Strip
till drill
technology
Technology
Band drilling has many advantages over traditional seed drills, one of the keystones is reducing soil disturbance and empowering nature to do its job – keeping it fields alive. Regenerative farming is not just a cool trend, it is a fascinating journey allowing farmers to benefit themselves while diminishing erosion and enriching their prime tool – soil. Laumetris strip tilling concept is designed to accomplish top priority goals for well-prepared seeding: cultivating soil only where it is needed while keeping most of it undisturbed, spreading mineral fertilizers and spraying starting liquid fertilizers, developing great seedbed and finishing with high precision drilling. And all these operations proceed in a single go directly into stubble just after you finished harvesting, fitting into complex agriculture seeding terms.
Strip till drilling combines the best attributes of both no tillage and conventional tillage technologies
1) Stubble is the best protection against erosion, as well topsoil protection highly reduces moisture evaporation, prevents weeds growing. Stubble also helps to linger snow during winter – better probability to withstand cold.
2) Soil is being tilled only at the seeding zone and narrow strip beneath it – the rest is untilled keeping soil structure unbroken. Low disturbance keeps soil aggregates intact, which benefits better water infiltration, maintains organic matter, keeps mycorrhizal fungal networks.
3) Earthworms are a sign of a healthy soil. It helps to convert old stubble to nutrients for freshly sprouted plants and improves soil fertility.
4) Laumetris RS and RSL drills prepare seedbeds in the best conditions for rapid germination. One of the key factors is bringing moisture to topsoil from beneath.
5) Mineral fertilizers are distributed throughout 5-15 cm of depth. 2/3 clients using Laumetris strip till drills combined together with mineral (BF) and liquid (LF) fertilization systems. Spraying of start-up liquid fertilizers adds up to rapid sprouting, mineral fertilizers are being consumed at a later stage.
6) Strip till technology enables farmers to reduce seeding rate as plants receive more sun, have less competition, better conditions to sprout, grow, have more side branches, stronger stems, are healthier and harvest results at the end stay the same or even increased. Comparing how many tillage processes are dropped, fuel and time saved – strip till technology highly increases profitability of the farm. CO2 emissions are reduced as a consequence of using strip till.
1) Front cutting disc cuts soil surface and removes residues – opens a band for further processes. Rubber suspension is used as a protection against obstacles.
2) Working tine loosens soils up to 30 cm depth and brings moisture soil upwards. Moisture adds to a quicker germination. Every tine is equipped with wear points with added carbide tiles – improved longevity. Also, every tine has an attached hydraulic cylinder which works as protection – pressure can be adjusted according to working conditions. In addition, tines can be pulled upwards for a quick straws cleaning in case of clogging.
3) Mineral fertilizers are spread throughout 5-15 cm of depth due to a specific outflow positioning. Liquid fertilizers are sprayed on top of a strip just before the compaction. Liquid fertilizers have much better absorption rate compared to mineral fertilizers and its addition to fields vastly increase speed of germination. Mineral and liquid fertilizer are only spread in a working strip, precisely where it is needed to be. In general, lower fertilizers consumption does not reduce yields but greatly increases profitability as the end results are the same.
4) Various type of rollers allows for optimal strip compaction and seedbed preparation. “U” type roller goes best in light soils, disc type – heavy and clayish fields, wheels roller fits best in universal conditions.
5) For 25 years Austrian company “APV” has been manufacturing top quality seeding units which we believe are the best in the market. For this reason, we implement their production which are very reliable, easy to control, calibrate and trustworthy. Our main task is to solve the precise rapeseed placement which we do with high quality two-disc system held at a certain angle, therefore inside of discs never gets clogged. Depth is controlled through changing position of the pressing wheel. Every strip seeding unit has own rubber protection against stones. The whole seeding section is equipped with a few hydraulic cylinders which help to maintain pressure to assure top quality seed drilling in all type conditions. In universal RS drills we use tine seed placement which is technologically better for wheat seed placement as it seeds in bands of 15 cm width.
In strip till technology fields maintain more moisture than in conventional till and tilled strips heat up faster
Higher temperature is a very important factor for faster plants emergence and crop development in spring seeding. This is usually followed with higher crop yields and quality. Another important factor of quick germination is appropriate amount of moisture in fields. Residues left on the soil helps to keep snow and store rainwater. Snow helps plants to withstand cold winter and reduce potential plants freeze damaging. Strip till technology provides benefits of both no till and conventional till technologies: faster heat absorption, better wintering conditions and kept moisture for quick spring plant emergence, future development. When strip tilling in between bands are left with old crop residues (preserved moisture and lower evaporation) and strips with plants absorbs more heat (1).
Cost-efficiency is what every customer expects and what band drilling offers
No ploughing, no harrowing, no additional cultivation, reduced seeding rate to harvest the same or even higher yields. Maximum profitability is what Laumetris strip tilling concept delivers. Saved time should not be forgotten either. Easy to use costs calculator was created enabling everyone to estimate and compare present system with Laumetris concept.
