Amelioratory plowing of peat bogs and substantiation of the basic parameters of a double-cut plow

Drained peat soils in Belarus occupy 11.3 % of agricultural land. These soils lost their genetic traits on the area of almost 260 thousand hectares, and moved into the category of anthropogenically transformed, over 190 thousand hectares of those – into the category of degraded. The most important condition for improving the properties of low-ash peat soils is an increase of ash elements level – up to 50–70 % in the plowing layer. The anthropogenically formed layer-mixed culture of soil profile with deep reclamation plowing method corresponds to this to the fullest extent. Its use is important on shallow peatlands that quickly lose their organic layer. It has been determined that the depth of such plowing is determined both by the thickness of peat bog and by the thickness of plowed mineral soil (sand or sandy loam). Based on the obtained analytical expressions, analysis of process layouts for formation of new soil profile by the plow, taking into account availability of peat soil areas according to deposit capacity, feasibility of using two types of special plows is substantiated: double-cut mounted type with plowing depth of 50–100 cm and single-cut trailed type with plowing depth of 90–150 cm. Technologically rational is plow operation according to layout with undercut equal to the width of sandy layer in sub-plowing horizon. At the same time, the interval of rational values of structural width of double-cut plow grip (on the II cut body) b_k = 50–67 cm, and the width of plow grip shall not exceed 100 cm. Ratio of its actual value to the accepted design width of the bodies is in the range of (5 : 4)–(2 : 1) depending on agrotechnical requirements. The designed PTN-0.9 double-cut plow for deep amelioratory plowing has passed acceptance tests and is recommended for serial production. The result of the study is theory of dump plowing. The results allow for development of special double-cut plows for deep amelioratory treatment of shallow peat bogs, which ensures their preservation during agricultural use.

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