Ortomec, seminatrice elettrica per le colture a foglia

Electricity is also making its way into horticulture. Ortomec arrives at the German event with an innovative solution for sowing leafy crops: the Multi-Seed electric seeder. In detail, the Venetian company points out that the machine is equipped with semi-electronic control and transmission to the distributors, has a touch-screen display positioned on the tractor that allows the operator to adjust seeding density with a parametric scale from 0 to 200, and saves in memory up to eight types of seeding with parameters already used per product. The electrical system then controls seeding density with variation in tractor speed and warns the operator through the display if the operator does not maintain an appropriate speed. From the same display, it is possible to turn seed distribution on and off, enter seed vibration into the seed hopper, and, a matter of some importance, make data recording of the seeded area.

 

Head salad harvester

The Head Salad Harvester is equipped with an oscillating blade that moves from left to right at high speed. The latest generation of proportional electronic sensors, controlled by PLC board, enable the machine to maintain the level and cutting point required by the operator by following the ground pattern. With this precision and technology, it is possible to harvest produced salads even on soils/bedding with mulch.

Once the salad heads have been cut, they are transported by the belt with rubber nails to the upper part of the machine, where the operations of checking, cleaning discarding and encasing the product will take place. When the salad reaches the top of the machine after being cut, it can follow two different routes: be destined for a side trailer via hydraulic belt where it is placed in containers, then handled in storage; it follows the route of the equipment set up as a cleaning area.

A team of six to eight people receives the product on an inspection belt and cleans it, leaving dirt and defective heads on the belt, which will then end up on the ground thanks to a hopper. The operator puts the cleaned product into boxes, which are transported to the rear via a hydraulic belt. Here, directly on the rear forklift (hydraulic elevator) the pallet is composed, which once completed will be unloaded to the ground.

 

Paper-seed, the 'paper' protagonist

Another Ortomec novelty is the mechanical seeder brought to the tractor that allows to sow a sandwich formed by two sheets of paper with seeds in between. The machine is capable of simultaneously performing the following operations: laying of the first layer of paper, the presence of which enables effective weed control thanks to a mechanical action that blocks their growth, thus resetting their competitiveness against the crop; seed distribution on top of the first layer of paper (seeds released on top of the primary layer are in a position to emerge with ease, without competition from weeds); laying the second layer of paper, which adheres to the first by spraying water. This creates the "sandwich" consisting of two layers of biodegradable paper with the seed in between.

Paper-seed enables weed control in horticultural crops without the use of pesticides and a significant reduction in irrigation water. It is also a 100% biodegradable product with no introduction of plastic into cultivated land.

 

The Cleaner vacuum cleaner

Closing the circle of Ortomec's offerings at Hanover is Cleaner, a tractor-mounted vacuum and trimmer for leafy products, suitable for both open field and under greenhouses. It requires a tractor with power of only 70-80 Hp, and is capable of unloading at a height of up to 180 cm. The cutting system is controlled by proportional sensors that read the ground plane. In addition, this model has tractor-independent hydraulics, a stainless steel cutting/suction arch and a collection box. The Ortomec system allows the product to pass through the suction turbine. The sucked-in product is shredded as it passes through, thus increasing the loading range inside the bin and avoiding product loss to the air due to the moisture created as the product macerates. Thanks to this system, the machine does not need filters, which, as various market experiences show, become clogged, forcing the operator to make continuous stops to clean them and maintain slow forward speeds due to low suction power.