Cultivator

History and Evolution of Cultivators

• Soil scratching for weed control dates back to ancient times using hoes or ploughs.
• Harrows were developed by ganging hoes together and using draft animal power.
• The powered rotary hoe was invented by Arthur Clifford Howard in 1912.
• Cultivators are used for secondary tillage in agriculture, with toothed or rotary options for aerating soil and killing weeds.
• Small toothed cultivators are used for small-scale gardening.

Commercial and Industrial Use of Cultivators

• Cultivating for weed control has decreased with herbicide use in modern agriculture.
• Mechanical cultivation remains a standby method for weed control, especially in organic farming.
• Commercial cultivating is powered by tractors, with industrial cultivators varying in size and shape.
• Cultivators can be trailed, mounted on a three-point hitch, or mounted beneath a tractor.
• Cultivators are essential for affordable food production worldwide and play a crucial role in modern commercial agriculture.

Global Impact and Importance of Cultivators

• Draft-animal power is still used in developing nations for cultivation.
• Cultivators spare crop plants while disrupting weeds, making them indispensable in organic farming.
• Cultivators continue to be crucial for affordable food production worldwide.
• Mechanical cultivation is essential alongside herbicides, especially in wise management practices.
• Cultivators are indispensable for affordable food production worldwide.

Types and Variants of Cultivators

• Field cultivators are used for preparing seedbeds, controlling weeds, and mixing soil, with shanks and hydraulic cylinders for depth control.
• Row crop cultivators are used for weed control between rows of established crops, raised and lowered by a three-point hitch.
• Garden cultivators are used in small gardens for primary and secondary tillage, with rotary tillers and toothed cultivators offering specific advantages.
• Variants like rotary tillers, rototillers, rotavators, and mini tillers provide compact and inexpensive alternatives for different farming scales.

Specific Cultivator Types and Applications

• Primary tillage implements are used in lighter soils, with the largest versions being about 6m (20ft) wide.
• Row crop cultivators have 1 to 36 rows wide, used for weed control between crop rows.
• Garden cultivators are suitable for household and small commercial gardens, with specific variants like rotary tillers and mini tillers catering to different needs.
• Two-wheel tractors, also known as walk-behind tractors, are used for various farming tasks in different terrains like wetlands, drylands, hills, mountains, and orchards.

Cultivator Data Sources