Nitro-Jet Fertiliser Applicator

A wet harvest means a late harvest and therefore late drilling, giving oil-seed rape a shorter period of time for the plant to achieve enough strength and size to get through the winter months, and furthermore a cold, wet autumn means even fewer growing days before winter. 

One answer to help these problems is to apply fertiliser at seeding to give the plant a quicker start and allow it to grow more vigorously in a shorter time span. But to do this as a separate operation after drilling takes more time and money. 

Till-Feeding with OPICO's range of fertiliser applicators gives you all this and more.

Many farms are already Till-Seeding their oil-seed rape in rows using a subsoiler or cultivator. As well as reducing costs and allowing a faster turnaround, Till-Seeding also conserves moisture in the soil and reduces traffic on the land; improving soil structure; allowing better plant growth and resulting in stronger plants and better yields. However, broadcasting the fertiliser across the full width on band sown Oil-Seed Rape is very wasteful especially in autumn when the rape plants are small and cannot scavenge very far for nutrients.

The fertiliser needs to be applied in bands or rows where the plants are, decreasing usage and leaching but increasing effectiveness by applying the fertiliser where the plant can use it before the winter. This may mean that the overall rate applied can be reduced or if NVZ regulations have been the limiting factor the rate can be maintained but as the fertiliser is being applied in a concentrated band it is the equivalent to three times the application rate across the full width.

As the "Monthly nutrient content of winter oil-seed rape" graph below shows there is a significant requirement for not only Nitrogen but also Phosphate and Boron in the autumn. There are environmental factors such as wet, drought and cold which cannot be controlled but if we can ensure that nutrients that we are in control of are supplied in the right place at the right time then the crop has the best start possible.

Monthly nutrient content of Winter OSR

“The level of crop production can be no greater than that allowed by the most limiting of the essential growth factors”  Justus von Liebig 1803 - 1873

After initial trials which showed a significant benefit to the crop, OPICO began a trials programme all over the UK in conjunction with Agri and other agronomy companies. These looked at the autumn response to different levels of targeted fertiliser and ultimately yield benefits that can be achieved as a result. Whilst it is early days to scientifically say that there is a specific yield benefit the early results and common sense dictates that stronger well established crops are more likely to survive the winter and produce a higher yield. The fact that many late drilled crops throughout the country failed in the cold, wet autumns of 2007 and 2008 shows the importance of giving the crop the boost it needs at drilling as an insurance policy if nothing else. 

The answer is "YES" and can clearly be seen here!

The driver stopped and switched off the Nitrojet at the top of the field to take a phone call, after the call he then proceeded seeding down the field without applying nitrogen.

All models of Nitro-Jet come complete with impact resistant tanks between 600L and 1500L in capacity and a tank level gauge to allow the operator to see the level of fertiliser when filling and in work.

This feature allows the operator to fill from a ground level tank without the need for an additional pump or use the pump to empty the Nitro-Jet tank back to the storage unit used.

The metered output is divided at the manifold and distributed via 6mm flexible pipe to the outlets. Manifold can be made to your requirement depending on how many outlets you need.

The same 400L/min high pressure self priming pump is used on all models allowing high speed self filling and providing pressure required for the application operation.

The 6mm flexible pipe is routed around the cultivator or Subsoiler frame to supply the shroud protected nozzle bodies, each nozzle body is fitted with an anti drip and a specially manufactured stainless steel narrow band nozzle. These whole units should be mounted on the cultivator in line with the row of seed so that the fertiliser is readily available to the young seedlings, each shroud unit is manufactured to be easily mounted and adjustable so that the outlet can be easily moved if required.

The bottom image on the right clearly shows why the high pressure nozzles are used rather than a dribble nozzle, without the constant pressure the nozzle would soon become blocked and would result in uneven covage or at worst areas of the field completely missed.

This finger switch comes as standard on all Nitro-Jets so that no matter whether the forward speed signal comes from GPS, radar or landwheel it is cut out when the machine is lifted on the headland. On three point linkage machines it is best positioned on the headstock of the machine.

In order to control the speed related application of the liquid fertiliser a flow meter and pressure gauge are used with any excess liquid being pumped back to tank to agitate the contents.

The RDS control unit allows simple calibration and set up and in work provides speed related metering and variable rate control within the limits of the nozzle flow range. Furthermore the volume applied and area covered are recorded for farm records.

The valves on all Nitro-Jet units can be set to allow the pump, liquid lines and nozzles to be flushed through with clean water to rinse the system without effecting the tank contents.

This is important because the nitrogen must not be left in the pump over night as it is corrosive.

This fertiliser applicator unit is specifically designed to fit on rigid HE-VA Subsoilers, importantly the framework ensures that the weight of the Nitro-Jet is carried as far forward as possible to minimise the required lift capacity and make the whole unit easier to handle.

The 600L rectangular or tubular tanks are supported above the headstock allowing the Subsoiler to function normally and the outlet manifold is mounted at the rear of the Nitro-Jet chassis so that the pipe work can be tidily routed within the frame down to the outlets.

When an OPICO seeder is fitted the signal for the forward speed is taken from the landwheel or radar controlling the seeder, alternatively it may be taken from the tractor's radar.

The 1000L Skid Unit Nitro-Jet is the most adaptable unit being suited to mounting on a three point linkage or onto the framework of a cultivator with some fabrication work. It has a category II three point hitch and multi-fit base plate to allow the customer to mount it wherever it required. The customer also needs to mount the manifold and the nozzle outlets on the machine. The standard nozzle brackets are readily adaptable but will require bracketry to mount them where required on the cultivator. When an OPICO seeder is fitted the signal for the forward speed is taken from the landwheel or radar controlling the seeder, alternatively it may be taken from the tractor's radar.

The 1000L or 1500L Front Tank Nitro-Jet fertiliser applicators are designed to be mounted to any tractor with a Front Linkage and used in conjunction with a mounted or trailed implement. The Front Tank has a category II three point hitch, front bull bar and lights to replace those obscured on the tractor. As it is front mounted this unit includes a transfer pipe (length to be specified by the customer) to transfer the liquid fertiliser to the machine at the rear of the tractor where the manifold is mounted. The customer needs to mount this transfer pipe on the tractor and the manifold on the machine. The standard nozzle brackets are readily adaptable but will require bracketry to mount them where required on the cultivator. When an OPICO seeder is fitted the signal for the forward speed is taken from the landwheel or radar controlling the seeder, alternatively it may be taken from the tractor's radar.