Potato planting is increasingly becoming a question of how precisely machinery can manage soil conditions, planting depth and input rates in a single pass. Dewulf is addressing that challenge with the Certa 40 Integral, a four-row mounted cup planter that integrates soil preparation into the planting operation.
The new system can be combined with the Lemken Zirkon 12 power harrow fitted with 38 cm tines, creating a configuration designed particularly for heavy clay soils and stony fields. The combination produces a fine seedbed while aiming to preserve the soil’s natural structure — a balance that becomes more difficult as field conditions become heavier and less uniform.
Precision Starts with Depth Control
The Certa 40 Integral uses nine large depth wheels positioned ahead of the cultivator to provide automatic depth control. Their configuration is designed to maintain consistent working depth while providing sufficient carrying capacity, including in light or loose soils.
Planting precision is further built into each individual planting element. Every element has its own hydraulic drive, allowing planting distance to be adjusted continuously and independently for each row. The planting tube can also be adapted to different seed-potato sizes. A lever positioned at the top of the planting element allows operators to adjust the tube width between 89 mm and 114 mm, an option particularly useful when planting longer tubers.
Data Moves Into the Bunker
The Certa 40 Integral’s focus on precision extends beyond soil preparation and planting. Its bunker can hold up to 3.5 tonnes and can be fitted with optional load cells. This allows potatoes to be planted according to a predefined target rate measured in kilograms per hectare, giving operators greater control over seed use across varying field conditions.
The system can also calculate the average tuber weight and estimate how many hectares can still be planted with the remaining bunker contents. That shifts the planter from being simply a mechanical planting tool towards a more data-driven system, where operators can monitor both seed consumption and remaining field capacity while the machine is working.
For potato growers operating in difficult soils, the combination of integrated soil preparation, independent row control and bunker weighing is aimed at solving a fundamental productivity challenge: maintaining planting accuracy without adding complexity to the field operation. With the Certa 40 Integral, Dewulf is positioning precision not as a standalone feature, but as part of the entire planting process — from preparing the soil to controlling tuber placement and managing seed rates.
