A 12.2m Arcadia harrow is the latest addition to Kverneland’s growing mechanical weeder portfolio, which also includes the Helios rotary hoes and Onyx inter-row cultivators.

It is armed with 480 curved tines – each of 8mm diameter, spaced 29mm apart and spread across seven rows – to hoick weeds out of row crops, cereals and vegetables.

See also: Grower phases out herbicides in favour of mechanical weeding

Each tine is fitted with its own spring to maintain a consistent downward pressure. This is settable from 500g to 5kg and, combined with a generous 55cm under-beam clearance, allows the implement to work on ridges, beds or over undulating ground.

Their working depth is set via a bevy of gauge wheels on the front and back of the five-section frame, and the angle of attack altered hydraulically from the cab.

This allows for a delicate touch early in the growing season and a more aggressive action on well-established crops.

Though primarily designed to uproot weeds and leave them on the surface to dry out, Kverneland says the Arcadia can also help to crumble and level the field surface.

This has myriad benefits: improving water and air circulation in the topsoil, increasing nitrogen absorption, and accelerating mineralisation and biomass development.

The company is currently working on developing an accompanying drill unit to weed fields and seed cover crops in the same pass.

A limited production run for the linkage-mounted 12.2m model, which weighs 2.2t and folds to 3m for road transport, is slated to start in early 2026.

This will be ramped up later in the year, by which point other width options will likely be available.