Autumn cultivations move to a reduction in soil disturbance

New cultivation techniques require new machinery

Changing weather patterns, an increase in the level of organic matter generated by cover cropping and the use of farmyard manures, along with a reduction in the availability of active ingredients in agrochemicals, has led to a need to adopt new cultivation techniques – in a bid to combat soil erosion caused by heavy downpours, as well as weed and disease carryover within the newly established winter crop.

Generating good weatherproof stale seedbeds in order to start the straw rotting process and yet, at the same time, leave the weed seed bank on or near the surface, has seen the depth of cultivation fall. Nowadays the trend is to move enough of the soil surface to encourage germination and yet leave a good carrying capacity for traffic within the soil.

Catros X-Cutter ultra-shallow compact disc harrow

Amazone is offering a choice of ultra-shallow compact disc harrows now in the form of the Catros X-Cutter. Available in working widths from 3m to 9m, the 480mm wavy-profile disc stamps down on and shreds the soil surface – intensively working the top couple of centimetres to increase seed/soil contact of volunteers and weed seeds – to be able to control these mechanically and chemically prior to drilling. The X-Cutter can be equipped with a front knife roller which shreds the surface residues allowing the wavy discs to evenly mix and distribute those residues thus interrupting slug habitats and reducing any toxin-release issues that could affect the cash crop germination potential.

Cobra shallow tine cultivator

The second option from Amazone, for those soils that don’t like a disc, is the Cobra shallow tine cultivator. Able to work from 4–13cm, the six rows of Eco leaf spring tines on a 16.6cm spacing shatter the immediate soil surface, leaving a broken top structure enabling good rain infiltration to prevent erosion. The tine design as well as the physical numbers means that there is an intensive mixing and crumbling effect across the working width.

The Cobra has a choice of 50mm chisel points for leaving a weather-safe stale seedbed, or the 220mm duckfoot share which is designed to cut the full surface allowing the loosened green material to dry out and die off ahead of the drilling operation. Again, the knife roller can run in front of the Cobra to shred any longer, laid material to allow good passage of the drill.

The Cobra is available in both 6m and 7m working widths.

This year’s Tillage-Live event will enable Amazone to showcase both machines, as well as the range of low-disturbance and direct drills from 3–15m.