Effect of Land Ploughing Methods and Leveling Techniques on Wheat Production in the Upper Terraces of the Northern State - Sudan

Precision land leveling must be treated as a precursor technology for improving crop yield, enhancing input-use efficiency and ensuring long-term sustainability of the resources. A field experiment was conducted in Dongola Agricultural Research Farm, Northern State, for two successive seasons to investigate the effect of three type of ploughing; heavy disc harrow (H1), disc plough (H2) and no-ploughing (H3), and three land leveling techniques, Laser (L), Scraper (S) and traditional (T),on wheat production. The experiment was arranged in a strip split plot design and the treatments were replicated three times.

The results indicated that effective field capacity, fuel consumption, and slippage were significantly affected by ploughing method. Laser land leveling recorded the highest fuel consumption (16.3 L/hr), and the lowest field efficiency (55%). while the heavy disc harrow recorded the highest effective field capacity (0.98 ha/hr), field efficiency (71.2%) and wheel slippage (8.1%). The soil moisture content (db %) was increased with time and depth. The highest mean soil moisture content was obtained with the laser land leveling and heavy disc harrow treatment at 75-100cm soil depth as 24.82%. The results revealed that the highest average grain yield (4.63 ton/ha) and infiltration rate (31cm/hr) were also recorded by the laser land leveling and heavy disc harrow. The treatments showed significant differences at the 5% level between the treatments for the parameters measured. Multiple regression analysis showed a highly significant effect (P≤ 0.001) of laser leveling with disc harrow ploughing on grain yield, compared to the other treatments used in the study (R2 = 0.40). The relation between the grain yield (Y) and the treatments: X1 ploughing, X2 leveling is summarized in the following equation:

Y = 2.875 + 0.552X1 + 0.254X2

The study concluded that, although Laser leveling has increased the grain yield with high cost, yet it is not an expensive technique when the cost is distributed over the period of Laser leveling. The highest grain yield was obtained by the heavy disc harrow with laser land leveling.