Equipment Focus: Weeding and granule grouping by Kverneland

In these months main as much as Agritechnica, Kverneland is one among many firms eager to get the information of its developments out earlier than they it’s misplaced within the overwhelming avalanche of press releases that surrounds the occasion.

The corporate that has taken the difficulty to introduce the world to its newest additions and upgrades effectively earlier than this main occasion, inviting the press to Germany to view them in motion.

Solar wheels and cameras

Like all the key producers, the corporate has been eager to enter the mechanical weed management market.

It bought the French model, Phenix Agrosystem earlier this yr, and it was these newest machines to enter its vary which have been a serious a part of the presentation.

Now dressed within the extra acquainted Kverneland livery have been 5 fashions on show, together with the Helios weeder that was proven at this yr’s Farm Tractor and Equipment Commerce Affiliation (FTMTA) present.

This implement is being highlighted by the corporate particularly because it differs from different mechanical weeders in that it may be utilized in cereals, slightly than being confined to rows of precision planted broad-leaved crops and maize.

Efficient weeding of cereals with no sprayer is the holy grail of implement producers, but there may be nonetheless the necessity to compete with the width of a sprayer increase as even with the widest Helios of 6.4m, there may be almost six instances as a lot travelling than with a 36m increase.

Inter-row cultivation continues to be the main target of most mechanical weeders, but in Eire, row crops are very a lot within the minority so it’s unlikely that they are going to be a bestseller right here.

Nevertheless, ought to the Helios lengthen to a far higher working width, then Kverneland may effectively have a winner on its palms, though, as its working motion depends upon on heavy solid metal wheels, the working width could show to be restricted by weight concerns.

But, the equipment business is gearing up for a lot tighter controls on pesticide utility so these advances proven right here could effectively develop into the norm within the not too distant future.

Sprayers are with us nonetheless

Mechanical weed management would possibly scale back herbicide utilization however there may be nonetheless the necessity to management bugs and illness and so sprayers will not be redundant but.

Continuous growth of the iXter vary of sprayers has not stopped and the newest function is an automatic mixing system for mounted sprayers feeding off a front-mounted tank.

The chemical want solely be added to the rear and the system will guarantee it’s blended evenly all through each tanks and the connecting pipework whereas filling continues to be in progress.

A small step maybe, however it’s often by such increments that progress is made.

Precision fertiliser placement

Working again additional via the cropping cycle, Kverneland has been wanting intently at the place fertiliser is positioned in relation to the seed when drilling.

The corporate’s competition is that up till now, this has been a reasonably random affair, though finding the granules at a decrease degree within the soil than the seed is now a effectively established function of many seed drills.

Kverneland has taken the location of fertiliser a step additional with its Pedum system which not solely regulates the depth of the fertiliser, but in addition limits its utility to the zone instantly underneath the seed.

The corporate claims that this may end up in a 25% saving in fertiliser prices as the road of fertiliser being positioned shouldn’t be steady; the granules are let into the soil as a small pocket of fabric after which the seed is positioned above it.

Naturally there are some intelligent electronics concerned in coordinating the seed and fertiliser placement with the primary growth being what’s described as a brush valve.

It is a conical association of bristles pointing downwards with the fertiliser granules accumulating within the tip.

These are launched by a small pulse of compressed air directed down into the cone, which instantly closes after being emptied.

It’s a intelligent concept and Kverneland has been performing trials, along with analysis institutions, for the final three years and is completely happy to say a 25% discount in fertiliser use with no adversarial have an effect on on yield.

ISOBUS involves energy harrows

Making changes to an influence harrow in actual time from the consolation of the cab is now attainable with Kverneland’s newest Rotago vary of energy harrows.

The corporate notes that the working depth ought to all the time be diminished to the minimal wanted as each cm of penetration means roughly 130t of soil moved per hectare.

Each the working depth and the peak of the levelling bar will be adjusted through an ISOBUS display, enabling ‘on the transfer’ adjustment as circumstances change throughout the sector, saving gas within the course of.

An extra addition to the vary is the supply of a rear transport wheel that folds away within the area.

That is of explicit use the place the ability harrow is getting used along with a coulter bar, enormously including to the soundness and steadiness of the tractor when on the highway.

Kverneland again the belt

Of late, a lot intertest has been proven within the idea of forming swathes in forage crops by means of belts slightly than tined rotors.

By way of its buy of the specialist producer of belt mergers, ROC, Kverneland has backed each horses.

The most recent mannequin is a brief crop machine which is particularly designed to deal with frequent slicing regimes the place the crop is prone to have much less size and bulk.

It’s outfitted with a brand new pick-up reel with tines which can be geared to run 20% quicker than regular whereas the curler above them sits nearer, making certain that the forage is delivered safely to the belt.

The assist bogies have full suspension permitting the machine to journey easily over area, lowering the danger of the tines participating with the bottom or selecting up stones.