Efficient Plowing Techniques for Optimal Crop Production
Efficient Plowing Techniques
Introduction
The quality of plowing significantly influences crop performance. Adequate plowing facilitates subsequent operations, from secondary tillage and planting to harvest. Professionally executed plowing can also minimize soil erosion.
Working Capacity and Plowing Systems
The plowing system’s working capacity depends on the operator’s chosen method. Selecting an appropriate system ensures minimum mileage across the entire field, preventing time loss and unnecessary travel.
Basic Plowing Operations
Plowing involves several basic operations:
- Marking headers
- Constructing furrows
- Constructing counter-furrows
- Constructing dead furrows
- Making corrections to change furrow direction
Before plowing, checking the headers ensures a smooth operation. Marking involves creating a shallow row along the dividing line between the header and the field.
Opening a Furrow
Opening a furrow, typically the initial plowing operation, facilitates proper counter-furrow construction. Reversible plows also require an initial furrow.
Constructing Counter-Furrows
Constructing counter-furrows is essential for solid stand plowing with one-way plows. Counter-furrows are built against the central axis of the melga (a rectangular section of the field) and consist of two rows with the soil ridges in the center.
Constructing Dead Furrows
Constructing dead furrows is another operation used in melga and contour plowing. A dead furrow consists of two adjacent rows with soil ridges placed outside. It’s built between consecutive melgas. The soil from one melga moves left, while the soil from the other moves right. As plowing approaches the two solid stands, a dead furrow is created on the dividing line.
Changing Furrow Direction
Phased plowing is used to change furrow direction in fields with non-parallel edges, irregular shapes, or rolling terrain susceptible to erosion.
Marking Headers
Headers should be wide enough (e.g., 10 meters) for easy tractor and plow maneuvers. They are marked with stakes, creating a line parallel to the field’s edges. A shallow furrow is traced along the field-header boundary to guide plowing.
Many operators prefer the plowed soil to remain next to the field. For one-way plows, this means the operator positions the tractor and plow with the head and field edge on their left, plowing from the field’s interior and keeping the head clean.
Opening Furrows
Plowing begins with furrow construction. Reversible plows require a single furrow, while one-way plows need a double furrow to create a counter-furrow.
Constructing Counter-Furrows
After opening a double furrow, a counter-furrow is constructed. The double furrow cuts weeds and crop residues, preventing them from being buried. Many operators crush the soil ridges along the furrow edges before building the counter-furrow to avoid double backing when forming a large counter-furrow. This involves driving the tractor wheels (without plowing) over the soil ridges.
Constructing Dead Furrows
Dead furrows are constructed at the end of plowing within melgas. With four plowing passes, corrections are needed to ensure furrows are parallel and spaced four times the plow body’s width.
Corrections
Operators strive to maintain straight furrows but must adjust direction when the field’s slope changes or if the field has an irregular shape.
Plowing in Melgas
This method divides the land into rectangular fields called melgas, plowing one melga at a time. It’s used only with one-way plows. Reversible plows don’t require field division. However, with one-way plows, consider the time lost traveling empty on the field head.
Each time the tractor and plow complete a furrow, they travel empty on the head, a distance averaging half the melga’s width. Time loss increases with shorter melgas and wider widths. Melga widths typically range from 20 to 60 meters, with longer fields using wider melgas.
Plow width also matters. Time loss is lower with wider plows and more bodies. The time loss for a single-body plow and a 20-meter melga equals that of a three-body plow and a 60-meter melga.
Melgas Projection
Besides empty trips, melga projection considers limiting dead furrows and counter-furrows. Marking headers and counter-furrows is essential.
Plowing Odd Melgas
After field preparation, plowing begins with the last odd melga.
Plowing Even Melgas
After plowing odd melgas, even melgas are plowed.
Plowing the Header
Header plowing is a separate operation, moving soil outwards from the field edges. For effective weed cutting, operators might cut inwards first, then plow the header.
Plowing the Next Year
Plowing moves soil laterally. The following year, soil is shifted in reverse to prevent field unevenness. Dead furrows, counter-furrows, and dividing lines from the previous year are easily located, eliminating the need to mark rows.
Even melgas are plowed first, followed by odd melgas and headers, using the previous year’s dead furrows as markers.
Dividing the field into an odd number of melgas and plowing odd and even melgas separately allows for five dead furrows every two years. Plowing melgas consecutively would create five dead furrows annually, but this method results in two dead furrows in one year.
Plowing with Reversible Plows
Reversible plow plowing is simpler, eliminating the need for melgas. After marking headers, plowing begins along the field’s longest edge. After circling the headers, the operator reverses the plow, using another plow body. This consistently moves soil in the same direction.
Soil moves to one side of the field. The following year, plowing starts on the opposite edge, moving topsoil to that side.
Advantages of Reversible Plows
Reversible plows eliminate dead furrows and the need for counter-furrows. Only three open furrows exist annually along the field-header lines. The following year, furrows are on the other three field edges.
Another advantage is turning only on headers, eliminating empty travel time. Reversible plows also simplify corrections in fields with non-parallel or irregular edges. These advantages make reversible plows ideal for contour plowing in hilly or mountainous terrain.
Adjusting Reversible Plows
Adjusting reversible plows is more complex. One body is used forward, and another backward. Precise adjustment is crucial for consistent work depth, soil slice width, and rollover shape.