Farmers are excited about the latest Rovic maize planter which was introduced at this year’s NAMPO at Bothaville in the Free State.
Willie Human, sales manager of Rovic in the Northern part of South Africa, says Rovic has been suppliers of the maize planter in the country for the past twelve to thirteen years and it has developed over the years to where it is today.
The Syncroplant corn planter is a minimum tillage planter that accurately places fertiliser and seed so that each kernel has the best chance of germination and growth into a strong, healthy plant.
Some of the changes to the new generation planter include new plastic tanks. The planter’s old tanks were made of stainless steel, while the new tanks are made of tested plastic. The advantage of the plastic is that it is resistant to the corrosive effects of liquid fertilisers.
Depending on the customer’s needs, one type of fertiliser can be placed in the tank that the planter measures out and places behind the tine. Alternatively, the nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) can be placed in three separate tanks. The planter calibrates the amounts, measures them out and sends them to the teeth. The three separate tanks not only allow precision farming, but they also save time. When planting is to be done, there is no time for cumbersomeness!
Several improvements have been made to the latest version of Rovic’s Syncroplant maize planter, such as the stainless-steel tanks being replaced with tested plastic tanks that offer more resistance to corrosive liquid fertilisers.
According to Willie, changes have also been made to the tooth’s design. It is still a tested system, but the mechanisms have been slightly changed to improve tillage and to absorb power.
There are also changes to the frame itself to make the planter more modular. The old tubes that had a lot of welded sections were changed to a single plate with the minimum weld points, which naturally makes it stronger.
The wheel system has also been changed from double to single cylinders which has the advantage of requiring less hydraulic oil. Every little bit of savings helps!
At the back is the reliable, tested, world-renowned Precision Planting cart, and the option exists to mount any of Precision Planting’s components on it.
According to Willie, Rovic in collaboration with Standard Bank offers different financing options up to and including prime minus 5% when the farmer finances the purchase of the planter through Standard Bank.
Changes have been made to the design of the teeth of the minimum tillage planter to ensure greater precision with the placement of fertiliser and seed.
