The Landquip Herbi two row sprayer.
The use of sprays in the vineyard is a tried-and-tested means of weed control, one that has come under more scrutiny by environmental bodies as the years go on – meaning a reduction in approved products, and a drive by vineyard owners and consultants to adopt a more mechanical approach.
A major drawback of a purely mechanical method of weed control is that timing is key; too early in the season and the ground is too wet, too late, and the weeds are too advanced impacting airflow and humidity undervine. This results in increased passes over each row throughout the season to tackle the weeds at the right moment, with the excessive soil compaction and increased fuel use that accompany such an exercise.
A machine that can slot in nicely to a predominantly mechanical philosophy is a herbicide sprayer– used early in the season, these machines can kill off unwanted growth before weeds properly take off without churning up wet soil.
Landquip are a British company who have specialised for some forty years in the production of agricultural spraying equipment and have more recently turned attention to viticulture as a focus point. The company applies their extensive knowledge and high-quality components from intensive arable machinery to a range of vineyard sprayers, notably the two row Herbi sprayer.
This machine comprises a 600l tank, mounted on the rear of the tractor – its shape enables it to be used on the steepest of slopes and still drain freely meaning no leftover spray at the end of the day. The tank and 20l Black Hole induction hopper are constructed of ultra-smooth polyethylene to aid easy cleaning, and include can rinse, tank rinse, handwash and agitation jets as standard.
Spray booms are side mounted on the powder-coated frame encompassing the tank, and will cover two complete rows. Each outer boom has a sprung breakback system should an obstacle be encountered, and they fold completely back for a 1.6m wide transport width, with a simple lock system for both transport and work positions. LED road lights provide extra safety when moving between sites on the road.
Four hooded spray units apply herbicide directly to the undervine area with zero drift in rows from 2.2-2.5 metres wide, while three centre nozzles can be individually opened should an operator want to spray the middle of the row – perfect for terminating cover crops should tillage or mowing prove ineffective.
An electric control unit provides three section on/off and pressure adjustment, with Bravo control with adjustable rate, volume and pressure readouts available as an option. All pump and valve units are taken from the same suppliers as the arable machinery offered by Landquip, so are of the highest quality and are well-proven in their application.
The Herbi and other vineyard sprayers from Landquip are available from Haynes Agricultural across the South.
Perfectly clean end result
