1. Tillage
Chapter #10

2. What is Tillage?
the practice of keeping the soil mellow (soft) and free from weeds mechanically (physically)
can be seedbed preparation or postemergence cultivation

3. What are the purposes of tillage?
1) develop soil tilth (physical condition of the soil)
2) kill weeds
3) manage crop residue

4. What is a seedbed? place where seeds germinate & nourish young plants
must be firm to allow seed to come in contact with soil particles to absorb moisture
must be pourous to allow air to move, root development, water movement
water will not easily penetrate hard soil to get to roots

5. Seedbed Characteristics
if soil is too loose, rain will wash away young plants
some soils have excess water
oxygen is needed by roots
air and water conduct heat more rapidly than soil, looser soils warm up sooner
plant residue on surface insulates, warms up slower, also provides buffer against wind

6. What is Soil Tilth? The physical condition of the soil
fitness for cultivation

7. How is good soil tilth developed?
till at proper time to maintain proper aggregation
too wet during tillage makes soil lumpy, too dry during tillage makes soil too fine and likely to blow
over tillage will destroy soil structure and lead to soil compaction

8. What is the definition of a weed?
a plant that grows out of place
-tillage can cut roots or bury weeds

9. Is crop residue a benefit or detriment?
definitely a benefit
helps control erosion, retain water, improve tilth

10. What is primary tillage?
the first tillage operation of a season
loosen soil to permit air and water to penetrate
dark soils absorb light, warm up quicker
residue insulates, warms slower
in wet areas soil is plowed
in dry areas leave residue

11. What are the types of tillage equipment?
Moldboard Plow: inverts soil, turns residue under soil surface

12. Disk Plow
rolling disks, similar to moldboard plow, better in sticky soils

13. One-Way Disk Plow
for dry soils, leaves more residue on soil surface than moldboard and disk plow

14. What is summerfallow? tilling uncropped land in summer
primary tillage is deepest, rest shallower
leave residue

15. Chisel Plow
does not invert soil, uses chisels or sweeps that shatter the soil
leaves residue on surface

16. What is Hardpan? compacted soil layer below the soil surface
created by continuous tillage at the same depth

17. How can hardpan be corrected?
use a subsoiler

18. Disk Harrow
similar to disk plow except smaller discs, tandem. cuts residue, but leaves on surface

19. What is secondary tillage?
all tillage operations after primary
till at shallower depth

21. Spike-Tooth Harrow
steel spikes that break soil crust, uproot small weeds

22. Rod Weeder rod turns as it is pulled beneath the soil
rod turns opposite direction as wheels, lifts weeds and coarse material to surface
packs seedbed

23. Rotary Hoe hoe wheels on long shaft dig into soil (shallow)
usually mounted on tractor for row crops

24. What is minimum tillage?
delay primary tillage until seeding

25. What are the benefits of minimum tillage?
1) soil surface is left covered residue (conserve moisture)
2) redidue protects soil from erosion
3) reduced costs (fewer operations)
4) soil tilth improved (less compaction)
-Weeds are controlled with chemicals

26. What is stripcropping?
alternating summerfallow and cropped fields

27. What is contour tillage?
strip cropping so that fields are all at the same elevation (along hills)
slows water runoff

28. What is Terracing?
earth structure built across the slope to hold water