Lemken showed its Azurit precision drill concept at the previous Agritechnica. Here’s some background on the machine and a look at its Delta Row technology
For years the rumours have rumbled around that Lemken would make a precision drill. Speculation started when the German giant took over Hassia, a specialist in maize and beet drills, but it would be a full 17 years before those initial rumours turned into metal. In reality the machine shown at Agritechnica was not even a full prototype; more a work in progress. Production versions are not expected until 2016.
Naturally, most development effort goes into the seeder unit. That’s no big surprise, as putting together its support crew — a headstock, hopper and toolbar — was hardly going to tax Lemken’s engineers. In fact there was something already on the shelf, says Research & Development head, Gottfried Giesen: “Our Compact Solitair drill uses a trailed hopper, a trapezium roller to consolidate the ground before the seeder unit and double-disc coulters with guide wheels, so it made sense to modify these for drilling maize and sunflower seed.”
Delta Row is the key notion behind the Azurit. It’s a fancy name for placing two lines of seeds in a single wide row — the company says that this brings agronomic benefits — by using a pair of singling discs in one housing rather than two separate units. To that end each Delta Row seeder
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