Context Soil–tool interaction modelling and optimisation reduce manufacturing costs and energy requirements for precision tillage equipment design. Diverse tillage tools have been designed to reduce draft requirements and desirable soil disturbance, but this is not fully understood. Aims The current study investigated the effects of tool width, cone index, depth, and forward speed on draft with corresponding rupture width in order to develop response surface methodology (RSM) and artificial neural network (ANN) models and compared them to other models in order to predict draft and rupture width. Methods Experiments were carried out in a soil bin with a vertisol, and rupture width was measured using an image processing technique. Key results Using RSM, the optimum values for minimum draft with maximum rupture width within a range of independent variables were found to be 100 mm tool width, 600 kPa cone index, 141.63 mm tillage depth, and 3 km/h forward speed. For predicting the draft, the coefficients of determination (R2) for ANN and RSM models were 0.997 and 0.987, respectively; for rupture width prediction, R2 were 0.921 and 0.976. Conclusions Developed ANN and RSM models of draft and rupture width were better than other analytical or numerical models, and both models’ predictions were in good agreement with experiment values within the range of ±5% uncertainty. Implications The developed models can be used to predict the draft and soil disturbance requirements of tillage tools and design precision tillage tools.

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Field demonstrations were conducted in Rabi and Kharif season 2015-16 and 2016-17 at Rajapur, Muradnagar and Loni block of Ghaziabad district U.P. Under NFSM programme to evaluate the pulse yield of different variety peagon pea, black geam and masoor. It was found that the pusa 991 variety of Peagon pea gave highest yield among the three varieties i.e. Pusa 991, Pusa 992 and Upas 120 (farmer practice). The average yield of Pusa 991 was found 15.025 q/ha which was 9.76percentage more as compared to farmers practice, net profit was found 103240 /ha. Where as Pant Urd 31 gave highest average yield 14.20 q/ha and it was 13.24percentage more as compared to farmers practice (PDU-1) and net profit was recorded as 71000 /ha. Similarly the yield obtained of Pusa masoor 5 was 14.91 q/ha which was 28.91percentage more as compared to L 4147 (Farmer Practice) and net income received 69778/ha.Similarly conducted experiment on effect of zinc sulphate on pulse crops, it was found the same effect on all crop and varieties. The additional income were obtained 6000-8000 /ha from peagon pea 4000-6000 /ha from black gram 3600-5580 /ha from Masoor crop.

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A 6-row pre-emergence herbicide strip-application system was designed and developed at ICAR-CIAE, Bhopal as an attachment to inclined-plate planter to apply herbicide at the time of sowing in widely spaced crops to control weeds along the crop rows, often not possible in mechanical weeding. It consisted of a frame on which 6 flat fan spray nozzles were mounted by means of clamps, a single action piston pump with 9 l/min capacity, pressure regulator valve and pressure gauge and pressure pipes. The spacing between the spray nozzles, angle and height of spray nozzles can be varied by adjusting the clamps. The developed system has ability of strip as well as blanket application of herbicide. The same machine can be used as post-emergence herbicide/pesticide applicator after the removal of furrow openers and increasing the height of nozzles from the ground. The machine was tested and evaluated during Kharif season for soybean and pigeon pea crops. The field capacity of the developed system was found to be 0.4 ha/h. The operating cost of the pre-emergence herbicide applicator with inclined plate planter was worked out as Rs 1350/- per ha. It can save about 40-50% herbicide.