ENERGETICAL, ECONOMICAL AND ECOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF SOIL TILLAGE MINIMISATION

Abstract

The work sums up and briefly discusses solutions of soil tillage minimisation technologies and machinery, their agronomic, energetic, mechanic, economical and ecological aspects. Tillage minimisation is performed in directions: reducing number of passes, as well as tillage depth and intensity, joining operations, improving machine design and aggregation, using advanced more suitable technologies and machines, conducting tillage in optimal terms. Minimization of soil tillage is agronomically acceptable, energy, labour and cost saving action. Improvements in the machine design and use for the traditional soil tillage technologies allow to save 24- 36 % of energy (46-110 kWh/ha, which corresponds 12-27 kg/ha of fuel), to reduce labour consumption by 16- 22 %, as well as to cat tillage costs by 14-26 % (10-20 USD/ha). Soil tillage minimisation with ploughing reduces these indices up to two times, without ploughing – up to six times. Besides these actions there is preservation of soil and environment.