Fertiliser spreader manufacturer Rauch has developed a prototype that deposits granular fertiliser between crop rows at depths from 10-25cm.
Called the DeePot 25.1, the 2,500-litre hopper is the same as the one the German company makes for the Kuhn Megant drill. The four fertiliser units are attached to a folding coulter bar and the track width of the support wheels is adjustable.
A Turbo-S unit blows fertiliser to the ‘injection’ units which are designed around a parallelogram. The land is cut by a leading disc. The narrow blade then parts the soil and fertiliser is deposited. The surface is sealed by a pair of sprung press wheels. Coulter pressure is 300kg.
Suitable for working in maize, OSR, potatoes, sugar beet and vegetables (minimum row spacing 37.5cm), fertiliser is placed between each second row.
Tested for seven years on three farms in northern Germany, the technique reduces ammonia and nitrous oxide emissions by as much as 90% and the granules cannot be washed off the land by heavy rain. Other benefits include a 60% increase in crop root mass, a 20% reduction in nitrogen fertilisers and a 3.0%-5.0% increase in yields.
Application rates of up to 400kg/ha at a speed of 10km/hr (300kg/ha up to 15km/hr). The DeePot folds to a transport width of 2.55m and tractor power requirement is from 150hp. The machine will be on display at Agritechnica next year.
