Mar 19, 2020
Advantages of Ploughing or Tilling the Fields
The spring is the time when farmers get out into their fields and prepare for planting. Farmers have to escape thunderstorms and they may work all through the night when skies are clear to get the seeds into the land. Ploughing is essential for the ideal growth of seeds and this is why farmers plough their fields before planting.
Seeds need to be planted only an inch under the soil surface to give these seeds the best environment for germinating and growing. So basically ploughing purpose is to prepare the seedbeds by breaking up the soil. The soil may be compact and dense. Using a Plough makes it easy for a farmer to plant by breaking up the lumps and rocky structure of the soil and make space for drainage and root growth.
A Plough also helps in mixing crops residue into the soil to improve decomposition and enhance nutrients in the soil. Turning over the soil not only mixes the organic waste but also enhances oxygen in the soil by exposing it to the air and sun. This is also essential to speed up the decomposition of the leftovers of previous crops and get more oxygen for the plant roots.
A general problem that we can see on any farm is that old weeds compete with the current crop to get water and other essential nutrients. Weeds that tend to grow faster can crowd out the planted crop. So another advantage of ploughing the field is that it mechanically breaks up weed roots and stops it from growing. Controlling weeds mechanically enables farmers to use less herbicide to kill the weeds.
Harvested crops also have chances to get impacted by the quantity of weed killers. A crop will worth more with fewer weed seeds in it. Thus, using fewer weeds can make a possible increased profit.
Different types of modern plough work in different ways. A Moldboard plough aerates the soil and also helps in the burial of weed seeds and residue completely. The wetter the soil the well it is suited for a fall moldboard plough system.
Ploughing with MB plough, reversible MB plough, mounted disc plough etc. helps to warm and dry of such soils, to avoid spring delays. While secondary tillage equipment like disk harrow or field cultivator, help in uniform absorption of pesticides and fertilizers by creating a smooth surface of the soil for seeding. Crop cultivator is significantly used for weed control and warming the soil before planting.
As every farm is different, farmers need to choose the best of farm equipment be it a plough or harvester for their farming operations to increase their productivity as per their requirement and the soil type.
