Benefits of using a Paddock Roller

Jul 20, 2020    Posted by Brittany Cunningham

With Spring planting just around the corner, it's a good time to make sure your paddock roller is in good working order. Delmade is proud to manufacture a range of heavy-duty rollers and we can also offer common spare parts for most models, carrying popular lines like the Cambridge roller rings in stock.

Using a Roller after seeding is highly beneficial. We've taken some extracts from an article by Agronomy Expert, Tanja Folnovic which explains exactly why rolling is important:

"The final step that should be taken for soil preparation for growing of crops is rolling. It completes and prepares the soil for sowing.

Although ready for sowing, fields may have many rocks, plant debris, roots, and other solid objects. These can damage combines when harvesting close to the ground. To avoid this possible resulting expense, farmers will roll the soil prior to the sowing in order to push those objects into the soil.

Rolling can be done after sowing crops too. This tillage practice has several advantages, which are as follows:

• Creating of smooth and firm seedbed
• Pressing the seeds into the soil, thus eliminating air pockets from the soil
• Creating better water reception from the surrounding soil layers
• Faster germination
• Retaining of soil moisture for a longer period.

Every crop needs deep and well-drained soil for rapid growth and development of healthy roots. That can be accomplished by using land rollers as a standard soil tillage practice. Rolled soils create a better seedbed for germinating seeds and prevent seeds from washing out of the soil. This is especially important for very small and light seeds, such as grass, alfalfa, canola, and flax seeds. Rolling also removes the trash from the field, especially important to farmers in no-till farm systems."¹

Tanja also writes that when choosing to Roll the soil it is important to consider:

• "Time of rolling
• Proper roller application
• Number of passes"²

Further points to consider when rolling are: "If not managed properly, negative effects on soil properties and plant growth may be seen. Rolling with too heavy rollers may destroy soil surface aggregates and make the soil more susceptible to wind and water erosion, sealing, and runoff.

Another potential risk of rolling occurs when the soil is rolled in dry conditions and prior to crop emergence. Land rollers pulverize the soil, allowing the thin surface layer to be taken away by the water or the wind. For this reason, although rolling is used to manage tough crop residue left after the harvest, it should be avoided when the field is covered with less than 30% crop residue."³

Finally, Tanja provides a few key tips to ensure you will get the maximum benefit out of rolling:

• "Practice rolling the soil immediately after sowing or as early after germination as possible to avoid plant injury and also allow more time for plant recovery
• Avoid rolling erosion-prone fields immediately after planting; instead, roll before planting or after crop emergence
• When rolling after crop emergence, roll in the afternoon, during the heat, when the plants are flexible
• Avoid rolling when the soil is moist to reduce the risk of the soil sticking to the roller and disrupting the soil structure
• Take care of tractor tires and roller width configuration to minimize plant injury."⁴

With Spring on the doorstep now is the time to be thinking about your rolling program. The best way to ensure you can roll at the ideal time for your crop is to own your own roller. An asset that will deliver its weight in gold. Delmade offers a huge range of sizes, and a range of options including foldable, 2 pieces and end tow. Our rollers can also be built or retrofitted with seeding boxes for a single pass experience.

All Delmade equipment is 100% manufactured in Tasmania and designed by locals. We work closely with the contractors and farmers using our products to implement quality design changes and ensure our gear is always performing its best.

Interested in a Roller? Give the team at Delmade a call on 1800 335 623 for expert advice on the machine to suit your property.

Click here to view the range

SUPPORTING

We are proud of our durable and expertly designed equipment and our ability to provide outstanding service, back up spare parts and components and expert advice. Choose Delmade to ensure your machine is up and running when you need it!

Interested in our equipment? Head to https://delmade.com.au/categories to check out the full range or give us a call on 1800 335 623.