Aiming to reduce autumn workloads and boost rape
establishment rates,Opicohas launched the Nitro-Jet system, the latest in the
company's line-up of till-seeding kit.
Designed to work hand-in-hand with the Variocast seeder unit, it
is positioned on the rear bracket of the HE-VA subsoiler and places
seed just in front of the packer roll. Nitro-Jet nozzles apply a
jet of nitrogen just in front of the sub-soiler leg. The
disturbance of the leg through the soil is enough to incorporate
the nitrogen into the first inch of soil where the seed falls,
giving the seed immediate contact with the nutrient.
Described as giving a dose of Viagra for OSR, band application
of nitrogen also helps producers meet NVZ obligations by reducing
the overall nitrogen usage over the whole field, says James Woolway
of Opico.
"Tighter NVZ rules, place greater restraint on growers come
autumn and the limit for application on any OSR crop is 250kg/ha.
Of this, only 30kg/ha can be applied in the autumn."
One way to overcome these challenges, he says, is using the
till-seeding sub-soiler method. "Broadcasting fertiliser over
band-sown rape can be wasteful. By applying in bands where the seed
is sown, the plant gets hold of more of the compound, in this case
nitrogen, particularly in the autumn when the root structure can't
absorb other chemicals.
"Because the nitrogen is applied in bands, it gets hold of more
of the compound,. and a little nitrogen in the autumn goes a long
way, particularly in challenging conditions."
The mounted unit comes with either 600 or 800-litre tanks and
all units have a self-fill function as well as a 700-litre/min high
capacity pump, which allows producers who may not have access to
liquid fertiliser the chance to fill from IBCs in the field. A
nozzle manifold and piping for five nozzles are standard, while
additional nozzle outlets and brackets cost £125 for subsoilers
with more than five legs.
For those who want more capacity, there's 800 or 1000-litre
front-mounted options with a distribution hose from front to back.
"This has all the same features, just the option to go bigger if
required," says Mr Woolway. The front mounted, impact-resistant
tank is fitted with road legs and demount legs and a Cat II
linkage.
Equipped with a Raven spray rate controller, the Nitro-Jet also
has ground speed in-cab variable rate control, thanks to a
landwheel on the Variocast setup.
The narrow band nozzles are mounted on the headstock bracket
about 4-5in in front of each sub-soiler leg, each with a rubber
protection arrangement to prevent damage if clouted by a soil clod.
For those worried about nozzles blocking in dry conditions, the
pressure of the application should prevent this, says Mr Woolway.
But blockage alarms can be added as an extra.
Although the applicator has been specifically built for the
Danish-built HE-VA machine, it will be possible to mount it to most
other subsoilers, like the VarioCast, which many have bought for
existing machinery.
The Nitro-Jet system joins Opico's distinctive stainless steel
Ferti-Cast system, launched at Lamma 2008, which is designed for
granular application, mounted alongside the Variocast on the rear
bracket. Price for the subsoiler-mounted version is £9970 and for
the front-mounted tank option is £9904.