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How is Soil Compaction Rectified? Step 1 Break up compacted soils, hard pans, clay pans, tillage pans and impenetrable barriers with an Agrowplow. Step 2 Re-establish plants with strong, deep root systems to rebuild and hold the soil structure, bulk and porosity in a healthier state - preferably using direct drilling or minimum tillage techniques. Step 3 Use farming practices which minimise soil cultivation, soil inversion and traffic in wet soils. Advantages of Agrowplowing Agrowplows are used for both primary and secondary tillage. They work without soil inversion and therefore minimise moisture loss. The narrow edge on tine design substantially reduces tractor horsepower requirements. The low angle digging tool and narrow shank of the Agrowplow ensures that the previous crops root systems are fully retained in the soil. This improves structure, adding humus, increasing water infiltration and holding moisture whilst allowing greater utilization of nitrogen created by legume Rhizobium bacteria. The Agrowplow can be successfully applied in most situations. It has been used extensively in the farming of cereal, cotton, sugar, vegetables, vineyards and orchards under both dry land and irrigation farming methods.
Hardpans and barriers, created by fine particles moving downwards into the coarse soil structures creating an almost impenetrable layer, can be eliminated. It should be noted that hard pans can be re-established quickly unless tractor traffic is reduced. Normal cultivation requires many more passes of a tractor than direct drilling. Measurements from many soil types indicate that the depth of the traffic compaction layer varies according to soil type. Generally, the lower the clay content of the soil, the deeper the hard pan formation. The following factors should be considered before soils are Agrowplowed:
Unique Shank Design The unique Agrowplow shank is set to work below the compacted plough pan to uplift and shatter it without inversion of the soil. Soil particles become aerated without violent separation while allowing greater moisture infiltration into the seed bed. This minimizes fine soil aggregates and creates conditions ideal for microbial action. Crop roots are then free to pursue moisture and nutrients deep in the soil. Crop rotation and the planting of deep rooted species also assists in developing and maintaining a healthy root bed. The Agrowplow has been engineered to operate in a wide range of soil conditions whether they be black, heavy soils or the light, sandy, abrasive types. Soil type does not affect successful Agrowplowing or non-inversion tillage.
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