2077results about "Root feeders" patented technology

A transplanting method of big camphor trees comprises selection of the big camphor trees, transplanting, transplanting transportation of trees, planting and planting management. Particularly, the angle of a planting sunny side cannot be deviated by over 10 degrees, root irrigation is performed by using ABT rooting powder, microorganism fertilizer, bactericide liquid chemical and the like which are used in backfill soil according to a fixed proportion, and 1-naphthylacetic acid alcohol water solution of 100-200ppm is used for irrigation after planting of the big camphor trees. The special technical processing of camphor transplanting is that 1-naphthylacetic acid auxin of 0.01-0.03% is added to used mud, the theory of a big wiping head and a big soil ball is adopted, 1-naphthylacetic acid rooting powder is added to the root portions during transplanting, leaves are picked instantly after planting, a blade surface agent is sprayed to new leaves, and originality is provided in the overwintering and antifreezing aspects. By means of the transplanting method, transplanting survival rate of the camphor trees with the tree age below 20 years is over 99%, and transplanting survival rate of the camphor trees with the tree age over 20 years is over 95%. The transplanting method of the big camphor trees can be suitable for transplanting of big trees and old trees under the conditions of other different altitudes, longitudes and latitudes, climate and the like.

A grow light fixture that may be used for the replacement of high intensity discharge (HID) lamp fixtures used for growing plants includes a housing containing a plurality of both red and blue high power LEDs mounted to a circuit board, and powered by an onboard power supply. Control circuitry may include separate, infinitely variable controls to enable independent adjustment of the red and blue LED light output. A plurality of thermal vias made of copper or other thermally conductive material extend through the circuit board to conduct heat from the LEDs to a heat sink mounted on the back of the circuit board, and a fan may be used to vent the heat to the outside of the housing. The housing is mounted an appropriate distance above a plant in a growth media to provide user-controlled lighting for enhanced plant growth.

An autonomous water source (AWS) for extracting water from ambient air and delivering it to a plant to support growth. The system is based on an adsorption-desorption-condensation (ADC) cycle using a sorption material to extract moisture from ambient air and condensing the water vapor driven off from the sorption material by subsequent heating and followed by condensation. Liquid condensate produced in this process on the condenser is collected and delivered by gravity to a plant to reduce thermal stress and to support growth. The invention provides a sustainable source of irrigation water for agriculture and forestry, including areas where no water resources exist or are not economically viable. It can be tailored in size, and therefore, output capacity, reflecting the desired water requirements of a particular application, and can be used to replace most agricultural situations now reliant on surface water drip feed systems. The device is simple, rugged, invulnerable to rain, snow, and freezing conditions, and can be designed to last for many years without service as there are few moving parts and power required for operation is provided by sunlight.

A plant air purifying enclosure, or “PAPE,” contained within an unconditioned space, either within or outside a building, containing therein a plant air purifier, which is used to purify air using plants and microbes growing therein. The PAPE enclosure itself receives poor indoor quality air from within structure where the PAPE is located or from a structure close by along with thermal energy which keeps the plant air purifier enclosure at a suitable temperature for the plants and air cleaning microbes within the air purifier. Poor air enters the enclosure, is purified by the plants and microbes, and returns in purified form back to the habitable space from which it was taken. This lowers the amount of outside air needed for ventilation purposes and so lessens a building's overall energy consumption while providing efficiently for naturally purified air. Fundamentally, the object of this invention is to specify devices, systems and methods to house / enclose plant purifiers in such a way that they can readily be deployed on a wide scale.

The present invention relates to a method for controlling pathogen growth on live plants and mushrooms using UV-C light and an apparatus for use in the method. Also provided are methods for removing surplus leaves and methods for destroying aerial plant parts prior to harvest of underground roots, tubers or bulbs.

A transport subsystem conveys seed holding well trays between a plurality of stations. A loading subsystem is positioned at a first station and is operable to load seeds into individual wells of the conveyed tray. An imaging subsystem is positioned at a second station and is operable to image the seeds contained within the tray wells. A mechanism is provided for flipping the seeds so as to enable the imaging subsystem to obtain multi-side seed images. A sorting subsystem is positioned at a third station and is operable to remove the seeds from the tray wells and sort the removed seeds into a plurality of sort bins. The sorting determination may be made based on an analysis of the seed images obtained by the imaging subsystem.

A soil manipulating tool is disclosed which has a handle (12) and a soil penetrating portion (14). The soil penetrating portion (14) is formed from a helical or spiral rod or wire (13) which defines a cavity (18). The rod or wire (13) may be hollow so that fertilizer or other liquid material can pass through the hollow rod wire (13) into the soil in which the tool is to be used. The tool may also include an abutment member for limiting the amount of penetration of the tool into the soil to facilitate churning up of the soil and a blade may also be provided across one of the spirals of the portion (14) to provide a chopping of soil so that a hole can be formed by removal of a plug of soil but at the same time leaving loosened soil at the bottom of the hole. The tool has particular application in aerating and manipulating composted material and the removal of composted material from a compost bin as well as garden applications for the formation of holes, and the aeration of soil facilitating plant growth.

A method and system of treating plants is provided. The method includes measuring optical properties of a plant using a plurality of spectral bands. The method further includes calculating in a computational device at least two vegetative indexes using the optical properties, each of the at least two vegetative indexes correlating to one or more plant growth parameters. The method further includes calculating in the computational device a water invariant chlorophyll index from at least two vegetative indexes using the plurality of spectral bands. The also provides for treating one or more of the plants based on the water invariant chlorophyll index.

An efficient scalable networkable grow light system ensures that a DLI suitable for optimal plant growth without causing heat stress is met by selectively illuminating lighting elements of determined wavelengths, and adjusting intensity of the lighting elements, and adjusting the height of an assembly containing the lighting elements, if sensed ambient light is inadequate to meet the DLI. A hoist adjusts height to provide full illumination without causing heat stress, while reducing inefficiency due to excessive distance. If sensed ambient lighting is sufficient to meet the DLI, supplemental lighting is not activated.

A multifunction plant cultivation LED able to control the growing speed of plants is to properly select the composition material and proportion of LED to enable the LED to emit light with different wavelengths and colors. Then, specific wavelengths beneficial to the growth of plants and able to offer best bright for human naked eyes are selected from light spectrums to make up a LED light source with multiple wavelengths for irradiating landscaping plants and flowers and controlling their growing speed as well as for seeing, enjoying and for lighting, versatile in use, having high efficiency and saving electricity.

A watering and shading device for at least one plant is disclosed. The device comprises an elongated substantially hollow shaft. A top end of the shaft terminates in a preferably flared funnel-shaped opening for receiving water, and a bottom end terminates in a soil-penetrating spike for inserting into soil. The spike includes at least one aperture therein for allowing water to pass from the inside of the hollow shaft therethrough. The device also includes a shading umbrella that comprises at least one non-transparent panel attached at one portion thereof to a shaft attachment means. The umbrella may be selectively placed in a deployed position or a collapsed position at a selected height along the shaft. The shaft includes a valve mechanism therein proximate the bottom end controlled by a moisture detection means for regulating the position of the valve mechanism based upon the soil moisture level. At least one solar-powered lantern may be included, fixed to the shading structure, and activated upon a photovoltaic cell detecting darkening conditions.

The present invention discloses a system for illuminating plants in an indoor site, comprising a plurality of illumination units for emitting light in intermittent pulses; a central unit connected to the plurality of illumination units for synchronizing the operation of the plurality of illumination units, such that two or more plants clusters receive light in intermittent pulses emitted in the same time. The illumination units may contain wireless communication units and are synchronized wirelessly. The present invention also discloses adjusting an illumination plan of plants according to information of various types from a central server and adjusting the height of the illumination units accordingly. The system adjusts illumination plans according to information received from one or more sites, and predicts problematic situations from a series of images.

A rotary growing apparatus comprises a cylindrical structure or drum provided with a series of parallel elongated, longitudinally extending, baskets adapted to receive therein the plants to be grown. A support base is provided for the drum, and a drive mechanism is adapted to rotate the drum on the support base about a rotational axis of the drum. At least one light source extends inside the drum about which the drum and the plants carried thereby can rotate. A feeding system provides nutrient fluid to the growing plants as the drum rotates and the baskets contact the nutrient fluid. The elongated baskets each include a bottom wall and a pair of side walls and are capable of receiving therein a series of plants supported by a growing medium. The elongated baskets define in the bottom and side walls thereof a plurality of apertures for allowing the nutrient fluid to access the plants. The elongated baskets are removably attached to a pair of parallel and opposed rims of the drum.

A unitized mat to facilitate growing plants includes at least two polymeric material layers defining fluid-conveying passageways forming distribution headers and a flow restrictor, an inlet for delivery of a fluid into the distribution headers, and an outlet for dispensing fluid into a root zone area covered by at least one layer of the polymeric material layers. The polymeric layers are sized and shaped to cover an area immediately around at least one plant. The flow restrictor, for metering the fluid, is in fluid connection with the distribution header and a multi-dimensional array of outlets. The present invention combines a fluid distribution device and artificial mulching. The method of manufacturing and using the unitized mat to enhance the growth of plants is also disclosed.

An assembly for promoting the growth of plant tissues that includes a plurality of plates each defining an array of wells wherein each of the wells contains a tissue sample. Support for the plates is provided by a rack having a plurality of vertically stacked shelves that may include one or more register depressions that urge the plates into predetermined positions. Light for the tissue samples is provided by a plurality of light-emitting diode arrays each mounted on a circuit board. Each circuit board is supported by a respective card edge connector of the rack so that the light-emitting diodes are in proximity to the plates supported on one of the shelves therebelow. Preferably, the light-emitting diode array corresponds to the well array supported in the registered position on the shelf therebelow so that each light-emitting diode is centered above a respective one of the wells.

A system and a method of computer controlled irrigation and fertigation composed of one or more sensors positioned in order to quantify the amount of water and / or nutrients that a plant is consuming. By controlling the fertigation, the plant or a part thereof, has improved yield and quality,

The different illustrative embodiments provide a method and system for watering plants. A map of an area is received and a determination is made using a processing unit as to whether the area needs water. If the area needs water, current constraints are identified and a determination is made using the processing system as to whether the current constraints allow for watering. If the current constraints allow for watering, a watering solution application plan is generated using the processing system, and the watering solution application plan is executed using a mobile utility vehicle.

Disclosed is a lighting assembly for growing plants. The lighting assembly has a first light source emitting light in a first wavelength range of 600 to 750 nm; a second light source emitting light in a second wavelength range of 375 to 500 nm; and a controller for controlling the output of the first light source independent from the output of the second light source. Disclosed are also an enclosure for growing plants, and a method for growing plants.

A structural cell system is disclosed for supporting hardscape areas in a way that enables tree root growth and accommodates filtering, retention, storage and infiltration of storm water while preventing hardscape damage. The system includes a plurality of structural cells capable of being positioned below a hardscape. The structural cells are designed to have openings that are sized to accept tree roots. The system has one or more permeable barriers around the structural cells with a way for water to flow into the plurality of structural cells flow out of the structural cells.

In a plant growing system, a first light source irradiates a plant with light having a peak wavelength in a range from 380 to 560 nm and a peak wavelength in a range from 560 to 680 nm and a second light source irradiates the plant with far-red light having a peak wavelength in a range from 685 to 780 nm. Further, a control unit controls the first and the second light source to perform respective irradiation operations and a time setting unit sets a first and a second time zone in which the control unit controls the first and the second light source to perform the respective irradiation operations. The first time zone ranges from a first predetermined time before sunset to a second predetermined time after sunset, and the second time zone starts after the first light source completes its irradiation operation.

A molded body for improving cultivation conditions for plants, which is suitable inter alia for arrangement in a plant holder. The molded body has a tapered projection and is arranged in such a way that the projection protrudes into the plant substrate in the plant holder. The projection has elements allowing an exchange of substances between the interior and the surroundings of the projection. This allows the targeted introduction of air, water, nutrients and auxiliary substances into the plant substrate and the root conglomerates. The molded body has a recess which acts as a water reservoir that is separate from the plant substrate. The molded body is water-permeable in the upper part and essentially impermeable to water at the bottom, in the tip of the projection.

The present invention circumvents inherent inefficiencies of photosynthesis by exposing chloroplast (or equivalents thereof) to light in a periodic manner during the organisms' “daylight” cycle. Optical, electro-optical, and / or electromechanical techniques are introduced to conventional farming methods to increase the conversion efficiency and farming yield many-fold. A module is provided that carries out the above benefits. The module includes: a solar distribution sub-system; and a structure having a plurality of growing levels configured and dimensioned to support a desired quantity of plant life and associated nutrient sources (e.g., soil, hydroponic, or an equivalent nutrient source).

A system for raising and lowering a wide range of objects on an elongated tubular structure includes a carriage subsystem with a tubular body having an interior central channel an inner diameter greater than the outer diameter of the elongated tubular structure. Rollers facilitate linear translation of the tubular body along the elongated tubular structure. At least one hook is pivotally mounted on the tubular body and configured to controllably engage a means for locking the carriage in a raised position. The carriage subsystem also includes a flange for attaching an object to the carriage subsystem. A winch and cable control motion of the carriage system between a lowered position adjacent to the base and a raised position adjacent to the top of the tubular structure. A collar attached to the top of the tubular structure includes a tubular body with an outer diameter less than the inner diameter of the tubular body of the carriage subsystem. At least one slot is formed in the tubular body of the collar and configured for controllable engagement by the hook pivotally mounted on the tubular body in the interior central channel of the carriage subsystem. At least one pulley is rotatably mounted to the tubular body of the collar and configured for guiding a lanyard attached to the carriage subsystem at one end of the lanyard. An irrigation subsystem may be provided to irrigate supported planters. An electrical subsystem comprising aligned electrode assemblies may also be provided to supply electric power to an electrical load supported by the carriage when the carriage is locked in the raised position.

A module is provided that maximizes agricultural land usage. The module includes a water collection structure supported above agricultural land. The water collection structure may include a mechanism for distributing photonic energy to plants growing on the agricultural land; and a water distribution system for distributing collected water from said water collection structure to plants growing on the agricultural land and / or the soil in which said plants are planted. The present module may also include energy storage systems, thereby allowing the module to be partially or completely self-sustaining.

A grow system is disclosed herein. The grow system can include a grow device that can include a light system including a plurality of light sources, a light position controller, and a processor. The processor can receive information relating to a plant to be grown by the grow system and can, based on that information, identify an operation program that specifies lighting and positioning of the illumination system. Using the operation program, the processor can generate one or several control signals to control the operation of the light system and the light position system.

The invention relates to a method and system for volume-specific treatment of ground and plants as required. The aim of the invention is to improve a method and system as above, such that the distribution of plants is scanned with complete spatial coverage and the treatment of the ground or plant condition is efficiently controlled, by simultaneously taking account of morphological, plant physiological, equipment performance and specific local properties.

In an illumination apparatus for plant growth using LEDs, a light source emitting mixed color light of red and blue is dominant light source. However, actually, the luminescence intensity of red light is weaker than that of blue light, and the color is adjusted by the number of lamps used. Thus, a small number of blue LEDs are interspersed among a large number of red LEDs, and there is a problem in that it is not possible to make irradiation of blue light uniform. The present invention provides a multicolor light emitting diode lamp in which a blue LED and a AlGaInP-based red LED having high luminescence efficiency, balancing with the blue LED are mounted in the same package. The red LED includes a light emitting section including a light emitting layer having a composition formula, (AlXGa1-X)YIn1-YP (0≦X≦1 and 0<Y≦1). The red LED emits at least as many photons as the blue LED when the same electric current is flowed. For example, when a strong red light is desirable for plant growth, by mounting two red LEDs and one blue LED, a desired mixed color is obtained with one lamp, and irradiation of light can be made uniform.

To provide an illuminator for plant growth that can illuminate a plant intermittently (pulse illumination) or continuously to cause an effect similar to sunbeam spot phenomenon, thereby accelerating photosynthetic reaction.Specifically, the illuminator for plant growth includes a light source composed of a semiconductor optical device, a control unit for outputting a turn-on timing signal for the light source, a rhythm signal detecting unit for A / D converting an input rhythm signal, a timing signal modulating unit for modulating the turn-on timing signal with the output signal from the rhythm signal detecting unit, and a pulse drive unit for pulse-modulating a power signal with the modulated turn-on timing signal outputted from the timing signal modulating unit and supplying the pulse-modulated power signal to the light source.