Central Luzon State University

Science City of Muñoz 3120

Nueva Ecija, Philippines

Instructional Module for the Course

CS 1105-Practices of Crop Production (Laboratory)

Laboratory Exercise No. 2– Land Preparation

I. Objectives
At the end of this activity, the students will be able to:
1. identify common tillage equipment and state
a. whether each is a primary or secondary tillage equipment, and
b. whether each is used in dry land or wetland preparation;
2. describe the land preparation of:
a. upland soils
b. lowland soils
3. enumerate the characteristics of a:
a. well-prepared upland field
b. well-prepared lowland field
4. assess the thoroughness of conventional land preparation of a given area
II. Learning Activities

Here are some videos that you can watch to be able to understand the process of land
preparation:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8C-9PRuXD0I&t=155s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7FCLbDgLDqE
A. Identification of tillage equipment

1. inspect the actual equipment or pictures/drawings of common tillage equipment shown

(see Figures 4a-4h);
2. identify the equipment with the help of the laboratory instructor and write their names in
Table 4a;
3. indicate in the second column of the table whether each equipment is a primary or
secondary tillage equipment or both;
4. indicate in the third column whether the equipment is used in dryland preparation or
wetland preparation or both.

Figure 4a. Native moldboard plow and accessories

Figure 4b. Tractor-drawn moldboard plow

Figure 4c. Disc plow

 Figure 4d. Subsoiler

Figure 4e. Rotary tiller

 Figure 4f. Disc harrow

Figure 4g. Carabao-drawn comb-tooth harrow

 Figure 4h. Open-end spike-tooth harrow

B. Observation of land preparation

a. If possible, go to an area where land preparation is in progress.

b. In the absence of actual field operations, watch videos on the topic to be
presented by the instructor.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EsochGgRPmE
 c. State whether the operation is wetland or dryland preparation.
d. Write a brief summary of operations you observed/watched on the space
provided at the end of this exercise.

Results/Observations

A. Identification of tillage equipment

Table 4a. Some tillage equipment and their classification

Primary/Secondary Wetland/Dryland
Equipment
or Both or Both
Native moldboard plow Primary Both
and accessories
Tractor-drawn moldboard Primary Dryland
plow
Disc plow Primary Both
Subsoiler Primary Dryland
Rotary Tiller Secondary Both
Disc Harrow Secondary Both
Carabao - drawn comb Secondary Wetland
tooth harrow
Open-end spike-tooth Secondary Dryland
harrow

B. Observation of land preparation

There are a lot of things that you need to consider when it comes to land preparation.
Like what equipment you will use and check all the possibilities that can occur or will
occur when you start transplanting the crop. Then I observe my dad's fellow farmers on
what they are gonna do on preparing the land for the crops.
C. Assessment of a prepared field

Upland field

Upland field is the best field that can be used on planting crops, because the crops will
not be drowned when the rains come.

Lowland field

Questions to Answer:

1. Differentiate land preparation from tillage.

Land preparation-Land preparation is important to ensure that the rice field is ready for
planting. A well-prepared field controls weeds, recycles plant nutrients, and provides a
soft soil mass for transplanting and a suitable soil surface for direct seeding.
Land preparation covers a wide range of practices from zero-tillage or minimum tillage
which minimizes soil disturbance through to a totally 'puddled' soil which actually
destroys soil structure.

Tillage preparation - Tillage has been used for millennia to prepare the soil prior to
sowing many of the annual grain crops. It involves applying power to break up and
rearrange the entire topsoil structure. It has the primary aim of destroying weeds and
pests but is also important for incorporating, redistributing or releasing nutrients and
making the soil texture suitable for seed sowing, seed germination and for easy
penetration of seedling roots.
2. Give two major purposes of tillage that are common to dryland and wetland
preparation.
a.to prepare a suitable seedbed
b.to eliminate competition from weed growth

3. Give two purposes of tillage that are peculiar to wetland tillage.

a. Under the wetland system the land is prepared by puddling for planting wet rice.
Puddling means mechanical manipulation of saturated soil with standing water in
the field.
b. Good puddling means soil should be soft, uniformly levelled without weeds or
stubbles and with minimum percolation.
4. Give two purposes of tillage that are peculiar to upland tillage.
a. Soil moisture levels are critical when ploughing in an upland-farming situation. If the
soil is too dry it will not till easily, the power requirement will increase and in clay
soil large clods may be formed.
b. Animal powered systems use a moldboard plough, while 2-wheel and 4-wheel
tractor powered systems use one-way disc, offset disc and tined implements. These
systems often require more tillage operations to control weeds.

5. What is minimum tillage?

Minimum tillage is a soil conservation system like Strip-till with the goal
of minimum soil manipulation necessary for a successful crop production. It is
tillage method that does not turn the soil over. It is contrary to intensive tillage
which changes the soil structure using ploughs

6. What is zero tillage?

Zero Tillage is the central element in what is now widely termed Conservation
Agriculture. It brings a quantum leap in crop production technology, for it brings
agriculture into harmony with nature. It puts into practice ideas first propounded by
Edward Faulkner in his revolutionary and best-selling book, Ploughman's Folly,
published in the USA in 1947. Faulkner had the audacity to challenge the paradigm that
cultivating soil was beneficial. In a well-conceived argument, he showed that all
standard wisdom used as a rationale for ploughing and working the soil was invalid.

7. Which requires more tillage operations, a rice-field with long stubbles and more
weeds, or one with short stubbles and fewer weeds? Why?

8. Without using an instrument, how can you determine if a soil has the proper
moisture content for dry land tillage?
With field preparation starting and planting fast approaching, it is important to know your
soil moisture status. Knowing the soil moisture is very important to reduce the impact of
field operations on soil compaction. Currently, soil moisture levels across the state are
very good. However, as spring progresses, chances for heavy rainstorms increase just
as spring field preparation and planting become time sensitive. There are several
methods that can be used to evaluate soil moisture in the field that are simple, practical,
and relatively fast.

9. On an area with pronounced slope (5-20%), what should be the direction of tillage?
Why?
Two treatments of up and down the slope and contour plowing on three slope
classes of 0-12, 12-20 and 20-40% with three replications and randomized complete
block design were studied under regional wheat planting (first year) and fallow
conditions (second year) in 18 erosion plots of 1.8 wide x22.1 meter long. Plowing
treatments in the plots were simulated manually by shovel and measured plow depth
(25-30 cm) and furrow space (35-40 cm) in the actual field that was prepared by
 conventional tractor-drawn moldboard plow. For enrichment, ammonium phosphate
at the rate of 50 kg ha -1 were added at the time of preparation in the first year and
conventional amounts of 100 kg ha -1 wheat seeds were used for planting. Soil
fractions and characteristics such as sand, silt and clay percentage, organic carbon
and saturation percentage were extracted from soil samples of 0-5, 5-20 and 20-40
cm depth of a soil profile in each slope class at the first year.

10. Why is excessive tillage (over-pulverization) of an upland soil undesirable? Explain.

Even a spading fork, improperly used, can damage soil life and soil structure.
Tillage of soil releases a “flush” of nutrients, which can give an initial boost to crop
growth that is impressive. ... One of the most insidious effects of excess tillage is the
loss of carbon bound in the soil in the form of humus.

References
Canare Jr, J.G. 2004. Land Preparation. An article written for the lecture in Crop Science
105. Department of Crop Science, College of Agriculture, CLSU, Science City of
Muñoz, Nueva Ecija.

Canare Jr J.G., N.V. Tamayo, P.S. Nitural, Vizmonte Jr. P.T. Tapic.R.T. Laboratory
Manual in Principles of Field Crop Production. Department of Crop Science,
College of Agriculture, CLSU, Science City of Muñoz, Nueva Ecija.

Del Rosario, C.R. 1977. Land Preparation. In Multiple Cropping Sourcebook. UPLB-CA,
Los Banos, Laguna.

FAO. 2000. Manual on Integrated Soil Management and Conservation Practices. Rome
Italy.

Land Preparation, retrieved on 11 December 2008 from http://www.knowledgebank.irri.

org/landPrep/default.htm#Landprep_lesson01.htm.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-and-biological-sciences/minimum-
tillage
http://www.fao.org/3/Y2638E/y2638e04.htm

https://www.scribd.com/document/361155074/Cultural-Management-
Practices#download

https://crops.extension.iastate.edu/encyclopedia/evaluating-soil-moisture-field-
preparation-and-planting

https://scialert.net/fulltext/?doi=jas.2008.3255.3260

https://www.google.com/search?q=why+is+excessive+tillage+(over-pulverization)
+of+an+upland+soil+undesirable&rlz=1C1CHBF_enPH943PH943&oq=Why+is+excessi
ve+tillage+(over-pulverization)
+of+an+upland+soil+undesirable&aqs=chrome.0.0.1861j0j4&sourceid=chrome&ie=UT
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