Technological Combo

Today, there are no longer any standard approaches to agricultural production, as climate change, economic instability and wartime challenges have made them less effective. Therefore, both small farms and large companies rely on flexibility and an individual approach to each technological process.

Enselco, a Kernel cluster, cultivates 130,000 ha in the Khmelnytskyi and Ternopil regions. Precision farming technology is used here, allowing the company to treat the land carefully and responsibly. For this purpose, yield maps, soil and moisture analyses, GPS maps and variable-rate fertilizer application are used to accurately identify and meet the needs of plants. This makes it possible to apply resources only where they are needed, avoid excessive use, preserve the natural balance and fertility of the soil, and achieve stable yields without exhausting the land.

The company also strictly follows crop rotation to ensure production efficiency. The classic five-field “basket” here includes the main grain and oilseed crops: winter wheat, winter rapeseed, corn, soybeans and sunflower. “We balance the crop rotation taking into account agronomic requirements, the phytosanitary condition of the fields and economic feasibility,” says Viacheslav Mysenko, Deputy Director of Production at Enselco, a Kernel cluster.

At Enselco, a combined approach to the tillage system is used, which means the company is technically equipped for any agrotechnological scenario. The machinery fleet includes modern disc harrows, deep loosening machines, cultivators, combined seedbed preparation machines and seed drills with fertilizer application. The choice of specific machinery depends on the condition of the field and the production tasks for the season.

One of the integral elements of the technology at Enselco is deep loosening. To increase the efficiency of deep soil cultivation, reduce the number of technological operations and optimize costs, in 2025 the company purchased 12 BEDNAR TERRALAND TN 4000 D9R PROFI deep loosening machines with COMBO SYSTEM hoppers for localized fertilizer application. The decisive factors were the versatility of the machines, their productivity and the ability to apply fertilizers simultaneously with soil cultivation. In addition, the need for deep loosening arose due to the necessity of breaking up the plough pan, improving soil water permeability and promoting root system development. It is also one of the steps toward reducing dependence on conventional ploughing.

“This approach helps us preserve as much moisture in the soil as possible, optimize diesel fuel consumption and reduce the number of machinery passes. As a result, we avoid excessive soil compaction, preserve the soil structure and achieve the planned yield indicators,” notes Viacheslav Mysenko, Deputy Director of Production at Enselco, a Kernel cluster.

The TERRALAND PROFI deep loosening machines were purchased from BEDNAR’s official dealer in Ukraine — Titan Machinery Ukraine. “We have been cooperating with this dealer for several years. We are very satisfied with the partner’s reliability, the efficiency of service, the availability of spare parts and technical support. Overall, our cooperation experience has been positive. At the beginning, the dealer carried out the commissioning of the machines, trained the personnel and supported the first field operations. Service is provided promptly every time, and spare parts are available. Warranty issues are also resolved within the agreed timeframes,” says Dmytro Solovodov, Chief Engineer at Enselco, a Kernel cluster.

According to him, they specifically chose the model with an additional disc roller, as it allows for further crushing of soil clods, leveling the field surface and reducing the number of subsequent passes by other machinery, which has a positive impact on production economics.

Currently, deep loosening at the agricultural enterprise is carried out differentially, depending on field conditions and the results of agronomic monitoring. If necessary, the share of the area under this type of tillage can be increased. Overall, the workload of each individual machine during the season is determined depending on the structure of the cultivated areas and the production plan for the season.

The deep loosening machines are operated with high-horsepower tractors rated at 400 hp and more, while their productivity depends on the tillage depth and field conditions. The average working speed is usually 8–12 km/h. If necessary, operations are also carried out at night without significant loss of quality. The optimal tillage depth with a deep loosener at Enselco is 25 to 40 cm and depends on the condition and degree of soil compaction.

Enselco’s land bank consists predominantly of black soils and heavy loams. Working with these soils requires maximum flexibility and precision. “We have long abandoned the perception of a field as a single homogeneous area, because even within one field there can be different soil types, terrain, moisture, light conditions and even productivity. Therefore, we work with zoning, meaning the division of the field into separate zones with their own characteristics,” explains Viacheslav Mysenko.

Accordingly, the soil cultivation method, loosening depth and nutrient application rates are adjusted individually for each such area, depending on its specific terrain and moisture, as well as the current indicators of soil density, hardness and agrochemical composition.

Here, a combined approach to the nutrient management system is used, where every gram of fertilizer is applied at the right time to preserve soil fertility and crop productivity

“Our nutrient management system is adjusted each time based on fresh laboratory soil analyses and the planned yield,” notes Viacheslav Mysenko.

The two-compartment COMBO SYSTEM hoppers fit perfectly into this philosophy of variable-rate fertilization at the Enselco cluster. At the same time as deep loosening, they allow nutrients to be delivered directly into the root development zone, increase fertilizer use efficiency and optimize costs.

Moreover, as Dmytro Solovodov, Chief Engineer at Enselco, a Kernel cluster, explained, the two-compartment COMBO SYSTEM hopper allows two different types of fertilizers to be applied simultaneously or distributed into different soil horizons. If necessary, the hopper can also be operated with other compatible machines besides the deep loosener.