Before the 2019 spring agronomical schedule for corn seeding was over, a new machine by Farmet has been tested in Slovakia. It is the mounted version of the precise 8-row seed drill IMPACT 8 PS. Corn was planted with row spacing of 75 cm at a plot near the office of the Slovak Farmet representative, Land Technologies s.r.o., Lužianky.
On 26 April 2019, the plot to be sown was prepared using a disc cultivator (2-year fallow land – after the last harvest of oilseed rape) and then cultivated by a combinator in a depth of approx. 5-6 cm.
The very dry conditions in those days, also due to the not-so-ideal precipitation after winter, indicated that seeding would be done in a dusty foundation, or hard dry top soil layer.
Therefore, the IMPACT 8 PS seed drill was first set to a working depth of approx. 6-7 cm with a down pressure of 180 kg per drill coulter. Together with the seeds, the seed drill also applied urea in a batch of 100 kg/ha. After the first control rides, the seeding parameters had to be adjusted, to a seeding depth of 9 cm and the maximum down pressure permitted by the machine, i.e. 300 kg. The seeds were placed in a layer where the moisture necessary for germination was preserved. The seeding amount was 75,000 specimen per hectare at a working speed of the seeding set of 10-11 km/h. The pulling vehicle used was a tractor with an output of 155 PS.
The following seasonal interventions in the crop were performed: application of urea in a batch of 100 kg/ha and a following application of Engo urea with a growth regulator in a batch of 130 kg/ha. At the beginning of June, herbicidal protection with Maister Power was applied. No mechanical cultivation was performed.
The corn crop was assessed as very good with regard to the evenness as well as the health status 75 days after seeding, as confirmed by Mr. Bulla, the Manager of the FaRM s.r.o Lehota division, who is very satisfied with the crop so far.
Ing. Dalibor Chropeň
Product Manager, Land Technologies s.r.o., Lužianky
