As Lemken continues to improve its proven precision seed drill, the latest Azurit 10 version will be available from September 2021 and features a number of benefits compared to the previous model.
Apart from the proven four-, six- and eight-row variants with row spacings of 70cm to 80cm, the new Azurit also comes with six or 12 rows with a 50cm row spacing. A furrow former has been added to the seeding coulters to improve the quality of seed placement. The drill pipe has been updated and now comes with an inlet that can be replaced once worn.
From the coming season, the range of applications for the Azurit 10 comprises not only all previous crops, but also soy beans and sunflowers. Another new feature is automatic seed singling for maize, with a system that monitors and adjusts the quality of seed singling. This system can also be retrofitted to older machines. A new fertiliser monitoring system in the Azurit 10 automatically alerts the operator if individual fertiliser coulters become blocked.
The Azurit 10 is also available with with the MicroHub 5, a spreader unit that allows microgranule to be applied in the direct vicinity of seeds. Microgranules contain water-soluble nutrients that are rapidly available to plants and therefore generally produce excellent juvenile crop development. This is particularly important in cold, dry spring seasons. The initial nutrient requirements of crops can be easily covered by relatively small amounts of microgranules.
Lemken has deliberately put the spotlight on fertiliser efficiency with the MicroHub 5, as this topic is of increasing impotance to arable farmers.
“We offer this option for our Azurit with up to eight rows,” Lemken’s head of design for precision seed drill technology, Bernd Valtwies, said. “This unit is not only available for new machines. Depending on the year of manufacture of previous Azurit 9 machines, matching retrofit kits will be available.
“The system is controlled via the Azurit on-board terminal. The MicroHub holds 200 litres of fertiliser that can currently be applied at rates ranging from 1.0kg/ha to 40kg/ha. The metering unit is operated electrically and granules are pneumatically delivered to the seed furrow,” Mr Valtvies added. “This is the ultimate in precision.”
