Precision Tillage: Online variation of tillage depth

Precision Farming equipment is more and more common on modern, large scale farm enterprises. With basic equipment being available, an important condition for the use of site-specific approaches is given. Site-specific approaches may help to increase the efficiency of a farm enterprise, as well as may help to achieve certain, predefined goals. A site-specific tillage strategy focusing on soil conservation was developed and evaluated. Online inclination data and local available biomass, calculated from yield maps, was used to compute necessary working depth for each unit area of a site. A control-unit controlling an electronic valve for two hydraulic cylinders fitted with displacement transducers and an on-board computer system implemented the calculated working depth online. While working precision was excellent, the time span require to switch between two working depths can be optimized.