Mechanical tillage in the field: types and features, when and why it is used

The field is cultivated by mechanical methods several times a year. To plant seeds, you need to make the soil loose, form furrows. As the plants develop, the beds are perched. Then more oxygen enters the soil, water from rain or artificial irrigation penetrates the soil faster. Let's consider the main types of mechanical soil tillage, their features.

Soil disking

A special machine with a working element in the form of disks work the ground to cut the roots of weeds and mix them with the soil. This method is used before plowing, on waterlogged waterlogged and heavily weeded fields.

Moldboard plowing

Soil of 20 centimeters or more is worked with a mouldboard plow: the pieces of earth are turned over and crushed. This method is used if there are many weeds with deep roots in the field. However, it is an aggressive treatment because the soil is damaged and its integrity is broken. Therefore, soil erosion, accumulation of melt and ground water can occur.

Plowing the soil with a plow without overturning

The plow loosens the soil without overturning the fertile layer of soil. The soil contains residues from plants that were planted earlier and beneficial microorganisms are actively developing. Thanks to this, the nutritional properties of the soil are improved.

Advantages of plow without overturning:

• Machines that loosen the soil can work in any weather, when the ground is dry or wet.
• This loosening requires less time, thus less fuel and less effort from workers.
• Organic residues in the soil are pulverized, remain in the layer from which plants feed and control erosion.

Plowing a field plow without overturning is not without its disadvantages. The machine is more expensive than for moldboard plowing. Workers need to be trained to operate the machine.

In some cases, plowing without overturning is not possible. Both methods are often used at different depths. First the soil is loosened by turning it over, then it is worked with a plow without turning it over.

Zero tillage

The field is not plowed, but covered with a layer of mulch. This fertilizes the soil and prevents erosion. Moisture is retained in the soil and beneficial microorganisms multiply actively. This is an economical method of cultivating a field, as no plowing machines are needed and you do not have to pay for the work. However, weeds grow actively with this method. For the first few years, the field will have to be treated with herbicides. If the soil is too wet, the No-Till method is not suitable. Installation of a drainage system will be expensive.

Strip-Till plowing technology

The soil is loosened with furrows, hitting the surface layer and at the same time fertilizer is applied. Between the rows, the soil remains untouched by tillage.

For this technology, a high-powered tractor and a navigation system are used. It is then easy and quick to make the rows even. However, it involves equipment costs.

Tillage

This is the loosening of the surface layer of soil. Deeper areas are not touched, so that moisture is retained. At the same time, weeds are pruned and become fertilizer. Soil is cultivated in the spring before sowing, during plant maintenance and after harvest.

Harrowing

Tasks that harrowing solves:

• removes the crust on the soil;
• preserves moisture inside the soil;
• saturates the soil with air;
• removes weeds;
• thinning densely planted plants, etc.

Harrowing crushes clumps and lumps of plowed soil and levels the surface. Harrowing is used before sowing cereals and when growing potatoes.