Pollutant emissions from a tractor towing a seeder-fertilizer in an area with controlled machinery traffic

Abstract

Controlled machinery traffic is a technique to increase the efficiency of machines and make better use of inputs. This study evaluated the pollutant gas emissions of an agricultural tractor towing a precision seeder-fertilizer with different plow configurations in an area with varying intensities of controlled machinery traffic. The study was carried out in a commercial agricultural area located in the municipality of Carazinho, Brazil. The experimental design was of randomized 3 x 3 blocks, with three traffic situations (tractor traffic; tractor + harvester traffic; and tractor + harvester + sprayer traffic), as well as three plow settings. The pollutant gases analyzed were: particulate material (PM), nitrogen oxides (NOx), carbon dioxide (CO2), and oxygen (O2). We concluded that greater controlled traffic intensity, compared to an area without traffic, yields a PM reduction of 43% using the double disk, and 67% using the double disk without a ridge plow. The absence of plows on the traffic lines reduces the PM, NOx, and CO2 emissions by, respectively, 73%, 12%, and 17% with tractor + harvester traffic; and 80%, 12%, and 15% with tractor + harvester + sprayer traffic, compared to cultivation using ridge plows.