Performance evaluation of resource conservation machineries under rainfed condition of North-Gujarat region for greengram [ Vigna radiata (L.)]

Abstract

Field experiment was conducted to evaluate tractive parameters among resource conservation machineries and conventional practice under leveled and unleveled plots for three consecutive years from kharif-2012 to kharif-2014. The field trials involved two main treatments i.e. No Leveling (L₀) and Leveling with laser land leveler(L₁) and five sub treatments viz., zero till drill (M₁), roto till drill (M₂), strip till drill (M₃), raise bed planter (M₄) and conventional practices (M₅). The five sub-treatments i.e., M₁, M₂, M₃, M₄, and M₅, were performed uniformly under L₀ and L₁. The experiments were carried out for greengram crop in the research farm of Centre for Watershed Management and Participatory Research and Rural Engineering, Sardarkrushinagar DantiwadaAgricultural University, Sardarkrushinagar, Gujarat State. The result revealed that the treatment leveling with leser land leveler (L₁) offered 5.79 per cent higher effective field capacity (EFC), 0.77 per cent higher tractive efficiency, 6.50 per cent more fuel efficiency and 6.33 per cent less energy requirement than unlevelled plot (L₀). Among resource conservation machineries zero till drill (M₁) recorded higher effective field capacity and tractive efficiency of 0.504 ha/hr and 71.87 per cent, which was correspondingly 51.78 and 2.05 per cent more than conventional practices (M₅). Among all treatments, zero till drill (M₁) presented lowest Fuel consumption and energy requirement with corresponding value of 7.60 l/ha and 77.96 kWh/ha, which were 47.94 and 47.76 per cent lesser than conventional practices (M₅). The treatments strip till drill (M₃) and roto till drill (M₂) stood second and third reporting fuel consumption equivalent to 8.51 and 8.91 l/ha, respectively.