DEVELOPMENT OF AN IN-ROW SUBSOILER ATTACHMENT TO REDUCE SMEARING

Hardpans are prevalent throughout the southeastern United States and frequently restrict root development thus making crops susceptible to short-term droughts. In-row subsoiling has become the tillage tool of choice for alleviation of this compacted soil condition in Coastal Plain soils. However, in many soils with higher amounts of clay, smearing occurs near the bottom of the shank, thus trapping the roots in the subsoiled channel. A novel approach to disturb the bottom of the smeared zone was evaluated. Results of three experiments involving corn and cotton grown in coarse- and fine-textured soil types indicate that the use of a shank attachment designed to alleviate smearing may increase crop yields in fine-textured soils where soil smearing is common. Excessive depths of in-row subsoiling were not found to be beneficial to the crops investigated and required significantly more draft force, resulting in higher fuel requirements.