Modern farming requires innovative irrigation – and more growers than ever are upgrading their pivot systems with state-of-the-art Komet sprinklers Made in Europe. With more than seven decades of experience in the mechanized irrigation market, we’re well aware that choosing the right sprinkler package is a decision that can hugely impact the success of your yield. That’s why we not only offer free, brand-neutral online irrigation training, but have also established a network of irrigation experts who offer on-site consultations in virtually every part of the world.
Ready for change. A few months ago, our Regional Sales Manager for Eurasia, Roman Yakovlev, was called out to Agromonet Farms in Hirsova, Romania: a 2000-hectare enterprise cultivating corn, sunflowers, rapeseed and barley. Around 650 hectares are currently under mechanized irrigation, using a total of 12 pivots and 25 hose-reel systems. Given the region’s relatively dry climate, this culminates in around 1000 hours of irrigation per season.
Netcu George, who has been managing the farm since 2009, was looking for a large-scale overhaul of his irrigation set-up – including an upgrade of the sprinkler packages that had come with his pivots at the time.
Roman, our Sales Manager for this region, started his on-site visit by assessing the crop and soil type (sandy loam), as well as the quality of the water, which in this case is drawn from the nearby river and canal. In collaboration with Netcu’s equipment dealer, Roman suggested trying out the Komet Precision Twister (KPT) Black on a consignment basis. This would allow Netcu to see the performance of this ultra-efficient flagship sprinkler directly in his field before making any purchasing decisions.
Choosing the model. Our portfolio of sprinkler-heads, high-volume guns and pivot software is consciously streamlined: thanks to our core focus on versatility, performance and longevity, choosing the right Komet sprinkler is as easy and efficient as the use of our products itself.
The Black variant of the KPT, for example, (equipped with a black 10-groove deflector) distributes evenly sized droplets at a standard trajectory angle – making it suitable for a highly universal range of crop types and applications. For more specialized uses, Komet’s product catalog offers two KPT variants with a low (blue deflector) and ultra-low (yellow deflector) trajectory, as well as the KPT PC (for part-circle irrigation) and the KPT Peak for top-of-pipe installation.
Most importantly, however, all variants of our KPT sprinkler line-up maintain a constant rotational speed even if the pivot system’s operating pressure has been changed. This means that the droplet size (and therefore the impact force) of the KPTs can be adjusted to match the growth stages and needs of different crops without compromising uniformity.
In Netcu’s case, we initially equipped one whole pivot with a sprinkler package comprised of the KPT Black (standard angle), combined with the Komet KPR-X pressure regulator and Komet Twin Max end guns on the outermost spans to make the most of this (often overlooked) extra growing space.
It wasn’t long before we received the first glowing reports from Agromonet Farms: “Netcu is pleased with the uniformity, and describes a visibly improved distribution compared to the rotating devices he used before,” our Regional Sales Manager documented this first feedback, adding: “He has also noticed the crops looking much better under the KPT.”
When you know, you know. After this trial period, George installed KPT Blacks along four of his existing pivots – as well as ordering multiple new pivots complete with KPTs. When it comes to buying a sprinkler package, peace of mind is the feeling you should be aiming for – and we are committed to helping growers make a genuinely informed decision.
Expert support. Our Regional Sales Manager also made sure that the farm’s new sprinkler packages were optimally configured: “We were dealing with several different pivot lengths, from 280 meters (approx. 900 feet) to 500 meters (1600 feet),” Roman explains. “With the previous design, the sprinklers were installed at every other outlet on the 1-4 spans, spaced 6 meters (19.7 feet) apart. But we did the charts for the KPT Black and decided to use the 6-meter spacing on the first span, followed by 3 meters (9.8 feet) on the other spans.”
Conclusion. After his first growing season with his brand-new set-up (comprising KPT Blacks across multiple pivots, combined with Komet KPR-X regulators and Komet Twin Max end guns), Netcu couldn’t be happier: “We’ve had absolutely no issues and the uniformity has been great, with gentle droplets and a distribution pattern that looks like natural rain.”
Get in touch with your region’s Komet irrigation expert – find our list of Technical Sales Managers here.
Would you like to improve your own irrigation knowledge? Then the Komet Academy is for you: product-neutral online irrigation training, live-streamed by our experts and completely free of charge.
