Evaluation of Two-Wheel Tractor Fuel Consumption Rates During Direct Seeding of Sorghum and Pearl Millet in Sandy and Clayey Soils

Knowledge on the fuel consumption of agricultural tractors helps in the management and planning of farm operations. Fuel consumption data are also important in calculating the cost of using machinery to carry out operations and to estimate the contribution of agricultural machinery to greenhouse gas...

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Main Authors: Tinashe Madzivanzira, Brighton M. Mvumi, Raymond M. Nazare, Elijah Nyakudya, Florence Mtambanengwe, Paul Mapfumo
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2025-01-01
Series:Advances in Agriculture
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/aia/4837619
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author Tinashe Madzivanzira
Brighton M. Mvumi
Raymond M. Nazare
Elijah Nyakudya
Florence Mtambanengwe
Paul Mapfumo
author_facet Tinashe Madzivanzira
Brighton M. Mvumi
Raymond M. Nazare
Elijah Nyakudya
Florence Mtambanengwe
Paul Mapfumo
author_sort Tinashe Madzivanzira
collection DOAJ
description Knowledge on the fuel consumption of agricultural tractors helps in the management and planning of farm operations. Fuel consumption data are also important in calculating the cost of using machinery to carry out operations and to estimate the contribution of agricultural machinery to greenhouse gas emissions. Various factors, including operating speed, soil type and tractor load affect the fuel consumption rate. Promotion of two-wheel tractors (2WTs) as an appropriate power-source for smallholder farmers has been on the rise in Zimbabwe. However, the fuel consumption performance of these tractors for some operations has not been established. Our study focused on evaluating the fuel consumption performance of a 2WT–based direct seeding system for sorghum and pearl millet crops in clayey and sandy soils at varying speeds of operation. Results showed that crop type, soil type and speed of operation affect fuel consumption rate. Increasing the operating speed resulted in a decrease in fuel consumption rate. For the same soil type, the fuel consumption rates for pearl millet seeding were higher than those of planting sorghum. At the recommended planting speeds, the fuel consumption rates when planting sorghum were 6.42 L/ha and 7.34 L/ha for clayey and sandy soils, respectively. For pearl millet planting, the fuel consumption rates were 10.93 L/ha and 11.90 L/ha for clayey and sandy soils, respectively. This information on fuel consumption rate can be used by farmers and other operators of 2WTs for planning the fuel quantity and budgetary requirements.
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institution Kabale University
issn 2314-7539
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publishDate 2025-01-01
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series Advances in Agriculture
spelling doaj-art-5f20371949f3485dae70a0175a8f80d92025-08-20T03:44:54ZengWileyAdvances in Agriculture2314-75392025-01-01202510.1155/aia/4837619Evaluation of Two-Wheel Tractor Fuel Consumption Rates During Direct Seeding of Sorghum and Pearl Millet in Sandy and Clayey SoilsTinashe Madzivanzira0Brighton M. Mvumi1Raymond M. Nazare2Elijah Nyakudya3Florence Mtambanengwe4Paul Mapfumo5Department of Agricultural and Biosystems EngineeringDepartment of Agricultural and Biosystems EngineeringDepartment of Agricultural and Biosystems EngineeringFaculty of Agriculture, Environment and Food SystemsFaculty of Agriculture, Environment and Food SystemsFaculty of Agriculture, Environment and Food SystemsKnowledge on the fuel consumption of agricultural tractors helps in the management and planning of farm operations. Fuel consumption data are also important in calculating the cost of using machinery to carry out operations and to estimate the contribution of agricultural machinery to greenhouse gas emissions. Various factors, including operating speed, soil type and tractor load affect the fuel consumption rate. Promotion of two-wheel tractors (2WTs) as an appropriate power-source for smallholder farmers has been on the rise in Zimbabwe. However, the fuel consumption performance of these tractors for some operations has not been established. Our study focused on evaluating the fuel consumption performance of a 2WT–based direct seeding system for sorghum and pearl millet crops in clayey and sandy soils at varying speeds of operation. Results showed that crop type, soil type and speed of operation affect fuel consumption rate. Increasing the operating speed resulted in a decrease in fuel consumption rate. For the same soil type, the fuel consumption rates for pearl millet seeding were higher than those of planting sorghum. At the recommended planting speeds, the fuel consumption rates when planting sorghum were 6.42 L/ha and 7.34 L/ha for clayey and sandy soils, respectively. For pearl millet planting, the fuel consumption rates were 10.93 L/ha and 11.90 L/ha for clayey and sandy soils, respectively. This information on fuel consumption rate can be used by farmers and other operators of 2WTs for planning the fuel quantity and budgetary requirements.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/aia/4837619
spellingShingle Tinashe Madzivanzira
Brighton M. Mvumi
Raymond M. Nazare
Elijah Nyakudya
Florence Mtambanengwe
Paul Mapfumo
Evaluation of Two-Wheel Tractor Fuel Consumption Rates During Direct Seeding of Sorghum and Pearl Millet in Sandy and Clayey Soils
Advances in Agriculture
title Evaluation of Two-Wheel Tractor Fuel Consumption Rates During Direct Seeding of Sorghum and Pearl Millet in Sandy and Clayey Soils
title_full Evaluation of Two-Wheel Tractor Fuel Consumption Rates During Direct Seeding of Sorghum and Pearl Millet in Sandy and Clayey Soils
title_fullStr Evaluation of Two-Wheel Tractor Fuel Consumption Rates During Direct Seeding of Sorghum and Pearl Millet in Sandy and Clayey Soils
title_full_unstemmed Evaluation of Two-Wheel Tractor Fuel Consumption Rates During Direct Seeding of Sorghum and Pearl Millet in Sandy and Clayey Soils
title_short Evaluation of Two-Wheel Tractor Fuel Consumption Rates During Direct Seeding of Sorghum and Pearl Millet in Sandy and Clayey Soils
title_sort evaluation of two wheel tractor fuel consumption rates during direct seeding of sorghum and pearl millet in sandy and clayey soils
url http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/aia/4837619
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