Year after year, farmers are getting more and more frustrated by the lack of water, and as a result, they are switching more and more often and willingly to a system of reduced tillage (no-till). What exactly is no-till farming? How to properly cultivate without plowing? We invite you to read our previous article “No-tillage for winter crops”, in which we addressed both questions. Today, we’ll give you a hint on how to get started with no-till cultivation and introduce you to 3 basic machines that will help you do it.
Disc harrow for no-till – AGROLAND TITANUM
The first and definitely indispensable machine will be a disc harrow, commonly known as a disc harrow. We will use this machine mainly for shallow post-harvest cultivation, breaking up stubble, destroying volunteer seeds or catch crops. TITANUM LIGHT, TITANUM STANDARD and TITANUM HEAVY disc harrows are machines consisting of two rows of toothed discs and a finishing roller. Each of the aforementioned disc harrows can work at a depth of up to 15 cm, effectively breaking up stubble, mixing soil and stimulating volunteer seeds to grow. AGROLAND also offers the TITANUM MULTIPACK disc harrow equipped with a special hydraulic hitch at the rear of the machine, the so-called HYDROPAK, which allows the seed drill to be hitched behind the machine. In this way we cultivate the soil and sow in one pass, saving time and fuel.
Aggregates for no-till AGROLAND KRYPTON PLUS
The next, and in fact the most important machine, will be the aggregate for no-till, commonly known as no-till. It is a machine consisting of three rows of ridges on a NON-STOP spring protection, a beam of harrowing discs and a finishing roller. The machine will mainly be used for deep cultivation of soil before sowing, while thanks to the use of the ridges with side blades it will also work very well during shallow stubble cultivation. Ploughless KRYPTON PLUS unit can work at depths of up to 30 cm, thoroughly mixing and aerating the soil. An additional advantage will certainly be the NON-STOP spring protection used in the machine, which eliminates the problem of constant replacement of breakaway bolts in the ridges. The finishing roller at the rear of the machine is designed to pre-compact the shaken soil, reducing evaporation and leveling the field before seeding.
Subsoiler for no-till – AGROLAND TYTAN PLOW PLUS
The last machine will be a subsoiler. A machine often overlooked and underestimated. In a no-till system, the subsoiler will serve us to deep loosen the soil, and thus improve water-air relations. You can read more extensively about the advantages of subsoiling in our article “Subsoiling”. The machine that we particularly recommend for performing this agrotechnical procedure is the subsoiler on hydraulic protection TYTAN PLOW PLUS. This is a machine equipped with 6 MICHEL-type profiled ridges placed in a V-shaped arrangement. The machine can work at a depth of up to 55 cm sufficiently loosening and aerating the soil. It will be a very good idea to equip the machine with a finishing roller, such as a double spike roller. The soil will then be pre-compacted and seasoned.
Having the above machines in your garage, you can safely start your adventure with no-till. But remember that in addition to machinery, crop rotation is equally important, which significantly reduces weeds and improves soil biodiversity in your fields. Good luck!
