MEASUREMENT OF SOIL CONE INDEX IN WET RICE FIELD SOIL USING DIGITAL HAND-HELD CONE PENETROMETER

S. RAMACHANDRAN¹*, D. MANOHAR JESUDAS^2
1Department of Farm Machinery and Bio-energy, Agricultural Engineering College and Research Institute, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Kumulur, Trichy
²Agricultural Machinery Research Centre, Agricultural Engineering College and Research Institute, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, India
* Corresponding Author : ramsukkiran@gmail.com

Received : 18-09-2017     Accepted : 25-09-2017     Published : 30-09-2017
Volume : 9     Issue : 45       Pages : 4757 - 4762
Int J Agr Sci 9.45 (2017):4757-4762

Keywords : SoilCone Index, Bulk Density, Moisture Content and Traction
Academic Editor : Vanitha S
Conflict of Interest : None declared
Acknowledgements/Funding : My sincere thanks to Dr. D. Manohar Jesudas, Professor (FMP) for his continuous encouragement and feeding the knowledge throughout my research work. I also thank, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore for given opportunity to do this research work
Author Contribution : All author equally contributed

Soil cone index (CI) is a soil mechanical property widely used to assess soil strength in tillage research. In this study, physical properties of soil and penetration resistance of soil were measured at four locations viz., namely Wet land and Paddy Breeding Station of Tamil Nadu Agricultural University- Coimbatore (CWL to C-PBS) and at Aduthurai and Bhavanisagar (ADT and BSR) under wet rice field condition, like those encounters by tractor at start of puddling operation. Bulk density varied with depth; and hence samples were taken at two depths of 0 to 10 cm and 10 to 20 cm. Values of Cone Index decreased with the increase in moisture content. Contrary to the effect of moisture content on Cone Index, values of Cone Index tended to increase with the increase in bulk density under both layer. An instrumented electronic hand-held cone penetrometer with a cone base area of 7.8 cm2 was developed to record the strength of rice soil. The penetration resistance in the upper layer varied from 13.63 to 35 kPa in C-WL and 6.3 to 40.57 kPa in C-PBS. Penetration resistance in the lower layer varied between145.03 and 200.36 kPa in C-WL and 88.17 and 200.64 kPa in C-PBS. In case of ADT and BSR sites, the soil strength profile was observed to be uniform and average penetration resistance in 0 to 30 cm depth varied from 67.66 to 166.73 kPa and 75.91 to 169.85 kPa respectively.

1. ASAE Standards (1999a) 46th Ed. ASAE S313.3. Soil cone penetrometer. St. Joseph, Mich., ASAE.
2. ASAE (1999b) ASAE EP542. Procedures for using and reporting data obtained with the soil cone penetrometer. St. Joseph, Mich., ASAE.
3. Bouyoucos G. J. (1927) Soil Sci., 23, 343-353.
4. Perumpral J. V. (1987) Trans. ASAE., 30, 939–944.
5. Sanglerat G. (1972) The penetrometer and soil exploration. Interpretation of penetration diagrams-theory and practice. In: Transportation Research Board. 500 Fifth St. NW, Washington DC, 20001, National Academy of Sciences.
6. Tollner E. W. and Verma B. P. (1987) Trans. ASAE., 30(6), 1611-1618.
7. Van N. N., Matsuo T., Koumoto T. and Inaba S. (2007) Experimental device for Measuring sandy soil parameters. Bull. Fac. Agr., University.