The agronomic benefits of mechanical weeding solutions are wide. In addition to providing effective weed control, shallow mechanical weeding enhances water and air circulation in compacted soils, promoting physicochemical processes and supporting soil life. This leads to improved nutrient availability, even seed germination, healthy plant growth, and ultimately, safe and reliable yields.
How Can Farmers Balance Effective Weed Management, Combat Herbicide Resistance, and Support Sustainable Agriculture in the Face of Climate Change?
As sustainability takes center stage in modern agriculture next to the task of safe food production, two crucial and complex questions have emerged for farmers worldwide:
How can we effectively manage weeds while reducing our reliance on chemical herbicides to support a healthier ecosystem?
How can we face resistant weeds and climate change, and at the same time ensuring farmers income and safe food production for the world’s growing population?
Traditional weed control has relied heavily on chemical herbicides, which, while effective, raise concerns about environmental impact, including soil degradation, water contamination, and biodiversity loss. Moreover, certain weeds have developed resistance against herbicides, and chemicals slow down crop development. The challenge lies in finding weed management solutions that are both efficient and environmentally friendly to ensure the resilience and productivity of agriculture in the long term.
Kubota's Advanced Mechanical Weeding Solutions: Precision, Sustainability, and Productivity
Kubota addresses these challenges through advanced mechanical weeding solutions. The wide range includes the star-wheel rotary hoe, Kubota RH2000, the inter-row cultivator IC series with the guidance interface GI for enhanced precision and versatility. By offering an eco-friendly alternative to chemical herbicides, Kubota empowers farmers to manage weeds effectively and sustainably while maintaining productivity and promoting soil health.
Mechanical Weeding Solutions: Products That Support Sustainable and Efficient Farming
The Kubota Rotary Hoe
The Kubota RH series rotary hoe, with a 6m wide and hydraulic folding frame, uses pairs of cast iron star wheels with adjustable downward pressure. This allows for precise, shallow weeding in the top 10mm of soil, adapting to field conditions and stages of crop growth. The process improves water, airflow, mineralization, and nitrogen absorption, enhancing crop tilling and plant health. The rotary hoe effectively controls black grass, using the star wheels to pull out small weeds, with the following harrow leaving them to die without affecting crops.
The Kubota Inter-row Cultivator
The Kubota Inter-row Cultivator provides complete flexibility for large-scale use in all conditions. Its modular design allows for adjustment to various crops, ranging from 12.5cm row spacing for cereals to 80cm for row crops like maize, sugar beet, and vegetables. Stable parallelograms and working tools of the Kubota inter-row cultivator ensure precise and consistent results, even at high working speeds.
The Kubota Inter-row Cultivator targets weeds but also improves soil conditions. By cracking the soil surface, it enhances seed emergence, restores air and water flow, and support essential soil life. This process boosts nitrogen absorption, promotes mineralization, and increases the soil’s water-holding capacity by creating an insulating layer that prevents water from rising to the surface, ultimately fostering healthier plant growth and stronger crop development.
The Kubota Guidance Interface
The Kubota Guidance Interface adds extra flexibility, easy control and utmost accuracy to the Inter-row Cultivator. Equipped with cutting-edge camera guidance systems and control panel technology, each inter-row weeding assembly can also be equipped with section control, with automatic raise and lower available through ISOBUS control.
Through continuous investment in research and development, Kubota refines its technology to address the specific needs of modern, eco-conscious farmers and help them reduce their environmental footprint.
The Benefits
- A strong and effective alternative to chemical weed control also in case of resistance.
- Most precise and advanced technologies allow effective and safe weed control close to the crops.
- Versatile equipment and options quickly adjust to a wide range of row crops and cereals from 12.5cm.
- Promoting water and air circulation in compacted soils, supporting physicochemical processes and soil life
“Our mission is to empower farmers with solutions that enhance productivity without compromising the environment. Mechanical weeding represents a significant step towards sustainable agriculture by reducing chemical dependency and promoting healthier soil.”
Kubota’s dedication to sustainable farming is powered by a team of engineers, agronomists, and farming specialists who are passionate about innovation and environmental stewardship. These individuals work closely with farmers to understand their challenges and create solutions that drive real change in sustainable agriculture.
One such advocate is Maxime Georges, a lead engineer specialized in mechanical weed control at Kverneland Group Les Landes Genusson, the Centre of excellence for Soil and Weeding Equipment within the Kubota Group. “Our mission is to empower farmers with solutions that enhance productivity without compromising the environment. Mechanical weeding represents a significant step towards sustainable agriculture by reducing chemical dependency and promoting healthier soil,” says Maxime. His dedication reflects Kubota commitment to developing agricultural solutions that prioritize both the needs of farmers and the environment.
