To keep the soil in good condition for growing plants, it needs to be tilled regularly. For these purposes, various methods are used, including the improvement of the land by cultural plowing. Thanks to this method, it is possible to avoid a compacted layer, as well as cope with malicious weeds, improve the looseness of the soil and its aeration.
What is plowing
Plowing, plowing or arable work is the cultivation of the soil with a special tool - a moldboard plow.With its help, a layer of soil is cut and turned over, making it more suitable for farming and cultivating plants.
Plowing is the main and most critical part of agricultural work, affecting subsequent operations.
What is it for?
Plowing is used to raise virgin soil - unplowed, untouched land, as well as to improve soils used in agriculture. When plowing, the dense layer of soil is turned over, which allows you to obtain the following results:
- Wrapping topsoil kills surface weeds and damages deep roots.
- Soil crumbling.
- Mixing soil layers.
As a result of this treatment, the soil becomes looser, weed-free, saturated with air, and easily allows moisture to pass to the roots of plants. It is possible to get rid of the soil crust, which impedes the growth of planted plants and the germination of sown seeds.
Types of plowing
As a method of cultivating land, plowing has existed since time immemorial. The first processing tests were carried out manually, using improvised objects made of wood, bones and animal horns. Later a wooden plow appeared. Then came the primitive plow, invented in the Roman Empire. It was equipped with wheels and had a metal cutting tip. With its help, it was possible to regulate the depth of the furrow being laid and throw back the plowed soil. This made it possible to significantly improve soil cultivation and have a positive effect on agriculture.
Plowing with full rotation of the formation
This is the most ancient method, which today has been subject to considerable criticism from experienced agronomists and agricultural scientists. When using it, the layer of earth is turned over 180 degrees, that is, the top layer is at the bottom, and vice versa. Such plowing is mainly intended for processing areas with dense turf, which are impossible or difficult to cultivate using other methods.
The advantage of the technique is a complete revolution of the cut layer, in which the weeds and their shoots and seeds end up below, underground, rot and rot.
Plowing with seam uplift
With this method, the soil is cut and dumped at an angle of 135 degrees. This forms air “pockets” in which moisture accumulates, feeding the crops. Unlike the previous option, not deep furrows and shafts appear on the ground, but ridge structures that help retain precipitation and absorb it into the ground.
This method has a drawback - due to the specific cutting angle, some weeds remain alive and continue to compete with cultivated plantings for water, light and nutrients. However, in our latitudes this is the most popular and widespread method of soil treatment.
Since the listed methods have certain disadvantages, a method was invented that makes it possible to avoid them, improving the quality of processing and soil fertility.
Cultural plowing
This is a type of plowing that involves the use of skimmers.Thanks to their use, it is possible to combine all the advantages of the two previous methods: the air “pocket” is filled up, preventing the germination of weeds, and the surface of the plowed area is smooth.
Thus, this method turns out to be intermediate between plowing with a full rotation and with uplifting the layer.
Tools for work
In agriculture, various plowing devices are used to provide soil cultivation for further planting of cultivated plants.
Motor winch
This is a plowing device that pulls a plow or cultivator behind it on a cable. The motor winch is excellent for cultivating household plots and summer cottages, as it is intended not only for plowing, but also for other operations:
- Hilling.
- Planting and digging potatoes.
- Transportation of goods around the site.
Using a motorized winch, plowing is carried out using the moldboard method.
Walk-behind tractor
This is a self-propelled device with a wheel shaft drive. Its advantages are the ability to move forward and backward, as well as versatility of use. A number of additional devices can be mounted on the base of the walk-behind tractor - from a cultivator and seeder, mower and harvester to a miniature vehicle. With its help, you can transport fertilizers around the site and provide feed to farm animals.
Plow
The modern plow is very different from its ancient prototype. There are several device options, divided according to the following characteristics:
- By type of cutting elements: plowshare and disk.
- According to the principle of traction: horse, rope and tractor.
- According to the number of working elements: single-, double- and multi-body.
- General purpose and special.
- According to the plowing method - for smooth plowing and furrow plowing.
The type of plow used, as well as the depth of plowing, depend on the soil and purpose of plowing, and what plants are planned to be planted in the future.
Tractor
This is a wheeled or tracked vehicle that performs numerous jobs and operations using mounted implements. Arable tractors with wheel drive operate at a speed of 6-10 kilometers per hour, with caterpillar drives - 10-20 kilometers per hour. The technical characteristics of the latter type take into account the characteristics of high-speed plowing: they have enough power and good tillage speed.
Technique
Several methods of plowing land are used:
- Smooth, which is considered the most perfect. It is carried out using reversible plows connected to the tractor with a three-point suspension. They have two mirror-connected sets of shares. As a result of the operation of the device, the ridges are oriented in one direction.
- Driven, resulting from plowing with a conventional plow. This type of plowing is not smooth; half of the plot has ridges on the left, and the other on the right. In this case, either a double ridge (ploughing into a dump) or a double furrow (waddling) can be formed in the center of the paddock.
- Figured plowing is used in areas with uneven surfaces, without the plow rising from the soil. This method is rarely used because it leaves many untreated areas.
