The development of the no-tillage farming system was responsible for opening new agricultural frontiers and important growth in the agricultural yields. Initially developed in the 1950s in the USA and England, it was in the 1970s, on South America’s tropical soils, as an alternative to the control of extensive erosion processes, where the no-till system was widely adopted. No-Till is a system in constant evolution, based on the maintenance of a permanent vegetation cover on the soil, protecting against the impact of erosive agents, such as the impact of raindrops. It also provides the maintenance of organic matter and moisture in the soil profile, contributes to the construction of a better structure, reduces the thermal amplitude of the soil, as well as helps in the maintenance and cycling of nutrients.
The no-tillage system builds a living, healthy and productive soil. Practices such as green fertilization and crop rotation are absolutely necessary for the continuity in the future. however, the management of this mulch and stubble brings a series of challenges to the farmer, who needs to know how to use this cover on his own advantage and how to work with it.
While it reduces the incidence of weeds by not leaving the soil exposed, it can also make more difficult to planting the crop. In this context, the Roller-Crimper was introduced as a tool for managing medium to high-sized vegetable coverings and post-harvest stubble. This implement does not crush the straw too much, distributing it more evenly and slowing down the process of decomposition of green material. In the 1980s and 1990s, many farmers used the roller-crimper, but its use was lost with the increase in the use of herbicides in the crops. In this scenario, the roller-crimper returns as “rolling” being a more economical and advantageous alternative than “desiccation”.
INDUTAR developed the KATRINA roller-crimper as a robust implement, easy to operate and transport. Its use helps to preserve the productive environment, which is the soil. Farmers, increasingly, understand the importance of maintaining a stubble mulch, valuing even more its correct management. In a mulch of managed straw, it is possible to have a better installation of the crop, due to a better uniformity of seed distribution, which guarantees the greater use of both light and soil nutrients, due to less competition between plants and less shading caused through the straw.
As for controlling the impact of raindrops on soil erosion, a homogeneously “rolled” mulch by the KATRINA roller-crimper, protects the soil much more effectively than just a dried-out vegetation cover. In the case of herbicides, the mechanical action of cutting down ends up providing the same function as a pre-planting desiccation, also generating the benefit of saving on an herbicide application. When dealing with corn crop remains, the KATRINA roller-crimper manages to eliminate the inconvenient stalks of corn plants, which generate a great inconvenience that occur from planting to the harvest of the subsequent crop, such as Soybeans, for example.
One of the greatest benefits provided by the action of the KATRINA roller-crimper is that it helps the nutrients cycling between the production cycles. The greater contact between "rolled" stubble with the soil, accelerates the action of biological decomposing agents and the cycling of nutrients absorbed by following crops.
A high-yield crop requires that it be planted in a clean area and over dead green cover, which requires practices such as desiccation or rolling this green cover. Rolling has proven to be a superior option to simple desiccation, its benefits, generated by the action of the KATRINA roller-crimper, are easily observed by producers as it translates into increased productivity of crops, ease of operation and economy.