Weeds, when combined with diseases and pests, can reduce yield in vegetable crops by up to 70% by competing for water, soil nutrients, light and space that ultimately restricts the development of the crop.
Furthermore, keeping the weed population down will also reduce the prevalence of pests and disease.
With many options available, creating a bespoke specialist crop weeding machine requires technical expertise and know how. The process begins with a farm visit to understand the needs and any issues e.g. crop type, soil type, how the crop is grown, how high tech or low tech a solution is being sought.
After this initial visit a proposal is prepared recommending headstock type, share type, guidance system and other installation options. Once the bespoke specification is agreed, OPICO works closely with the factory to deliver and then install and support the machine.
FINGER WEEDERS
Intra-row weeds constitute a major challenge. So, with the aim of minimising laborious hand weeding, a solution utilising finger weeders has been developed to control weeds between crops in the row. This development has been successful in meeting market requirements.
There are a choice of three textile strengths, OPICO specialists will advise which is the best according to soil type and crop.
There are 3 diameters, which fit all applications, of 250mm, 290mm and 370mm. The choice of size is dictated by the width between the crop rows.
Hatzenbichler Hydraulic Side-Shift Guidance Headstock
1. Potentiometer to ensure precise positioning
2. Tillett and Hague guidance camera
3. Integrated hydraulic side-shift ram
4. Parallel side-shift rails
