All-in-one potato planting

The evolution towards soil cultivation, planting and ridging in a single pass in potato growing, has been underway for some time. Dewulf has therefore developed the brand new, comprehensive Certa Integral 40 planter. After an earlier announcement, the new Certa was presented at recently held Potato Europe in Belgium.

The cultivator’s nine large wheels of the Certa 40, carry the weight of the machine and provide the automatic working depth control. As a result, they guarantee sufficient carrying capacity, even in light and/or loose soil. The cultivator is an evolution of the current SC 300 Compact.

Moreover, the rotor shaft is fitted with thicker flanges. The cultivator has an angle sensor on the rear board, which controls the cylinders for the nine depth wheels. The machine contains a 3.5-tonne bunker. The planting elements form a single unit and are optionally equipped with weighing cells. These new elements are upgraded versions of the long-established CP elements.

Among other improvements, the planting tube is adjustable to accommodate the tuber size, and each planting element is individually hydraulically driven. As such, it is easy to create spray tracks and variable planting is possible. The opener beam is mounted in a parallelogram which is fitted with cylinders, allowing the planting depth to be easily adjusted from the tractor cab.

The covering discs, measuring 410 mm in diameter, are each mounted on their own suspension arm. The discs for each pair of rows are attached to a central hollow section by means of a top link, with the pressure on those discs adjustable from the side. Every part of the control system, from the control box to the software, communicates via ISOBUS. This in-house designed system can be accompanied by a 12-inch Topcon touchscreen and joystick.

The Certa 40 is available for the 2024 growing season.