With a host of crop establishment and protection manufacturers present, Alex Heath looks at increasing the efficiency of the dwindling crop protection active ingredients list, both through cultural methods and advances in technology.
Lemken fertiliser spreader range
Visitors got to see the latest fertiliser spreader on the market in the form of Lemken's top of the range Polaris 14. Built in partnership with Sulky-Burel, the manufacturer is offering three series of spreaders, the basic Spica, the mid-range Tauri and the range-topper on display.
The Polaris 14 has a tank capacity of up to 4,000 litres, can spread to a maximum of 50 metres and comes with IsoBus as standard. The firm's GPS-supported Econov section control works across 12 zones and is said to offer a 6% saving of product.
Border control is provided in the form of the manufacturer's Tribord 3D system which offers users three levels of spreading precision, dependent on what is the other side of the border. For instance, if it is another crop, a road or waterway, the accuracy can be increased to stop unwanted contamination.
CrossCutter offering expanded
Pride of place on Vaderstad's stand was its Carrier L 525, which can now be fitted with the firm's new 510mm diameter CrossCutter discs, while the heavier duty XL models can be fitted with 610mm discs.
The design of the disc allows for soil to be moved at a minimum depth of 30mm across the full width of the machine. The disc also ‘fractions' the soil profile. Instead of throwing soil sideways, the CrossCutter disc throws it up and forwards, allowing soil and clods to land first, with lighter soil and seeds landing on top.
The company says this means weed seeds and volunteers chit faster, while also providing tilth for direct drills to work into.
Chafer adds PWM to spray pack
Battling the drizzle on the sprayer demonstration area was Chafer's Interceptor self-propelled, fitted with pulse width modulation (PWM). Based on Raven's IsoBus-controlled Hawkeye, the system can also be fitted to the manufacturer's trailed models.
Advantages of the system include consistent droplet size, regardless of forward speed, claims the manufacturer. In a normal system, as forward speed increases, so does the pressure in the spray lines, leading to less than optimal droplet size.
With PWM, an electronic solenoid on each nozzle pulses at 10-30 times per second, dictating flow rate and droplet size. The company says this is also beneficial for variable rate situations and section control.
It has also gyros built into its boom which detect when the sprayer is turning, enabling the nozzles to reduce the chance of over or under coverage and compensate for yaw.
Sly gets precise
Well known for its strip tillage equipment, Sly was showing the fruits of its partnership with US firm Precision Planting, which is owned by Agco. The company says the products can be run independently or in conjunction with its Stripcat tillage implement.
Garnering plenty of interest was the latest seeding unit, in particular the SmartFirmer, which presses seed into the slot, while sensors read a host of soil parameters, including organic matter, temperature and moisture. This allows the planter to automatically adjust seed depth based on the pre-set average for optimal conditions.
Which parameter takes priority can be set, but it allows for changing soil types to be immediately accounted for.
Seeding units are built to each customer's specification and can include various fertiliser application methods to encourage strong rooting.
APV mechanical weeding
Originally designed for organic production, APV now sees its mechanical weeding harrows a viable option for conventional farms. The company offers four working widths from six to 12 metres, with the spring-tensioned tines are arranged across six rows.
Its 8mm-thick tines are spaced at 35mm. The system allows for individual tine pressure adjustment, enabling it to work in cereal crops once they have reached leaf 2, but also in ridged crops such as potatoes. Pressure exerted by the tine and spring set up is controlled hydraulically.
Tines feature a carbide wear strip and can work down to 30mm below the soil's crust. Optimal operating speed is four to 12kph and the widest model only needs 90hp to operate, says the manufacturer.
Grange adds standalone loosener
Famed for its low-disturbance toolbars, Grange was showing a new low disturbance loosener.
Built using the same headstock as its other machine, the main beam is welded to the headstock, rather than hydraulically lifted as on the toolbars. Available in three and four metres, six and eight legs feature with a spacing of 500mm. At the rear is a toothed or Guttler packer. This can be removed and replaced with a clevis hitch for pulling trailed implements, if desired.
Hydraulically adjusted front discs chop trash and open a slot for the legs which work down to 300mm. Depth adjustment of legs is via pins on the packer arms, while shear bolt or hydraulic reset protection can be selected. Prices start from about £13,000.
Stocks Ag launches new controller
Stocks Ag has launched a new controller for its Fan Jet Duo and Turbo Jet 12, which will be launched at Lamma. The TM controller is capable of running two metering systems featuring variable rate, automatic shut-off, field mapping and section control capabilities.
The three-inch screen has been designed for easy navigation, says the manufacturer, with four run screens allowing operators to seamlessly swap between mapping data and machine controls. Calibration and set-up times are also halved with its inbuilt memory, recalling settings.
Biofilter kit from Wroot Water
With the increase in grants for covered wash down areas, Wroot Water was touting its indoor biofilter. Delivered to farm in kit form, it comprises four plastic stillages and all the necessary pipework, pumps and filters.
Into the stillages is placed 50 per cent straw and 25 per cent each of soil and peat-free compost by volume. This creates a biomix similar to that in a biobed. Advantages of this system are its compact form and semi-mobile structure.
Pumps in the system engage for two to three minutes, three to four times per hour. The resulting water is then piped to a grassed area. The system is said to be suitable for treatment of 15,000 litres of contaminated water per year. The kit costs £2,750.
APG Cab Guards
We often see pictures of near misses from stones, blades and flails that pass through a window of a tractor cab, but these can be prevented, according to Applied Protection Guards. Its cab guards are bespoke-made shields for windows of nearly any make and model of tractor.
The 3mm thick polycarbonate plastic is said to be near bullet proof. Testing carried out by the company includes shooting at it and hitting it with an axe, with only blemishes to show.
Modern tractors without steel supports around the doors and windows come supplied with 3D printed plastic clips which the guard bolts on to, while older models have to be secured with suction cups.
Costs for each window and model vary, but prices start at £90, with most modern mid-horsepower tractors costing about £200 per window.
Pottinger show latest IsoBus screen
The cross-manufacturer collaboration CCI 1200 was shown on Pottinger's stand, now able to perform more operations with its IsoBus-enabled Aerosem combi-drills. The manufacturer says its version of variable rate drilling, Seed Complete, is now controlled through the terminal.
Via its intelligent distribution system head, which has electric actuators on each outlet, it can auto-shutoff individual metre-wide sections. CCI 1200 also has a function called Multi Boom which facilitates this, with the head working as one boom and the metering unit a second.
The 12-inch screen can be split into sections, enabling two IsoBus machines to be run through the screen. It also allows for a camera to be plugged in and features an Agrirouter connection for wireless data transfer.
Precision console trade-in scheme
LH Agro has launched a new trade-in scheme to make it more affordable for existing users of Topcon's precision farming equipment to upgrade to the latest version of its range-topping X35 control console.
The console trade-in scheme gives customers the opportunity to exchange their existing Topcon X30 console for the latest X35 version and includes the transfer of any activations unlocked in the old console. In addition, customers will also receive the new Topcon CL-10 modem which adds cellular and Wi-Fi capability to the X35.
The X35 is Topcon's range-topping control console. Featuring a 12.1-inch touch-screen colour display, it uses the latest Horizon software to control a wide range of implements including seed drills, fertiliser spreaders, sprayers and harvesters, and operations including auto-steering and implement guidance, variable rate applications, flow meter analysis, implement height and section control, yield mapping and application recording.
The CL-10 modem allows access to the new Topcon Agriculture Platform; a cloud-based integrated agronomic management platform. It also provides connectivity for remote support, telematics and the Horizon XTEND feature.
LH Agro director Richard Reed said: "By upgrading their existing console to an X35 unit, customers are able to access the latest Topcon precision farming functions including Auto Headland Turn and XTEND, and to export guidance lines, yield maps and crop sensing data to the cloud where they can be interrogated to maximise returns on inputs."
Claas data sharing portal
Claas was explaining to farmers the advantages of its collaboration between John Deere, the tractor brands of CNHi and 365FarmNet.
DataConnect enables the exchange of essential machinery data between the different platforms to allow users to view all their mixed brand fleet information in the single platform of their choice, such as Claas Telematics or John Deere's Operation Centre.
Previously, viewing such information required duplicating effort by using each manufacturer's separate and corresponding platforms or web portals.
Currently, the system can display information including the machine's current and historical whereabouts, speed and fuel level. The software used for the system is IsoBus compatible and it is set to go live this summer.
