This year, Delphy (www.Delphy.nl projectnr 553993) ran a field trial, using the Treffler TS170 Treffler harrow in seed onions. Recently, they published their conclusions and we at Treffler-Man@Machine want to share them with you.
Delphy states that:
– Using a tine harrow is a very effective method to break the crust and thus promote the emergence of seed onions. This resulted in an average of 6 to 7 plants per meter extra in this trial compared to the unhedged object. – Using tine harrows with the aim of breaking the crust is best when the soil is still moist at the top (when the tractor tires have just been papered). This prevents the onion bed from becoming too lumpy. Clods can potentially be a barrier to emerging onions. – It is still possible to harrow without damage if the onion seed has germinated but check the working depth regularly. – The weeding in the 1st-2nd pipe stage did not have a negative effect in this trial on the number of plants and the crop status of seed onions.
Recommendations
It would be interesting to re-examine the tine harrow in seed onions. This could include research into the effect on Fusarium. The reasoning is that an airy soil is less conducive to this fungus. In addition, it would be interesting to investigate whether weeding can promote the emergence and growth of onions without crusting. In addition, the effect of tine harrows on emergence and growth in other crops could be investigated, such as sugar beets or carrots.All in all, these are fantastic results to share with you. We look forward to telling you even more about the way our Treffler machines beet the weeds next time we see you at a show!