ryan lucey Thanks for the answer, but that is not really my question; I know the purpose of hilling potatoes, but I don’t understand the function of the paddles at the rear of the machine. The paddles appear to only create divots in the soil; is that to aid in collecting rain or irrigation water?
csil This operation is performed after the potatoes are planted, but not yet emerged. After this operation, it’s most likely that a post-planting pre-emergent herbicide is applied directly to the newly formed hills which is lightly irrigated to activate the herbicide’s effectiveness. This herbicide is most often the only herbicide applied to a crop. Not always, but often.
csil The dam-a-dykers leave “potholes” to collect any water running off the hills from either a heavy rain period or from the ends of the pivots which have a higher precipitation rate compared to the centre. The ‘potholes’ prevent water for running down the furrows and accumulating in the lower spots, which causes an excessively wet area conducive to disease pressure-points.
