A cultivator has great significance in agriculture to restore soil fertility. It is also very important to obtain high-quality yield with less cost. The objective of a Cultivator is to make the soil loose by breaking the soil clods and destroying weeds to promote the growth of top-quality crops. Moreover, this farming tool also increases the farm’s productivity. Thus, it is crucial to utilise a cultivator for better crops. However, the history of using a Cultivator goes way back up to the 1700s, when weeds are controlled by dragging hoes with the help of animals. However, later the animals were replaced by modern machines such as tractor cultivators. These machines provided the farmers with a better way for crop production by reducing labour and time. Eventually, Cultivators are also helping the farmers to understand the importance of soil profile for its proper nourishment.
What Is A Cultivator?
A Cultivator is a farming tool used in secondary tillage to make the soil more fertile and nutritious for the crops. It consists of frames with teeth-like structures which dig the soil to bring out the nutrients present inside the deep layers of the soil profile.
Now some of you are probably wondering what soil profile is and why it has a vital role in farming. So, below we will give you all the essential details regarding the soil profile.
Types Of Cultivators
Cultivators can be classified into the following categories depending on their work and design.
- Mounted Type Cultivators
- Cultivator With Rigid Tines
- Duck Foot Cultivators
- Trailed Type Cultivators
- Cultivators With Spring Loaded Tines
What Is Soil Profile?
The soil is made up of distinguished layers, and each layer is constituted differently. Thus it is necessary to understand the horizon of the soil profile and its functioning. As we all know, soil holds great importance in agriculture as it is the backbone of crop production. So, let’s look at what soil is made of and below is a detailed soil profile diagram.
What Are The Components Of Soil?
Soil comprises numerous matter, including living and non-living beings. However, minerals hold the highest presence among all the materials, viz. 45%, and it has both 20% to 30% water and air with only 5% organic matter.
Layers In Soil Profile
Soil mainly has 3 layers which are sequenced as Topsoil, Subsoil and Bedrock.
Topsoil
As the name suggests, it is the topmost layer of land and is easily visible to us. Another name for Topsoil is the Hummus layer, which is brownish in colour due to the presence of organic matter and decomposed material. Furthermore, this layer is responsible for water retention and providing enough air for plants.
Subsoil
Subsoil comes after the hummus layer, and it is rich in mineral content but has less organic matter. The colour of this layer is also lighter than Topsoil, and it has a relatively hard composition. Moreover, farmers aim to mix the Topsoil and subsoil with the help of a cultivator for better soil health.
Bedrock
It is the base layer of soil above which both topsoil and subsoil lie. It provides stability for them, and the bedrock acts as a transition layer between both layers. Apart from this, the bedrock structure is primarily rocks, and it is the hardest among all the layers.
Relation between Cultivator and Soil Profile
We have learned that cultivators are utilised for land preparation to achieve better fertility. Hence, it is prominent to be aware of the soil profile’s structure and its role, as each layer constitutes different nutrients. So, we have to prepare the land according to the needs of crops. However, there are loads of cultivator machines available, but we have to select the best Cultivator according to our requirements.
Although we have provided the details of the functioning and vitality of a Cultivator, many of us are thinking about how to use a cultivator in the field. But worry not; we will guide you through the working process of an ordinary cultivator.
Operation Of A Cultivator
Most cultivators in India are tractor-drawn and require a powerful tractor to be dragged in the field. Also, every Cultivator has its own range of HP needed for its operation, which varies according to working conditions, working width and depth. However, there is a misconception that tillers and Cultivators are the same, but there are significant differences between the both. Both of these agricultural machines indeed have the same purpose, but a tiller is a self-propelled implement, whereas a cultivator is powered by a tractor. Therefore, this feature differentiates them from each other.
Role Of Cultivators In Various Farming Activities
Cultivators deliver efficient farming operations, resulting in cost-effective crop production. Along with this, a good-quality cultivator will help to pulverise the land and be beneficial for weed control and the burial of previously grown crops. This is the reason why farmers recommend cultivators to be the best agricultural machines worldwide.
Conclusion
In this way, a cultivator is effective farming machinery for high-quality yield. Also, it holds a special place in land preparation tasks. Thus, an intelligent farmer will always prefer a top-quality Cultivator for his field to save labour and cost. Moreover, with the growth of technology in agriculture, farmers are also evolving to generate higher income in minimum investment. So, Cultivators are helping them to accomplish their goals.
Frequently Asked Questions
Que. What are the advantages of using Cultivators?
Ans. Cultivators significantly help to increase farm productivity by delivering economic performance.
Que. Are there any alternatives to Cultivators?
Ans. We can use power tillers, harrows and more such machinery, but Cultivators are more suitable to achieve the perfect tilth stage.
Que. Do Cultivators also help in Weed Control?
Ans. Cultivators can be beneficial for weed control as they uproot unwanted plants in the field.
Que. Why Topsoil also known as the hummus layer?
Ans. This is the uppermost layer of land and has high quantities of organic matter, making it the hummus layer.
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