Paddy Cultivation Done Right: A Guide to Land Preparation

It is important to prepare the land before planting the rice crop for a successful yield. A well-prepared field keeps weeds at bay, recycles plant nutrients, and provides a soft soil mass for transplanting as well as a good soil surface for direct seeding.

Land preparation can range from zero-tillage or minimum tillage, which reduces soil disturbance, to completely 'puddled' soil, which destroys soil structure. The process of land preparation 4 steps:

Plowing is used to "till" or dig up, mix, and overturn the soil; harrowing is used to break up the soil clods and incorporate plant debris, puddling is done to keep the soil wet; and finally, levelling is used to level the field.

After your last harvest or throughout the time the land is not in use, begin initial land preparation. This is necessary for good weed control and soil enrichment. Preparing the field for planting takes about 3-4 weeks on average.

Why is land preparation necessary for paddy cultivation?

• For bringing an undulated field back into the evened outfield after puddling

• For maintaining a consistent depth of water in the field

• To increase the efficiency of water, use by maintaining a shallow depth of water

• To ensure that supplements are used effectively, a constant depth of water is maintained throughout the field.

• For a more consistent distribution of oxygen 

Process of land preparation:

Plowing is the main tillage task that includes cutting, breaking, and turning the soil to make it partially or completely ready for seeding. Plowing helps farmers get a deep seedbed of good texture, increase the water holding capacity of the soil and improve soil aeration. Apart from that, plowing turns the soil over which helps destroy weeds, pests, and insects. Farmers can find a range of machines for plowing, however, STIHL’s Power Weeder (MH 710) with the Plough attachment is the best in the game as it helps accomplish all the tasks listed above.

Harrowing is a shallow-depth secondary tillage technique for smoothing and pulverizing the soil, as well as cutting weeds and mixing materials with the soil. Harrowing helps in destroying grasses and seeds in the field and mixes crop residue with the topsoil. However, harrowing is done only when the moisture content of the clods is reduced. This process requires STIHL’s Power Weeder (MH 710) with the Deep Tines attachment that can be used for deep rotary tilling.

Puddling is the process of churning the water into the soil. After plowing with a country plow, pudding is done on paddy fields with standing water of 5-10 cm in depth. It churns the dirt and breaks up the clods. Puddling decreases the percolation and leaching of water, while also making the soil softer for paddy seedling transplantation. The perfect machine to use during this step is STIHL’s Power Weeder (MH 710) with the Puddling Wheel attachment which not only tills and turns the soil but can also be used for traction improvement in wet soil.

Land leveling is believed to bring in a long-term increase in land value. Leveling is done to change the existing contours of the land for a more leveled land for proper water dissemination. This step improves surface drainage and minimizes soil erosion and even crop establishment and crop stands.

To get a better paddy yield this season, use Stihl’s Agriculture equipment. Visit their official website to explore more of their machines. For more information about these agriculture machines, the contact on the details given below:

Official Email ID- info@stihl.in

Contact Number- 9028411222