Evaluation of Four Tillage Methods Operating parameters by Overall index using Analytical Hierarchy Procedure and Compromise Programming Technique in the Gezira Heavy Clay Soils

Abstract

This work was excuted during seasons 2018/2019, and 2019/2020, in Tayba Block-the Sudan - Gezira central clay plains, to evaluate the field operation performance of four land preparation methods using three tillage equipment: chisel plow "intensive tillage", disc harrow "medium tillage", ridger "minimum or reduced tillage" and no tillage machine. An overall operation index is estimated from four measured machine operating characteristics. Diagnosis of land preparation methods was made using analytical hierarchy method for weight assignment for assignment of relative weights for the operating parameters, and compromise programming technique for ranking of tillage methods. The experiment was conducted as a factorial experiment with RCBD, the LSD test at 1%and 5 % was used to compare between means. Results indicate that no significant differences (P<0.05) in field efficiency between Chisel plow and ridger and harrow showed the least efficiency value. There is significant differences in fuel consumption rate between all treatments with highest consumption is by Chisel plow and lowest is by ridger. The significantly highest rear wheel slippage is attained by ridger while there is no significant differences in that resulted from chisel or disc harrow. The significantly highest field capacity (P<0.05) is attained by ridger followed by harrow and then chisel plow. The analytical hierarchy procedure ranked the machines operation indicators in descending order by weight values of 1.02, 0.62, 0.29 and 0.12 for. Multi-criteria analysis by compromise programming technique results in overall indices of tillage equipments: ridger, chisel plow, disc harrow in descending values of 67.53, 61.00, and 57.29 respectively. The overall performance index (OPI) for the operation of the agricultural equipment could be used to take the tillage decision-making process by selecting the most effective machinery to give optimum seed bed with minimum energy input. However, it is not possible to calculate the overall index for no tillage method because without using a machine there is no fuel consumption, no field efficiency, no field capacity, and no wheel slippage. This imply that for heavy clay soils of Gezira Scheme and in other similar environments it is recommended to use reduced tillage "ridging only" as the most technically feasible tillage method, other wise use chisel plowing if funds are available.