Pöttinger: From grassland machinery to global innovator
Formed in 1871, Austrian agricultural machinery manufacturer Pottinger originally focused on producing grassland machinery for a little over a century.
Said to result in reduced soil cultivation while increasing yields, the Wave Disc is available on Terrasem R3, R4, C6, C8 and C9 seed drills, and all models with direct fertilisation.
The company notes various key reasons or soil conditions that favour reduced cultivation prior to drilling: very dry conditions; where less disturbance reduces moisture loss; or by contrast in very wet or sticky soil conditions where less soil movement helps reduce ‘smearing’ of the seed slot. This also applies to early season sowing when ground conditions are not ideal.
Reduced cultivation is also beneficial in areas where erosion is prevalent, and those areas that might have high weed burdens which are resistant to herbicides.
In operation, the 510mm Wave Disc only moves a narrow band of soil about 50mm either side of the centreline, thus delivering friable tilth for seed germination, but preventing erosion or evaporation.
By contrast, in areas with herbicide resistant grass weeds, the discs reduce the germination trigger brought about by cultivation, so is said to be particularly useful in black-grass infested areas.
The company also points out that moving less soil can result in up to 15% power savings, allowing use of a smaller tractor, or using less diesel. In practice, the 12.5 or 16.7cm row spacings result in only 365mm (27%) of the working width being cultivated.
Working depth is controlled hydraulically, so is easy to change on the move particularly in areas such as compacted headlands.
Each disc assembly offers non-stop overload protection by a rubber element which achieves disc loading of up to 100kg per disc; all discs are said to be maintenance-free.
The Wave Disc system must be specified at the time of ordering as the units cannot be interchanged with conventional concave disc set-ups.
