Effect of Some Land Preparation and Sowing Methods on Wheat Production in the Lower Terraces of Northern State of Sudan (Dongola area)

Wheat production in large areas mainly depends on efficient use and managing of mechanized production systems. The present study was carried out on the lower terraces of the northern state of Sudan, to study the effects of some tillage practices and sowing methods on some soil and plant parameters and crop yield. The experiment was arranged in strip plot design and all treatments were randomly distributed in each of three replicates. The treatments included, three tillage treatments (Disc ploughing, heavy disc harrowing and Zero tillage), two sowing methods (manual broadcasting with ridging and Seed drilling). The results showed that, the disc plough implement recorded the highest slippage (8.9%), field efficiency (70.4%) and fuel consumption rate (15.1 L/ha), while the highest field capacity was recorded by the seed drill machine. The effect of different treatments on soil moisture content at the different depths showed that, the disc ploughing treatment recorded the highest average moisture contents (21.49%) followed by the heavy disc harrowing (20.50%) and then zero tillage (19.04%), Duncan's Multiple Range Test showed that, the differences between treatments effect was significant in the first season and insignificant in the second season. The trend was increased moisture content (db%) with increased soil depth and then decreased. The disc ploughing treatment recorded the highest average plant population, grain yield, biomass and harvest index as, 481 plants/m2 , 4.11 ton/ha, 13.6 ton/ha and 30% respectively. It can be concluded that disc ploughing treatment with any method of sowing can be used for higher production of wheat in the lower terraces of Dongola area, the northern state of Sudan.