Cultivation

cultivation, in agriculture and horticulture, the loosening and breaking up (tilling) of the soil or, more generally, the raising of crops. The soil around existing plants is cultivated—by hand using a hoe or by machine using a cultivator—to destroy weeds and promote growth by increasing soil aeration and water infiltration. Soil being prepared for the planting of a crop is cultivated by a harrow or plow. Numerous systems have been developed for the cultivation of crops in the long history of agriculture, including terrace cultivation, agroforestry, crop rotation, shifting agriculture, and others. For more information about the cultivation of soil, see tillage.