Research on tensile strength and specific fuel consumption for a miscanthus rhizome planter in different equipping conditions at the four row

A four-section miscanthus rhizome planter machine was equipped with a ploughshare and cover discs at the outer units and with ploughshare and compaction wheels arranged in V at the central units of the machine. Under these conditions, experimental determinations were made regarding the tensile strength (kN), the power required for towing (kW) and fuel consumption (l/ha), for three working depths (6, 9 and 12 cm) and different working speeds (between 1.27 and 2.65 m/s). Field results showed traction force values between 4.90-8.51 kN for planting depths of 6 cm, respectively between 6.90-8.35 kN for depths of 9 cm and between 8.38-8.52 kN for 12 cm depths. Fuel consumption showed values between 2.96-5.18 l/ha at planting depths of 6 cm, between 3.30-4.07 l/ha for depths of 9 cm, respectively between 4.4-5.2 l/ha for planting depths of 12 cm. It was found that there is no well-defined rule regarding variation of traction parameters with planting depth, especially since the average travel speed could not be maintained at the same value for each sample, and the soil probably had wetter areas or with different resistance to the opening of the trench.