This is sometimes referred to as organic material. When it decays to the point in which it is no longer recognizable, it is called soil organic matter. When the organic matter has broken down into a stable substance that resist further decomposition it is called humus.

partially decomposed biomass, is called humus. This solid, dark-coloured component of soil plays a significant… A mor-humus formation, or raw humus condition, occurs in soil that has few micro- organisms or animals, such as earthworms, to decompose the organic matter that lies on the soil surface.

Organic materials used for compost should include a mixture of brown organic material (dead leaves, twigs, manure) and green organic material (lawn clippings, fruit rinds, etc.). Brown materials supply carbon, while green materials supply nitrogen. The best ratio is 1 part green to 1 part brown material.

humus

The four components of soil include: mineral matter 45%, organic matter 5%, air 25%, and water 25%.

Robert D. Miller

Edmund Ruffin

Soil occupies the pedosphere, one of Earth’s spheres that the geosciences use to organize the Earth conceptually. This is the conceptual perspective of pedology and edaphology, the two main branches of soil science. Pedology is the study of soil in its natural setting.

ICAR Exam Question Paper Important Points

Swaminathan has been called the “Father of Green Revolution in India” for his role in introducing and further developing high-yielding varieties of wheat in India….

The idea of zero tillage was started in early 1940s by Edward Faulkner author of Plowman’s Folly. Less tillage of the soil reduces farm labour cost,fuel,farm machineries costand cost of irrigation. Zero tillage can increase yield because of higher water infiltration and storage capacity,and less erosion.

Corn can be planted without tilling the soil first. No-till corn offers lots of benefits to the environment and farmers. Allows farmers to plant directly into a green, living cover crop, keeping living plant roots in the soil — key for a healthy soil ecosystem.

Wheat sowing after rice can be advanced by 10-12 days by adopting this technique compared to conventionally tilled wheat, and wheat yield reduction caused by late sowing can be avoided. ZT provides opportunity to escape wheat crop from terminal heat stress.

No-till method of farming requires special equipment (disc seeders or agriculture drills) to make furrows, immediately plant seeds, firm them, and cover (unlike double-passing the field after plowing). This way, the soil suffers from minimum disturbance, as it is dug exactly where the seed is supposed to drop.

Since tillage fractures the soil, it disrupts soil structure, accelerating surface runoff and soil erosion. Tillage also reduces crop residue, which help cushion the force of pounding raindrops. Splashed particles clog soil pores, effectively sealing off the soil’s surface, resulting in poor water infiltration.

Left Unchecked, Tillage Can Ruin Soil High levels of erosion result in the loss of topsoil, leaving the land practically infertile. The increased erosion and water runoff also result in the pollution of local water supplies as nitrogen and phosphorus are carried into lakes, rivers, and streams.

Although disking has many advantages to soil properties, in some circumstances it can negatively affect the soil and disturb its structure. Additionally, the disking of too wet soil may lead to a non-uniform incorporation of crop residue, and creates clods that will require additional tillage operations.

Starting a new plot well in advance also gives the roots of dead weeds time to loosen. That makes disking easier and produces a nicer seed bed. More importantly, multiple disking and spraying cycles will knock back a huge amount of weed growth before you plant by killing each new round of growth.

Deep plowing is a plowing to a depth greater than 50 cm (20 in) as compared to ordinary plowing which rarely exceeds 20 cm (8 in). The purpose of deep plowing is to modify the soil water retention characteristics over the long term.

12 to 15 HP

Chisel plows may look like field cultivators but will have heavier shanks, heavier frame, and most likely bigger spacing between the shanks. Chisel plows are primary tillage tools while field cultivators are secondary tillage tools.

The best time to plow garden soil is a few weeks before planting, although you can plow anytime between harvesting old crops and planting new crops. Precipitation, wind and other climatic conditions may determine the best plowing time in any particular year.

Plowing breaks up the blocky structure of the soil which can aid in drainage and root growth. Plowing fields can also turn organic matter into soil to increase decomposition and add nutrients from the organic matter to the soil.

Chisel ploughs are used to shatter but not turn or move the soil. They work on the same principle as rippers, but in the top 30 cm of the soil. Again, the soil must be dry to moist, otherwise the plough will smear and seal the soil surfaces.

Ploughs are of three types: wooden ploughs, iron or inversion ploughs and special purpose ploughs. Indigenous plough is an implement which is made of wood with an iron share point. It consists of body, shaft pole, share and handle.