Agricultural practices

[[File:Tillage.jpg|thumb|Tillage after corn harvest (Click for video)]]

thumb|Simon Bening, Labors of the Months: September, from a Flemish [[Book of hours (Bruges)]] thumb|Men sowing seed by hand in the 1940s thumb|Manual sowing machine Sowing is the process of planting seeds. An area that has had seeds planted in it will be described as a sowed or sown area.

efforts to stop or reduce the growth of weeds

application of minerals to soil

right|thumb|250px|Hilling (:ja:畝|Japanese Une 畝) [[ploughed by a hoe for scallions to increase crop yields.]] Hilling, earthing up or ridging is the technique in agriculture and horticulture of heaping soil up around the base of a plant. It can be done by hand (usually using a hoe), or with powered machinery, typically a tractor attachment.

application of chemicals intended to kill or deter pests

process by which a mower or similar implement is used to "top", or remove, the aerial part of a crop, in order to prevent seed formation and distribution onto the soil