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Understanding the Relationships between plants and soil is important in the development of methods of crop production. Although physical properties of soil conducive to plant growth can be recognized by experienced observers, many of these properties have not been defined satisfactorily in mathematical or physical terms. A method of measuring penetration resistance and energy exerted by a mechanical seedling (a steel probe simulating a seedling) as it moved upward through the soil surface under different levels of surface compaction and soil moisture was examined. Mechanical seedlings with 2.06, 3.19 and 4.65 mm tip diameters were tested at soil moisture levels of 13, 17, and 20%. The penetration rate of the mechanical seedling while moving through the soil was held constant at 10 mm/min. Results showed that the emergence energy increased directly with soil surface compaction pressure, initial soil moisture content, and mechanical seedling diameters.

A knowledge-based system for agricultural tillage equipment selection and management is presented. There are ten tillage systems suitable for corn and soybean production in Ontario. These systems manipulate the soil by different amounts resulting in varying levels of soil degradation, crop yields, and weed problems. Many factors, such as soil characteristics, climate, farm economics, and environmental impact make the selection of the most appropriate tillage practice a difficult task. Except for mouldboard plough, few farmers have experience operating and managing these tillage systems. Knowledge and information obtained from three experts is incorporated into the knowledge-based computer program to aid farmers in the selection and management of tillage systems. Selection criteria included in the program are environmental impact, management difficulty, economic return, and energy output/input ratio.

A new prototype of a single unit till-planting system suitable for Egyptian soil was designed, constructed, and tested under soil bin and field conditions. Measurements were taken for draft, soil mean weight diameter, and seedling emergence. Results indicated that there are potential benefits of using this system rather to other tillage systems under dry and hard soil conditions. An optimum seedbed was created for rapid seedling emergence. Combinations of tillage, planting, and fertilizer application were performed in a single operation to reduce power and time requirements for crop production.