The document examines the effect of no-till opener geometry on lateral soil movement. It finds that flat openers with shallower rake angles clear pre-emergent herbicide from the seed zone but move it into adjacent furrows, while bent leg openers reduce soil movement into adjacent furrows, promoting more uniform seed germination and crop safety. The study used tracers and laser profiling to measure and compare soil movement caused by flat openers with varying rake angles and a commercial bent leg opener.

1. A. A. Solhjou, J. Fielke and J. Desbiolles Effect of narrow opener geometry on lateral surface soil movement and implications for no-till seeding Barbara Hardy Institute – Agricultural Machinery Research and Design, University of South Australia 2011

2. Introduction Tined no-till opener

3. Excessive soil disturbance

6. Rake angle

7. Tracers location before tillage

8. X-Y-Z digitising frame

9. Laser soil profile meter

10. Measuring bottom soil profile with laser

11. Tracer locations after tillage 90 ° 35 °

12. Tracer locations after tillage Cross section of soil profile and tracer locations- n=4 α = 35°

13. Tracer locations after tillage Cross section of soil profile and tracer locations- n=4 α = 53°

14. Tracer locations after tillage Cross section of soil profile and tracer locations- n=4 α = 72°

15. Tracer locations after tillage Cross section of soil profile and tracer locations- n=4 α = 90°

16. Tracer locations after tillage Cross section of soil profile and tracer locations - n= 2 (commercial bent leg opener) Bent leg

18. Results 4. Bent leg opener reduces lateral surface soil movement (pre- emergent herbicide) into adjacent furrow compare to flat openers (crop safety).

19. Thank you

21. Commercial bent leg opener

22. Effect of rake angle on average lateral tracer movement

23. Tracer locations after tillage Cross section of soil profile and tracer locations - n= 2 (commercial bent leg opener)

24. Effect of rake angle on soil failure in the front of openers 35 ° 90°

25. Tracer locations after tillage for opener rake angle of 90° and commercial bent leg opener α = 90° Bent leg

26. Effect of rake angle on average lateral tracer movement