Tillage Equipment – An Overview and their Uses in Soil Development

Tilling of the land is a mechanical management of soil to make it ideal and provide a favourable condition for the production of the crop. Soil tilling process includes breaking the solid surface of the field to a certain depth, to enable the roots of the crops to penetrate and spread into the soil. The firm the roots in the soil, the stronger they hold the plant.

Purpose of Using Tillage Equipment

• To form a deep seedbed, making it suitable for various type of crops.
• To add more fertility to soil by burying the organic vegetation.
• To kill the weeds and prevent from growing further.
• To expose the soil to air and sun to absorb nutrients required for proper growth of crops.
• To increase the water-absorbing capacity of the soil.
• To kill the pests, insects and their breeding spaces.
• And lessen the soil erosion.

Types of Tillage Equipment

Primary Tillage Equipment

We can divide tillage equipment into two parts based on their uses in the tilling process, primary and secondary. Primary tillage equipment such as a mouldboard plough or MB plough, disc plough, chisel plough, subsoil plough and other similar equipment are used to perform the initial and major soil tilling operations. These modern tillage equipment are used as tractor implements, pulled by a tractor. Below we have mentioned a little about their functions.

Disc Plough - A disc plough, cuts, turns and breaks furrow slices in the soil by separately mounted big steel discs. It is designed to reduce friction by giving it a rolling plough bottom in place of sliding plough bottom. A disc plough is used in such soil conditions where an MB plough does not work efficiently.

MB Plough - An MB plough works by cutting the furrow slices in the soil, raising the soil, turning the furrow slice and pulverizing the soil. It makes a horizontal cut under the soil with its sharp and pointed component made with steel and chilled cast iron.

Secondary Tillage Equipment

Tillage operations that are performed after the initial tilling of the land to give the soil a proper structure for seeding and planting comes in the secondary tillage group. These are finer and lighter operations performed for conditioning of the soil. The modern tillage implements include cultivators, crushers, levellers and various types of harrows such as high-speed disc harrow, heavy-duty hydraulic harrow, compact disc harrow etc.

Harrows ( Disc Harrow )

A harrow or disc harrow is secondary tillage equipment that is used after the initial tilling of the lands. The high-speed disc harrow, shatters the clods in the soil, making it suitable for sowing while burying the organic substances & remains at the same time.

Rotavator or Rotary Tiller

A rotary tiller or Rotavator is also one of the secondary tillage implements used to break, blend and aerate the soil and increasing its oxygen count and making it better for seeding and harvesting. Rotavator is designed or made by assembling a set of blades or rotors connected to the engine that breaks through the soil when revolving. This a piece of agriculture machinery used as tractor implement in modern farming practices.