ON THE ISSUE OF IMPROVING THE SOWING OF GRAIN CROPS IN THE CONDITIONS OF CLIMATE ARIDIZATION

The working bodies of the seeders experience significant loads, leading to wear of the working surfaces (WP) and violation of the sowing technology, which necessitate reseeding on more than 10% of the area when sowing grain in dried soil. The sowing itself is delayed due to sticking of the working bodies during precipitation during the sowing period. Promising is the use of coulters, in which (RP) they have both wear resistance and the ability to reduce soil stickiness when sowing grain crops. It is proposed to use overlays made of ultrahigh molecular polyethylene (UHMWPE) on the RP of standard disc coulters (SDS), converting them into upgraded disc coulters (MDS). The research determined the parameters and method of fastening the lining from the SVPME to the RP disk. Field tests have confirmed that fixing the lining to the disk with rivets in the amount of 24 pieces ensures the reliability of the MDS, which fulfill the requirements of sowing in the studied modes. There was a decrease in the adhesion of soils during the operation of the MDS by 1.6...2.9 times relative to the SDS. On all types of soils, the traction resistance of MDS at a sowing depth of 0.06 m varies within 60...80 N, which is 1.23...1.55 times less than that of SDS. The wear rate of the MDS working surfaces made of UHMWPE RE-500 is more than 3 times less than that of 65G steel, which makes it possible to increase their resource by 1.5-2.4 times in comparison with SDS. Grain seeders equipped with MDS allow to extend the periods of trouble-free operation both in arid conditions and at high soil humidity, providing the specified agrotechnical requirements for sowing technology in various climatic conditions.