Build prototype peanut planter

Group name: Sustainable Sugar and Peanut Agriculture Pty Ltd

Objectives

• The problem that needs to be solved is how to plant peanuts into uncultivated cane trash blanket without the trash being pinned into the soil beside the seed negatively affecting germination and nodulation.
• The group intends to solve the problem by building a planter / yeoman ripper/ straight edged disc coulter combination machine that will allow exact tracking of the planter in the pathway cut by the coulter and de-compacted by the ripper.
• The skills of the group members will be enhanced by their involvement in design, sourcing suitable and affordable components, supervising manufacture and in trialling, modifying and ultimately demonstrating the machine.

The project will build from the outcomes achieved from GGP028 "Facilitating enhanced peanut/ sugarcane rotations by assessing and managing the issues related to growing peanuts" to further enhance a zero / min till production of peanuts as a legume rotational crop option.

Project Activities:

• Design the planter/ ripper combination to plant two peanut rows at a time
• Source planter seed boxes, ripper legs and large coulters.
• Build a frame strong enough to be extended at a later date to cover a total of four peanut rows
• Build press wheel assemblies.
• Attach the working parts to the frame and trial
• Modify as necessary
• Demonstrate to industry.
• The results will be communicated/promoted in the sugar industry by means of:
• Media releases
• Continuing our successful networking with Isis Target 100, The Peanut Company of Australia and DPI&F which has resulted in over 120 farmers and other industry people visiting the site of GGP028 trial.( We even had a visit from a group of American cane and peanut farmers some of whom had been working on minimum till peanuts after grain crops and experiencing the same problems)