A furrow former has been added to the seeding coulters. This is said to improve the accuracy of seed placement.
The drill pipe has also been updated and now comes with an inlet that can be replaced if it is worn.Greater flexibility
The range of seeds which may be planted has also been increased and it now extends to soya beans and sunflowers. Automatic seed singling for maize is another new feature with a system that monitors and adjusts the seed singling operation. Although a new item, it can be retrofitted to many older machines. In addition to the ability to keep an eye on the accuracy of maize placement, there is also a fertiliser monitoring system available, which automatically alerts the operator if individual fertiliser coulters become blocked.MicroHub 5 from Lemken
In addition to the changes to the drill itself, Lemken has brought a new fertiliser distributor, known as MicroHub 5, to the market, which enables microgranules to be applied close to the seeds. Microgranules are a mixture of waste proteins from the food industry and micro nutrients. They need to be placed as close to the seed as possible to gain the maximum benefit.
Lemken suggests that microgranules may have a particularly important role to play in cold, dry spring seasons. The company also notes that initial nutrient requirements of crops can be easily covered by a relatively light application.
Bernd Valtwies, Lemken’s head of design for precision seed drill technology, said: “We offer this option for our Azurit with up to eight rows", and goes on to point out that the unit may also be retrofitted to later Azurit 9 models. The MicroHub holds 200L of fertiliser, which can be applied at rates ranging from 1-40kg/ha. The metering unit is operated electrically and granules are pneumatically delivered to the seed furrow. The new drill is to be available from September onwards.