System and method for reducing shank wear on an agricultural implement

A system for reducing shank wear on an agricultural implement, the system comprising:

• a shank configured to be moved through soil within a field as the agricultural implement travels across the field;
• an electrode embedded within the shank;
• a sensor configured to generate data indicative of a soil moisture content of a portion of the field;
• and
• a computing system communicatively coupled to the sensor, the computing system configured to:
• determine the soil moisture content of the field based on the data generated by the sensor;
• and
• control a flow of electricity at least one of to or from the electrode based on the determined soil moisture content such that an electric field is induced on at least a portion of a forward outer surface of the shank.

A method for reducing shank wear on an agricultural implement, the agricultural implement including a shank configured to be moved through soil within a field as the agricultural implement travels across the field, the agricultural implement further including an electrode embedded within the shank, the method comprising:

• receiving, with a computing system, sensor data indicative of a soil moisture content of a portion of the field;
• determining, with the computing system, the soil moisture content of the field based on the received sensor data;
• and
• controlling, with the computing system, a flow of electricity at least one of to or from the electrode based on the determined soil moisture content such that an electric field is induced on at least a portion of a forward outer surface of the shank.