Farm machinery planning, design and operation are complicated undertaking due to time and cost constraint and due to prevalence of complicated interacting and overlapping field operations involving capacity constraints and cooperating units. The classical DSS models that applied in the past to machinery planning and policy analysis as well as to performance assessment and simulation of machinery demand, and supplies are criticized by limitations in programming and the difficulty in manipulation

more »

... and storing the bulky data usually encountered in machinery records. In contrast by application of a web-based decision support system (DWDSS) the user can enjoy the facility to store the data in the server. (DWDSS), is a user-friendly interactive program which permits the user to interact by entering the required input records. The model estimates machinery performance of various farm machines. It consists of one model, which helps the farm manager to take the correct optimum selection of his agricultural machinery. DWDSS predicts field efficiency, field capacity, draft power required to operate machines and PTO power. The DWDSS was successfully validated statistically in comparison to the published data from the ASAE (2009). The comparison indicated that there were no significant differences (probability = 0.05) between them in the calculations that were executed. The DWDSS model was applied to real case conditions in Wad Salma and Rahad irrigated schemes in the central clay plains under similar treatments. The DWDSS results of field efficiency, theoretical field capacity, working rate and draw bar power was found fairly identical to the actual Wad Salma and Rahad data. The results indicated that, generally, the actual field efficiencies of the studied machines were found to be lower by 7% than ASAE published data and t-test comparison between Wad Salma and Rahad schemes in working rate of the three tillage implement, indicated no significant difference between the two means at probability level =0.05. In general, the r [...]