Conceal fertilizer placement system

The most effective time for fertilizer application is during planting itself, but for this, you need a compact device that requires minimal maintenance.

Conceal is a fertilizer application device for planters, integrated into the row unit, allowing fertilizer to be deposited in the soil 7cm from the seed, providing it with the necessary nutrients for good development.

Applying nitrogen before planting is an inefficient way to provide plant fertility. Each row is only 70 cm apart, so why distribute fertilizer evenly across the entire field? A more effective way to apply fertilizer is to place it in the row, just as we place seeds. Banded nutrients can reduce the total amount of required fertility by up to 30%, while maintaining the same yield level. These banded nutrients should also be placed below the soil surface, where they will remain in the soil, instead of being prone to evaporation when spread on the soil surface.

Plants don't need fertilizer when the seeds are still in the bag; they need it while they grow. This means it must be available for the roots to absorb at the most critical moments of the plant's life. In the case of nitrogen for corn, this first critical moment is from V4-V8, while the plant determines the maximum ear size it can produce. Nitrogen must be readily available to the plant's roots during this stage to maximize the yield that can be produced by that plant. A band of nitrogen placed below the soil surface will move down the soil profile with rains that occur after planting and will be several centimeters deep, precisely where the roots can access it when they need it.

Conceal is a simple nutrient placement device that places fertilizer in a band embedded in the soil, where the plant will be able to access these nutrients during critical development stages. Conceal can be used to place a single or double band of nutrients next to the row. Conceal is a combination of a gauge wheel with a groove in it, and a blade operating within that groove. The blade is guided by the gauge wheel, ensuring that placement is always at the same distance and depth from the seed. Since the blade is mounted at the front of the row unit, it does not interfere with the critical function performed by the gauge wheel: consistent and correct planting depth. Conceal is barely visible on the row unit, tucked inside the gauge wheel, where it performs its work without increasing the length or bulk of the row unit, which typically comes with nitrogen attachments.

Why is Conceal the most consistent way to place nitrogen on the planter? It's all in the design of the blade, which runs next to the seed, within the groove of the gauge wheel. Because the blade places fertilizer directly next to the seed, not in front of or behind it, the distance from the fertilizer to the seed is always consistent. Furthermore, since the blade works in conjunction with the gauge wheel, it will place the fertilizer at a consistent depth relative to the seeds. Around curves, on uneven terrain, and in every row, the fertilizer is always where it needs to be relative to the seeds.