The best plan for getting rid of a hard pan

Rata Panerazer comes to the rescue of crops facing problems.

Recent weather events have seen many people thinking about the condition of their property and the performance of their paddocks.

The soil’s ability to deal with excessive amounts of rain, as well as the effect of several hundred hooves or heavy machinery rolling around on top of it, can have a dramatic effect on farm output and what ends up in the farmer’s hip pocket.

One of the biggest factors in crop performance, regardless of type, is whether its root system has to contend with a hard pan.

If a plant’s root system hits a hard pan or even just a substantial change in soil density, this can put the plant into ‘root shock’ - putting it in a holding pattern for up to 14 days. The plant then has to reallocate its energy away from top growth and into helping its roots deal with the hard soil.

This slows the plant’s development where it’s needed most for a successful harvest or grazing.

In a worst-case scenario, it’s impossible to get through the hard pan and the roots grow in a flat mass across the top, making the plant susceptible to either drowning in wet conditions or dying of thirst in dry conditions because it can’t access moisture further down in the soil profile.

Compaction comes in many forms with shallower compaction layers created by livestock, wheeled machinery and heavy rain; deeper compaction is caused by paddocks not being deep ripped for long periods of time. One of the worst types of compaction, ‘smear compaction’, can be formed off the back of certain types of disc cultivators – sending roots sideways rather than down.

The best solution Chris Bain of Piako Tractors has found is the Rata Panerazer. “It’s an awesome machine we’ve sold plenty of and we’ve seen great results in varied conditions,” he says.

The Panerazer is a deep ripper available in five, seven and nine-leg configurations, all led by a straight coulter to help open the soil cleanly. With a maximum working depth of 450mm the Panerazer will reach almost all compaction layers whilst still retaining the all-important soil structure.

Horsepower requirements range from 120 to 190 horsepower and, as far as deep tillage machines go, the Panerazer is on the less thirsty end of the scale. The standard configuration is what Rata calls the ‘Pasture Point’, which gives the paddock a nice clean finish and opens the soil up for moisture penetration and a freer root run. The ‘Winged Foot’ configuration gives more lift and shatters the soil structure more.

The legs come with a modular design so worn parts can be replaced individually, rather than having to fork out for complete units. Set-up is simple and is adjusted by the roller height and the tractor’s three-point linkage.

To find out more visit www. rataequipment.com or call and see Rata at site H13 at Fieldays.