Potato Review

56 POTATO REVIEW MAY/JUNE 2022 MACHINERY LATEST PLANTER TO BE SHOWCASED GRIMME UK has taken to the road to showcase the latest version of the GL 420 Exacta potato planter, which now offers four-row planting in 90cm row widths with true one-pass combination planting. The demonstration roadshow or “#RowShow2022” began in April in the south of England is working its way north over the coming months, giving UK growers the chance to see the new cup planter in operation. For further details about this and other machinery updates, see our latest version of Potato Review. You can subscribe here. Like the previous two, four, six and eight- row cup planter options, the GRIMME GL 420 Exacta offers tuber placement with variable rate control, allowing the machine to cover the ground quickly. The planter includes the latest GRIMME i-Systems technology, including Clever Planting, that calculates the optimum planting space and Section Control, which automatically turns off the planting elements in the headlands and tram-lines to help save seed. The GL 420 Exacta combination planter also includes integrated soil cultivation thanks to the GR 360 hook tine tiller. In-furrow chemical treatments are also possible as GRIMME has included dedicated liquid and granular applicators for tuber dressing and soil treatment. Sales Manager at GRIMME UK, Tom Goose, said: “With everything that is going on at the moment, crop establishment costs and soil conservation are increasingly important for UK potato growers. By offering four-row combination planting, the GL 420 Exacta lowers these costs as it requires fewer passes to establish the crop, and thanks to its compact design, it is easy and quick to manoeuver.” Tom said it had been a long time since his team had been able to organise this kind of event, and he was looking forward to meeting up with growers and demonstrating the machine to them.