Steam weeder

towed

The frame-mounted generator with pneumatic wheels is placed at the end of the field to disinfect, and connected to water and electricity sources. A steam pipe connects the generator to its injection device in the soil - either a special cover for steam, or an aluminium shield. The cover is necessary to perform disinfection at a depth of 25 cm. In this case, the cover sits across a larger surface but the process is more tiresome. It takes 2 hours to inflate the cover and 2 hours for disinfection on average, depending to the surface. Fuel consumption is three times higher than with an aluminium shield. The aluminium shield is more commonly used, as a 10-12 cm depth for disinfection is sufficient for 80% of treatments. Operation is simple and is facilitated by wheel levers for work on beds and by roller levers for work on any width. Installation takes 6 minutes on average (depending on the climatic conditions and on the soil). Fuel consumption is 0.5 liter/m2 on average. These data are valid whatever the versions used for disinfection.