Productivity and Energy Utilization in Sugarcane Soil Tillage Systems

Abstract

Sugarcane is the leading crop of global agriculture. The soil preparation type affects subsequent crop stages, such as mechanized planting and machine traffic, increasing energy demand. This research focused on evaluating different soil preparation methods on the machine’s energy performance in sugarcane farming, explicitly indicating the effect of traditional and conservation tillage on sugarcane performance. An entirely randomized experimental design was applied, and four soil tillage systems were adopted: conventional tillage (CT and CTI), minimum tillage (MT) and no-tillage (NT). We evaluated the machines' energy demand in each system and related fuel consumption and crop productivity. The data submitted to normality tests distribution and homogeneity of variance. The implements association increased hourly fuel consumption during soil preparation, as observed in CT and CTI compared to MT, where only one implement (subsoiler) was used. In NT, we found the lowest hourly and operational fuel consumption. The highest total productivity and sugar production (TRS) were obtained with minimal soil management (MT). The lowest yields were found in the NT management (without soil tillage). However, this treatment had no implantation and soil preparation cost, indicating savings in crop management.