Setting up the plough for optimum performance is an essential prerequisite if the implement is to be effective in helping to control grass weeds such as blackgrass.
This was the message from ProCam at LAMMA 2018, where the company used a machine on its stand to point out some of the common mistakes being made on today’s arable farms.
“Basics such as having the skimmers operating at the correct depth and angle, or ensuring that tractor tyres are compatible with furrow width, are in some situations being forgotten,” said ProCam agronomist Kevin Pearcy. “This can mean that the plough is failing to achieve complete trash burial or create the well-drained and airy soil profile that we require.
“Whilst ploughing is by no means a one-step solution to problems such as blackgrass, it can have a significant role to play when used as part of an overall control strategy. If it’s not set up to perform as it should, we are losing an opportunity.”
ProCam has published a guide to setting up the plough for effective grass weed control at https://www.procam.co.uk/plough-set-up-key-in-effective-blackgrass-management/
