Agricultural Science (AS)·Agricultural technology · NSSCAS 5.1b
Farm machinery & implements: tillage, planters & harvesters
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A farmer sprays weed killer from her knapsack, and a week later half the weeds live while the crop beside them is scorched. On the next farm the maize comes up in a perfect, even line. The difference is the machines — and how carefully they are calibrated and looked after. In this lesson we set up a knapsack sprayer, meet the ploughs and harrows that prepare the soil, name every part of a precision planter, and follow the grain through a combine harvester and a maize sheller.
What you'll learn in this lesson
By the end you should be able to (NSSCAS Agricultural Science (AS) 5.1b):
- Identify the parts of a knapsack sprayer and explain how to calibrate it (walking speed, nozzle output, swath width) to apply the correct volume per hectare
- Carry out a simple knapsack calibration calculation, scaling the volume used on a measured plot up to litres per hectare
- Identify and describe the primary tillage implements: mouldboard plough, disc plough and ripper/subsoiler, and their uses
- Identify and describe the secondary tillage implements: cultivator and disc, tine and spike harrows, and their uses
- Identify the parts of a precision planter: hopper/seed box, metering unit, furrow opener, seed tube, depth wheels and press/covering wheels
- Describe the maintenance of a precision planter (clean seed boxes, check metering, lubricate, check tubes/openers, calibrate seed rate)
- Describe the operational principles of a combine harvester (cutting, threshing, separating, cleaning, grain tank)
- Describe how a maize sheller removes grain from the cobs
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