16561results about "Fertilising methods" patented technology

Modern farming is currently being done by powerful ground equipment or aircraft that weigh several tons and treat uniformly tens of hectares per hour. Automated farming can use small, agile, lightweight, energy-efficient automated robotic equipment that flies to do the same job, even able to farm on a plant-by-plant basis, allowing for new ways of farming. A hybrid airship-drone has both passive lift provided by a gas balloon and active lift provided by propellers. A hybrid airship-drone may be cheaper, more stable in flight, and require less maintenance than other aerial vehicles such as quadrocopters. However, hybrid airship-drones may also be larger in size and have more inertia that needs to be overcome for starting, stopping and turning.

A seeding apparatus having a distribution manifold with selectively openable outlet ports thereon, to permit or stop delivery of seed or fertilizer to soil A meter device, responsive to both the number of selected open ports and the speed of the apparatus over the ground, is provided to regulate supply of seed / fertilizer to a distribution manifold. The distribution manifold has a plurality of outlet ports spaced about a periphery of such manifold, each outlet port having a valve to allow opening and closing of individual outlet ports. Soil engaging members on such apparatus are individually raisable from an lowered operative position to a raised inoperative position, and when moved to such inoperative position, valve associated with an outlet port for providing seed and / or fertilizer to such soil engaging member is closed to prevent supply to the associated soil engaging member.

An example machinery includes an automated crop management motorized vehicle having an intelligent, modularized image sensor (e.g. camera or video) system that is portable to other crop management vehicles such as a combine, planter or a tillage machine. The image sensor system includes a framework having a bank of procedures for monitoring and control of navigation, spray application, weeding, seeding, machine configuration, in real time as the machines go through a crop field throughout a crop cycle. One example implementation includes electronic circuits, with more than one set mounted on a platform that facilitates moving the setup to other agricultural machines. The framework captures, preserves and corrects the captured images for real time analysis and response, and for spray management to improve crop yield that is correlated with the machine settings and crop management practices.

A seeding machine having a plurality of row units and a processing circuit. Each of the row units have a seed metering device, a seed placement device and a sensor suitable to detect a parameter related to seed placement. The seed metering device includes a metering member providing a metering action to a plurality of seeds. The seed placement device receives the seeds from the seed metering device. A seed meter drive controller receives an index signal from the sensor on the row unit as well as a reference pulse signal. The processing signal of the drive controllers compares the index signal to the reference signal. Each drive controller is selectively programmable to control an associated motor of the meter drive to produce a desired relationship between the row unit index signal and the reference signal thereby synchronizing the seed placement among two or more rows. block diagram illustrating an alternative arrangement of the meter drive and control system components.

The invention relates to a method for cultivating tea, particularly the method for organically cultivating tea, which comprises the following processes: (I) establishing an artificial complex ecological organic tea garden; (II) selecting tea seeds of the organic tea garden; (III) planting tea; (IV) seedling stage management; (V) soil management of the organic tea garden; (VI) nutrient management and utilization of the organic tea garden; (VII) pest control of the organic tea garden; (VIII) tea pruning of organic tea. The method for cultivating tea has the following positive effects that: as the organic tea is the inevitable trend of future tea production, the invention regulates organic planting of tea in China and promotes the large-scale development of tea producing areas toward harmlessness and organification; the method for cultivating tea does not rely on advantage factors of microecological nature of producing areas, makes full use of modern technical achievements and has strong technical operability, thereby ensuring the quality of the organic tea.

An object of the present invention is to provide a bactericide (and a fungicide) that is highly safe and has strong bactericidal power even when used in low concentration, and that can be used repeatedly in a sterilizing process.The object can be achieved by the bactericide (or the fungicide) comprising a polar solvent extract of leaves of eucalyptus plants and chitosan. The polar solvent is preferably chosen from the group consisting of lower alcohols and glycols.

An ultra precise seed planter apparatus and method for generating a centimeter accuracy map of the location of seeds or vegetation as they are planted from an agricultural planting machine. The apparatus is fitted with a GPS receiver feeding a data logger, and optical sensors that are placed adjacent seed or vegetation dispenser. The data logger monitors GPS time and UTM coordinates, as well as the optical sensors. Ground speed and azimuth are also monitored. The seeds or vegetation are time-tagged as they are dispensed, and software is used to process the dispensing time and GPS location data and estimate the exact coordinates of each seed or plant and its distance from adjacent seeds or plants. As a result, a precise planting map is generated. The invention may also be used to determine the location to dispense seeds or vegetation, and activating the dispenser when that location is reached.

A method of controlling the release rate of an agricultural active ingredient from a seed that has been treated with that active includes providing a seed that has been treated with the active ingredient, applying to the treated seed a film that includes an emulsion of a polymer in a liquid in which both the agricultural active ingredient and the polymer have low levels of solubility, and then curing the film to form a water insoluble polymer coating on the surface of the treated seed. Seeds that have been treated by this method are also provided.

A zone tillage tool comprises a tool frame connected by a parallel lift linkage to a tool bar. A fall tillage coulter or dual spring tillage coulters can be carried on the tool frame in advance of a pair of containment coulters. The fall tillage coulter tills soil in a zone that is approximately 7 to 9 inches deep while the spring tillage coulters till 2 to 3 inches deep. The fall tillage coulter includes a plurality of shovel bits located around the circumference thereof at a forward rake angle. The tip of each shovel bit has a generally vertical entry position into the ground due to the forward rake angle. As the fall tillage coulter rotates, the shovel bits rotate around and exit the soil in a generally horizontal position, thereby lifting and loosening the soil without compacting the soil through a series of rearwardly and upwardly directed soil scooping actions.

A mobile soil mapping system includes an implement for traversing a field to be mapped, and a reflectance module carried by the implement for collecting spectroscopic measurements of soil in the field. The reflectance module has a light source, an optical receiver for transmitting light to a spectrometer, and a shutter system that alters the optical path between the light source and the optical receiver. The shutter system allows the system to automatically collect a dark reference measurement and a known reference material measurement at timed intervals to compensate for drift of the spectrometer and the light source. A self-cleaning window on the reflectance module has a lower surface maintained in firm contact with the soil during operation. External reference blocks are used to calibrate the system to ensure standardized, repeatable data. Additional sensors are carried by the implement to collect other soil data, such as electrical conductivity and temperature.

A device to provide hyperspectral reflection spectrum, hyperspectral depolarization, and hyperspectral fluorescence spectrum data in a portable, remote sensing instrument. The device can provide a large range of remotely-sensed optical property data, presently only obtainable in laboratories, in a low-cost field instrument. Among its many uses, the present invention can be used by farmers as a tool for determining the nitrogen content of crops to optimize fertilizer laydown.

A seed delivery system for use in a seeding or planting machine that removes the seed from a seed meter by capturing the seed therefrom. The delivery system then moves the seed down to a lower discharge point and accelerates the seed horizontally rearward to a speed approximately equal to the forward travel speed of the seeding machine such that the seed, when discharged has a low or zero horizontal velocity relative to the ground. Rolling of the seed in the trench is thus reduced. Furthermore, as the seed only has a short drop from the outlet to the bottom of the seed trench, the seed has little vertical speed to induce bounce. The delivery system uses a brush belt to capture, move and accelerate the seed. By capturing the seed and moving it from the meter to the discharge, the seed is held in place relative to other seeds and the planter row unit. As a result, the seeds are isolated from row unit dynamics thereby maintaining seed spacing.

An agricultural seeder or fertilizer having a meter device which dispenses seed or fertilizer to a plurality of ground-engaging members. The supply of metered seed or fertilizer to each of the ground-engaging members is controlled via input from a GPS / GNSS satellite navigation system to prevent the meter device delivering seed or fertilizer to selected of the ground-engaging members which would otherwise pass over soil which has been previously seeded or fertilized. Raising means, responsive to input from said GPS / GNSS satellite navigation system detecting that the device is travelling or is about to travel over areas of soil that has been previously seeded or fertilized, is further is provided to raise the selected ground-engaging members to which delivery of seed / fertilizer has been prevented in order to prevent soil which has been previously seeded or fertilized from being disturbed. A method of operating a seeder / fertilizer implement to achieve the aforesaid is further disclosed.

The invention discloses a sodium alginate oligosaccharide coated slow-release fertilizer. Coated materials of the slow-release fertilizer contain sodium alginate oligosaccharide and an auxiliary coated material, wherein sodium alginate oligosaccharide is composed of two structural units, namely a-L-mannuronic acid and b-D-guluronic acid. The two structural units are linked in three ways by 1,4-glucosidic bond, so as to form a unbranched linear segmented copolymer. The coated slow-release fertilizer is mainly applied in commercial crops, fruit and vegetable crops, grain crops, economic forest, flowers and plants, traditional Chinese medicinal materials, lawn and the like. By introducing organism-derived sodium alginate oligosaccharide into the coated materials of the slow-release fertilizer, nutritive elements required by plant growth and development can be supplemented by a slow-release approach, and the plant growth promoting effect of sodium alginate oligosaccharide also can be performed so as to finally achieve the yield-increasing effect. In addition, a medicament prepared by using sodium alginate oligosaccharide as the main coated material composition is safe and nontoxic and has advantages of low cost, small application amount and the like.

Some embodiments include a method. The method can include mapping a spatial pattern of yield for a crop of an agricultural field and prescribing spatially-variable application rates of one or more nutrients for the agricultural field. Other embodiments of related methods and systems are also disclosed.

A mobile soil mapping system includes an implement for traversing a field to be mapped, and a reflectance module carried by the implement for collecting spectroscopic measurements of soil in the field. The reflectance module has a light source, an optical receiver for transmitting light to a spectrometer, and a shutter system that alters the optical path between the light source and the optical receiver. The shutter system allows the system to automatically collect a dark reference measurement and a known reference material measurement at timed intervals to compensate for drift of the spectrometer and the light source. A self-cleaning window on the reflectance module has a lower surface maintained in firm contact with the soil during operation. External reference blocks are used to calibrate the system to ensure standardized, repeatable data. Additional sensors are carried by the implement to collect other soil data, such as electrical conductivity and temperature.

A nurse distribution system provides dual capabilities for planting different seed varieties from a single planting mechanism. The air cart carries two tanks in which different seed varieties can be placed. The nurse mechanism selectively distributes seed from one tank to the on-row singulation meters, yet can switch to the seed in the second tank to correspond to different soil conditions encountered by the planting mechanism. The planting mechanism carries a first line from the first tank to the nurse receiver and a parallel second line from the second tank to the same nurse receiver. By keeping the nurse receiver as small as possible, thus having a small seed reservoir, the seed variety selection can be switched from one tank to the other in an effective manner.

The invention discloses an environmentally friendly biochar-based fertilizer and an application method thereof. The preparation of the biochar-based fertilizer comprises the following steps of: drying and crushing forestry and agricultural residues, then performing oxygen limited pyrolysis on the crushed materials for 1-5 hours at 300 to 700 DEG C, and sieving, thereby obtaining biochar; and after the biochar is fixed with persistent organic pollutant degrading bacteria, mixing the biochar with a fertilizer, stirring the two thoroughly, and adding a binder accounting for 1wt%-4wt% of the total weight, thus obtaining the environmentally friendly biochar-based fertilizer. For application, the prepared environmentally friendly biochar-based fertilizer is applied to soil by 100-1000 kg per hectare; the surface layer of soil, to which the biochar-based fertilizer is applied previously, is turned over by 0-20 cm, so that the biochar-based fertilizer is mixed with the soil thoroughly, and then the soil can be used for planting crops. The environmentally friendly biochar-based fertilizer provided by the invention overcomes the shortcoming that present biochar-based fertilizers contain organic pollutants such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon, the influence of the fertilizer on soil and environment is alleviated, and the safety risk of agricultural products is reduced; moreover, the environmentally friendly biochar-based fertilizer has the advantages of simple and practicable preparation process, low cost and the like.

A planting system for planting multiple seed varieties. The planting system includes a planter having a plurality of tanks and a plurality of row units. A plurality of seed meters are included in of the plurality of the row units. A seed transport belt is disposed below the plurality of seed meters to transport seed from each of the plurality of seed meters into a seed tube. Each of the plurality of seed meters is engaged and disengaged by a clutch, and the seed transport belt is disposed below the plurality of seed meters in an angled orientation.

The invention provides a system, device and method that can control the rates of seed dispensation and fertilizer application as a function of forward speed as well as across all rows. Thus, the system and control device allow control of each individual row unit, whereby dispensation and application are effected, by a central controller which controls a plurality of pulse width modulation valves, each of which controls a hydraulic motor with an integrated rpm reduction and which drives a stub drive shaft which rotates at the proper speed in order to provide the desired seed and fertilizer metering. Each of the stub drive shafts may rotate at completely different speeds and / or may be shut down while the remaining stub drive shafts rotate at the desired speed. The integrated rpm reduction within each hydraulic motor allows very fine rotational control of the dispensation and application rates.

A method of combined intercropping and mulching of commercial crops is described herein. Suitable annuals such as young wheat and / or buckwheat plants are planted in soil in which legumes were originally planted. A portion of the resulting upper portions of young wheat and / or buckwheat plants is mowed and blended with organic debris to provide nutrients for intercropped commercial plants such as corn and soybeans. The remaining portion is chopped blended with organic debris and sprayed onto the top layer of seeded soil as combination mulch. For larger commercial applications, conventional agricultural machines are described herein, and are modified for the most efficient intercropping. For best results, at least one intercropped commercial plant should be a legume.

An agricultural planting system and method comprising a soil sampling and analysis means, wherein soil samples are taken and analyzed in real-time during a planting operation (or, optionally, via a separate, prior operation) to determine the conditions and nutrient content of the soil, and a planting system, wherein the planting system is capable of planting seeds in any arbitrary position on an X-Y plane directly beneath the planting system, whereby the data gathered from the analyzed soil samples is used to determine the optimal placement of seeds or plants in a field in order to take advantage of the soil conditions present and to optimize crop yield.

The invention discloses a water-saving fertilizer-saving method for crop rotation of winter wheat and summer maize and belongs to the technical field of agriculture. The water-saving fertilizer-saving method comprises a wheat planting method and a maize planting method, wherein the wheat planting method and the maize planting method both comprise steps of seeding, fertilizing, irrigating, field management, chemical weeding, pest control, harvesting and the like, and all the wheat and maize straws are returned to the fields. By means of the water-saving fertilizer-saving method, the effect of water saving, fertilizer saving and high yield is improved, the fertilizer utilization rate is increased, and fertilizing labor intensity and cost are reduced.

A seed metering assembly for a farm implement has a meter roller that can be accessed and removed in a relatively quick manner. The seed metering assembly includes a fluted meter roller that is segmented into a number of discrete fluted sections. Each fluted section has an associated flow control member that is selectively operable to impede the flow of granular material from a seed hopper to its corresponding section of the fluted meter roller.

A method for improving and utilizing the serious saline-alkaline land at seaside includes such areas as digging ponds to build high-level field, arranging water supplying and draining ditches in the field, planting agricultural crops in the high-level field, and culturing aquatic animals in ponds.

The invention discloses a method for planting se-enriched rice. The method comprises the following steps of land selection and preparation; seeding; seedling culturing; transplanting; field management: intertillage, weeding, topdressing and insect pest prevention; and harvesting. The selenium content of rice planted by using the method is high, and the yield of the rice is also high. Testing confirms that the yield of the se-enriched rice is 620-650kg per acre, and the selenium content of the rice ranges from 0.1 mg / kg to 0.3mg / kg.

The invention relates to a technique of remediation of slightly and medio- metal-contaminated vegetable soil with production. The specific steps are as follows: firstly, Sedum alfredii and Elsholtzia splendens are intercropped in vegetable soil contaminated by heavy metal such as cadmium, copper and zinc in spring with a with inter plant distance of ten to fifteen centimeters, row spacing of thirty centimeters; secondly, the Sedum alfredii is harvested periodically, a growth period of Sedum alfredii is three to four months during a first harvest, from then on, the Sedum alfredii is harvested every three months or when growing to a height of thirty to forty centimeters, stems of a height of two to three centimeters are left above the ground in harvest; the Elsholtzia splendens is harvested in October; thirdly, a cadmium-enriched rape is planted after the harvest of the Elsholtzia splendens with the spacing in the row of fifteen to twenty centimeters and is harvested in April of the next year; fourthly, a cucumber is planted after the harvest of the rape with the spacing in the row of twenty to twenty-five centimeters, a cabbage is planted after the harvest of the cucumber in September, the Elsholtzia splendens is planted after the harvest of the cabbage, then a restoring period is completed. Adopting a super accumulator plant for absorbing a plurality of heavy metal from the soil, the invention achieves reducing the heavy metal content in the vegetables and guaranteeing the safety of the farm produce.