Guidelines

• Proper land preparations at correct season and time with the appropriate time of sowing will help to obtain higher yields.
• During first ploughing moisture retention capacity of the soil gets increased and land becomes favourable for cultivation. When the land is ploughed there should be enough moisture in the soil. So that with less number of ploughings itself land attains good physical condition.
• Number and depth of ploughings depends on weed growth intensity in that area, seed rate, nature of crop root growth etc.
• For economical land preparation the number of ploughings should be reduced. For some crops the requirement itself is less.
• Summer ploughing is having its own advantages so that summer showers should be better utilised for land preparation.
• After taking up first ploughing wait for 5 - 10 days then take up further ploughings because the excess moisture in the ploughed clods will get evaporated and the soil clods will be in good condition for ploughing which reduces the number of ploughings and saves money in land preparation.
• For getting required soil physical condition, after each ploughing, work with gorru so that clod size will be reduced.
• After harvesting the crop, better plough and prepare the land so that effective weed control can be done.
• First ploughing should not be done when excess or very low moisture is available in the soil. Because in this state more number of ploughings will be required so that the expenditure will shoot up.

Equipment to be used

• Country plough
• Gorru without seed hopper
• Guntaka (Blade harrow)
• Cultivator (Tractor drawn)
• Mould board plough (Tractor drawn)
• Ridge plough (If the crop planted on ridges)

Land Levelling

After getting suitable and required tilth of soil land should be perfectly levelled by using bullock-drawn or tractor-drawn levellers. Levelling helps in irrigating the fields with high water use efficiency. Also helps in draining excess water without stagnation in heavy rainy days or immediately after giving irrigation.