In
agriculture, harrowing and weeding are some of the more familiar terms to be
heard and used. If you’re not familiar with these terms and you are about to
start your own farm or garden, let’s get familiar.
Harrowing
is something that is done to break up lumps in soil to achieve finer, looser
finish of soil that is suitable and ready for growing crops on it. This is one
of the first steps in farming or gardening in general.
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| Harrowing and Weeding in Tomatoes. (Image by KPPI). |
Meanwhile,
weeding can be defined as an effort by farmers to keep the land (soil or
seedbed area, for example) clear from weeds that grow around the crops.
Uncontrolled weeds can be dangerous to crops because it will hinder crops’
growth.
Weeding can be done properly and effectively using special tools such
as small hoes and cultivators. However, pulling out weeds and their roots can
also be done using your hands only. Those pulled out weeds are then collected
and burned.
Furthermore,
weeds can be hosts for pests and plant diseases to grow and flourish freely.
Pests can lay their eggs and larvae on beds of weeds and when they hatch, they
will become worms and pupae that are dangerous for the growth of crops’ leaves,
young stems, etc.
Moreover, a
struggle for nutrition between crops and weeds often happen and this will have
bad effects on the crops where they will experience nutrient deficiency that
will lead to thin stems, slow leaf growth, non-optimum height proportionality,
and less fruitful crops. Read more: 4 Cara Merawat Tanaman Mentimun dan Tomat di Musim Hujan yang Baik dan Benar.
Definition of Harrowing & Weeding System in Horticultural Crops
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Oleh
Wahid Priyono
