To meet the increasing demands for ultra-shallow soil tillage, Amazone has developed the TopCut 12000-2T cutting roller combination in a working width of 12 m.
The topic of soil tillage is becoming more and more significant in agriculture on many farms. The bigger the problems of lack of moisture, chemical resistance and the requirement for reducing the amount of plant protection agents used, the more important the right means of soil tillage becomes. A particular emphasis is being placed on the initial stubble cultivation. This is precisely where the biggest challenge lies. On the one hand, we need to produce the optimum seedbed for maximising the germination of volunteer cereals, weed seeds and wild grasses. This means that this undesirable regrowth can be allowed to accumulate directly after stubble chitting and then be combated mechanically by a second cultivation pass. Ultra-shallow top working giving optimum germination conditions is of extreme importance, particularly regarding old rape regrowth, and in the problem areas of black grass and loose silky bent. The seeds must not be incorporated too deeply in the soil to prevent them from becoming dormant.
On the other hand, the decomposition of organic residues plays a decisive role when it comes to good field hygiene. Optimised breakdown of residues reduces the transfer of fungal disease and pests. In addition, the availability of nutrients generated from the plant residues is improved. It is therefore important to make sure that any shredding or preparation of surface organic matter is undertaken during that initial pass.
Bearing in mind the increasing dryness of the summers, it is also important that evaporation be reduced, and that soil moisture be preserved during cultivation. For this reason, with the initial pass, it is important to work only as deep as is necessary.
The solution: TopCut cutting roller combination with different tool options for different crops
To meet these increasing demands for ultra-shallow soil tillage, AMAZONE has developed the TopCut 12000-2T cutting roller combination in a working width of 12 m. It consists of up to 3 consecutive tool segments plus a rear segment that can be equipped with various different tools to suit the customer’s needs and requirements:
- First row of optional leading tools: knife roller
- Second and third row main tools: Combination of knife roller and/or Minimum TillDisc
- Fourth row rear segment: Three-row straw harrow, or the option of packer rollers without the leading tool
The TopCut concept: ultra-shallow working with a great degree of flexibility.
For the intensive shredding of long plant residues, such as rapeseed stalks, sunflower stalks or catch crops, the use of a double-knife roller as the main tool is ideal. The knife rollers intensively shred and bruise the plant residues, significantly accelerating the decomposition process. In addition, despite the shallow cultivation of 0-2 cm, the knife rollers produce enough fine soil for optimum seedbed generation and so encourage weed seeds and volunteer cereals to germinate. The double-knife roller can also be used for seedbed preparation and generating a stale seedbed. The high circumferential speed produces a very good crumbling effect.
For an even more intensive action, a combination of knife roller and Minimum TillDisc wavey discs can be used as the main tool. This arrangement offers the advantage that the knife roller cuts crosswise and the Minimum TillDisc cuts lengthwise to the direction of travel. This enables cross-cutting, resulting in an intensive shredding action, especially useful in lodged cereals and maize stubble.
A third option is to equip the main tool segment with a double Minimum TillDisc. This combination makes it possible to cut into the ground to a depth of up to 3 cm without moving any soil. Especially in the spring, this has the advantage of opening up the soil, thus promoting improved aeration and quicker soil warming. This is particularly interesting for direct seeding of spring crops such as cereals or beet. The Minimum TillDisc disc element intensively cuts any lodged cereal residues without moving the soil to any great extent.
As an option, the knife roller can be selected as an additional leading tool. This intensifies the shredding of plant residues.
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