Influence of Field Characteristics, Planter Width and Planting Speed on Planting Efficiency

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Cotton producers are looking at increasing planting capacity by either investing in wider planters or planters that are capable of planting at higher speeds. Machine capacity information is crucial for machinery management decisions. Machine capacity is used to predict how equipment will perform in a specific farming operation and it determines the timeliness of that operation. Theoretical field capacity (TFC) is the maximum possible field capacity of a machine operating at 100% of its width for a given speed. For planters, TFC is a function of planter width and planting speed. This capacity cannot be sustained for long periods of time.  Secondary functions such as loading seed boxes, turning at end rows, checking seed depth placement, and downtime in the field reduce the time the planter is performing its primary designed function of planting. This study was conducted to investigate the influence of planter width, planting speed and field characteristics on planting efficiency.