Knowra Tillage Tillage Tillage is the mechanical preparation of soil for crop production by turning, loosening, mixing, or otherwise disturbing it. Its forms range from intensive plowing to systems that leave most soil undisturbed.
Moldboard plow : A plow that cuts, lifts, and turns soil over with a curved moldboard. It exemplifies inversion tillage, burying residues and weeds beneath the surface.
Conservation tillage : Tillage practices that limit soil disturbance and retain crop residues to protect soil. It reduces disturbance compared with conventional inversion tillage.
Weed control : The management of unwanted plants that compete with crops or interfere with production. Cultivation can uproot or bury weeds, especially before crop establishment.
Soil health : The capacity of soil to function as a living system that sustains plants, animals, and people. Tillage influences the physical, chemical, and biological functions used to assess soil condition.
Chisel plow : A tillage implement with shanks that loosen soil while causing less inversion than a moldboard plow. It loosens compacted layers while leaving more crop residue near the surface.
No-till farming : A cropping system that plants seeds directly into untilled soil, with residues left on the surface. It is the clearest alternative to mechanical soil preparation between crops.
Crop residue : Plant material remaining in a field after harvest, including stalks, leaves, and roots. Tillage can incorporate residue or leave it exposed as soil cover.
Soil carbon sequestration : The capture and storage of carbon in soil, chiefly as organic matter. Reduced disturbance can help retain carbon near the surface, though outcomes vary by soil and climate.
Disk harrow : An implement with angled steel disks that cut and mix soil and crop residues. It breaks clods and incorporates residues after primary tillage.
Strip-till : A system that tills narrow planting zones while leaving the soil between rows undisturbed. It combines a loosened seed row with protected, untilled inter-row soil.
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