Soil Cultural techniques

Question 1

What are the different ways to cultivate?

Answer 1

Single digging, double digging, rotovating, ploughing, sub soiling, raking, minimal cultivation and zero cultivation

Question 2

What is the impact of cultivation?

Answer 2

The traditional cultivation system involves turning the soil, inversion by digging or ploughing and this has a major impact on soil structure and can damage the soil

Question 3

What is compaction?

Answer 3

Happens when heavy use or heavy machinery packs the soil particles tightly and reduces pore sizes, it reduces drainage,aeration and root growth, can lead to water run off and erosion and can occur in areas of heavy use such as gateways

Question 4

How can you reduce compaction?

Answer 4

Keep passes to a minimum, cultivate when soil has a suitable water content, avoid heavy machinery on wet soils, use wider tyres with low tyre pressure, add organic matter to the soil, use aerators to reduce compaction and fence off vulnerable areas

Question 5

What are cultivation pans?

Answer 5

Hard layer of soil just below the cultivation depth created by repeated cultivation to the same depth

Question 6

How can you reduce cultivation pans?

Answer 6

Minimum tillage, varying cultivation methods and varying cultivation depths

Question 7

What is minimum tillage?

Answer 7

A non-inversion method that avoids ploughing or traditional digging but could use other equipment such as harrows and disc or time cultivators

Question 8

What is zero tillage?

Answer 8

Plants and seeds go straight into the soil and often relies on regular additions of OM

Question 9

What are the advantages of minimum tillage?

Answer 9

Economic, quicker establishment, time saving and environmental

Question 10

What are the disadvantages of minimum tillage?

Answer 10

Reduced establishment rates in wet conditions, an increase in weeds which might need the use of herbicides and increase in herbicide and fungicide resistance

Question 11

What factors influence cultivation?

Answer 11

State of plot, size of plot, access to plot, condition of soil, time of year, cost and existing features of plants

Question 12

What are the different planting techniques?

Answer 12

Slit planting, dig a hole, take out a core, mulching, create a seed drill, scatter on surface and rake and additives

Question 13

What factors affect planting techniques?

Answer 13

Size of plant, soil structure, type of nursery stock, soil conditions and soil type