Tillage practices must be such that soil is adequately conserved
while maintaining high productivity (Howeler et al., 1993). A
number of different minimum tillage systems is adopted for soil
and water conservation, in order to sustain agricultural productivity. Traditional tillage practices such as pitting, mounding,
ridging, and mulching, earth and stone bunding successfully
conserved the soil (Kaumbutho and Simalenga, 1999), maintains
soil structure and fertility, improve water infiltration, increase soil
organic matter and sustain soil organisms. Soil tillage is often
needed to control weeds and ensure crop growth ahead of the
germination of new flush of weeds. It also encourages the
transformation of organic nitrogen to readily available nitrogen
for plants use, and creates a fine seedbed for improved germination
of small-seeded crops like grains