Ploughing in Agriculture: Meaning, Types and Uses

Table of Content

• Introduction
• What is Ploughing in Agriculture?
• Importance of Ploughing in Agriculture
• 5 Uses of Plough in Agriculture
  • Breaking Up Soil
  • Creating Seedbed
  • Improving Soil Structure
  • Removing Weeds
  • Pest Control
• Types of Plough in Agriculture
  • Wooden Plough
  • MB Plough
  • Disc Plough
  • Chisel Plough
  • Hydraulic Reversible MB Plough
• Conclusion

Introduction

Ploughing, also known as tilling, is an essential process in agriculture. It is a primary tillage equipment. It involves the use of a plough implement to break up and turn over the soil. This process is crucial before sowing seeds, as it prepares the soil for planting. The ploughing has been in use for thousands of years and has evolved over time to become more efficient and effective. In this article, we will discuss ploughing in agriculture, its meaning, types, and uses of plough in agriculture.

What is Ploughing in Agriculture?

Ploughing in agriculture is the process of using a plough to turn over and break up the soil in preparation for planting crops. The plough is a tool that is used to cut, lift, and turn the soil, breaking it up into smaller pieces, which are easier to work with.

Till recent times and in hinterlands of India, the plough is still drawn by animals. But, with the effort of successive governments in India to subsidise the agriculture sectors and investment therein, many tractor subsidy schemes and subsidy on farm equipment has increased the use of modern plough implements like disc plough and hydraulic reversible MB plough in Indian agriculture. Today, it is among the top 10 agriculture implements used for farming in India.

Importance of Ploughing in Agriculture

Ploughing helps to prepare the land for cultivation by creating furrows, improving soil structure, and promoting soil aeration. The ploughing helps to improve soil structure and increase nutrient availability for plant growth. Majorly, for these reasons ploughing is very necessary process for any farmer:

• It increases the air circulation in the soil by turning soil up down and around.
• It makes the soil soft by allowing the friendly worms and microbes enter the soil, which helps in turning the soil further.
• It also increases the water retention capacity of the soil.
• It helps the farmer with eradicating the field with the weeds or unnecessary plants.
• It also helps the roots of the plant to penetrate deep in the soil.
• It also helps in providing fresh nutrients to soil’s upper layer for the plants to use them.

5 Uses of Plough in Agriculture

Ploughing is a vital process in agriculture. Some of the 5 uses of plough includes soil break up, seedbed creation, soil structure improvement, weeds removal, and pest control, among others. Let us see each one uses in brief in this section.

Breaking Up Soil

The primary use of a plough is to break up the soil in preparation for planting. By turning over the soil, the plough breaks up clumps and makes it easier to work with.

Creating a Seedbed

Ploughing helps to create a seedbed that is suitable for planting crops. By turning over the soil, the plough creates furrows, which are then used to plant seeds. The plough also helps to loosen the soil, making it easier for young roots to penetrate and establish themselves.

Improving Soil Structure

Ploughing helps to improve soil structure by breaking up the soil and creating spaces for air and water to penetrate. This is important for plant growth, as it allows the roots to absorb nutrients and water more effectively.

Removing Weeds

Ploughing can be used to remove weeds from the soil. By turning over the soil, the plough exposes the roots and causes them to die.

Pest Control

Ploughing can also help control pests that live in the soil. By turning the soil over and exposing it to the sun, ploughing can help kill off soil-dwelling pests such as wireworms, cutworms, and grubs.

Types of Plough in Agriculture

Indian agriculture is a mix of traditional and modern methods. That is why, in some parts, especially hinterlands, primitive tools like wooden ploughs are used. In other parts, especially semi-rural and semi-urban areas, modern ploughs like disc plough, chisel plough and hydraulic reversible MB plough are used. These ploughs are attached to tractors for ploughing the land. So, different types of plough in agriculture are: 

Wooden Plough

A wooden plough made of wood is a traditional ploughing implement that has been used for centuries to cultivate land and prepare it for planting. It is typically made of iron or steel. Wooden ploughs are still used in some parts of India, particularly in rural and less developed areas. This wooden plough is operated manually by either humans or animals. However, the wooden ploughs are being replaced by iron ploughs nowadays and it is drawn by tractors.

MB Plough

This is a common ploughing implement used to turn and loosen the soil. It is designed with a curved blade that cuts through the soil and turns it over, burying the weeds and crop residues underneath. The MB plough is ideal for breaking up hard, compacted soil and preparing it for planting.

Disc Plough

The disc plough is another type of ploughing implement that is used to cut and turn the soil. It is designed with a set of circular blades that rotate and cut through the soil, breaking up clumps and turning the soil over. The disc plough is ideal for use in rocky or stony soils.

Chisel Plough

The chisel plough is a heavy-duty ploughing implement designed for deep tillage. It is equipped with long, sharp blades that penetrate the soil and break up deep-rooted vegetation. The chisel plough is ideal for breaking up hardpan soil and improving drainage.

Hydraulic Reversible MB Plough

The Hydraulic Reversible MB Plough is a modern plough that combines the benefits of hydraulic technology and reversible plough design to create a highly efficient and effective tool. The main ability of this MB Plough is to effectively plough both sides of the furrow. Another advantage of the Hydraulic Reversible MB Plough is its ability to work in a variety of soil conditions.

Conclusion

Ploughing is an important and the most basic step in cultivation of crops. A well ploughed land helps the growth of plants and crops efficiently increasing the overall crop yield. It is worth noting that ploughing in agriculture comes with many advantages like better soil aeration, better growth of friendly microbes in soil, enhanced soil fertility, etc.

The modern agricultural practices consider conservation tillage techniques as essential practice because it helps minimise soil disturbance and promote sustainable farming methods. These techniques, such as minimum tillage and no-till farming, can help preserve soil structure and minimize erosion while still achieving successful crop production.