After each planting season, its operation was evaluated. Adjustments and modifications were then made to improve its performance. The current version, which has performed well for the past 2 years, is being considered for production by a commercial manufacturer. The present unit consists of a heavy duty tiller modified to achieve the desired row spacing and area of tillage. Double disk openers are mounted on a tool baron the rear of the unit.
Seed is distributed from a standard drill box by a hydraulic motor.
Each double disk also has tubes for application of liquid starter fertilizer or water into the seed zone. The experimental unit was constructed 8 feet wide for ease of transport. However, the manufacturer is proposing widths up to 20 feet. Bolton has evaluated the performance of the strip-till planter from several aspects. Data in Table 1 area comparison of performance of the unit under different levels of surface residue.