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How to Cultivate Soil to Mitigate Drought Effects?

The soil's water retention capacity is shaped by its structure, mechanical composition, organic matter content, and the stratification of individual layers within the soil profile. The volume of water that infiltrates the ground from precipitation and is available to plants during the growing season relies on the void spaces within the soil profile. Tilling the soil during drought necessitates special care, as proper practices can preserve soil moisture and reduce damage due to water scarcity. Drought poses a significant threat to light soils, where water from rain quickly percolates and drainage from deeper layers is challenging. Conversely, heavy soils are prone to cracking, further dehydrating the soil and damaging roots. Rolmako offers a variety of machines for no-plow and ultra-shallow cultivation, which prepare the land for future sowing, optimizing the use of available water resources to mitigate long-term drought effects.
In drought conditions, it is crucial to adapt tillage machinery to address specific challenges arising from insufficient water access. Consider the following tillage machines for these conditions:

Machines for catch crops: Growing cover crops, such as clover or alfalfa, helps maintain soil moisture, prevent erosion, and provide additional feed for livestock.

Agricultural Techniques: Alongside machinery, appropriate agronomic practices, such as no-plough farming and ultra-shallow tillage, help conserve soil moisture. Avoid working in the field during peak sunlight hours to minimize evaporation.

Managing drought in the field requires an approach that integrates both technology and agricultural practices. Additionally, monitoring weather conditions and adjusting operations in response to changes in rainfall and soil moisture levels is essential.

Farm machinery most useful during drought

In drought conditions on the field, an effective approach to crop cultivation may be the use of machines and technologies aimed at minimizing water loss and increasing irrigation efficiency. Here are some farm machines that can be useful in such conditions:
- Tined weeder/Activator ActiVAgro
- Rotary hoe MATRIX
- SpeedCutter disc harrow
- Heavy stubble harrow U 671
- Cultivator with a mulch harrow ComboTill
- Mulch harrow SpringExpert
- Multifunctional tillage cultivator U 436
- Light chisel plough U 624
- Cambridge/ORION roller.

The use of the aforementioned Rolmako farm machines maintains good soil structure and reduces erosion. These techniques help in maximizing moisture retention in the soil. Perform fieldwork at minimal depth to avoid disrupting soil layers that still retain moisture. Minimize fieldwork and preserve crop residues to protect the soil from erosion. Consider covering the soil with straw or other materials to reduce water evaporation. Deep plowing can increase water evaporation from deeper soil layers.

Tips for Cultivating Soil in Drought Conditions

Tilling soil during drought conditions is challenging due to the increased risk of soil moisture loss and potential soil degradation. However, specific practices can help mitigate the adverse effects of drought.

Optimize Timing of Field Work: Cultivate when the soil is moist, such as after rainfall. Avoid working during heat and drought to minimize water losses.

Minimize Evaporation: After harvesting, perform quick tillage immediately to prevent moisture loss. Tilling to a depth of 2-3 cm is sufficient. This also stimulates self-seeding and weeds, which should be addressed with a subsequent pass.

Employ Minimal Tillage: Avoid deep tillage. Use practices like conservation tillage or no-till farming to retain soil moisture. The SpeedCutter harrow and the U436 cultivator, as well as other Rolmako machines, are suitable for minimal tillage.

Maintain Mulch: Keep mulch on the soil surface to reduce evaporation and retain moisture.

Select Drought-Resistant Plants: Opt for plants that are resilient to low soil moisture levels.

Optimize Irrigation: If an irrigation system is available, water the soil in the early morning or late evening when the sun is low..

Manage Water Efficiently: Construct ditches to collect rainwater and direct it to plants.

Use Soil Amendments: Implement compost, manure, and other organic materials to enhance the soil's water-holding capacity.

Rotate Crops: Practice crop rotation to maintain healthy soil structure and reduce erosion risks.

Monitor Soil Moisture: Regularly check soil moisture levels to determine appropriate watering needs.

Control Weeds: Remove weeds regularly as they compete with crops for water. Machines like the ActiVAgro weeder, SpringExpert mulch harrow, and ProCut and TurboCut knife rollers effectively manage weeds.

Balance Water Use: Too little water can harm plants, but excessive water can result in deeper moisture evaporation.

Exercise Patience: In drought conditions, it may be necessary to delay field work until more favorable weather to protect soil health.

Soils that effectively supply water to plants

In drought conditions, it is crucial to safeguard water resources and soil quality by employing suitable cultivation techniques and agricultural machinery. Inappropriate practices during drought can cause long-term adverse effects on crops and the environment. High temperatures and sunlight, combined with insufficient rainfall, lead to water deficits, resulting in stunted growth and decreased yield and quality.

Fertile soils provide better water availability to plants due to:
- High humus content
- Lumpy structure
- Optimal pH and nutrient content.

Humus compounds and appropriate pH create the desired lumpy structure of mineral soils, optimizing their air-water relations. These soils can store 3-5 times their weight in water available to plants.

Cultivation Techniques for Water Shortages

During drought conditions, limit deeper cultivation operations to the essential minimum. Deeper cultivation, particularly plowing, disrupts water seepage but simultaneously dries out the plowed furrows. For wide-row crops, keep inter-row cultivation relatively shallow to ensure the disturbed topsoil layer effectively insulates against water loss from deeper layers. Post-harvest, perform a quick shallow treatment to mix crop residues with the topsoil, facilitate weed and self-seed germination, and prevent water seepage and evaporation from deeper layers. Before sowing, loosen the soil only to the sowing depth to place seeds on a moist substrate, aiding water absorption and germination. Prior to planting seedlings, loosen the soil slightly deeper for easier planting and establishment. Rolmako offers an array of pre-sowing machines to maintain optimal soil structure. Noteworthy models include the U684 compact tillage cultivator, the VibroStar U445 semi-mounted pre-sowing cultivator, and the ComboTill combination cultivator and mulching harrow. Retain soil moisture through appropriate tillage. During periods of excessive rainfall, stir and loosen the soil deeper to aerate and remove excess water, performing this at optimal soil moisture levels. Remember, a period of excess water is often followed by a water deficit; do not waste water unproductively. Conservation cultivation reduces soil water loss. This technique maintains soil surface under various plant covers from catch crops or crop residues, mixed or left on the topsoil without plowing, using loosening tools like the U436 multifunctional cultivator, U671 heavy stubble harrow, or chisel plow with Ripper tine U624. This increases organic matter and humus content in the topsoil, enhancing fertility and water storage capacity, reducing water loss and limiting water and wind erosion.

Summary

During drought, soil cultivation machines with a high pressure of working elements on the ground and aggressively functioning finishing rollers perform best. The heavy weight of Rolmako cultivation devices translates into better work results, where lighter agricultural tools work poorly or their operation is hindered. The greater weight of cultivation machines means not only more efficient and easier work. The additional kilograms translate into greater durability of the support structure of Rolmako machines. Remember that during drought, the key issue is retaining as much water as possible in the soil and providing it to plants in the most efficient way. Crops may require more attention and care in these difficult conditions, but appropriate no-plough practices and ultra-shallow cultivation can help minimize damage.