Engineering, Energy, Transport AIC

Maksym ZAYETS – Candidate of Technical Sciences, Associate Professor of the Department of Agricultural Engineering and Technical Services of the Polissia National University (Bulvar Stariy St., 7, Zhytomyr, 10008, Ukraine, e-mail: mzaec81@gmail.com, http://orcid.org / 0000-0002-2290-1892).
Volodymyr KULYKIVSKYI – Candidate of Technical Sciences, Associate Professor of the Department of Agricultural Engineering and Technical Services of the Polissia National University (Bulvar Stariy St., 7, Zhytomyr, 10008, Ukraine, e-mail: kylikovskiyv@ukr.net, http://orcid.org / 0000-0002-4652-0285).

The implementation of seeding technologies with minimum or zero tillage offers a wide range of economic and environmental advantages. Among the most significant benefits are the improvement of soil structure and fertility, reduction of erosion and degradation processes, preservation of soil moisture, and substantial savings in fuel consumption and labor. These advantages make no-till and minimum-till systems increasingly relevant for modern sustainable agriculture, particularly under conditions of climate change and soil exhaustion.
However, successful operation in no-till systems poses new engineering challenges, especially related to the performance of disc openers when cutting through dense crop residues. Residue cover remaining on the soil surface after harvest (e.g., wheat straw, maize stalks) creates resistance to the movement of sowing equipment, which can negatively affect seed placement accuracy, depth uniformity, and overall field emergence.
Theoretical studies have shown that the diameter of the disc opener influences key parameters such as the depth of soil penetration, thickness of residue layers to be cut, and the compression angle required for effective slicing. Larger discs can penetrate deeper, but they may also face increased rolling resistance and interact differently with moist or compacted residues.
Experimental research conducted in this study revealed that disc openers with a diameter of 380 mm–regardless of specific shape–demonstrated the best performance in cutting winter wheat straw under two moisture conditions:natural straw moisture (W = 10.1%)Field moisture (W = 22.3%)
It was observed that active disc rotation at increased forward speeds (characterized by a speed ratio λ > 1.37 and λ = 1.58) led to a higher degree of residue fragmentation, in contrast to passive rotation where the disc rolls freely in contact with the soil surface (λ = 1.0). This suggests that excessive forward speed can negatively affect residue handling by increasing mechanical disruption rather than clean cutting.
Furthermore, serrated disc openers were found to be more effective at cutting straw than smooth-edged discs, owing to their improved grip and cutting action. However, their performance was still strongly influenced by the moisture content of the straw, with drier residues being easier to cut cleanly, while higher moisture levels increased resistance and often led to clogging or smearing.
These findings underscore the importance of optimizing disc opener parameters–such as diameter, edge design, and operating speed–for effective operation in conservation tillage systems. The results can assist in improving the design of seeding machinery for no-till applications and in enhancing overall seeding performance under high-residue field conditions.

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