With cost pressures“ and herbicide resistance increasing, conventional growers are showing an interest in inter-row kit.” LAMMA preview Drills and cultivators Drills ’n’ hoes From direct fertiliser drills to Väderstad available on the 12 and 18 row Tempo L interrow hoes, there was a After launching on the market in November, models and is based on the same high Väderstad will be showcasing its new Carrier capacity Fenix III metering system as the huge array of cultivation kit XL 425-625 cultivator –– fitted with the 5000-litre hopper, delivering up to 350kg/ha launched at last month’s CrossCutter Disc –– at the NEC next month. fertiliser at 15km/h planting speed, says Designed for conserving moisture in the the firm. Agritechnica. But what’s seedbed, the cultivator has the ability to relevant to the UK market? work at ultra-shallow depths of only 3cm, as Pöttinger well as down to 5cm, across the full working Though visitors won’t be able to see it in the And what can farmers expect width of the machine. According to flesh at LAMMA, the Terrasem Fertiliser Pro to see on display at next Väderstad, this enables efficient mixing mulch seed drill (with direct fertilisation) is of crop residues within the topsoil and the next big thing from Pöttinger. month’s LAMMA event? encourages an early weed chit. One of the real selling points of this piece CPM finds out more. “A shallow stale seedbed increases of kit is that the simultaneous use of tool the number of seeds germinating, and combinations (for example, front board with By Charlotte Cunningham encourages earlier emergence,” says UK tillage discs) in combination with applying marketing manager, Andy Gamble. “This fertiliser while drilling avoids multiple passes then means the following crop can either be –– a particularly important consideration for drilled earlier or with the extra time created, many growers as pressure builds on the With an increasing focus on preserving used to prepare an even better seedbed.” industry to work towards reducing emissions and getting the best from our soils, there’s Also new and set to be on display at and cutting costs. never been a more important time for LAMMA is the latest addition to Väderstad’s So how exactly does it work? “Seedbed drills and cultivation kit. But regardless Tempo L range –– the Tempo L 8 –– which is preparation is taken care of by the compact of whether you’re looking for something claimed to combine high-speed precision disc harrow or low disturbance wave disc that’s deep-working or fast-moving, drilling with high capacity output of both harrow,” explains the firm. “The fertiliser is chances are there’s something to suit seed and fertiliser. then placed by the Fertilizer Pro coulter in you on the market. As suggested in the name, the Tempo a double-shoot row between every second To give CPM readers a flavour of what L 8 has eight row units, boasts a 3000-litre seed row.” to expect in the drill and cultivation fertiliser hopper, and is available in row The placement depth of fertiliser can be department at next month’s LAMMA event spacing options from 700-800mm, making adjusted hydraulically within a range of (7-8 January), we’ve picked out some of the it a fairly versatile tool. 10cm independently of cultivating and key developments. The new 3000-litre fertiliser hopper is also sowing depth, adds Pöttinger. “The surface 42 crop production magazine december 2019 LAMMA preview is then consolidated across the whole area by the packer before the seed is planted. “The Fertilizer Pro coulter then uses precision techniques to place the fertiliser next to the seed. Not only does this save fertiliser and minimise unproductive losses, it also promotes faster development of the root mass and contributes long-term to optimum yield.” Vredo The Terrasem Fertiliser Pro mulch seed drill (with direct fertilisation) is the next big thing from Pöttinger. Netherlands-based manufacturer, Vredo, are expected to showcase a number of feature that allows farmers to sow arable comprises a pair of cutting discs with an innovations at LAMMA, after launching in crops directly onto stubble, without any inter-row distance of 7.5cm. Hannover last month. tillage, on 15cm rows. To sow arable crops deeper, every Among them is the Vredo overseeder Now available on the Agri Twin and second pair of discs can be pulled up high which now boasts a new crop drill system Agri Air series, the base of the machine hydraulically. “This way a sowing distance L Dance of the inter-row cultivators With questions over the future of glyphosate farmers who need an effective, reliable, low cost, still looming in the air, it’s fair to say that the mechanical method of removing weeds from their industry is seriously beginning to consider the crops, which is becoming increasingly important, implementation of other solutions, should we for several reasons. lose the chemical control. “In recent years numerous agrochemicals, With that in mind, there’s been an increasing including herbicides, have been lost to more number of manufacturers adding inter-row kit to stringent legislation, some of those which remain their armoury. are becoming more costly and less effective, while an increasing number of farms are turning to Claydon organic production where such products cannot Among them is Claydon, set to debut a 6m be used.” Claydon’s TerraBlade Inter-row has been version of its new TerraBlade heavy duty inter-row designed to help eliminate weeds alongside hoe at the NEC next month. Opico herbicides in both conventional and organic Claimed by Claydon to be “simple, reliable and Also making waves in the interrow market is arable systems. economically priced” the TerraBlade Inter-row has Opico, who have launched a complete range of been designed to help eliminate weeds alongside Hatzenbichler inter-row cultivators for UK farmers. herbicides in a conventional arable system as well Austrian firm, Hatzenbichler, is well known for as providing a robust solution for organic growers. its comb weeders, grass harrows and seeders, Launched as a result of farmer demand for the but although the manufacturer has been building existing TerraBlade range, the new 6m, 20 tine inter-row cultivators for 65 years, it’s only recently and 8m, 26-tine heavy duty versions will sit that precision guidance technology has made them alongside the four other pre-existing standard a realistic option for mainstream arable production. models and have been optimised to perform even “We’ve traditionally sold most of our comb on heavy soils. harrows to organic producers wanting to control Carried on the tractor’s front linkage and and weeds in broad-acre combinable crops and Opico have launched a complete range of steered manually, the TerraBlade incorporates a vegetable producers looking to reduce herbicide Hatzenbichler inter-row cultivators for UK farmers. heavy-duty box section steel frame with a fixed usage,” explains Opico managing director centre section and two vertically folding wings. James Woolway. “However over recent years, Tines can be adjusted to suit any row width and with cost pressures and herbicide resistance slicing through weed roots leaving unwanted the fine blades mean the TerraBlade can work developing more and more, conventional growers plants to die on the surface. effectively up to 30mm deep. are showing an interest.” There’s a choice of points and tines which need In terms of power requirements, the 8m model With working widths stretching from 3m right to be matched to the job in hand, for example, requires a minimum 80hp tractor and has an up to 18m, the new Hatzenbichler cultivator is A-shares mounted on S-tines for deeper work, or optimum working speed of 6km/h, providing an likely to provide a solution for a variety of cropping duckfoot shares and L-blades mounted on the average work output of 4ha per hour, according options and row spacings, says Opico. Hatzenbicher Vibro-tine. On top of that there’s a to Claydon. The principle for all versions remains the whole raft of additional options icluding plastic “The TerraBlade provides a valuable additional same –– tines mounted on parallelograms with finger wheels that flick out weeds in the crop row weapon in the agricultural industry’s weed control individual depth wheels running between the crop and crop protectors that shield delicate plants armoury,” says Jeff Claydon. “We developed it for rows –– which work to cultivate the soil surface by from soil throw. crop production magazine december 2019 43 LAMMA preview MaxiDrill range, Sky Agriculture are set to announce a whole host of updates at LAMMA 2020. The new 20 Series updates to the EasyDrill and MaxiDrill include a redesigned electronics package with blockage sensing, individual row shut off and ISObus control as well as a second “Pro-Hopper” allowing four products to be individually metered and distributed at once. Building on its existing EasyDrill and MaxiDrill With grain and fertiliser main tanks as range, Sky Agriculture are set to announce a standard and the possibility of adding one Designed for conserving moisture in the seedbed, whole host of updates at LAMMA 2020. or two smaller Pro-Hoppers, the range of Väderstad’s cultivator has the ability to work at possible applications the machine can be ultra-shallow depths of only 3cm. L of 15cm is being created,” says the firm. employed for is effectively extended. “The “This system doesn’t cultivate the soil, operator can now place seed, fertiliser, The first being the disc coulter and the instead, it only slits it, meaning less machine companion crops and plant protection second, a placement tube with three power is needed.” products accurately in one pass,” says the different positions to allow depth to be The overseeder is also suitable for firm.