Objective: To loosen the topsoil after rainfall, irrigation and soil hardening, generally combined with weeding. North American nursery industry often uses intertillage weeding to cultivate large seedlings in the field, which not only plays the role of loosening soil and weeding, but also avoids the environmental pollution caused by herbicides.
Function: topsoil cultivation between plants during crop growth period. Tools can be used, such as hoes, intertillage plows, tooth harrows and various cultivators. Intertillage can loosen topsoil, increase soil aeration, raise ground temperature, promote aerobic microbial activity and nutrient availability, eliminate weeds, promote root extension and adjust soil moisture status.
The time and frequency of intertillage vary with crop species, seedling conditions, weeds and soil conditions. Generally, dryland crops are planted at seedling stage and before enclosure, and rice is planted at tillering stage. One crop is about 3 ~ 4 times. If the growth period of crops is long, the harvest is late, there are many weeds in the field and the soil is sticky, the number of intertillages can be increased, and the ground can be kept loose and free of weeds. During the growing period of crops, the principle of shallow-deep-shallow should be mastered in the depth of intertillage. That is, the seedling stage of crops should be shallow to avoid root damage; It should be deepened in the middle growth period to promote root development; In the late growth stage, the crops before sealing should be shallow, mainly broken and hardened.
Combining the measures of covering soil at the base of plants during intertillage or ridging, it is called ridging.
It is mostly used for root tuber, tuber and high-stalk cereal crops to thicken soil layer, raise soil temperature, cover fertilizer, bury weeds, promote the development of underground parts of crops and prevent lodging of high-stalk crops. Peanut planting can also shorten the distance of fruit needles into the soil and reduce the fruit picking rate. Soil tillage is generally carried out during the second to third intertillage. When the soil is dry, intertillage can cut off the capillaries in the surface soil, hinder the development of secondary roots prematurely or too high, and is also an important means to adjust the soil moisture status. Affect the length and thickness of the stem.