Chapter-3: Tillage implements

3.1. Introduction to Tillage system

 Farmers perform tillage when they prepare soil for the
raising of crops.
 Tillage is the mechanical manipulation of the soil for
planting and the process of keeping loose and free from
weeds during the growth of crops..
 Prior to planting, farmers use tillage to mix compost,
manure, and other fertilizers into the root zone where
growing plant roots may reach it.
 Tillage also aids seed germination by creating a smooth,
uniform soil surface for planting.
 After planting, farmers use tillage to control weeds
between crop plants – including vegetable, fruit, medicinal
and farm crops.
 The primary objective and the fundamental purpose of
tillage are:
 to prepare a suitable seedbed for planting,
 to destroy competitive weeds and

 to improve the physical condition of the soil.

 Objective of Tillage
 To develop a desirable soil structure for seed bed.
 A granular structure is desirable to allow rapid infiltration and good
retention of rainfall
 adequate air exchange capacity with in the soil
 to minimize resistance to root penetration

 To control weeds or other unwanted vegetation

 weeds may be generally killed by cutting just below ground level,
 by burying them completely or by dragging them out and leaving them
exposed on the surface of a dry soil.
 To manage plant residue.
 Thorough mixing of trash is desirable for decomposition organic materials
 where as retention of trash in the top layers reduces erosion by protecting
the soil from splash /drop erosion.

 To establish specific surface configuration for planting,

irrigating, drainage, harvesting operations, etc.
 To minimize soil erosion by following such practices as contour
tillage and proper placement of trash.
 To incorporate and mix fertilizers, pesticides, or soil
amendments in to the soil
 Crop remains and farm yard manure must be buried and mixed
 So that the manurial constituents contained in them may be made available
to the crop plants by process of decay, and so that their presence on the
surface may not interfere with cultivations.
 Accomplish segregation.
 This may involve moving soil from one layer to another, removal of rocks and other
foreign objects, or root harvesting.
 the top layer which contains less moisture is mixed with the bottom layer which is
rich in moisture, so uniform moisture is kept.
 To destroy insects, pests and their eggs, larvae, and
their breeding places,
By disturbing their life cycle

It is accomplished by bringing them on the surface so that

birds and others will feed them.
 Form a realistic management stand point, each tillage operation
must be evaluated on the basis of its operation to one or more of
the following goals:-
 Management of crop residue
 Soil aeration,

 Weed control and insect control

 incorporation of fertilizer,
 Temperature control for seed germination,
 Improvement of soil tilth,
 Provide good seed-soil contact,
 Prepare surface for other operations. –like planting or broadcasting
 Erosion control and Energy conservation- time, labor & fuel.
TYPES OF TILLAGE
 Soil tillage is usually categorized under two broad headings:
 primary tillage and secondary tillage.

Primary tillage
 Primary tillage is usually the initial major soil working operation, which is
followed by subsequent tillage operations.
 It is normally designed to reduce soil strength, cover plant materials and
rearrange aggregates.

Secondary tillage
 Secondary tillage is the subsequent tillage operations, which follows primary
tillage to stir the soil at comparatively shallow depths.
 It is intended to create refined soil conditions.
 We can also look practice of tillage as:
 conventional tillage practice and conservation tillage practices.

Conservation Tillage conventional tillage

-minimum tillage -primary tillage
-zero tillage -secondary tillage

-rotary tillage
- ridge tillage
 1. CONVENTIONAL TILLAGE PRACTICES

 Conventional tillage practices differ from place to place.

 It is a traditional way of farming with different practices
like clearing, ploughing (first and second), cultivation
(before or after planting) and planting.
 There are two broad practices in the conventional tillage
method; primary tillage and secondary tillage.
 I. PRIMARY TILLAGE
Objectives:
 To create a seedbed by breaking and pulverizing the soil,
 To destroy weeds or other unwanted vegetation,
 To partially or completely bury crop residue and manure and to incorporate
or mix these materials in to the soil,
 To mix and in corporate lime, fertilizer or other additives to the soil,
 To control or destroy insects, their eggs, larvae and breeding places,
 To loosen the soil for better aeration and water retention,
 To reduce wind and water erosion by leaving a rough surface exposed to
those elements.
 II. SECONDARY TILLAGE

The general objectives of secondary tillage are:

 To develop the seedbed by greater pulverization of soil clods.
 To firm the topsoil for better moisture movement to aid seed
germination.
 To cut up crop residue and mix vegetative matter or other material
into the topsoil.
 To conserve moisture and reduce evaporation. This is the case as
the summer-fallow operations, which break up capillary action, kill
weeds and hence reduce evaporation.
 To destroy or control weed – in fallow lands
 2. CONSERVATION TILLAGE PRACTICES
 Conservation tillage practices are tillage practices where soil,
moisture and energy are conserved by tillage practices like
minimum (reduced) tillage, no (zero) tillage, ridge tillage and
rotary tillage.
 Engineers, crop and soil scientists are generally agreed that
more tillage is being done than is necessary to assure maximum
net income from crop production.
 In some cases, soil compaction from the tractor and
implements in a sequence of secondary tillage operations
may virtually eliminate the effects of primary tillage.
 Therefore, tillage must be as minimum as possible to get
maximum yield per hectare.
 Conservation tillage practices are:
• minimum tillage, zero tillage, ridge tillage, and rotary tillage.
 Minimum tillage
• Minimum tillage is the minimum soil manipulation necessary for
crop production or for meeting tillage requirements under the
existing soil conditions.
• Minimum tillage reduces some of the practices in conventional
tillage.
e.g. one machinery can operate both the primary & secondary tillage
operation in one go.
 One implement is used to do as many jobs as possible
in one operation. eg.:
• Attaching a soil packer and the planter to the plow so that plowing and
planting are done simultaneously
• A forward mounted cultivator is used to cultivate the beds and kill weed a
head of the planter.
 The major objectives of minimum tillage are:

1. To reduce mechanical energy and labor requirement,

2. To conserve soil moisture and reduce soil erosion,

3. To minimize the number of trips over the field.

No or Zero Tillage
 No tillage is a procedure where by a planting is made directly into
unprepared seedbed.
 It is also called chemical fallow and often referred to as a no-till
system.
 No or Zero Tillage
 Of course, it is not actually zero but approaches zero. Here all the
practices are accomplished once at the same time.
 There is a machine, which creates furrows for the seeds and putting
them in the furrows, while all other areas remain undisturbed.
 For instance, a fluted coulter is generally used to open a narrow
trench for the seeds.
 The narrow trench is closed by a suitable press wheel.

 Weeds, insects are largely controlled by the application of chemicals.

 The advantage of no tillage are listed as:
• early planting of a following crop
• reduced labor and machine costs
• Reduced danger of soil blowing, and
• soil and water conservation
• Reduce erosion; Conserve moisture,
• Reduce the size of tractor power and the need for tillage equipment;
• Use less labor
 The disadvantages of no till system:
• Rely on herbicides for weed control
• Require a no-till planter or planter modification

• May cause soil compaction in upper soil zone

• May cause different, greater, or more frequent insect, disease,
and weed problems than those typical in conventional tillage
crop production.
 There are three general systems for no tillage:
 planting in unbroken land or a sod of blue grass
 Planting in cover crops, such as small grains,

 Planting where the crop stubble or crop residue is on the soil surface.

Ridge Tillage
 Ridge tillage resembles contemporary and traditional cropping
systems in which plants grow on a hill or bund.
• This practice uses ridges, conserves moisture and plants are planted
on the ridge.
• This system is most suited for areas of high rainfall.
Ridge Tillage
 The wheels of the equipment always operate in the furrows,
hence the physical condition of the soil on the ridge is least
affected
 In dry land areas tying the ridge about every 3-6 meters along the
furrow will conserve much moisture by keeping the water between the
tied ridges.

Ridge tillage
ROTARY STRIP TILLAGE SYSTEMS
• In this system of tillage, a narrow strip of land along the row
is tilled.
• In this practice there is no inversion of land instead there is
cultivation only to a shallow depth by using rotary tiller.
• The objective is :
– To conserve moisture by leaving residue on the top surface.

• It also keeps loss of the soil particles by wind erosion.