| | When no-till operators choose between disk or hoe opener drill equipment, their decision can be influenced by several factors. Consideration should be given to the type of soil being worked, the amount of time the land has been in no-till operation, the amount of land being worked and preferred fertilizer placement. Each type of drill has advantages and disadvantages, as well as cost considerations that producers need to be aware of.
Hoe openers work better in lighter soils and soils that flow easier than a clay soil. Clay soils tend to form lumps and hoe openers tend to bunch and clump in clays, kicking up clods in clay soils.
“One real advantage that the hoe opener types have is in fertilizer placement,” says Don Wentz, reduced tillage agronomist with Reduced Tillage LINKAGES, Lethbridge. “Hoe openers can double shoot fertilizer and seed together, and place the fertilizer so it is in an ideal location to the seed. Often the hoe openers are wider spacing as well, anywhere from nine inches to even 12 inches, so there is plenty of room.”
The hoe opener clears a small path where the opener goes, exposing the soil to the sun and warming this area which presumably increasing germination. Hoe openers do, however, have a tendency to rake and bunch residue, especially in vine-like crops such as peas.
Another factor is cost, and hoe opener no-till drills are usually less expensive than the disk type and require less maintenance.
“The challenge is always residue management,” says Wentz. “It’s important to use good crop rotations so that straw build up does not become issue and hair pinning does not become problem. Soils that have been worked with no-till practices for some time have good tilth and structure. The longer land has been in no-till operation, the better a disk drill will work in these soils. Disk openers work very well under these conditions and under a wider range of soil conditions.”
With disk openers, fertilizer placement can be a problem. A paired-row or mid-row banding opener is required to double shoot, and this isn’t as easy as the hoe opener. One factor to keep in mind, however, is that there is not as much disturbance with a disk opener, and some producers feel this is an advantage.
“The general recommendation is that there be about one foot of drill for every 100 acres planted, for both hoe opener and disk opener no-till drills,” says Wentz. “The real advantage of disk openers is speed. It is possible to cover more acres with a disk opener than with a hoe-opener because it’s possible to travel faster. That means you can cover more acres with the same width drill in less time. However the disk-type drill will cost more.”
“Our research in southern Alberta with winter wheat and winter triticale direct-seeded with both disc and hoe type openers indicated that generally, we had better crop emergence with the disc versus the hoe openers. However, the research data also shows that there is very little difference in yield between a hoe or disk opener drills,” says Ross McKenzie, agronomy research scientist with Alberta Agriculture, Lethbridge. “It would be interesting to do this research work with spring seeded cereal, oilseed and pulse crops. For now, we simply make the assumption that the choice between the two types of drills comes down to personal preference. Either drill style is good from a yield standpoint.
“My greatest concern with the disc opener is hair-pinning of straw which can reduce seed-soil contact and then reduce emergence. My greatest concern with hoe type openers is that the depth of seeding is a bit more variable and their is greater soil disturbance. It is important to remember the either system has its advantages and disadvantages. When farmers select the drill they like and the drill that meets the needs and constraints of their soil and crop type, they can be confident that they have made a good choice.”
For more information on reduced tillage, best management practices and slope calculation, visit the Reduced Tillage LINKAGES website.
Contact:
Don Wentz (403) 381-5845
Ross McKenzie (403) 381-5842 |
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