The mechanical processing or preparation of the soil is also referred to in agricultural terms as the process of tilling, pre-planting herbicide control, fertilizing and seedbed preparation.
Tilling soil
Tillage in agricultural terms refers to the preparation of soil (seedbed) for planting and the cultivation of soil after planting. Cultivation refers to the loosening and breaking up (tilling) of the soil. The soil around existing plants is cultivated by machine using a cultivator to destroy weeds and promote plant growth by increasing soil aeration and water infiltration. Soil being prepared for the planting of a crop is cultivated by a harrow or plough.
Equipment used to break and loosen soil for a depth of 15 to 90 cm is called primary tillage equipment. These implements include the plough, disk, rotary, chisel, and subsoil ploughs.
Plough: The plough was the most important agricultural implement since the beginning of commercial crop production. The plough is used to break up the soil, turn the topsoil upside down, bury crop residues and also to control weeds.
Types of Ploughs
There are different types of Ploughs available to match various types of soil structures. These different types are listed below:
- Mouldboard plough
- Disc
- Rotary plough
- Chisel or sub-surface plough
- Sub Soiler plough
Mouldboard plough
The Mouldboard version cut the furrow slices into pulverised form. The main use of this tool is to cover vegetables and green manure crops. It is also used for inverting grass into the soil after rainfall.
Disc plough
The name “disk” resembles the structure of this implement. It is in the form of a disc i.e., DISK (concave shape). The disc is used to till the soil and is also used to chop up unwanted weeds or crop remainder. The disc plough is used as the first step in seedbed preparation.
Rotary plough
The Rotary Hoe is very popular nowadays due to its specific use in seedbed preparation. The cutting of soil is done by steel tines or blades.
Rigid tiller
The ridged or spring-loaded tiller as tooth implement is used for seedbed preparation. In the modern times of precision farming and zero tillage, these tooth implements are very popular and used as the only implement to loosen the seedbed before planting.
Ripper
The ripper is a primary tillage implement used to loosen the subsoil for better water and root penetration. The ripper is designed to break up soil compaction while leaving a smoother soil profile and retaining as much residue as possible for soil conservation practices.