Hilling is a widespread technique, but it must be carried out with suitable equipment. "We remove weeds mechanically by shifting the soil towards the plants. This is possible thanks to equipment that removes weeds and piles up the soil in a single passage in both orchards and vineyards, and also inter-row," explains Alessandro Calderoni.
"There is a growing attention on mechanical weeding. The use of chemicals is diminishing while systems that respect the environment are increasingly being promoted. We have been building machines for mechanical weeding for decades and perfect our technologies year after year."
The various components can be assembled on Unica Jolly: for example, "hilling disks" can process the soil by lifting clumps and shifting them towards the plants via a blade. Of course the movement is automatic, so as to always remain near the trunks.
Another tool is Eco Rotor. "This system removes weeds and, even in case of ultra-thick layouts, it performs precise mechanical weeding without damaging plants. Notice the high speed and precision in the video above."
All the threads are very flexible, so operations can be carried out perfectly also near trunks, which is useful not only for organic crops but also in case of integrated control, as the use of herbicides is increasingly limited. The shaped hood means the thread takes on a particular position that avoids brutal contact with the trunks.
