An agricultural implement used to create raised ridges and corresponding furrows in the soil. This practice, called ridging or hilling, is performed as a secondary tillage operation on already-ploughed soil. Function and benefits Ridging offers several advantages for crop cultivation: Creates raised beds: Provides an ideal environment for row crops like potatoes, sugarcane, cotton, and vegetables. Improves drainage: Elevated rows prevent water from pooling, reducing the risk of root rot and other waterlogging-related issues. Enhances soil aeration: Looser, aerated soil in the ridges allows for better root development and growth. Facilitates irrigation: The furrows created between the ridges can be used as channels for water flow in controlled flood irrigation. Aids harvesting: For root crops, ridges make it easier to dig up and harvest the plants. Controls soil erosion: In fields with a slope, creating contour ridges can slow down surface water runoff. Design and operation A ridger plough operates by cutting and displacing soil to form the ridges and furrows. Components: The primary parts of a ridger include a frame, a hitch system for attaching to a tractor or power tiller, and a ridger body. The body has a wedge-shaped share that penetrates the soil and two mouldboards that lift and cast the soil in opposite directions. Tractor-drawn models: Most modern ridgers are tractor-mounted and can create multiple ridges in a single pass. The depth and width of the ridges are often adjustable. Disc ridgers: Some models use rotating, angled discs to cut and shape the soil, which works especially well in heavier clay soils. Power tiller attachments: Smaller, single-row ridgers are available as attachments for lower-horsepower power tillers and cultivators.
