Thursday, 23 July 2020

Rotary Tiller or Rotavator Use in Tillage

What is Tillage?

 

Tillage can be defined as the process of manipulation of soil to develop a suitable soil structure to create seedbed or root-bed with controlling weeds, manage crop residues, minimize soil erosion and also establish specific upper layer for planting and irrigation etc. Tillage operations to create seedbed are usually known as primary and secondary. A primary tillage operation includes some initial significant soil operations that are normally designed to loosen the soil.

 

On the other hand, secondary tillage operations are performed to create refined soil conditions for planting crops. A mouldboard plough is the most commonly used farm equipment for primary tillage. While a Rotary tiller or rotavator is popularly used as secondary tillage equipment nowadays as it acquires energy in more than one manner, energy from a rotary source usually the tractor PTO. More versatility and reduced draft requirements to obtain the desired outcome in manipulating the soil are the two reasons for considering such more complex farm equipment.

 

Rotary Tiller and Its Uses in Tillage

 

The minimum tillage system is necessary for reducing the use of mechanical energy and labour requirement in soil tillage and is also important to conserve the natural moisture in the soil by minimizing the number of rounds over the field. The rotary tiller is a perfect tilling machine to be used as a minimum tillage system. The high quality of pulverization makes rotary tillers suitable for seedbed preparation.

 

Rotary tillers are also used for uprooting the organic matter and mixing it in all over the tilled upper layer of the soil. Rotary tillers or rotavators are widely used specifically for rice crops in most of the Asiatic countries. Rice fields in such countries are often ploughed by underwater rotary tillage. The rotor or rotating blades usually rotates in the same direction of tractor wheels. Each blade cuts a section of soil as it moves downward and in the direction of the rear wheels. Mostly rotary tillers make 2 or 3 cuts in the soil per round.

 

How to choose a perfect Rotary Tiller for your farm

 

Before choosing a rotary tiller a farmer should consider the size of the farm, the strength of the tractor, budget and how often they will need it. These factors will help a farmer in choosing the right design and combination of features in a rotavator. If there is only a one time need in a year to prepare the field, a farmer can also consider to rent a rotary tiller. This may also provide the time to evaluate either or not they need purchasing one. For a gardener on a small scale farmer, a small rotary tiller or cultivator may be more appropriate.


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