Tillage Practices under INM in Rice

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Tillage Practices under INM in Rice
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Tillage Practices under INM in Rice
Introduction
Tillage is the physical manipulation of soil
with tools and implements to result in good tilth
for better germination and subsequent growth of
rice crop. Tillage is required for seed bed
preparation, weed control and soil and water
conservation.
Improvements in soil structure, soil
permeability, soil aeration etc are the main
objectives of tillage in rice crop under
Integrated Nutrient Management
Proper tillage results in higher infiltration and
reduced run-off with increased depth of soil for
moisture storage.
Summer deep ploughing improves soil structure due
to alternate drying and cooling. Organic matter
decomposition is hastened resulting in higher
nutrient availability.
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Tillage Practices under INM in Rice
Tillage practices under INM in rice
Land leveling
Leveling rice fields improves water use
efficiency, increases grain yield, and improves
grain quality

Leveling land improves water coverage which
Reduces the amount of water required for land
preparation
Reduces the amount of water required for land
preparation
Improves crop establishment
Decreases the time to complete tasks
Results in better crop stands
Reduces weed problems, and
Results in uniform crop maturity.
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Tillage Practices under INM in Rice
Systems of land leveling
1. Draft animals and 2-wheel tractors using
harrows and leveling boards

These leveling techniques require total in field
water coverage and require 7 to 8 days for a
2-wheeled tractor and 12 days per ha using draft
animals.
2. Four-wheel tractor using rear mounted tractor
blades or drag buckets
In wet fields a rear-mounted tractor blade is
best and in dry fields a hydraulically operated
drag bucket is superior. Work rates depend on the
tractor size and the amount of soil to be moved.

It will take approximately 8 hours to level 1 ha
with a rear mounted tractor blade. This reduced
to about 4 hours when using a drag bucket.
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Tillage Practices under INM in Rice
Systems of land leveling

Land leveling by bullocks under wet cultivation
of rice
(www.smh.com.au)
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Tillage Practices under INM in Rice
Systems of land leveling
3. Four-wheel tractor with a laser controlled
bucket

The use of laser controlled equipment results
in a much more level field.
The objectives of laser land levelling are to
make field more level and smooth soil surface,
reduction in time and water required to irrigate
the field, more uniform moisture environment for
crops, reduced consumption of seeds, fertilizers,
chemicals and fuel, and improved field
trafficability (for subsequent operations).
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Tillage Practices under INM in Rice
Systems of land leveling
Laser guided land levelling
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Tillage Practices under INM in Rice
Tillage operations under different methods of
rice cultivation
Tillage operations would depend upon method of
rice cultivation

In India Rice is mainly grown in two types of
soils i.e., (i) uplands and (ii) lowlands.
The method of cultivation of rice in a
particular region depends largely on factors such
as situation of land, type of soils, irrigation
facilities, availability of labourers intensity
and distribution of rainfalls.
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Tillage Practices under INM in Rice
Tillage operations under different methods of
rice cultivation

The crop of rice is grown with the following
methods in India
Dry or semi-dry upland cultivation
Broadcasting the seed
Sowing the seed behind the plough or drilling.
Wet or lowland cultivation
Transplanting in puddled fields.
Broadcasting sprouted seeds in puddled fields.
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Tillage Practices under INM in Rice
Tillage under dry cultivation
Dry system of rice cultivation is followed in
upalnds. Upland rice is grown on both level and
slopy fields that are not bunded and are prepared
and seeded dry and the crop depends upon rainfall
for its water requirement.

After getting the requisite puddle, rice
seedlings are tansplanted or sprouted seeds are
direct seeded. The seedlings of rice are grown in
nursery before transplanting. Puddling is very
important operation in transplanted rice.
One deep ploughing followed by two-three
ploughings by desi plough, cultivator or harrow
are performed to get the seed bed ready for
sowing.
The last ploughing should be followed by planking.
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Tillage Practices under INM in Rice
Tillage under dry cultivation
Dry cultivation of rice
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Tillage Practices under INM in Rice
Tillage under wet cultivation
The conventional rice cultivation is a wet
system of cultivation and rice is grown under wet
season right from the start. In this system the
field is brought to a soil puddle by repeated
ploughing with 5-7 cm standing water.

Three methods are commonly followed in sowing
dry and semi-dry crop.
Puddling can be defined as softening (by various
operations) of the top soil layer before
transplanting, at the same time leveling the soil
surface and destroying weeds, while maintaining a
low permeability of the sub-soil (to reduce
percolation losses).
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Tillage Practices under INM in Rice
Tillage under wet cultivation
If necessary the field is flooded with 5 to 10
cm water a day before puddling and then plough
the field twice or thrice. Before puddling, an
earthen bund of about 30 cm high should be made
around the field.

Puddling can to be done with country plough,
harrow, cultivator or a puddler. Depending upon
soil condition and weed growth two to three
ploughing is required to make the field ready for
transplanting.
By puddling ,weeds and crop residues are
incorporated into the soil. It provides ease of
transplanting as soil becomes muddy. Puddling
retains the water for longer time and thus,
reduces percolatory losses of water.
It destructs the native soil structure by
repeated ploughing which is desirable for paddy
crop. Puddling also helps in the accumulation of
ammonia, P, Si, Fe and Mn. It helps to kill the
weeds and buries them in puddled layer.
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Tillage Practices under INM in Rice
Tillage under wet cultivation
Puddling by country plough (http//ecoport.org/ep?
SearchTypepdbPdbID19305)
Puddling by a mechanical puddler
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Tillage Practices under INM in Rice
Conservation tillage
Tillage is an important and primary tool for
conservation of the land.

As per definition, its primary purpose is to
provide a favorable soil environment for the
plant growth which is indirectly related to the
soil conservation.
The effect of tillage on soil erosion is the
function of its several effects on soil such as
aggregation, surface sealing infiltration and
resistant to erosion, destruction of soil
structure either by excessive tillage or tillage
operations at improper soil moisture condition
tends to increase the soil erodibility, causing
significant soil loss.
Tillage is an important and primary tool for
conservation of the land.
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Tillage Practices under INM in Rice
Conservation tillage
Conservation tillage refers to various
practices that provide better protection for the
soil.

These practices include stubble mulching
(maintenance of residue cover with mechanical
weed control), minimum tillage (using a mixture
of herbicide and mechanical weed control) and
zero-tillage (soil disturbance occurs only at
planting).
Zero or minimal tillage systems are optimal in
terms of productivity and sustainability for most
grain cropping.
Equipment options for tillage
Primary tillage options Ploughs (Mould board,
Disc, Tine, Offset)
Secondary tillage options Disc Harrow, Offset
Disc, Rotavator, Puddler, Landplane.
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Tillage Practices under INM in Rice
Let us sum up
Rice is cultivated by different methods.
Broadly, rice cultivation methods can be divided
into two dry and wet cultivation.

Under dry cultivation first ploughing (primary
tillage) is done by a deep turning plough,
followed by two-three harrowings and planking.
There should be enough moisture in the soil at
the time of sowing under dry cultivation.
In wet cultivation, puddling is carried out in
standing water to prepare a soft bed for
transplanting, control weeds and reduce
percolation losses of water.
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Tillage Practices under INM in Rice
Let us sum up

Primary tillage implements could be ploughs
(mould board, disc, tine, offset) and secondary
tillage implements could be disc Harrow, offset
disc, rotavator, and puddler etc.
Conservation tillage practices include stubble
mulching (maintenance of residue cover with
mechanical weed control), minimum tillage (using
a mixture of herbicide and mechanical weed
control) and zero-tillage (soil disturbance
occurs only at planting).
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