[01] Hassan Elhaj Hamed Alsayim, Department of Agricultural Engineering, Faculty of Agriculture, Nile Valley University, Darmali, Sudan. [02] Abdel Rahman Ali El-Mahdi, Department of Crop Production, Faculty of Agriculture, Nile Valley University, Darmali, Sudan. [03] Mohamed Hassan Nayel, Department of Agricultural Engineering, Faculty of Agriculture, Nile Valley University, Darmali, Sudan.

This study was conduct during (2012/13 - 2013/14) seasons at the Experimental Farm of the Faculty of Agriculture, Nile Valley University, Darmali, Sudan to evaluate the effects of conventional tillage, minimum tillage and Zero tillage on soil bulk density, infiltration rate, soil moisture content, and crop yields under tropical condition Northern Sudan. The experimental design was randomized complete block with three replications. The treatments consisted of conventional tillage treatments disc plow followed by land leveller (DPL), conservation tillage disc harrow followed by land leveller (DHL) and zero tillage (ZT). The results revealed that soil bulk density in both seasons of the two layers (0-15 and 15-30 cm) decreased from before to after tillage by 33, 36 and 31%, for DPL, DHL and ZT systems, respectively. There were no detectable differences in soil bulk density on the third layer (depth 30-45 cm). The soil infiltration rate increased from before to after tillage in DPL, DHL and ZT by 98, 93 and 84% in the first season and by 82, 140 and 4% in the second season, respectively. However, the DHL and ZT systems displayed similar performance for the infiltration rate after the 50 mins. Soil moisture content increases with depth and then decreases at specific depths throughout the treatments. The maximum leaf area index was attained at conventional tillage systems (DPL) followed by conservation tillage (DHL) and ZT systems. The higher grain yield recorded in the first season by DH conservation tillage system (2295 kg ha^-1) followed by DPL tillage system (1470 kg ha^-1) and (810 kg ha^-1) for the ZT system. However, during the second season the significant difference was recorded between the ZT system and the two tillage systems DPL and DHL. The grain yield in the ZT system was the highest with 1383 kg ha -1, followed by DPL system 1033 kg ha^-1, while, DHL system yielded the lowest (607 kg ha^-1). Compared to the DPL and DHL systems, ZT system increased yield by 350 and 676 kg ha^-1, respectively.

Tillage, Wheat, Soil Properties, Infiltration Rate

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