Field performance and effect of SHAKTI and KUBOTA power tillers on physical properties of soil under Sawah rice production in Nigeria.

A b s t r a c t. In the study the authors investigated the field performance of two types of power tillers, which are increasingly popular among farmers adopting sawah rice production technology, and compared their effect on the physical properties of soil. Data were collected for the field performance parameters and for the physical properties of soil. Mean values of soil properties and performance data of power tillers were summarized and subjected to t-test statistics at p = 0.05. The results show that significant differences exist for field efficiency (t = -3.29, p < 0.05), fuel consumption (t = 9.21, p < 0.05) and slippage (t = -25.48, p < 0.05). At 0-7 cm depth, significant differences exist for soil moisture content (t = 15.46, p < 0.05) in soils where SHAKTI was used, while at 7-14 cm depth significant differences exist for all the physical properties of soils covered in the experiment - bulk density (t = -13.89, p < 0.05), cone index (t = -63.97, p < 0.05), soil moisture (t = 46.07, p < 0.05) and shear strength (t = -2.67, p < 0.05). It is important that farmers using these models should not only focus on the cost of purchase but also on their overall efficiency in order to achieve the desired high level of yield. K e y w o r d s: power tillers, field capacity, field efficiency, soil moisture, bulk density, cone index

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