Sulky Unidrill W1000T - Manual (Page 64)

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Practical recommendations
Practical recommendations A
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PREVENTING SOIL COMPACTION
❶
Whenever possible, use low-pressure tyres on all machines operated in fields in order to reduce superficial compaction.
Mounting wide tyres or twin wheels is not enough; the tyre pressure must be adjusted accordingly.
Aim for 0.6 bar, according to the tyre manufacturer's recommendations. As the UNIDRILL is a towed seed drill, it exerts no weight on
the rear tractor wheels and does not require counterweights to be mounted at the front!
❷
Reduce the load per axle to avoid in-depth soil compaction.
Avoid loads over 6 tons per axle: if heavier trailers must be used, park them at the field entrance. Prefer lightweight tractors: as
the UNIDRILL requires little traction power, moderately powerful - and therefore lightweight - tractors are sufficient.
❸
Till on dried-out ground.
Be patient, and wait for the right time of year before starting tilling. According to scientists, as soon as drying soil changes colour, it
acquires greater resistance to compaction. After 4 to 5 years of conservation tillage, the ground drains water faster and become more
resilient, which reduces the necessary waiting time.
❹
Provide calcium and magnesium to compensate the grounds' eventual acidity.
Aim to maintain a pH of 6.5 - 7 to ensure optimal stability of the clay-humus compound.
❺
Enrich the soil with organic matters to preserve it from compaction and to increase its resilience.
Leave straw and culture residues on the ground, spread manure, grow fodder plants, and avoid ploughing.
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BURYING THE STRAW
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Select a suitable variety.
According to the selected variety, the quantity of produced straw can vary, as well as its shock resistance. A variety that is resistant to
illnesses and does not imperatively require fungicidal protection at the end of the season will also be more easily decomposed by the
fauna in the soil.
❷
Prepare and adjust settings on the combine harvester
Tightening the thresher and increasing rotation speed to break straw better. Dry straw breaks more easily: under these conditions,
harvest the fields that you wish to sow first. The combine harvester must imperatively be equipped with a chaff spreader. Shred the
straw into chaff of 5-6 cm (sharpen the shredder blades, tighten all belts) and spread it evenly.
❸
Shred the chaff and stubble behind the combine harvester.
In particular, if the catch-crop period is short, the cutting level is high, the chaff is poorly spread out and you wish to till the soil with
tools fitted with tines.
❹
Thoroughly mix the straw on the ground and roll.
Do not bury the straw deeper than 5 to 6 centimetres' below the surface in order to facilitate decomposition and avoid mixing trash in.
Rolling with a heavy roller improves the contact between soil and straw and facilitates decomposition by the fauna in the soil.
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PROTECTING CROPS AGAINST SLUGS
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Disc early to deprive slugs of food.
❷
Till the surface to make the soil fairly fine, and roll to disturb slugs.
❸
A long time before sowing, keep the soil clean by means of mechanical and chemical destruction.
❹
Watch for the arrival of slugs with the first rains and set up traps if necessary.
❺
To ensure quick emergence, sow a little deeper, and in favourable conditions.
❻
Close the seed furrow well, and eventually roll after sowing. In a situation where the risk of damage from slugs is high,
treat with the appropriate product.
❼
Watch over the culture well after sowing, especially in damp weather and soil conditions.
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