AgTech's Search for Technology Solutions

The best commercially produced injectors for minimum or no-till operations are a coulter or angled disk, but they are limited in the amount of manure they can apply. Once the furrow has filled with liquid manure, the manure starts to run out over the sides of the furrow, almost eliminating its effectiveness.

“The growth of the livestock industry will depend on making better use of the nutrients in manure and controlling odour, I think there’s going to be more of a demand for this type of equipment,” says Lawrence Papworth, project engineer with the AgTech Centre. “Custom applicators are still looking for the ideal tool and we’d like to help create one that is low disturbance for no-till operations.”

The first prototype was a bent leg shank style injector, which entered the soil on a curve so the flat edge could lift the soil. The good news was that it was able to accommodate higher rates of manure without any sign of surface pooling and the power requirements were reduced for the depth of operation. The bad news was that it was still fairly high disturbance.

Based on what was learned with the initial prototype development a second version of the injector addresses the issue of disturbance. Because of the smaller shank and depth of operation, the disturbance should be minimal. This injector will be tested in the upcoming growing season.