. The objective of this study was to evaluate the operational and energetic performance of the set tractor-scarifier, working at three depths under two ballasting conditions. The study was conducted in the experimental area of mechanization of the Department of Agricultural Engineering at the Federal University of Ceará in Fortaleza. The experimental design was of randomized blocks in a factorial scheme 2 x 3, with four replications, with two liquid ballasting (0 and 75% water) and three working depths (0.15; 0.30 and 0.40 m). The parameters evaluated were the soil water content, periodic and specific consumption of fuel, the overall work rate, slipping of the front and rear wheels of the tractor, travel speed, specific operational resistance, mobilized and lifting area, blistering, strength and power in the drawbar. The ballasting with 75% of water associated with a lower depth provided greater operational field capacity, lower demand for strength and power in the drawbar with lower fuel consumption by area.
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