1. CULTIVATION AND
SEEDBED PREPARATION

2. Tillage and Cultivation
Tillage
is defined as those mechanical, soil stirring actions carried
on for the purpose of nurturing crops
Objective:
To provide a suitable environment for seed germination,
root growth, weed growth, soil erosion control and
moisture control
Tillage machinery: Tools or implements used to obtain
the above

3. Cultivation
• is an operation that requires some kind of tool
hat will stir the surface of the soil to a shallow
depth in such a manner that young weeds will
be destroyed and crop growth promoted
• usually begins soon after the emergence of
young seedlings as weeds generally emerge
about the same time as the crop

4. Tillage
Classification
Primary tillage Secondary tillage

5. Primary Tillage
more aggressive, deeper operation and usually
leaves the surface rough
cut and shatters soil
Implements:
1. Mouldboard and disc plough
2. Chisel plough
3. Sub soilers
4. Rotary tillers or cultivators

6. Secondary Tillage
works the soil to shallow depth
levels and firm the soil
closes air pockets
kill weeds and helps conserve moisture
Implements:
1. Disc, spring tooth and spike tooth harrow
2. Spring and rigid tined cultivators
2. Ridgers, bedders or listers
4. Roller pockets and roller harrows
5. Weed control implement
Tillage machines or implements can be further classified into:
mounted, semi-mounted, trailed or drawn implements

7. Mounted implements
• Attached to the tractor by 3 point hitch
linkages
• Implements can be raised or lowered by the
hydraulic system
• Example: A mounted 3 disc plough

8. Semi-mounted implements
• Attached to the tractor 2 point or 3 point
linkage and these implements are normally
provided with wheels to help in better
performance of the machine
• Example: A seed drill – implement can be
raised or lowered

9. Trailed implements
• Attached to the tractor’s drawbar and this
cannot be raised or lowered
• Implement trailed the tractor as it moves
• Implements are heavy and usually provided
with wheels for easy hitching to the back of
tractor and better stability
Example: Trailed
moldboard plough

10. Disc Plow, Rotovator, Harrow and
Ridges
PLOW
One of the oldest agriculture equipments and is
generally considered to be the most important
tillage tool
It is used to cut, turn up and break up soil while
turning over weeds

11. 1. Moldboard Plow
Mostly used for primary tillage in seedbed preparation
a. One way plow - Design to turn the furrow slices only to the right
b. Two way plow
Has 2 sets of opposed bottoms that can be used selectively
All furrows can be turned toward the same side of the field by using
right hand bottoms for one direction of travel and the left hand
bottom on the return
Used for plowing irrigated lands since it eliminated back furrows
and dead furrows and leaves the field nearly level

13. 2. Disc Plow
Disk plow was brought out in an effort to reduce friction by
making a rolling bottom instead of a bottom that would
slide along the furrow
Consists of a series of individually mounted, inclined disc blades
on a frame supported by wheels
Used when moldboard plow does not work satisfactorily:
a. hard dry soils
b. stony or stumpy fields
c. soils containing heavy roots
d. loose, push type soils and abrasive soil
Built with heavy frame and wheels; in a hard dry soil, a disc
plow can be forced into ground by its weight

15. 3. Disk Harrow
Uses:
i. Controlling weeds, cutting up and mixing
stubble or heavy crops with soil
ii. For primary tillage in orchards and
vineyards as well as in open fields
iii. Lighter units used in seedbed preparation
sub subsequent to plowing

16. a. Single Acting Disk Harrow
- has two opposed gangs of disc blades, both throwing
dirt outward from the center of tilled strip
b. Tandem Disk Harrow
- has two additional gangs that throw the
dirt back toward the center as second operation, thus
tilling the soil twice and leaving the field more level
c. Offset Disk Harrow
- has one right hand gang (i.e a gang that moves the soil
to the right) and one left hang gang, operating in
tandem

18. 4. Cultivator
• There are many different combinations of
frames and tines (or shovels)
• The common types are the standard rigid
cultivators (with or without spring), light or
heavy spring teeth, and heavy coil spring
• Cultivator with tooth equipment is used for
weed controls, seedbed preparation and
other secondary tillage operations

19. a. Spike Tooth Harrow
– Used for finishing the seedbed by smoothing it and
breaking surface clods, particularly in mellow,
friable soil
– Effective in killing small weeds
– Covering broadcasted seeds
– Breaking crusts that have formed over newly
planted crops

20. b. Spring Tooth Harrow
– Has long curved teeth made from spring steel 6-8
mm thick and usually 19-25 mm wide
– Used in rough or stony ground
– Useful for loosening and bringing roots of certain
obnoxious grasses and weeds to surface
– For bringing clods to surface for pulverization
c. Ridgers
– Comes under field cultivators
– To make a ridger, a moldboard disk can be used

22. THANK YOU