SKY Agriculture Easy Drill 3020 Original Instructions Manual Download Page 21

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Dealing with weeds?

1 - Conservation tillage must exclusively be kept to clean fi elds.

Perennial weeds, in particular, must be kept under control during the previous seasons.

2 - Weeds must be dealt with within the framework of crop rotation.

Alternate cereal and dicotyledonous plant crops (peas, rape, beetroot etc.) as well as winter and spring crops. Use rotations 2/2
*. Dicotyledonous crops give an opportunity to effi

ciently get rid of graminae; on the other hand, cereal crops allow effi

cient

action to be taken against dicotyledonous plants. *cf. Dr Dwayne Beck Dakota lakes farm.

3 - Sow stale seed beds during catch-crop periods to get rid of yearly weeds and regrowths.

As soon as the combine harvester has harvested the crop, a homogeneous, superfi cial and rolled «bed» of seeds must be
prepared, using fi ne soil, so that the weed seeds emerge as regularly and completely as possible. One week before sowing,
destroy the emerged plants by means of mechanical tillage or total non carry-over herbicide, such as glyphosate or sulfosate.
Aim to have no weeds at all at the time of sowing.

4 - Avoid sowing too early in order to improve the stale seed bed’s effi

ciency.

The longer the catch-crop period, the more effi

cient weeding will be. Sow trashy fi elds last. Trust the quick effi

ciency and the

emergence quality of the Easydrill to enable you to sow at the usual dates, without any risks.

5 - As soon as the sowing is fi nished, keep clean and strong crops growing.

Use clean seeds that are free of weeds and have good viability. The seeds must be placed to obtain a fast and grouped growth,
to create a crop that will be able to compete with weeds.

6 - Use a seed drill that causes little disturbance of the soil, such as the Easydrill.

The Easydrill only works the seeding line, which reduces the chances of lifting seeds that have escaped the false seeding. It is
preferable to use wide distances between rows like those of the Easydrill (16.6 cm).

7 - Monitor the growth of plant life in the crop during the growing period.

With conservation tillage, the usual weeds do not appear in the same quantities or at the same dates; additionally, new species
may appear. Prepare for this evolution by improving your botanical knowledge. Every week while the crops are growing, walk
through the fi elds, moving into plots of land in a continuous series of «Ws», identifying plants and their respective development;
write any observations down and trace the history of each plot of land.

8 - Use herbicides of new chemical categories every year.

9 - Clean borders, fallows and crops before the heading.

Cut or shred weeds on embankments, in ditches and in fallows rather than treating them with total herbicide: some perennial
plants might not react to the product, and may then become diffi

cult to get rid of. Some fi nd it preferable to grow rye-grass

on borders: it chokes weeds and can easily be kept under control using a mower. During the season, destroy the remaining
localised weed growth spots using localised treatments, your usual sprayer, or by hand.

10 - Avoid scattering weed seeds when harvesting.

Start harvesting the cleanest plots of land. In weed infested plots, harvest the cleanest parts fi rst. Clean the combine harvester
well after harvesting weed-infested land.

Ploughing is a last resort if the techniques above are not effi

cient enough to get rid of annual grass or dicotyledones.

Sow directly for corn grain.

1 - Anticipate

Give preference to varieties that can be harvested early.

2 - Avoid crushing the stems.

Retract the crusher under the spout. Preferably use a high cut.

3 - Sow at a steep angle.

4 - Use a high working speed.

If conditions permit, use a working speed of between 8 and 10 kph.

5 - Check the closer setting.

Check the angle and the closer height; if required, adjust it and check with the closer setting page.