Influence of planter width, planting speed, and Perimeter-to-ARea Ratio on field efficiency for row crop planters

Abstract. Field efficiency is defined as the percentage of time a machine operates at its rated speed and width while in the field. The main goal of this study was to focus on the influence of planter width, planting speed, and perimeter-to-area ratio on field efficiency of row crop planters. Planting data was collected for this study from fields in Tennessee and Oklahoma using three different planter widths 12.2-m, 18.3-m, and 24.4-m and two planter types, John Deere ExactEmerge^TM and John Deere MaxEmerge^TM. The 12.2-m wide planter was operated in Tennessee in 50 fields totaling 588 hectares, while two 18.3-m wide planters were operated in Oklahoma in 64 fields totaling 1,891 hectares, and a 24.4-m wide planter was operated in Oklahoma in 25 fields totaling 879 hectares. A Vector GL1000 data logger was used to collect various data messages that could be imported into ArcMap 10.4 for final post processing of the data. Within ArcMap, field boundaries were created by following the exterior planter passes and end rows, and then buffering this boundary half of the planter width to acquire the total planted area of the field. All data within the field boundary were clipped for final processing. A planter operation classification system was composed to define the different planter operations that were being performed in the field. The final totals from the different planter operations for each field were input into an Excel file to calculate field efficiency values. Results indicated: i) there were differences between Tennessee and Oklahoma in regards to field characteristics ii) perimeter to area ratio had a major influence on field efficiency; iii) increasing planter width decreased field efficiency; and iv). increasing planter speed decreased field efficiency. Increasing planter speed by almost 5 km/h, for a high-speed 12.2-m planter, was equivalent to the effective field capacity of an 18.3-m conventional planter. Lastly, increasing planter speed by at least 3.3 km/h, for a high-