Title: Tillage and Cultivation

Tillage involves the preparation of soil by mechanically digging, stirring or overturning the soil. There are numerous methods of tillage ranging from mechanically powered tractors to hand tools such shovels, pick rack and so on including the use of animals to drive ploughs.

Where there are concerns over soil erosion and degradation due to tillage these have been addressed through incorporation of altered forms of tillage as well as other methods such as the incorporation of organic matter. For example, in the attached photo a roller crimper with no-till drill is being used to avoid disturbing the soil (source: USDA)

Timing is an important factor to consider in tillage. Autumn tillage can eliminate winter annuals and biennials along with injuring perennials, while spring tilling can eliminate the initial growth of summer annuals.

Tillage is often classified into three Broad categories; primary, secondary and tertiary. Other forms of tillage conservation or on-inversion tillage, strip-till, blind tillage, in-row cultivation and stale seedbed.





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Date: 9 January 2013; 4:46:45 pm Australian Eastern Daylight Time

Author Name: Zheljana Peric
Author ID: zper12