Hortech, integrated solutions for horticulture

Hortech in Padua specializes in the design and manufacture of machinery for the horticulture sector for soil preparation, seeding and transplant and integrated harvesting.  Among the new products the company is presenting at the upcoming Agritechnica in Hanover is the AI MAXI model in the soil preparation segment, a bed-former stone burier equipped with a double steel grate, carrying a Hortech patent, capable of working heavy and stony soil and handling surface crop residues. The AI MAXI also features a device for self-cleaning in operations for throwing stones and the clods against the grate which filters and buries them under a layer of about 10-20 cm to leave soft, light and well levelled soil with no surface residues. In the harvesting sector, Hortech is also unwrapping the Slide Valeriana, a machine designed for the corn salad (Valerianella locusta) harvest, equipped with a system of cleated combs which clean the product during cutting to reduce the processing time and avoid damaging the plants because they are sent to the belt upright unlike other systems which flip them over leading to possible damage. Then the vibration of the belt ensures that the product gets good cleaning from soil or sand. With the Slide Valeriana the operator can load the product into crates which are automatically weighed and then offloaded to a trailer via a lateral discharge. The self-propelled harvester was also designed for work in greenhouses but, a Hortech communique reported, guarantees excellent open field performance even on wet terrain thanks to the four-wheel drive and hydrostatic transmission. In the same market segment, the Slide FW XL is a machine for harvesting baby leaf, rocket, spinach, and all leaf vegetables grown in greenhouses or in open field. This harvester features a strong structure, a great load capacity and excellent maneuverability with four-wheel drive.