Today’s Challenges are manifold
- How can we ensure healthy plant growth ?
- How can we face resistant weeds and climate change ?
- How can we ensure farmers’ yield and income ?
- How can we ensure a safe food production for the world’s growing population ?
- How can we reduce the environmental impact ?
Efficient weed control is needed for healthy plant growth as the basis for our customers' yield and profit, as well as for a safe food production. At the same time, the protection of the environment has become a key topic of today’s agriculture. With the Farm to Fork Strategy, recent European regulations and policies have defined new standards and reduced the kinds of components allowed.
Besides, there are the agronomic challenges. Certain weeds have developed resistance against herbicides, and chemicals will slow down crop development. Thus, an alternative is needed for effective weed control under different conditions. Furthermore, due to the climate changes, farmers are often faced with draught resulting in hard soil surface with limited water reserve or surface capping after heavy rain falls. Therefore, there is a strong need to restore water and air flow, to protect the soil moisture and to improve the nutrient supply to the roots. In addition, in extreme weather situations, any operation carried out must leave a weather proof surface.
We believe that with intelligent and efficient farming systems we contribute to sustainable agriculture, serving the world’s growing population.
Sustainable, efficient, strong
Mechanical weeding in row crops and on cereals is an efficient tool for weed control and also works in case of resistance (sulfonyloureas and pioxadem). It also extends the option to react when conditions limit the application of chemical crop care.
In addition, by cracking the upper topsoil, breaking the capped surface on certain soils after rain, mechanical weeding promotes the seed emergence and restores the water and air flow, stimulating physico-chemical reactions and soil life. It will increase mineralization and promote the absorption of nitrogen. By creating an isolating layer stopping the capillary rising of water to the surface, it also increases the water reserve. All in all resulting in better tilling of the crop for a healthy plant development.
Kverneland full range of Mechanical Weeding
Kverneland mechanical weeders provide a variety of solutions for growers considering all aspects of weed control, whilst reducing chemical input. Weeder models include the Kverneland Helios – a star-wheel equipped rotary hoe suited to cereal crops, the Kverneland Onyx inter-row cultivator with the guidance interface, Kverneland Lynx.
Kverneland Helios – The Rotary Hoe
At 6m wide with a hydraulic folding frame, the Kverneland Helios rotary hoe uses pairs of cast iron star wheels whose downward pressure is adjustable. This affords delicate control to suit the surface conditions of the field in combination with a crop’s growth stage, to carry out shallow weeding through the top 10mm of soil. The shallow weeding restores the water and airflow, increasing mineralisation and promoting the absorption of nitrogen, which results in improved tilling of the crop for healthy plant development.
“The Kverneland Helios can provide an effective mechanical solution for black grass control, with the star wheels capable of pulling out small weeds and leaving them on the surface to wither and die without impacting on crop growth,” explains Kverneland soil specialist Maxime Georges.
In use, the star wheels carry out 60% of the weeding process, with its following harrow accounting for 40% of the cultural control process.
Kvernelany Onyx – The inter-row cultivator
The Kverneland Onyx offers full flexibility on a large scale and in all conditions. Due to the modular design, it can be adjusted to multiple crops:
Starting from 12.5cm for cereals up to 80cm row distance for all sorts of row crops such as maize, sugar beet and vegetables, the inter-row cultivator Kverneland Onyx has been designed to easily achieve an accurate and consistent result in field, even at high working speed.
Selective weed control
The Kverneland Onyx offers a maximum in rigidity and adaptability. It is quickly prepared for larger fields by extensions. The great choice of various options and accessories makes it extremely versatile and efficient. Stable parallelograms and working tools rule out any wear and play for utmost accuracy.
Stimulating physico-chemical reactions
The shallow tillage at 2cm by the Kverneland Onyx improves aeration of the soil as a prerequisite to physicochemical reactions (humification, mineralisation of organic nitrogen). The crops will benefit from the plus nutrients available with positive impact on the yield.
Protecting soil moisture
By the flat-bed weeding, the Kverneland Onyx creates an isolating layer to stop the capillary rising of water to the surface, protecting the soil moisture within the seed layer.
“One pass of weeding is like two times watering,” says a proverb. With view to the climate change, this is of major importance in dry areas and a general benefit for the crop’s start and growth.
The Onyx can be combined with the Kverneland Lynx guidance interface for enhanced precision.
Kverneland Lynx – The guidance interface
The guidance interface, Kverneland Lynx offers flexibility, easy control and utmost accuracy to the inter-row cultivator Kverneland Onyx for mechanical weeding. The guidance interface sits between the weeder frame and tractor’s three-point linkage and can be equipped with up to two, forward-facing colour scanning cameras to provide active side-shift.
With camera and control panel technology provided by Tillet and Hague, each inter-row weeding assembly can also be equipped with section control, with automatic raise and lower available through ISOBUS control.
Camera guidance ensures the hoe is positively steered to deliver high accuracy even at high forward speeds. Onyx offers 3-12m working widths, and can be equipped with a variety of weeding solutions including bolt-on Duck foot or flat A-shares.
Rotary hoe | Kverneland Helios
Inter-row cultivator | Kverneland Onyx
Guidance interface | Kverneland Lynx