Potato Review

56 POTATO REVIEW JULY/AUGUST 2021 MACHINERY Receiving hoppers updated THE GRIMME receiving hoppers of RH- and RH-Combi series have been updated with various new features. Used to grade di erent sizes of potatoes and onions during storage and processing, the new web grader, type WG 900, can be permanently integrated into the receiving hoppers RH 12 Combi, RH 20 Combi and RH 24 Combi. is new combination of two coordinated machines makes it possible to combine crop intake, soil cleaning, picking, sorting and dividing the crop into two di erent sizes with just one machine. For an improved, exible use of the receiving hoppers RH 20 and RH 24, the PU-rollers of the pre-grading unit can be used in heavy, sticky soil conditions not only for tuber grading but also for cleaning o adhering soil. An optionally integrated merging conveyor transfers the trash, which is separated by the rollers of the pregrading unit, onto the soil cross conveyor. e advantage is that merged amounts of trash are discharged all at once onto a single downstream following conveyor. If the pre-grading unit is only to be used for pre-grading (fractioning), then the pre-grading cross conveyor can simply be pushed back over the collecting conveyor belt which is mounted within the width of the machine and better protected against collisions during manoeuvring. Six LED working lights are optionally available for the receiving hoppers type RH 20 and RH 24 and can be individually aligned or repositioned. For a dust-free and waterproof storage of the operator terminal and other operating devices, such as a remote control for the store loader, all GRIMME receiving hoppers can now be equipped with a protective casing. In-field sensors to aid fungicide and irrigation e ciency A NEW range of in- eld sensors fromMetos UK o ers growers a means to get insight on eld conditions and improve e ciencies in fungicide use and irrigation. e LoRAIN range includes threemodels o ering a range ofmeasurements. emodels canbe used in any combination either individually, or as a network acrossmultiple elds to give greater information over awide area. DavidWhatto fromMetosUK said the sensors canbe installed in every eld for the season, moved each year, andprovide information on key conditions to help farmers optimise their input spend. e entry-level ‘Rain’ modelmeasures rainfall only, while themid- range LoRAINadds temperature andhumidity sensors. is additional data allowsmid-range LoRAINusers to add a diseasemodel which gives insight into disease risk based onprevious climatic conditions. “Where disease risk is low, growers canuse this information to justify reduced fungicide applications or alter their choice of actives,” saidDavid. e LoRAIN ‘Soil’ model adds a soilmoisture probe to rainfall, temperature andhumidity sensors, further increasing the data available on eld conditions, andparticularly useful in irrigated crops. e soil probe data provides insight on soilmoisture de cit over time. “For potato crops, blight forecasts are not always accurate at eld level, so adding a potato disease model to the LoRAIN Soil provides greater assurance when reviewing spray programmes and choice of actives,” said David. e LoRAIN range of sensors are simple to install, with a ‘plug andplay’ design. e sensors canbe removed from eldswhen not inuse, ormoved to new locations each season. Allmodels are wireless, and come ttedwith a solar panel and long-life battery. e data ismeasured and logged every 15minutes, and transmitted to the app every hour. Users can allowaccess to their agronomist or other sta . New direct seed drill showcased BRITISHmanufacturer izona showcased its newdirect seeddrill at this year’sGroundswell Event recently. e izona iPass is the brainchild of farmer and engineer, MartinLole, who iswell known in the industry. Boasting a 7,000 litre split tank, the iPass can accommodate four bags of fertiliser and six bags of seed to allowan output of up to 16ha per tank ll whenbased on a 180kg/ha seed rate. e tank is pressurised formetering and conveying high application rates e ciently and at speed. A twin ladder platformhas been incorporated for access to the tank lids for lling and inspection. emonocoque chassis features a commercial axle ttedwith hydraulic brakes as standardwhilst oatation tyres give the drill a sympathetic footprint. Operators canupgrade to air brakes if required. Interchangeable front points and coulters allows the iPass to be converted froma no-till drill to a strip till or conventional drill at the push of a roll pin. Operators can choose 2” single shoot and 3” and 5” double shoot coulters to achieve di erent rowspacings to suit di erent seeding techniques. 250mmrowspacedmodels, such as the 6metre iPass 624 and the 8metre iPass 832 can achieve a conventional seed row nishusing the 5” coulterwhichdrills individual rows evenly spaced apart across thewidth of the drill. e iPass can also be available in 333mmrowspacingswithmodels including the 618 and the 824. Auto-reset leading tines and front discs clear crop residue fromthe seeding zone to produce a clean till ofmoist friable soil whilst band placing fertiliser to promote good root development. Seeding coulters are suspended via a parallel linkage that allows independent control fromthe cultivation zonewhilst also ensuring that the coulter angle is una ected by depth for accurate seedplacement. Aunique universal joint systemgives the independent, hydraulically pressurised coulter armexceptional self-steering capabilities and allows the coulter to follow the ground for even establishment across undulating elds.