Tillage is a procedure that is done to modify soil structurebefore sowing the crop seeds. Tillage improves soil health by increasingaeration and water retention capacity of the soil. It is one of the most important activities for good growth of plants. Different types of tillage equipment are used for digging, turning and mixing the soil so that all the layers of soil can be exposed to air and sun to get natural ingredients andcreate a suitable atmosphere for plant growth. Here we will discuss three common and popular agricultural machinery used to prepare a perfect and smooth seedbed for sowing plant seeds.
Mould-board Plough
A mould-board plough is the best machinery to providesoil pulverization and also it completely buries weeds and crop residueunderneath the upper surface. Generally used as a secondary tillage equipment after using disc plough, it plays major role when it comes to prepare a smooth seedbed. It also makes possible incorporation of fertilizers and pesticides in even manner by smoothening the soil surface. It is suitable for weed control and seedbed preparation.
A reversible mould-board plough or reversible plough isassumed to be the upgraded version of the mb plough. It turns the upper layerof the soil to the right or left side of direction when taking rounds. It uses two sets of bottoms attached to a frame on opposite sides using one bottom for one direction and the other bottom for the other direction in the returning round. Both the bottoms are mounted in such a way that they can be raised or lowered individually as per requirement and can also be rotated along an axis.
Rotary Tiller
Either it’s about removing weeds and leftover of theprevious crop, or you want to create a new seedbed for the fresh crop, a Rotavator or rotary tiller is the perfect agricultural machinery to loosen the soil and create the perfect seedbed for next crop. Different types of models of rotavator have their own features and design that makes them compatible for work in different types of soil conditions.
A rotary tiller or rotavator uses a set of curved bladesattached to a rotating shaft mounted on a frame and powered by your tractor PTOto mix and turn the soil to prepare a fine and clod-free seedbed. It pulverizesthe soil and kills the weeds and provides better aeration. The larger the tiller, working depth will also be better. Although 6 inches is a standard tilling depth suggested by experts, even for larger vegetable farms.
Disc Harrow
A disc harrow uses a set of steel discs that breaks up all theclods and lumps in the soil in an trouble-free, efficient and fast manner and giving it a soft finish for creating seedbed. It is a secondary tillage equipment used after the initial ploughing is done with a disc plough. It gives the soil the final structure for preparing the desired seedbed. It also kills the weeds entirely and also buries previous crops residue leaving the soil completely prepared to sow the fresh crop seeds.
Attached to the tractor it runs through the field to make soil clod-free. Some of the most common types of harrow are high speed disc harrow, heavy-duty hydraulic harrow, compact model disc harrow, mounted offset disc harrow, tandem disc harrow, chain disc harrows, chain harrow and tine harrow etc.
