It might look like a tool for clearing minefields, but this Dutzi soil conditioner is actually designed for creating good-quality seed-beds in hard-to-handle soils.

© Jonathan Page

The German-built machine has been around for many years, but had fallen out of favour slightly as lighter and cheaper cultivation techniques have come into vogue.

See also: 7 of the latest cultivators on show at Lamma 2016

However, UK importer Wox Agri Services reckons there is now fresh demand for the system, particularly among farmers looking for ways to incorporate bulky cover crops.

At the front of the rig there are subsoiler legs that can work as deep as 15in, followed by a heavy-duty rotor.

This comes in three different guises, but the toughest one, fitted on this machine, comes with replaceable tungsten-carbide teeth.

These are said to chop and mash cover crops into the topsoil, leaving little material sitting on the top. A single or double set of Guttler rings then finishes the job off.

A tractor with at least 180hp is required to handle the 3m version, which costs £31,720 with a double Guttler roller set. Other sizes are available from 2.5m to 4m.