WO2000048448A1 - Process in fluid implantation in growth medium - Google Patents

Abstract

A method for fluidic implantation of living particles, such as seeds, spores, artificially dormant cells and the like, and/or an additive or additives into soil or other growth media, wherein an injection liquid containing said living particles and/or additive or additives in suspension or solution is injected in a single jet or in that a separate liquid containing suspended or dissolved additives is metered into the injection liquid immediately prior to injection, and that the separate liquid may be given a viscosity that is higher than water, and optionally by mixing in a hydrophilic medium may ensure long-term maintenance of moisture around said living particles and/or additive or additives in the soil or growth medium, alternatively that said living particles and/or additive or additives are passed whilst dry to the injection liquid immediately prior to the injection taking place, or are introduced into the same furrows or grooves made by the injection liquid by means of separate jets of liquid or gas. The method can be used with equipment having from one to a plurality of nozzles which is drawn by a motor vehicle or is made manually moveable or stationary, wherein larger or smaller units containing growth medium are moved relative to the equipment.

Description

PROCESS IN FLUID IMPLANTATION IN GROWTH MEDIUM

The present invention relates to a method for the implantation of living particles such as seeds, spores, encapsulated artificially dormant cells and the like (for brevity, referred to hereinbelow in the discussion ofthe invention as seeds), and/or an additive or additives into growth media such as soil, by means of a carrier fluid under pressure, which may be a liquid, such as water, slurry, semi-liquid manure or another aqueous suspension or solution or a gas, which can be injected in pulses.

In the present context the terms implantation and injection are used to mean placement by injection of one medium in another medium, that is to say, seeds and/or additives in a growth medium for plants or microflora.

Mechanical tillage of soil or other growth media, moistening and fertilizing are costs which traditionally are incurred in addition to the sowing or seeding, and these tasks are often done in three or four separate operations. Successful preparation and sowing in soil or other growth media depends on the medium containing or being supplied with nutrients, moisture and other desirable elements in the most inexpensive way possible in relation to the value ofthe expected crop.

Those involved in agriculture are under pressure to improve profitability and increase productivity, but at the same time to take better care ofthe basis for production, which is arable soil and the environment of which the production unit is a part. Moreover, society in general has a need for an appropriate use of organic waste substances, preferably in such a manner that the plant nutrients found in them are held in soil and vegetation for a period of time. The alternative is unwanted pollution ofthe air, watercourses and narrow fjords.

Lightweight tractors are an agronomic goal, because soil is subjected to increasing compaction damage due to heavier tractors and an increase in the need for pulling power, and as a result of being repeatedly driven over, especially in the same growth season.

That the tractor could be considerably lighter is explained by the fact that traditionally the need for pulling power is due primarily to the resistance that traditional soil- penetrating workings parts offer when they are pulled through the soil. Soil-penetrating working parts are universally known as ploughshares, harrow tines, hoe coulters, seed drills, fertilizer drills and coulter assemblies on traditional fertiliser applicators. Since the present invention has no soil-penetrating working part, the power required for propulsion is related primarily to resistance to rolling.

If directional stability and swirls of dust were not a problem, the process could be carried out using a hovercraft. Since the need for pulling power is small, this can be utilised to boost productivity by increasing the number of nozzles which work in parallel relation across the direction of travel, resulting in a larger treated area.

The non-use of soil-penetrating implements in this technique has the additional effect that the surface ofthe soil remains almost untouched after the treatment. This means that the increased danger of erosion which is otherwise a consequence ofthe use of machines having soil-penetrating working parts is avoided.

The use of fluidic implantation, i.e., injection technique is known from NO Patent 169811 and NO-A 960623. Both these publications relate to the injection of liquid fertiliser such as slurry into the soil under pressure. The use of this type of injection of liquid fertiliser into the soil with the aid of pressure results in several advantages with a view to resource management, productivity, relationship to neighbouring environments etc.

In general, it may be said that the more operations required to obtain a crop, the higher the costs linked to this in the form of labour, energy and depreciation. When, for example, sowing is carried out as a separate operation, this as a rule also calls for additional cultivation ofthe soil in order to ensure that the seeds have soil contact, for instance, by rolling.

The present invention is based on the art described in the aforementioned publications. Thus, seeds and /or an additive or additives are injected into the soil by means of fluidic flow. If, on the basis of agronomic considerations, it would be propitious to use a fluidic material other than slurry as carrier of said particles, this would be possible using the same technique. Furthermore, the invention allows extensive simplification of processes which initiate the growth season in agriculture, since in one operation and using considerably lighter tractors the inventive method can replace ploughing, soil levelling, harrowing, fertilising, sowing and rolling. In other words, according to the invention the aforementioned separate operations are replaced by one operation. According to the present invention, there is provided a method for fluidic injection under pressure into soil or other growth media for plants or microflora, and this method is characterised in that seeds and/or additive or additives are injected into said soil or other growth media with the aid of a fluidic substance.

Using this method it is possible to obtain a favourable placement in relation to the humidification necessary for the dissolution of other additives and the germination and growth of seeds. Moreover, seeds may derive more direct benefit from plant nutrients in fluidic materials as a result of this method.

The fluidic substance may be composed of or essentially composed of water, slurry, semi-liquid manure or another aqueous suspension or solution. Furthermore, the fluidic substance may be a gas such as air.

In farming which involves livestock keeping, the usual fluidic substance that it is desirable to spread will be liquid manure. However, society has also other degradable waste substances which are or can be fluidic, and other areas where there is soil and where plants grow. The present invention may, for example, be used to introduce plant seeds and organic material to areas with exposed subsurface soil without any increase in the danger of erosion in the area, and even if the area itself is not passable using wheeled machines. In farming which does not include livestock keeping, it is more likely that other fluidic substances, such as sewage sludge or water will be used rather than slurry. In agriculture and other plant cultivation under climatic and soil conditions different to those found in Norway, fluidic substances other than those mentioned as injection fluid could have a positive effect on the cultivation properties ofthe soil, and consequently on the conditions for germination and/or growth.

In the present method, the injection may involve injecting a number of substances which it may be desirable to introduce into the soil or growth medium together with nutrients and/or seeds, or alone as preparation ofthe growth medium for specific purposes, whether bacterial cultures, pesticides, herbicides, enzymes, catalysts and optionally biologically active organisms in solid, liquid or especially prepared forms, or other desirable additives which enhance the value of a future crop or other desirable processes.

Seeds and/or an additive or additives can be mixed directly into the injection liquid and kept in a uniform suspension by means of a mechanically operated mixer of prior art, in order thereafter to be injected into the growth medium in accordance with a known method such as, for example, that described in aforementioned NO-A-960623.

Seeds and/or an additive or additives may also be metered dry into the nutrient liquid by gradual admission on, for example, the suction or pressure side of a pump, together with a controlled amount of gas, for example, air. This can be done using prior art such as, for instance, a rotating sluice valve.

Alternatively, seeds and/or an additive or additives can be premixed into a separate liquid which is metered into the injection liquid using known, conventional art, on the suction or pressure side of a pump before the injection liquid is injected into the soil or growth medium.

Furthermore, seeds and/or an additive or additives can be premixed into a separate liquid having higher viscosity than water, in order to ensure a more uniform distribution in the suspension or solution, before this is metered into the injection fluid, immediately prior to this being injected into the growth medium.

If said increase in viscosity is brought about by means of a hydrophilic medium such as silica gel, the moisture requirements ofthe seeds and/or additive will be met for a longer time than if seeds and/or an additive or additives were mixed into a separate quantity of only water or into a liquid having a viscosity similar to that of water.

Furthermore, it may be desirable to separate wet and dry ingredients until the injection has taken place, in order thereafter to meter seeds and/or additive or additives into the growth medium by means of a separate fluidic jet which places the seed and/or additive or additives in the furrow or groove already produced by the injection liquid.

When carrying out the method according to the invention, seeds and/or said additive or additives are injected with the injection liquid to a suitable depth in the soil or other growth media, through one or more nozzles mounted on equipment preferably drawn by a motor vehicle, but which may also be manually operated and portable. The additives may be in solid or liquid form and can be injected in suspension, solution or a dry state.

The embodiment including portable equipment is preferably for use in operations on a small scale where said equipment is provided with one or a small number of nozzles. It may be appropriate to use stationary equipment for the injection, for example, in connection with the cultivation of plants in containers of various kinds, which are transported mechanically past the injection equipment. Today, such plant cultivation basically takes place in greenhouse productions and nurseries.

The present invention also allows simultaneous implantation of seeds and/or additive or additives which cannot be mixed in beforehand because of undesirable chemical or biological reactions as a result ofthe mixing.

According to one embodiment ofthe present method, seeds and/or an additive or additives can be injected by means of a fluid stream other than the main stream in the same position as the main stream, or in other positions if agronomic considerations so dictate. For instance, seeds and/or additive material may perhaps be sensitive to mechanical stresses, which would suggest that they ought to be implanted in the same position, but with less energy than that represented by the main stream. Seeds and/or additive material may also perhaps be sensitive to chemical stress, which may indicate that they should be implanted in a position other than the injection site ofthe main stream..

In the present method the processes of fertilising and sowing are integrated into one operation, which further increases productivity in the case of direct injection as described in aforementioned NO Patent 169811.

Other particles in general use in agricultural production are artificial fertiliser, liming agents, phytopharmaceutical products and so forth. In the future, other production agents or growth stimulants may also be made in the form of particles and implanted in the soil using the present method.

The particles which are introduced into the fluid stream may be non-homogeneous in that an active substance or seeds may be encapsulated in another material which is to provide alternative protection against mechanical or chemical stresses, or is to give the particle a form which facilitates implantation. Particles may also be found in gel-like substances for the same reasons as those mentioned above.

In comparison with the prior art, the present method is a substitute for classical tillage of the soil, fertilizing and sowing, in that seeds and/or additive or additives are placed at approximately the correct depth by means of an injection fluid and thus ensure nutrient supply and moisture in the seed zone or the additive zone, with low fluid loss through evaporation as well as protective covering.

Claims

P a t e n t c l a i m s

1.

A method for fluidic injection under pressure into soil or other growth media for plants or microflora, characterised in that living particles such as seeds, spores, encapsulated artificially dormant cells and the like, and/or additive or additives are implanted into said soil or other growth media with the aid of a fluidic material.

2. A method according to claim 1 , characterised in that as the fluidic material a liquid or gas is used, wherein the liquid may be water, slurry, semi-liquid manure or another aqueous suspension or solution, and wherein the gas may be air.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterised in that said additive or additives may comprise any desirable additives, including plant nutrients, bacterial cultures, pesticides, herbicides, enzymes, catalysts and optionally biologically active organisms in solid, liquid or specially prepared forms.

4.

The method according to claims 1-3, characterised in that said living particles are implanted by means of a fluid stream other than the main stream, for implantation ofthe living particles in the same or another position in relation to the main stream.

5.

The method according to claim 1 , characterised in that said living particles and/or additive or additives are maintained in a uniform suspension or in solution in the injection liquid with the aid of a mechanically operated mixing apparatus.

6.

The method according to claims 1-3, characterised in that said living particles and/or additive or additives are mixed into a separate quantity of liquid and are maintained in suspension or solution therein until suitable amounts ofthe separate liquid can be metered into the stream of injection liquid in immediate connection with the injection thereof.

7.

The method according to claims 1-3, characterised in that said living particles and/or additive or additives are mixed into a separate quantity of liquid having higher viscosity than water and are maintained in suspension or solution therein until suitable amounts ofthe separate liquid can be metered into the stream ofthe injection liquid in immediate connection with the injection thereof.

8.

The method according to claims 1 and 7, characterised in that said higher viscosity of the separate liquid is obtained by adding a hydrophilic medium, for example, silica gel, so as to ensure that said living particles and/or additive or additives have the desired moisture for a prolonged period of time after injection into the soil or other growth medium.

9.

The method according to claims 1 and 3, characterised in that said living particles and/or additive or additives are metered in a dry state into the injection liquid on the suction or pressure side of a pump, together with or without a controlled amount of gas.

10.

The method according to claims 1 , 3 and 9, characterised in that said living particles and/or additive or additives are implanted into the soil or other growth media in a separate fluid stream which is guided towards the same furrow or groove as that made by the injection liquid, and that the separate fluid stream may be a gas or liquid stream wherein the gas may be air and the liquid may be water.

11.

The method according to claims 1-10, characterised in that the injection is carried out by moving the injection equipment relative to the soil or other growth medium or by moving larger or smaller units of growth medium relative to the injection equipment.

12.

The method according to claims 1-11, characterised in that the injection is carried out using portable injection equipment which is provided with one or a small number of nozzles, or using a motor vehicle on which one or more nozzles are mounted. AMENDED CLAIMS

[received by the International Bureau on 11 May 2000 (11.05.00); original claims 1 and 2 amended; remaining claims unchanged (2 pages)]

1.

A method for fluid injection under pressure into soil or other growth media for plants or 5 microflora, characterised in that living particles such as seeds, spores, encapsulated artificially dormant cells and the like, and optionally additive or additives, are implanted into said soil or other growth media with the aid of a fluid material.

2. o A method according to claim 1, characterised in that the fluid material is a liquid which may be water, slurry, semi-liquid manure or another aqueous suspension or solution.

3.

The method according to claim 1, characterised in that said additive or additives may s comprise any desirable additives, including plant nutrients, bacterial cultures, pesticides, herbicides, enzymes, catalysts and optionally biologically active organisms in solid, liquid or specially prepared forms.

4. o The method according to claims 1-3, characterised in that said living particles are implanted by means of a fluid stream other than the main stream, for implantation ofthe living particles in the same or another position in relation to the main stream.

5. 5 The method according to claim 1, characterised in that said living particles and/or additive or additives are maintained in a uniform suspension or in solution in the injection liquid with the aid of a mechanically operated mixing apparatus.

6. o The method according to claims 1-3, characterised in that said living particles and/or additive or additives are mixed into a separate quantity of liquid and are maintained in suspension or solution therein until suitable amounts ofthe separate liquid can be metered into the stream of injection liquid in immediate connection with the injection thereof. 5

7.

The method according to claims 1-3, characterised in that said living particles and/or additive or additives are mixed into a separate quantity of liquid having higher viscosity than water and are maintained in suspension or solution therein until suitable amounts of the separate liquid can be metered into the stream ofthe injection liquid in immediate connection with the injection thereof.

The method according to claims 1 and 7, characterised in that said higher viscosity ofthe separate liquid is obtained by adding a hydrophilic medium, for example, silica gel, so as to ensure that said living particles and/or additive or additives have the desired moisture for a prolonged period of time after injection into the soil or other growth medium.

9. The method according to claims 1 and 3, characterised in that said living particles and/or additive or additives are metered in a dry state into the injection liquid on the suction or pressure side of a pump, together with or without a controlled amount of gas.

10. The method according to claims 1, 3 and 9, characterised in that said living particles and/or additive or additives are implanted into the soil or other growth media in a separate fluid stream which is guided towards the same furrow or groove as that made by the injection liquid, and that the separate fluid stream may be a gas or liquid stream wherein the gas may be air and the liquid may be water.

11.

The method according to claims 1-10, characterised in that the injection is carried out by moving the injection equipment relative to the soil or other growth medium or by moving larger or smaller units of growth medium relative to the injection equipment.

12.

The method according to claims 1-11, characterised in that the injection is carried out using portable injection equipment which is provided with one or a small number of nozzles, or using a motor vehicle on which one or more nozzles are mounted.