A field experiment was conducted at Abu-Ghraib during 2007-2008 to study the effect of ploughing system, pulverization tools and tractor
speeds on machinery group, mean weight diameter and rate water infiltration. In this study, two tractor's speed; (2.414 and 3.973 km/h) represented the main plots, two types of plows: mold board plow and chisel plow and zero-Tillage, represented the sub plots. And three pulverization tools; the rotivator, disk harrows and spring cultivator, represented sub- sub plots, were used with tow tractor's speed, New Holland, as machinery unit for plowing silty clay loam soil at depth of 17 cm.
The study included some technical performance indicators of machinery unit that included some characteristics of soil like: practical productivity, disturbed soil volume and mean weight diameter, and rate water infiltration. The experiment was conducted by using Split-Split Plot Design under RCBD with three replicates.
The results were showed the following:
Increasing speed at pulverizity tools resulted in a significant increase in disturbed soil volume (632.81- 1035.58 m3/h).Neither plow type nor pulverization tool affected, practical productivity, mean weight diameter or saturated hydraulic conductivity. Spring cultivator affected significantly in getting the highest practical productivity (0.684 ha/h), disturbed soil volume (1164.22 m2/h), mean weight diameter (0.905 mm) and rate water infiltration (5.878 cm /h).
The interaction between the spring cultivator and the speed 3.973 km/h was superior in getting higher productivity (0.850 ha/h) and disturbed soil volume (1447.00 m3/h). The interaction between the spring cultivator and the speed 2.414 km/h was superior in getting higher mean weight diameter (0.918 mm) and rate water infiltration (6.002 cm/h). The interaction between the chisel plow and the pulverization by spring cultivator was superior in getting higher practical productivity (0.695ha/h) disturbed soil volume (1182.02 m3/h) and rate water infiltration (6.108 cm/h).
The tri-interaction between the plowing treatment by the chisel plow, the pulverization by spring cultivator and the speed 3.973 km/h was superior in getting higher disturbed soil
Volume (1484.4 m3/h) and practical productivity (0.872 ha/h).