Report on Summer Ploughing

On 24th April 2024, I (Dr. Deen Dayal Bairwa) provide the consultancy service to the 11 local farmers on the topic of Summer Ploughing.

Key points

• We have discussed with farmers about summer ploughing, how to do summer ploughing, its benefits, objectives, and the tools used for this purpose.
• “Summer Ploughing” is the ploughing of the field across the slope during hot summer with the help of specialized tools, with the primary objective of opening the soil crust accompanied by deep ploughing and simultaneous overturning of the soil.
• Summer ploughing is done using special tools like Local Plough, MB Plough, Disc Plough, and Soil Stirring Plough.
• The timing of summer ploughing is pre-monsoon (May) because pre-monsoon tillage helps improve the rainwater holding capacity of soil and provides better seed bed preparation.
• The main objectives of summer ploughing are improving soil structure through alternate drying and cooling, weed management, insect pest management, checking soil and water erosion, and increasing crop yield.
• We have discussed with farmers about the benefits of summer ploughing, such as:
  • Summer ploughing improves soil structure and breaks the hardpan of soil.
  • It improves soil aeration, which helps in the multiplication of micro-organisms.
  • Organic matter decomposition provides higher nutrient availability to plants and improves soil fertility.
  • Increased soil aeration also helps in the degradation of herbicide and pesticide residues, as well as harmful allelopathic chemicals exuded by the roots of previous crops and weeds.
  • It increases the rainwater holding capacity of soil and stores water for crops during periods of irrigation water scarcity.
  • It helps in weed control, as some weeds propagated by bulbs are exposed through summer ploughing, and weeds are uprooted by deep ploughing and overturning.
  • Some harmful pathogens, insect pest larvae, and eggs present in the soil are destroyed during summer ploughing due to high summer temperatures.
• It is, therefore, playing a vital role in change the soil environment and inhibiting the weeds germination and establishment and by moving their seeds vertically and horizontally. Deep plough also help on storage of rain water and nutrients balance which help in getting higher crop yield and maintain the soil funna and flora So deep ploughing in summer is the best practices in field to enhance the soil properties and crop production.