Zero tillage
Also called: No-till farming · Topic: Land Use, Farming Systems and Cropping Seasons in India · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
Zero tillage, also called no-till farming, means sowing seed directly into soil that has not been ploughed. The stubble and straw from the previous crop are left on the surface. A machine cuts a narrow slot, drops in the seed and covers it, all in one pass. This saves water, diesel and time, and keeps the soil from drying out. Because the straw does not have to be cleared, farmers do not need to burn it.
Example
In Punjab, farmers use the Happy Seeder to sow wheat straight into fields that still hold the rice straw from kharif. This lets them sow wheat on time and avoid stubble burning.
Don't confuse with
- Direct-seeded rice: a way of planting rice by sowing seed instead of transplanting seedlings. Zero tillage is about not ploughing the land, and in Punjab it is used mainly for wheat.
Related concepts
- Rice-wheat cropping system
- NPK ratio imbalance
- Punjab Preservation of Subsoil Water Act 2009
- Direct seeded rice
- System of Rice Intensification
- Crop diversification
- Organic farming
- Sikkim organic state
- Natural farming
- Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana