Potato Review

52 POTATO REVIEW JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2023 MACHINERY Fighting the battle of chemical waste KNIGHT FarmMachinery’s new “Active Rinse” system has been described as a ‘next generation’ step in the battle against wasted chemical. e Rutland-based engineering company claims it also helps reduce the threat of spillages and leaks. “Active Rinse” supplies fresh water to key parts of the machine, helping to ensure totally e cient use of chemicals by eliminating spray solution in certain parts of the sprayer and actively cleaning other parts during spraying. Knight o ers “Active Rinse” as optional equipment on its entire sprayer range and expects it to further reduce the environmental impact of plant protection products. It operates independently of the chemical system and automatically tops up the sprayer’s on-board clean water tank during main tank lling. It can also be used to reduce lling time of the main chemical tank by diverting excess clean water to it. When loading powders or other di cult to mix products the sprayer can be operated in dual agitation mode, continuously circulating the chemical tank whilst lling with the “Active Rinse” system. At the end of each tank load “Active Rinse” can be set to ush the boom and pipework with clean water and deliver the washings back to the main tank ready for the next load. is keeps the system as clean as possible and makes it safer for road transport. If required, the optional ‘air-blow-out’ can evacuate all liquid from the pipework and boom to o er an extra level of protection during road transport. When lling the sprayer with chemical, clean water is continuously available for container rinsing at the sprayer induction hopper. Tank rinsing can be carried out using the “Active Rinse” system, even when the sprayer is working. is is particularly useful at the end of a job when the sprayer is close to empty, as a measured ow can be used to rinse the sprayer tank, and application rates are adjusted accordingly. As the sprayer approaches the end of a job, the boom can be fed from the “Active Rinse” system to displace chemical before spraying nishes. Brian Knight said: “ e NSTS sprayer testing scheme continues to report leaks and drips from the spray boom as a leading fault when testing sprayers and unlike many other issues that have been identi ed – such as failure to adequately clean lters – the number of incidents is not reducing. He says the aim of the new system, which can clean and ush the sprayer at the end of each tank load, is to help prolong the life of the sprayer components and reduce the environmental impact of leaks and drips. Evening out spray application THE new ‘Vario Select’ control system from Knight Farm Machinery enables users to achieve even spray application when working on uneven shaped eld margins and around xed in- eld obstructions, according to the manufacturer. e system works by using combinations of four di erent capacity spray nozzles at each spray point to o er up to 16 di erent application rates, typically from zero to 800 litres/minute. Knight says the machine can also spot spray from a prescription map, with volumes changing according to the severity of the weed, pest or disease problem. It o ers a exible rate control, including turn compensation with the ability to instantly switch between nozzle types, a feature particularly suitable for liquid fertiliser users, says Brian Knight. “Vario Select includes a simple computerised nozzle selector which lets the operator dial in the target rate, required droplet size, minimum and maximum pressures and the working speed range. It then displays the available working range,” he said. “ e operator can also ask the system to recommend the best choice of nozzles for any particular job. Vario Select uses well-recognised technology; is fully integrated with the sprayer’s computer system and is fully ISOBUS compatible. It uses a gyroscopic system to adjust output along the boom in curved tramlines. is ensures that no matter how much slower the inner boom tip is going and how fast the outer tip, applications are adjusted along the boom so that the application rate remains even right across the working width. This close-up photo shows the hydraulic drive pump, control valves for the sprayer, Active Rinse system and, on the boom, the four-way Vario-Select nozzle bodies.