Ridge Building Success of the ridge-till system depends upon construction of large row ridges on which to plant the following crop. Cultivators for ridge-till are equipped with disk hillers or ridging wings that throw soil from the row middle into a ridge along the crop row. Ridging attachments are removed or adjusted for early cultivation to avoid burying young plants. Summary Ridge-till systems use special cultivation and planting equipment to plant the crop in a narrow, clean strip on top of the previous crop ridges. Major benefits are associated with increased soil conservation due to residue preservation and potential for reduced input costs.
Ridges can make turning very difficult on end rows and points rows.
Yield potentials depend upon soil conditions and appropriate management practices, and generally are equal to or greater than no-till. In appropriate conditions, ridge-till can be an excellent choice for soil conservation in a row crop system. Shawn Shouse, Extension soil and water engineering spec. Dept. of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering, Iowa State Univ. V Arial herbicides and mechanical cultivation.