Row-crop Cultivator
KUHN row-crop cultivators: precise and efficient mechanical weeding, soil aeration, and weed control for healthy, high-yield crops.
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Mechanical Weeders
KUHN is expanding its crop maintenance offering with mechanical weeding tools, thus complementing its current shallow tillage and chemical weeding solutions: ROWLINER row-crop cultivators and TINELINER tine weeders. The trend towards a more thoughtful and regulated use of phytosanitary products is pushing farmers to explore alternatives for weeding field crops.
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Tine Weeder
Discover the KUHN tine weeder: a reliable way to control weeds early, without herbicides, while aerating the soil.
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Rotary Hoes
The STARLINER rotary hoe is a mechanical weeder for dislodging young weeds and giving the crop an advantage. It is equipped with rotating stars, so it also effectively crumbles the soil and breaks up slaking crusts, caused by heavy rain. The soil is loosened and aerated which boosts mineralisation and plant growth.
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Mechanical weeding
KUHN is expanding its crop maintenance offering with mechanical weeding tools, thus complementing its current shallow tillage and chemical weeding solutions: ROWLINER row-crop cultivators and TINELINER tine weeders. The trend towards a more thoughtful and regulated use of phytosanitary products is pushing farmers to explore alternatives for weeding field crops.
What is mechanical weeding?
Mechanical weeding is an alternative method aimed at eliminating weeds by partially or completely replacing synthetic herbicides. Widely used in organic farming, it limits the risk of weeds transplanting and involves using mechanical tools such as row-crop cultivators, tine weeders machines, weed harrows or even rotary hoes.
An alternative method to combat weeds
Although it may require more time and effort than chemical weeding, the mechanical weeding method is increasingly favoured by farmers who are changing their cropping systems. This approach makes it possible to reduce the Treatment Frequency Index (FTI).
Mechanical weeding is more effective on the young stages of weeds than on developed weeds. The intervention period is therefore an essential criterion in deciding on when to intervene, particularly by favouring dry and warm conditions. Mechanical weeding is only instantly effective and must be combined with other agronomic levers to maintain a level of cleanliness throughout the crop development cycle. Strategies such as stale seedbeds, ploughing or extending the crop rotation are essential to reduce weed pressure.
The benefits of mechanical weeding
For the soil
Mechanical weeding allows:
- Loosening and aerating a soil subject to capping and breaking up the crusts after heavy rainfall
- Stimulating the mobilisation of nutrients.
- Burying nutrients (mineral or organic).
For crops
Mechanical weeding allows:
- Destroying weeds to limit competition with the main crop for light, water, nutrients and space.
- Loosening the soil for easier root development.
- Break the soil’s capillary action to maintain water for the crop.
For the environment
Mechanical weeding allows:
- To avoid or reduce the use of weedkiller and active substances.
- Fighting resistant weeds.
- Improving soil fertility and making them more resilient
- Preserving the biodiversity.
The main mechanical weeding tools
The three mechanical weeding tools can be used in addition to chemical control: the cultivator, the tine weeder and the rotary hoe. The choice of tool is based on the soil types present on the farm, the crops to be weeded and the farmer's objectives. For example, reducing partially or even completely the use of phytosanitary products, breaking crusts, etc. This will have a more or less strong impact on the overall cropping method of the farm.
What is a row-crop cultivator?
The cultivator is an essential tool for mechanical weeding of row crops. The effectiveness of the cultivator lies in its ability to weed between crop rows. Thanks to its tines, it can be adjusted to adapt to different types of soil and crops, allowing precise weed management and saving time and energy for farmers. The cultivator can be equipped with shares which cut or remove the roots and can bury young weeds by bringing soil back onto the row.
However, precise adjustment is essential for successful use, so as not to damage the main crop. In fact, the cultivator does not work the full plot width, but is linked to the row spacing of the crops. To provide comfort to the operator and automatically adapt to crop rows, this machine can be combined with the use of a camera guidance interface or even a mechanical feeler for example. This interface allows work as close as possible to the row thanks to the precision of the guidance.
Benefits of hoeing in crops
Hoeing is very effective for mechanical weeding. Well-performed hoeing operations allow:
- Regulating weeds in the crop so that they do not compete with the latter,
- Breaking the soil crust after heavy rainfall,
- Loosening the soil and consequently facilitating root development,
- Improving water absorption,
- Faster soil warming hence faster crop growth in spring.
What is a tine weeder?
The tine weeder is an essential tool for mechanical weeding of row crops. It offers an alternative to the use of chemical herbicides on the crop and therefore allows weeding over the entire surface of the field. The tine weeder operates over its entire working width unlike the row-crop cultivator. It can be used between emergence and the first stages of development of crops sown in full or in rows and offers good effectiveness on young weeds (up to 1 leaf for the tine weeder).
Its level of aggressiveness is adjusted thanks to the tilting of the tines. Fixed on frames facilitating grip on the ground, the curved tines (more aggressive than straight tines) generate vibrations and impacts on the ground. The tine weeder works at a depth of approximately 2 cm, regardless of the crop rows. There is a risk of weeds transplanting if the working depth is not correctly adjusted. The size of the tines is adjusted to optimize weeding efficiency. In addition, the tine weeder is often equipped with wheels to improve ground following in the field.
Benefits of tine weeding in crops
The benefits of tine weeding go far beyond simple mechanical weed control. Tine weeding operations allow:
- Regulating the soil moisture,
- Loosening the soil,
- Regulating the growth of stems/promoting tillering,
- Freeing nitrogen to increase crop yields.
What is a rotary hoe?
The rotary hoe is a tillage tool mainly used for mechanical weeding of crops. Its main effect is to break up the crusts and at the same time destroy the weeds that have emerged from the start of their cycle. The effectiveness of mechanical weeding with the rotary hoe is linked to the speed of passage: ideally, the rotary hoe should be used at a speed exceeding 10 kph. On the machine, the star wheels have spoon-shaped ends. They uproot and eject weeds.
The pressure exerted by the star-shaped wheels on the ground can be adjusted to control the aggressiveness of the hoe. The stronger the pressure, the more effective it will be in uprooting weeds. The working depth is adjusted by the gauge wheels and should not exceed 2 to 3 cm to avoid damaging the crop.
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