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In paddy cultivation, harvesting is the most important operation, which needs suitable machinery. Thus, this study was carried out to compare field performances and energy and environmental effect between the conventional 5 m cutting width NEW HOLLAND CLAYSON 8080, 82 kW@2500 rpm combine harvester running on a total net area of 42.78 ha of plots for two rice (Oryza sativa L.) cultivation seasons and the new mid-size 2.7 m cutting width WORLD STAR WS7.0, 76 kW@2600 rpm combine harvester running on a total net area of 16.95 ha of plots for two rice cultivation seasons. The conventional combine as compared to mid-size combine showed 14.4% greater mean fuel consumptions (21.13 versus 18.46 l/ha), 31.1% greater mean effective field capacity (0.69 versus 0.53 ha/h), 5.23% greater cornering time (turning time) percentage of total time (8.28% versus 3.05%) and 1.41% greater reversing time percentage of total time (7.2% versus 5.79%) but 20.90% lesser mean operational speed (3.24 versus 4.10 km/h), 11.69% lesser effective time percentage of total time (60.0%versus 71.69%h/ha), 10.8% lesser mean field efficiency (64.3% versus 72.1%). In terms of total energy use the conventional combine showed 24.64% greater mean total energy use in the harvesting operation (1445.81 versus 1160.00 MJ/ha), 14.46% greater mean fuel energy (1010.014 versus 882.39 MJ/ha), 56.47% greater mean machinery energy (431.32 versus 275.65 MJ/ha) and 59.25% greater mean human energy (3.48 and 2.18 MJ/ha), this cause 26.12% greater mean total Green House Gas emission (GHG) than the mid-size combine. The results revealed that the mid-size combine is more suitable in conducting the harvest operation in rice field in Malaysia than the conventional combine.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of short-term repeated passes tillage operations on bulk density, soil penetration resistance, soil porosity and the moisture of a clay loam soil of Malaysia. A field experiment for three seasons was conducted at Sungai Burong Tanjung Karang Kuala Selangor, Malaysia to study treatments consisting of (I) no-tillage NT (II) first tillage FT (III) second tillage (ST), (IV) third tillage (TT) operations. The soil bulk density, soil penetrometer resistance, pore distribution, and moisture content characteristics were determined before and after for each of the three tillage. The penetration resistance was determined at the depths of 0-80 cm while the soil moisture was determined on the surface (0-20 cm). These properties were determined directly before and after tillage operations. All the tillage operations were significantly different in their effects on soil bulk density and soil penetration resistance. The soil bulk density decreased with the degree of soil manipulation after first and third tillage and increased after second tillage, with NT having the highest mean bulk density 1.04, 0.95 and 1.03 g/cm3 while TT having the least 0.84, 0.83 and 0.72 g/cm3 for 1st, 2nd and 3rd season respectively. The soil penetration resistance decreased due to tillage operation, with NT also having the highest resistance of 1.69 MPa and 1.44 Mpa in hardpan during 1st and 2nd season and the lowest PR was 0.09, 0.17 and 0.21 Mpa at TT in 1st, 2nd and 3rd season. Highest mean porosity was 0.68 in 2nd season at TT and the lowest mean porosity was 0.36 in 3rd season at NT. The lowest volumetric moisture content was at ST 0.26 and 0.27 in 1st and 2nd season at ST, and the highest was at TT 0.56, 0.57 and 0.68 at TT in 1st, 2nd and 3rd season respectively. The soil particle density was increased after three tillage operation. The highest increase (23.73%) was noted in FT 2nd season and the minimum was in TT in 1 st season (6.04%) while it decreased in ST during the three seasons.

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