Primary tillage lays the foundation in agronomic terms for crop management, which is why it has a decisive influence on the growth of the plants. To develop properly, these require an optimum supply of water and nutrients. Crops that have a sufficient supply of water and nutrients are healthier and more resilient to pathogens. As a result, less plant protection measures are needed for a high yield, which forms the basis for a successful harvest. The plough creates optimum conditions.

The plough loosens the soil over the full depth of the tilth and eliminates any compaction in the topsoil. As the soil passes the mouldboard, the furrow ridge breaks along its natural structure. Depending on the texture of the soil and its condition, the plough is set up to create a tilth that encourages downward root penetration and growth.
A loose soil structure with a natural pore distribution and no harmful compaction effects lets the crop develop strong and deep roots. The large root space created by the plough enables the continuous absorption of nutrients and soil water during the main growth phases. The risk of under nourishment or a shortage of water is minimised because the soil has plenty of capacity for storing water and nutrients. It means that the plants can bridge extreme conditions much better.

In loosened soils, the size distribution and volume of the pores also change. The higher proportion of large pores leads to faster warming and drying of the soil due to the larger air content, and water can infiltrate faster. Faster soil warming accelerates the emergence of the next crop and the growth of robust and healthy plants. This is achieved in particular by rapid germination and a faster supply of nutrients due to microbial activity, including the mineralisation of nitrogen.

Primary tillage using a plough does more than loosen the soil for the next crop. By turning the soil in the furrow, the plough ensures reliable incorporation of fertilisers, harvest residues, and cover crops. This creates a "clean slate", which results in further agronomic advantages. These have a direct impact on the follow-up processes and development of the crop and its resistance to harmful organisms.
The plough turns the soil over so that there are no harvest and plant residues at seed slot level, because these are reliably incorporated by the plough. Reliable seed emergence is ensured thanks to sufficient contact with the soil water, and the drilling process is not as demanding. Ploughing for winter and utilising the frost heave makes drilling in spring even easier, especially on heavy soils.

Primary tillage reduces the weed burden by ploughing in weeds and grasses, including any seeds on the soil surface. The plants die as a result of incorporation and germination of the seeds is suppressed.
Especially in organic farming, ploughing is a primary process for the pre-emptive and active reduction of weed burden where weeds are resistant to herbicides, and in areas with problematic soil conditions.
The preventive reduction of pests reduces chemical plant protection and mechanical crop care costs, while also improving their effectiveness. In return, reducing the usage of chemical pesticides is a strong resistance management measure.

Surface plant material and crop residues often result in increased phytosanitary risks for the next crop. The organic material can harbour various diseases that go on to survive until the next round of infection.
The right PÖTTINGER mouldboards, together with an extensive range of skimmer tools, ensure that organic matter is incorporated without leaving any residues on the surface. Consequently, this reduces the risk of wheat becoming infected by fungal diseases such as fusarium ear blight (fusarium graminearum) or tan spot (drechslera tritici-repentis), and leads to a healthier and more resilient crop that reduces the need for plant protection measures. This lowers the costs of crop management.

Neat incorporation of organic residues also facilitates the control of animal pests. As an example, it is possible to contain the spread and reproduction of the corn borer because it is more difficult for them to hatch in ploughed-in residues, and therefore reduces the population.
This also applies to slugs, which can cause enormous damage, especially in oilseed rape. By ploughing in slugs, and especially their eggs, they are less likely to survive and the pest burden is reduced.
Turning the soil destroys the habitats of rodents, which means that ploughing has a regulating effect on the population of field mice and voles. What is more, their chance of survival is minimised further by the reduced sources of nutrition on the soil surface.

By spreading roots deep into the soil, plants absorb nutrients from deep soil layers that promote their growth. While a certain amount of nutrients remain in the field in the form of plant and harvest residues, these are deposited on the surface. As a result, non-mobile or less mobile nutrients accumulate in the upper soil layer while the lower layers of soil become depleted. In addition, organic and mineral fertilisation is usually applied to the soil surface, intensifying this effect. If the upper, nutrient-rich layers of soil dry out, nutrients are difficult or almost impossible to absorb. Because there are only low levels of nutrients left in the lower soil layers, this can mean that there is a lack of nutrients for the plants, even though the soil is generally well supplied with nutrients.
Turning the soil to crumb depth redistributes nutrients from the surface to deeper layers, so that nutrients are also present in the layers where they can be absorbed by the plants. To ensure an optimum supply of nutrients to the plants, it is a good idea to use the plough at intervals as part of the crop rotation.

In modern agriculture, there are various soil preparation systems available - from direct drilling and mulch drilling to traditional primary tillage using a plough. Each method has its justification and is useful in specific conditions. It has been shown, however, that ploughing provides the most reliable basis for stable yields in many situations.
Other systems soon reach their limits, especially on sites with compaction problems, high weed burden, or phytosanitary challenges. Without mechanical loosening and crop residue management, root development can be restricted, young plant growth delayed, and the risk of disease increased. The plough, on the other hand, creates optimum conditions for the crop through deep loosening, reliable incorporation of organic matter, and the reduction of harmful organisms.
The positive influence of the plough is particularly evident in years with extreme weather conditions: It promotes gas exchange and soil warming, improves the availability of nutrients and enables plants to grow uniformly. This allows the genetic yield potential of the crop to be realised in full.
That is why the plough is not just a tillage implement, but also a strategic tool for sustainable, high-yield agriculture, especially where other systems have reached their limits.