What's a plow anyway?
single-share, moldboard plow
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 Tillage Homepage Primary Tillage: Incorporation Secondary Tillage:
Weed Control		 Secondary Tillage:
Seedbed Preparation		 Soil and Water Conservation Planters and Drills
For those who did not grow up on a farm, the names of tillage implements may be confusing.  This page is designed to answer a few of those questions for you.

Tillage has four purposes:

  1. Incorporation of plant residues, fertilizers, etc.
  2. Seedbed preparation
  3. Weed control
  4. Soil and water conservation
Tillage is also classified by the quantity of soil disturbance that occurs during the event.  Primary tillage often inverts the surface soil and buries most of the plant residues.  These are often the first operations done after harvesting a crop.  Secondary tillage implements disturb less soil and bury less residue.

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For all the good reasons we till the soil, sometimes there are negative side effects.  If the soil surface is left bare and uncovered, it is subject to erosion from wind and water.

Erosion is a serious problem because topsoil is lost.  Topsoil has more organic matter and nutrient holding capacity.  So losing topsoil decreases soil productivity.  Management systems that allow unchecked erosion are not sustainable.

Newer management systems use less tillage and leave more residues on the surface.  More farmers use these practices every year.  Depending on the exact practices used, these are called no till, ridge till, reduced tillage, conservation tillage, residue management systems, and several other terms.

Hopefully, the pictures that follow will help you understand the differences in plows, what they do to residues and soil, and the resulting consequences of erosion and loss of productivity.

Conservation Tillage pictures
Dr. Dirt's Homepage Tillage Homepage Primary Tillage: Incorporation Secondary Tillage:
Weed Control		 Secondary Tillage:
Seedbed Preparation		 Soil and Water Conservation Planters and Drills

Updated 06-29-2005. Copyright 2005. Clay Robinson, Ph.D., as to all resources: Materials may not be reproduced without Dr. Robinson's written consent. Students are prohibited from selling (or being paid for taking) notes or webpages during this course to or by any person or commercial firm without the express written permission of the developer of these pages.

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