SOUTH African machinery manufacturer, Rovic Leers, has announced a major expansion project to meet demand for new ‘no till’ and ‘min till’ seeding equipment – including targetting UK buyers. The company, based outside Cape Town, is now targeting the UK, Ireland, with its portfolio of tillage and haylage machines. Soil conditions in South Africa are challenging and stony and the company said its planters will seed in any conditions in any country. There are three models of Rovic air seeder systems, including two drawbar mounted models (4200 litres and 6200 litres) as well as trailed quad models ranging in size from 3600 litres up to a whopping 17,000 litres. The air-seeders have a one, two or three main hopper configuration, plus a ‘small seeds bin’ (210 litres and 400 litres), which can seed, fertilise and add pesticides in one pass. The extra hoppers means operators can also sow different seeds in different locations, ranging from large legumes to canola, where seeding rates are as low as 1kg/ha. This means no need to stop working to change crops, simply switching from one tank to another. They have frame sizes from 15 to 55 tines – with spacing of 285 and 300mm – and in two or three ranks. The hydraulic seeding tine has purposely been designed for primary soil preparation in tough stony conditions and seeds at a depth between 50 and 200mm, with a theoretical power requirement of 5-8kW per tine. The break out force on the hydraulic tine is variable and can be set between 400 to 700kg and is regulated by means of a liquid nitrogen accumulator set by the tractors hydraulics. The maximum tine jump height of the tine is 365mm. The 20mm shank has a slim replaceable point (16mm wide) to ensure minimal soil disturbance and trash blocking, though in extreme trash conditions, an 18-inch or 20-inch coulter wheel can be fitted to chop the trash. Fertiliser is added through a tube fitted to the rear of the seeding shank, as the points open the soil. Marius Ras, Rovic Leers’ group marketing director, said: “We have not yet exported outside of Africa and would be very interested to consider the options available. Norway, UK, Ireland and the rest of the EU would be interesting to us.”