Farming Monthly National August 2016 | Page 16

| Arable BKT tyre ranges: Perfect for haymaking operations Excellent traction, limited soil compaction, high loading capacity, resistance to the roughest surfaces and maximum driving comfort. These are the distinctive features of the BKT tire lineup conceived for harvesters, balers and telehandlers. oday one of the main Off-Highway tire manufacturers worldwide, BKT has specifically designed and developed various tire ranges for haymaking operations: from hay harvesting to transportation. Therefore, they are particularly suitable for equipment like harvesters, balers and telehandlers. The extensive tire lineup takes into account the complex necessities of modern agriculture and is a concrete response to the most diverse application needs. BKT’s main goal is to make modern farmers’ work comfortable and to constantly improve productivity. Perfect for harvesting Conceived for high-power harvesters and spreaders, Agrimax Teris has excellent flotation properties that ensure optimal soil protection and top harvesting performance, since it is able to withstand even heavy loads. Innovative and cutting edge, this radial tire stands out for extraordinary traction and stability ensured by the optimized lug design, as well as by the reinforced shoulder. Moreover, Agrimax Teris is extraordinarily resistant to cuts and impacts due to the presence of stubble on the terrain, providing thus a long product life-cycle and reducing machine downtime. Several sizes have been developed for this top tire range: 620/75 R 26, 750/65 R 26, 620/75 R 30, 650/75 R 32, 800/65 R 32, 900/60 R 32, 1050/50 R 32 and 520/85 R 42. Agrimax Teris also includes a version T designed with IF technology – in the IF 580/80 R 34 size - conceived for transporting heavy loads at low pressure ensuring best traction in the fields. The radial tire Agrimax RT 600, too, is ideal for harvesters and spreaders, and particularly suitable for land that requires great care and attention. Its features have been conceived down to the smallest detail to provide the least possible impact on the soil while not sacrificing other key aspects. In fact, this tire offers a perfect mix of excellent load capacity, optimal stability and excellent traction. The sizes currently available on the market are three: 620/75 R 26 (latest novelty presented at the recent Reifen fair in Essen), 800/65 R 32 and 1050/50 R 32. Simply perfect for harvesting Harvesters and bailers require tires that are delicate on the soil in order to reduce its compaction, but at the same time they need to be resistant to cuts and impacts with stubble, for instance. Yet, these are the distinctive traits of FL 635, a tire out of the BKT Flotation range. During the harvest, its extraordinary flotation capacity results in lower impacts on the soil, preserving the land for later crops. It is perfect for both field and road use, and hence ideal for harvesters and bailers used for frequent transfers. Nothing of this tire is left to chance: in fact, also the particular block pattern has been specifically developed for bailer applications. FL 635 is available in the sizes 620/40 R 22.5, 650/55 R 22.5 and 750/45 R 22.5. Another valuable solution for hay harvesters and bailers is AW 711. Provided with a unique tread and made of a special compound, this tire is extremely durable, both on soft and hard surfaces. During road transfers, the low rolling resistance turns into considerable fuel savings along with a significant increase in productivity. BKT offers AW 711 in five different versions: 340/60 R 16.5, 380/55 R 16.5, 400/60 R 18, 440/55 R 18 and 15 R 19.5. Perfect for hay and crops handling Once the harvesting operations are completed, hay and crops need to be handled and transported. Having carefully analyzed these operations, BKT has created specific tires for telehandlers that are able to satisfy various needs, such as a high loading capacity, but also great stability and high resistance. Such requirements are perfectly met by Multimax MP 522, a multipurpose radial tire that is ideal for both farming and industrial applications ensuring best performance in any use and loading conditions. This tire stands out for its superior traction, thanks to the particularly aggressive tread design. Therefore, nothing can impede this tire while performing load handling operations. The available sizes are 280/80 R 18, 340/80 R 18, 380/75 R 20, 400/70 R 20, 400/70 R 24, 400/80 R 24, 460/70 R 24 and 500/70 R 24. Extraordinary versatility, instead, is the distinctive feature of RT 747 Agro Industrial. This radial agroindustrial tire offers outstanding stability as well as excellent grip. Such qualities make it perfect for backhoe loaders, compact loaders and telehandlers. Provided with extra-large lugs optimizing stability and available in the sizes 460/70 R 24 and 500/70 R 24, RT 747 Agro Industrial is a perfect multipurpose tire and a valid support in many different applications. Once again, BKT confirms its own style and working philosophy based on the strategy of listening to and cooperating with users. The result is an increasing number of more and more innovative solutions corresponding to the actual needs of a constantly growing market. Identify brome populations pre-harvest Cereal growers should spot fields with significant brome populations and identify the brome species at harvest, to ensure autumn weed control plans are appropriate to the threat, says Dow AgroSciences. rome species are most effectively controlled by autumn herbicide applications, but are often omitted in the rush to get crops drilled and pre-emergence herbicides applied,” warns Stuart Jackson, Dow’s cereal herbicide specialist. “If growers can identify those fields with significant populations of brome and ryegrass they can be prioritised for autumn applications. “Good field observations preharvest should include population density and brome species identification, since post-harvest B control measures for sterile and great brome are different to those needed for soft, meadow and rye bromes.” For sterile and great brome, early post-harvest shallow cultivations are best. Seeds need to be buried or covered to break dormancy and encourage a germination flush before spraying off with a nonselective herbicide. However, seeds of soft, meadow and rye bromes need to be left on the soil surface for one month to ripen before cultivation and subsequent spraying off with a non selective herbicide. If buried, immature seed become dormant 16 | Farming Monthly | August 2016 and survive longer in the soil. Herbicide applications should also be targeted at the brome species present. Great and sterile brome species can be the most difficult to eradicate so a robust autumn spray programme is required. These grassweeds are more effectively controlled when small (Growth Stage 11 – 13) and actively growing. Autumn spray programmes should include a pre-emergence application soon after drilling. Timing post-emergence sprays to control meadow, soft and rye bromes can be more flexible. While autumn applications are still the gold standard, providing a preemergence spray is applied, a postemergence application of Broadway Star can be applied in autumn or delayed until early spring if necessary. Dow AgroSciences ran a ‘Know Your Brome’ activity on its stand at the Cereals event with Dr Stephen Moss of Rothamsted Research, to help growers identify different brome species. A guide to ‘Identification of Brome Grasses’ by Stephen Moss is available on the Dow AgroSciences website. www.farmingmonthly.co.uk