Planting onions

One of the crops planted at this time of year, in spring, is onion. Last week we were with our friend César Luis (from Las Pedroñeras) in one of their fields where they were planting onions. We could discover the tools he uses and the technique he applies is quite curious as you can see in our photos and in this video that we have found searching on the Internet.

The onion plans arrive at the field from the greenhouse in trays of 448 plants (they can also be served in trays of 1,000 plants and 724 plants). César Luis only had trays of 448 plants. The number of plants required for one hectare is about 200,000 plants (about 450 trays per hectare). This quantity can vary according to the distance between plants as the distance between furrows is fixed at 45cm. As you can see in the pictures, the operators have a tube that ends at the tip where they are throwing the plants that are planted in the ground. One person can plant about 90 trays (about 40,000 plants) in one day. The price they charge for this work is around 1.6€/tray and the price that César Luis pays to the greenhouse for the plant is 0.009€/plant.

However, before planting the onion, you need first to prepare the soil very well and make a good fertilizer. César Luis on this occasion has added 250kg/ha of Entec 20-10-10 fertilizer. After the plantation tasks it is necessary to give an irrigation of approximately 4 hours (by sprinkling) if he doesn't want to loss plants, also it helps to the roots to grow well. Another task that must be done right after planting and watering is the phytosanitary treatment in which rooting and dimethoate are provided. This phytosanitary treatment is very important as the plant is cut from the greenhouse. In those cuts that have the leaves can introduce some quite dangerous diseases, so you have to make about 4 phytosanitary treatment during the first month.

Once the period of phytosanitary treatments has passed and the heat increases due to the fact that we would be in June, irrigation becomes practically constant because onion is a crop that needs a lot of water. The final objective is to have a production about 90,000 kg/he that together with a reasonable price (about 0.12€/kg) make this option an attractive crop. This crop has a reputation for having very variable prices where there are years that you can earn money but others you can lose a lot.

Versión en español.

Ebro 6100. The colossus of the field

We still remember today when the Ebro 6100 was advertised on a pyramid of logs with the slogan "The colossus of the field" or when it pulled a convoy of train carriages, and this more than 25 years ago. These were undoubtedly the glorious years of Ebro... Unfortunately we all know the history, which was a real pity the stop of manufacture of Ebro tractors. Even so, we can still see many Ebro tractors in the Spanish fields and they always remind us of our childhood times.

As you can see in the extensive photo gallery from our friend David Rubio, the Ebro tractor is still more alive than ever. David has a farm and livestock in the south of Leon with about 800 hectares and about 5,000 pigs. His tractors are as follows:

• Massey Ferguson 135
• Ebro 8070 DT MTV
• Ebro 6100 DT CI
• Ebro 6100 DT CI
• John Deere 6910
• John Deere 7530
• Fendt 930

Looking at the David's pictures and tractors, we always ask ourselves the question: Why do you like Ebro tractors? The answer is quite simple. He likes them because they're low-consuming tractors. They are very strong tractors and have hardly any breakdowns, and when it happens, they are cheap breakdowns.  The maintenance of these tractors is simple and cheap... the Ebro 6100 tells us that it has been one of the most profitable tractors it has ever had. Nowadays, they are used as support tractors for transportation tasks, phytosanitary treatments, roller tasks, etc. The toughest jobs are left for the biggest tractors, but in the past the Ebro took all the work forward without any problem.

If you look at the specifications of the Ebro 6100, you will notice that it has many of the specifications that today have tractors on the market... and we are talking about a tractor with about 40 years.

• Perkins engine of 6 cylinders, direct injection and 5.8 litres.
• Maximum power DIN70020 102 CV at 2,200 rpm.
• Single disc dry clutch.
• 4-speed synchronized gearbox. Range gearbox with 3 speeds (mid-range and reverse synchronised). Total 12x4.
• Hydraulic rear differential lock (6 discs).
• Hydraulically operated oil-bath disc brakes (diameter of 280 mm).
• Start-up safety mechanism. Independent PTO with hydraulic drive (5 discs) proportional to the advance and to the engine. 540 and 1,000 rpm. 
• Four-wheel drive with epicyclic final reduction. Conical group centred on the axle and automatic differential lock.
• Category II rear three-point linkage with pull and position control and mixed (sensitivity on lower links). Maximum lifting capacity at 610 mm of 3,500 kg.
• Independent hydraulic pump of 50 L/min.
• Hydrostatic steering with 22 L/min pump.
• Wheelbase of 2,573 mm.
• Weight of 4.400 kg.
• MMA of 2,600kg and 5,130 kg in front and rear axle respectively.
• Tank of 146 litres.
• Cab with flat platform and hanging pedals. Indicators of water temperature, fuel level, voltmeter, hydraulic pump pressure, brake fluid, battery charge, flashes, lights, emergency, indicators of PTO, DT and heaters.
• Switches for position, dipped, road and gust lights.

From here we send our congratulations to David for this fantastic collection of Ebro tractors that he enjoys every day. Congratulations!!!

Versión en español.