- On each hectare, the plow works under heavy loads, i.e. thousands of tons.
- The deeper the plowing, the greater the demand for fuel, and the soil tonnage increases proportionally.
Each centimeter deeper is approximately 150 tons of earth
It is estimated that when plowing at a depth of 20 cm, the plow must "process" as much as 3,000 tons of soil per hectare. This involves several activities, because in fact the soil needs to be cut off, then lifted and then turned over. Each additional centimeter of plowing depth is an additional 150 tons (if the soil density is approximately 1.5 g/cm3). The mass of the soil itself is greater the higher its moisture content. Therefore, if we assume that the average soil mass is 1.5 g/cm3, then in the case of wet soil this mass will be much higher. We know perfectly well that – apart from the issue of plowing quality – the plow itself will experience much greater resistance, and the energy and time consumption of the procedure will increase.
Assuming this value, when plowing to a depth of 25 cm, up to 3.75 thousand tons of soil are turned over, and shallow plowing to a depth of 15 cm means that the plow had to cope with 2.25 thousand tons of soil. These are huge amounts.
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Clay soil is heavier – when plowing on such soil, the plow has to turn even more weight over a given unit of area, which, of course, generates higher costs. On the other hand, light soils are much lighter and allow water to pass through more easily (but their water capacity is also low).
Of course, the deeper the plowing, the greater the fuel consumption. It is estimated that deepening plowing by 1 cm results in fuel costs of 2%. Therefore, plowing to a depth of 25 cm will generate fuel consumption approximately 10 percent higher than when working at a depth of 20 cm. We are talking about the same conditions here, because fuel consumption is also influenced by other factors, such as the plow setting.
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There is a drought. Plow rapeseed or wait?
Wet soil is up to 30 percent heavier
However, we know perfectly well that plowing soil that is too wet also involves higher fuel costs. A purely practical example of plowing at a depth of 20 cm. Fuel consumption before a heavy downpour is 16 l/ha (with optimal humidity conditions). At the same site, fuel consumption increased to over 20 l/ha after the downpour. The same depth was maintained, although the moisture content in the valleys was still excessive.
Depending on the valuation class, wet soil may be heavier than soil with optimal humidity by up to 25 – 30 percent, and these are very large differences that significantly affect the energy demand and, consequently, increase the cost of fuel.
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Prices of agricultural services in 2024. How much does discing, grubbering and plowing cost?
