One Field, Four Problems, One Plough: A Kharif-to-Rabi Story
Ramesh farms 12 acres near Amreli. He’s just finished picking his cotton crop, and plans to get some wheat planted within a few weeks. Between him and planting lies the toughest task of the season: preparing his land for the rabi crops.
He has a 50 HP tractor and an old plough. He faces four challenges, and the appropriate hydraulic reversible plough proves to be the solution for all.
Challenge 1: Wood and Roots All Over the Place
Challenge: Woody cotton stalks and roots abound on Ramesh’s field. Some bolls left behind might bring in the pink bollworm into his future cotton crop.
Solution: First, he gets rid of the pest-infected residue. Then a mouldboard plough slices and lifts the soil up and turns it over so that the residues and weeds decompose before planting.
Challenge 2: Soil Like Rock
Challenge: A year of tractor traffic has resulted in compacted areas. His old plough barely scrapes the soil.
Solution: At an adequate working depth, ploughing breaks up the compacted layer. But he first awaits moisture levels when the soil can be ploughed without damaging the upcoming crop.
Challenge 3: Race Against Time
Challenge: Residue management, ploughing, secondary tillage, and seedbed preparation all need to be completed within days before sowing. Ramesh takes time for turning around with his old plough and leaves dead furrows to do later.
Solution: In a hydraulic reversible plough, he flips at the headlands so that he works back and forth in adjacent rows. There are no dead furrows or ridges left to work on in between. No need to drive around the land to prepare the next one.
Challenge 4: Choosing a Plough for His Tractor?
Challenge: If a plough is too heavy for a 50 HP tractor, it results in overloading and wheel slipping. Too light – leaves the work incomplete.
Solution: He adjusts the plough to his tractor and soil type. The Super Shakti hydraulic reversible ploughs come in two models: the 2FH 400, which is suitable for tractors of 45 HP and above, and the 2FH 500, for tractors of 55 HP and above. With 50 HP, he opts for 2FH 400. Both models provide three tillage width configurations (20, 24 and 28 inches) and are ideal for soft, medium and hard soils.
How His Season Ends
Residue is gone, compacted soil is worked, no dead furrows remain. His land is ready for wheat planting ahead of schedule, as all challenges were addressed with solutions.
Different from his may be your crop, tractor, and soil types. Your approach will be the same.
Preparing your field for Rabi? Contact Shakti Agrotech for help choosing a hydraulic reversible plough suited to your tractor and soil conditions.
