Treating tubers is the main method of protecting seedlings from pests and diseases.
Etching is considered necessary if:
- planting is intended for seed purposes;
- planting takes place in adverse weather conditions (cold, rainy spring or drought);
- the quality of the seed is in doubt;
- there is a possibility of the presence of infections in the soil;
- especially valuable and expensive seed material is used;
- phytosanitary forecast for the coming season is unfavorable;
- re-planting due to plant death is not possible.
In practice, this means that dressing of tubers is a mandatory technological operation for every farm that counts on high yields and marketability. As you know, latent fungal infection and pest damage in the first half of the growing season negatively affect the quantity and quality of the crop.
But recognizing the importance of the reception, many agronomists prefer to combine it with planting. Meanwhile, experts note that it is much more correct to carry out the pickling of tubers stationary, using a pickling machine.
To begin with, sprouted tubers are often used for planting. At the same time, part of the planting material may be (and taking into account the conditions of the last season, with a high degree of probability) infected with rhizoctonia. During planting, the entire volume of potatoes is re-infected, but at the same time, the tubers are treated with a dressing agent, thus the destruction of the harmful fungus occurs with simultaneous damage and destruction of the infected sprouts. This, in turn, causes a delay in the development of plants due to the need for them to form new shoots.
To avoid this, the pickling of the material must be carried out in advance, even at the stage of storage or even before putting it into storage.
There are other arguments in favor of stationary processing. If a dressing agent is introduced during planting, it partly falls on the tuber, partly on the ground, and partly is carried away by the wind. The consumption rate for this method is calculated in liters per hectare, regardless of the tonnage of the planted potatoes. With stationary etching, the drug only hits the tubers, the calculation is carried out per ton, expensive funds are spent more economically and much more efficiently. However, the result also depends on a well-chosen pickling machine.
Take the MAFEX-Potato / MAFEX-Fruit fine spray treater as an example. It is intended for the application of liquid pesticides, dressing agents, germination inhibitors to potato tubers, as well as for processing fruits.
The installation cannot be called a novelty, it has long been known in Europe and is used there in almost every farm, as it has a very affordable cost. For the same reason, the popularity of the device is constantly growing in Russia. However, the matter, of course, is not only in the price.
The machine is based on ULV technology (Ultra Low Volume) and its main advantage is high efficiency with economical consumption of the substance used for processing. In the MAFEX device, by means of centrifugal force using a specially designed rotating disc, each milliliter of the drug is atomized into 30 million drops, forming a fine mist that envelops the tuber from all sides. The drops are evenly distributed over the surface by the vertical air flow generated by the rotating disc, gravity, and the rotational and falling motion of the fruit.
Circular wetting of the surface of tubers contributes to the complete destruction of pathogens. Individual particles of an active substance cover the surface with the smallest possible distance, such a uniform distribution is achieved by dividing the drug into many droplets of the same size.
The newest control unit provides automatic priming of the system, that is, a check of all functions, as well as the supply of liquid to the nozzle before starting the application. The desired amount can be adjusted on the control unit. During operation, the efficiency of the injector is monitored and, in the event of a malfunction, the alarm function is activated. Flow control is available as an option.
The installation can work in conjunction with an inspection table and a roller conveyor, and in this case, the best enveloping quality is achieved: the tubers move on the conveyor, scroll and process over the entire surface, then dry.
The advantages of the machine can also be attributed to its compactness (weighs about 40 kg) and mobility: depending on the needs of the farm, it can be made both stationary and mobile.
Technical specifications
• 1-4 nozzles
• Flow rate for one nozzle: 3-220ml / min.
• Spray width: 80-320 cm (standard max. 240 cm)
• Full protection of spraying from the wind (drops are not carried by the wind)
• Power supply for input voltage 230, 400, 110 or 12 volts
• Automatic shutdown
• Flushing system for cleaning the nozzle
Optional:
- flow sensor (an alarm is triggered when the tank is empty or when the flow is disturbed);
- MAFEX ULV mobile support stand for fine spraying with one or two nozzles (for the fastest possible movement of the device to another location).
Installation of the device takes a minimum amount of time (less than an hour). For a successful start-up, no special skills are required: in order to put the dressing into operation, the personnel only need to know the rates of application of the drug.