Towards more environment-friendly spreaders - Design and implementation of performance indicators

Abstract

Environmental performances of spreaders are currently evaluated by transversal and longitudinal distribution indicators obtained according to the standards NF EN 13080 for manure spreaders and NF EN 13406 for slurry tankers. As part of the National Research Agency project Ecodefi, new indicators were created to allow environmental performance evaluation of spreaders according to technical parameters beyond those required by the standards. These new indicators allow a more precise evaluation of spreader characteristics such as the fertiliser distribution on the field, the dose, the fractionation, the ejection, the compaction and the rutting, the power and efficiency of the spreaders, the resource consumption and the cleanliness of the spreading work in the field. Only the indicators of distribution, dose and fractionation were tested and validated with experimental data from trials on manure and slurry spreaders conducted at Cemagref Montoldre and at the Cormier research station (Brittany regional chamber of agriculture), respectively.