Farm Power & Machinery

Secondary tillage

Tillage operations following primary tillage which are performed to create proper soil tilth for seeding and planting are called secondary tillage.
These are lighter and finer operations, performed on the soil after primary tillage operations.
Secondary tillage consists of conditioning the soil to meet the different tillage objectives.
The implements used for secondary tillage operations are called secondary tillage implements.
They include different types of harrow, cultivators, levelers, clod crushers and similar implements.
These operations are generally done on the surface soil of the farm.
Secondary tillage operations do not cause much soil inversion and shifting of soil from one place to other.
These operations consume less power per unit area compared to primary tillage operations.
The main objectives of secondary tillage operations are :

• To break the big clods and to make the field surface uniform and leveled for sowing.
• To cut crop residues and mix them with top soil of the field.
Secondary tillage implements may be tractor drawn or bullock drawn implements. Bullock drawn implements include harrows, cultivators, hoes etc.