Tillage has four purposes:
  1. Incorporation of plant residues, fertilizers, etc.
  2. Seedbed preparation
  3. Weed control
  4. Soil and water conservation
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 Tillage Homepage Primary Tillage: Incorporation Secondary Tillage: 
Weed Control		 Secondary Tillage:
Seedbed Preparation		 Soil and Water Conservation Planters and Drills
Listers/Ridge builders - come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Listers were historically used primarily in irrigated regions to build beds and clean furrows for furrow irrigation (See siphon tubes and gated pipe for irrigation information). Ridge builders are becoming more common with the rise of ridge tillage. To the uninitiated, the end result of either implement is similar: Beds (rows or ridges) 6 to 10" high, 30 or 40" apart, separated by a furrow (interrow).
Cultivators - come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and with varying attachments.  They are used with crops planted on wide beds (>50 cm) to build beds and to keep the interrows clean and weed-free.  
Rodweeder - a turning rod is pulled through prepared seedbeds immediately before planting
rodweeder
 rodweeder close-up

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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