Journal of Agricultural Machinery
with the collaboration of Iranian Society of Mechanical Engineers (ISME)

Effect of Tillage Depth and Forward Speed on the Performance of a Rotavator Plough Under Semi-arid Conditions

Articles in Press

Document Type : Short Article- En

Authors

M. Shaker Al-totonjy 1
Y. Y Mohsin 2
J. Maher 3

1 Department of Scientific Affairs, Northern Technical University, Mosul, 41001, Ninevah, Iraq

2 Technical Agricultural College, Northern Technical University, Mosul, 41002, Ninevah, Iraq

3 Mosul Medical Technical Institute, Northern Technical University, Mosul, 41002, Ninevah, Iraq

https://doi.org/10.22067/jam.2025.94645.1415
Abstract
Mechanisation is crucial for enhancing agricultural productivity and operational efficiency, particularly in semi-arid regions. This study evaluated the performance of a CLAAS Talos 220 two-wheel-drive tractor equipped with a Shaktiman rotavator plough at tillage depths of 10 and 15 cm and forward speeds of 3, 5, and 7 km·h-1 in northern Iraq during the 2023–2024 cropping season. The results showed that increasing depth and speed led to higher power losses resulting from wheel slippage, increased fuel consumption, and decreased field efficiency and actual ploughing depth. The highest power loss (6.96 hp) and lowest efficiency (66.60%) were recorded at a depth of 15 cm and a speed of 7 km·h-1, while the lowest power loss (0.031 hp) and the highest efficiency (80.42%) were recorded at a depth of 10 cm and a speed of 3 km·h-1. It was also shown that fuel consumption increases with depth, but decreases at higher speeds, and that the actual depth of ploughing decreases due to vibrations. The results indicate that operating at an average depth of approximately 10 cm and at an average speed of about 5 km·h-1 is the optimal choice for energy use, improving field performance, and enhancing soil conservation.

Keywords

Field efficiency
Forward speed
Fuel consumption
Rotary tiller
Semi-arid soils
Tillage depth
Wheel slippage
Subjects

Authors retain the copyright. This is an open access article distributed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0)

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Journal of Agricultural Machinery

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 21 December 2025

  • Receive Date 27 July 2025
  • Revise Date 30 November 2025
  • Accept Date 01 December 2025
  • First Publish Date 21 December 2025

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