Preparation of Soil

Ploughing?

• Preparation of soil is the first step in the crop production.
• Soil becomes hard during summer and it must be loosened in order to grow crops.
• This process of loosening and turning of soil is called ploughing or tilling.

ADVANTAGES OF PLOUGHING (OR) TILLING

1. When soil is loose, roots can grow deep into the soil and plants are held more firmly to the ground
2. Loosened soil allows the roots to breathe easily.
3. It allows earthworms and other microbes to grow. These organisms further loosen the soil and add humus to it.
4. Ploughing brings the nutrients to the top so those can be absorbed by the plants.
5. Ploughing also helps in mixing of manure with the soil.
6. Ploughing uproots and kills weeds.

Levelling?

• When soil is dry, it breaks into large pieces called crumbs.
• These crumbs are broken with a plank and the soil is then levelled with a leveller so that it cannot be carried away by water or blown away by wind.
• This process is called levelling.