TILLAGE
Manipulation of soil with tools and implements for obtaining ideal conditions for seed germination, seedling establishment and crop growth.
The Father of tillage is Jethro Tull (book; Horse-hoeing husbandry)
The word tillage is derived from 'Anglo-Saxon' words Tilian and Teolian, meaning 'to plough and prepare the soil for seed to sow, to cultivate and to raise crops'.
Tilth: - It is the physical condition of soil resulting from tillage.
OBJECTIVES: -
For batter Aeration in soil.
For batter germination of seed.
For batter root growth.
To increase soil water holding capacity
To check weed growth.
To mix manures and fertilizer with the soil.
To breck the hard pain of soil.
TYPE OF TILLAGE: -
On-Season Tillage: -
A. Preparatory tillage: - tillage operation for raising a crop up to sowing or planting
a. Primary tillage: - The operation performed to open up any cultivable land with a view to preparing a seedbed for growing crops, is termed primary tillage. It is normally designed to reduce soil strength, cover plant materials and rearrange aggregates.
b. Secondary tillage: - Lighter and finer operations performed on the soil after primary tillage, are termed as secondary tillage. These operations are generally performed on surface soil. Very little inversion and shifting of soil takes place and consequently less power requirement per unit area.
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B. inter tillage: -
a. inter cultivation
2. Off Season Tillage: -
Tillage operation is done for conditioning the soil during uncropped season with the main obj. Of water conservation, leaching to remove salt.
Summer tillage
Fallow tillage
Stubble or Post harvest tillage.
CRIDA has classified tillage according to the depth of tillage.
CRIDA: Central Research Institue of Dryland Agriculture (Hyderabad)
1. Deep tillage: - 25 to 30 cm
2. Medium tillage: - 15 to 20 cm
3. Shallow tillage: - 5 to 6 cm
Tillage system: -
Intensive/conventional tillage: - this system leaves < 15 % Crop residuals on the soil surface.
Reduced tillage: - this system leaves 15 to 30 % Crop residuals on the soil surface.
Conservational tillage: - Crop residual remain >30 %. The main objective of this system is reducing soil erosion and moisture conservation. Weed control in this system is done by Herbicides.
A. Stubble mulch tillage:
B. Minimum tillage: it involves considerable soil disturbance,
Through to a much lesser extent than that associated with
conventional tillage.
C. No tillage/Zero tillage: it is extreme form of minimum tillage.
Till planting is done under this method.