Crop establishment is arguably the most critical stage of plant development and getting set up with the right drill well in advance makes for smooth operations and better chances of getting things off to a good start.

All set for its debut appearance at the Cereals Event, CPM takes a better look at what Amazone’s latest pneumatic drill – the Cirrus 03-2CC – has to offer, so growers can get set up and ready in good time for autumn planting.

 

By Melanie Jenkins

 

Double-shoot capacity

The new Cirrus-CC features a second distribution head and coulter system than can sow a second seed type or apply fertiliser directly into the seedbed without coming into direct seed contact.

 

“Having the ability to plant a second seed type, such as a second cover crop variety, or when under sowing grass seed, is a useful option for farmers’” says Simon Brown, managing director at Amazone. “The other option with the Cirrus-CC is to use the DoubleShoot capability to place fertiliser into the seedbed whist sowing.

 

“Concentrating the fertiliser to the seed row means more instantaneous availability of nutrient to the developing plant, particularly when it comes to P accessibility and well as offering the opportunity to use less fertiliser. Using the Double-Shoot system also has the benefit of being able to increase the quantity of fertiliser present without the risk of scorching the seed, a possibility when conditions are very dry or when sowing smaller seed types.”

The new model utilises a 4,000-litre pressurised seed hopper that’s split 60:40 into two compartments, enabling the operator to calibrate two different materials but not necessarily at the same application rate, he continues.

“The amount applied can be varied by using a twin rate prescription map for part-area, site specific seeding via GPS.” Once the correct rate has been selected, the operator can then decide where each of the two materials will be placed, he says.

“Either both materials can be delivered to the TwinTeC or RoTeC pro coulters at the rear, or one material can be directed to the rear coulters and the second to the FerTeC coulters that are arranged in front of the tyre roller.”

Single-Shoot option

The conveyor system can either be set to a conventional Single-Shoot system, whereby the two materials are both placed in the same seed row, such as when using a starter fertiliser for cereals, or a mixture of the two, explains Simon.

“This means that a little fertiliser can be sent to the seed coulter, kick-starting the plant’s development post-germination, whereas the remaining bulk of the fertiliser is placed in between the seed rows via the FerTeC coulters for uptake later,” he adds.

Accessibility

“The two seed hoppers can be easily accessed via the fold-down walkway on the side of the hopper, while the electric calibration is extremely straightforward and is carried out from ground level using the Twin Terminal 3.0,” according to Simon.

“This means the operator avoids having to climb in and out of the cab to enter the quantity collected.”

 Options

Growers also have the choice of adding a number of options to the Cirrus 03-2CC.

One option is a Crushboard in front of or behind the disc segment. “If undulations need levelling or hard clods have to be broken, the Crushboard is in the right position in front of the discs,” says Simon. However, positioning the Crushboard behind the discs is only possible on the non-CC models, he notes.

Another option is the S-Pack full width tyre packer rollers across the front of the drill. “Under light to medium conditions or following the plough, the soil can be pre-rolled ahead of the disc segment, providing additional reconsolidation.”

GreenDrill 500D can be added to give a third metering system that can be used for under-sowing grass seed, applying slug pellets or micro-granular herbicides.

“An additional feature on the Cirrus 03-2CC is the ability to change the coulter pressure automatically on the move via a soil texture map,” explains Simon.

“This means that, because of the live on-board hydraulic coulter pressure system, the planting depth can be maintained across fields with a varying soil type by reducing the coulter pressure on the lighter areas and increasing it on the heavier parts.”

Additionally, there is the option of a seed pipe blockage monitoring system and a new AmaTron 4 operating terminal.