Soil Cultivation and Tillage

What is Tillage?

The practice of keeping the soil mellow (soft) and free from weeds mechanically (physically).

Can be seedbed preparation or post emergence cultivation.

What are the purposes of tillage?

1) Develop soil tilth (physical condition of the soil)

2) Kill weeds 3) Manage crop residue

What is a seedbed? Place where seeds germinate & nourish

young plants.

Characteristics of a good seedbed?Must be firm to allow seed to come in

contact with soil particles to absorb moisture.

Must be porous to allow air to move, root development, water movement.

Water will not easily penetrate hard soil to get to roots.

Different Seedbed Characteristics…

If soil is too loose, rain will wash away young plants.

Some soils have excess water. Oxygen is needed by roots so a compacted

seedbed is not good. Air and water conduct heat more rapidly

than soil, looser soils warm up sooner. Plant residue on surface insulates, warms up

slower. Residue provides a buffer against wind.

RESIDUE ON A FIELD…

Soil TilthThe condition of a piece of tilled

land, in terms of its cultivation history and suitability for crops.

The degree of fineness of soil particles in the topmost soil layer.

How is good soil tilth developed?

Till at proper time to maintain proper aggregation.

Too wet during tillage makes soil lumpy, too dry during tillage makes soil too fine and likely to be at risk for wind erosion.

Over tillage will destroy soil structure and lead to soil compaction.

What is primary tillage?

The first tillage operation of a season. Works water and air in to the soil.

What are the types of tillage equipment? Moldboard Plow

Inverts soil, turns residue under soil surface

What are the types of tillage equipment?

DiskRolling disks,

similar to moldboard plow, better in sticky soils.

What are the types of tillage equipment? Chisel Plow

Does not invert soil, uses chisels or sweeps that shatter the soil.

Leaves residue on surface.

What are the types of tillage equipment?

Disk HarrowSimilar to disk

plow except smaller discs.

Cuts residue, but leaves on surface.

What are the types of tillage equipment?

Rotary HoeHoe wheels on

long shaft dig into soil (shallow).

Usually mounted on tractor for row crops.

What is Hardpan? Compacted soil layer below the soil surface.

WHAT CREATES IT? Created by continuous tillage at the same

depth.

What is secondary tillage?

All tillage operations after primary. Till at shallower depth.

What is minimum tillage?

Delay primary tillage until seeding.

What are the benefits of minimum tillage?a) Soil surface is left covered residue

(conserve moisture).

b) Residue protects soil from erosion.

c) Reduced costs (fewer operations).

d) Soil tilth is improved (less compaction).

e) Weeds are controlled with chemicals.

Six practices to minimize erosion

No-Till Cover and green manure crops Terraces Field windbreaks Grass waterways Strip cropping

What is no-till?

A planting method which the field is left almost undisturbed.

Plant materials are left on top of the soil, rather than tilled in.

A narrow seedbed is prepared.

What is no-till? (continued)

What is strip cropping?

Alternating cropped fields with forage crops.

                                   

What is contour tillage?

Strip cropping so that fields are all at the same elevation (along hills.)

Slows water runoff. Can reduce soil

erosion by as much as 50%.

What is terracing?

Earth structure built across the slope to hold water.

What are windbreaks?

A strip of trees or shrubs planted to reduce wind erosion and trap blowing snow.

What are cover crops?

Green plants plowed under for the purpose of building soil (AKA green manure).

What are grass waterways?

Strips of land permanently seeded to grass.

Controls water runoff from sloping land.

Best results when used with strip cropping.