WO2021019317A1

WO2021019317A1 - Deep agricultural implantation device

Info

Publication number: WO2021019317A1
Application number: PCT/IB2020/055236
Authority: WO
Inventors: Ayush NIGAM; Santosh Kumar; Vishal Jain; Bheem Kumar JAISWAL; Shiv Chandra VERMA
Original assignee: Distinct Horizon Private Ltd
Current assignee: Distinct Horizon Private Ltd
Priority date: 2019-07-30
Filing date: 2020-06-03
Publication date: 2021-02-04
Anticipated expiration: 2022-01-30

Abstract

The invention discloses a deep applicator(100) comprising a plurality of applicator units(101) for placing a powder or pellet implant material at a depth within soil. The applicator may be self-propelled or attachable to a vehicle. Each applicator unit includes a pick and drop system with at least a hopper(130), a picker box(140), and a furrow opener(120). Each furrow opener is designed with a roughly wedge shape to open up the earth and to implant the material at depth within soil. The furrow opener, hopper and picker box system are configured to place the implant material ensuring smooth flow without clogging. The applicator may further comprise a post-leveler, and a connector bracket for hitching to a tractor or tiller. The applicator is light in weight and forms a compact unit capable of quickly planting seeds, soil enhancer or fertilizer over large areas.

Description

DEEP AGRICULTURAL IMPLANTATION DEVICE

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims priority to Indian patent application no. 201911010708 entitled DEEP PELLET APPLICATOR filed on April 03, 2019.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0002] The disclosure relates generally to agricultural equipment and in particular to a device for implanting in a field.

DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART

[0003] Devices for planting on dry ground are generally known. However, most of them such as those disclosed in US 9031749, US9907224 or in CN101904240B are intended for dry ground and to primarily sow seeds, such as grains, or dispense metered quantities of fertilizer, weedicide etc.

[0004] A urea applicator by Alam et al. (2015) is intended for applying granular urea to paddy fields. However, this equipment has several drawbacks such as lack of scalability, clogging of the delivery tube with mud, non-applicability to deep pellet placement, and so on. However, a serious problem in the application of urea is wastage and poor availability. Deep placement in pellet form has been shown to be more viable way to ensure efficient use, and reducing runoff.

[0005] The invention presented here proposes to address some of the drawbacks of the existing equipment to provide an improved deep placement applicator for agricultural use. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0006] The invention in various embodiments discloses devices, systems and methods for applying an implant deep into soil. In one embodiment a deep applicator device (100) is disclosed for placing an implant material into dry or wet soil. The device is configured to be attached to a vehicle T for its operation. The device comprises an applicator body (110) having a width and having a plurality of applicator units (101) spaced apart a distance di across the width, each applicator unit (101) having a furrow opener (120, 220) at a bottom thereof. The device is provided with a feed arrangement mounted on top of the applicator units (101). The feed arrangement may comprise a common hopper (130) opening to a funnel (131) for each applicator unit, and a dispensing mechanism below each funnel, configured to drop an implant (133) into a corresponding furrow opener of the application unit. The applicator (100) is configured to be pulled through the soil at a predetermined speed, and the furrow openers are configured to open a plurality of furrows to receive the implant in rows at a spacing d₂ within each row.

[0007] In some embodiments the applicator device may be configured to implant pellets, granules, or powder. In some embodiments, each furrow opener (120, 220) has a pointed front end (121, 221) and top portion (122, 222) configured to be level with a bottom of the applicator body (111), and a wedge-shaped body (125, 225) extending downward to the applicator bottom (126, 226) having a maximum depth h. The wedge- shaped body is configured to receive the implant through the applicator bottom and place into the soil at depth h through a slot (127, 227) at the bottom thereof.

[0008] In some embodiments of the device, the depth h is configured to be in the range 0-150 mm below ground level. In some embodiments, each furrow opener is configured with an open rear portion with wings (128, 228) to provide space for the implant at the required position. In some embodiments, each hopper (130) comprises a funnel (131) at a bottom portion thereof, configured to drop the implant into a corresponding picker box (140), the funnel having a rectangular slot (135) with a width and a length.

[0009] In some embodiments, the dispensing mechanism may include one of a picker box (140), a fluted roller, or a plate-type metering mechanism. The picker box (140) comprises a feeder portion (142) configured to receive implant material from the hopper, and a picker disk (146) configured to pick the received material and deposit the same into a dispensing pipe (148). In some embodiments, the implant material is configured to be dropped at a metered rate proportional to the predetermined speed at which the device is pulled.

[0010] In some embodiments of the device, the picker disk (146) comprises a plurality of buckets (144) placed at a periphery thereof, each bucket configured to scoop and hold a measured quantity of the implant material, and wherein the picker disk is provided with a rotating mechanism to deposit the material from each bucket into the dispensing pipe (148). In some embodiments of the device, the feeder portion (142) comprises a shutter (147) with adjustable opening for regulating flow of implant material.

[0011] In some embodiments of the device, bottom portion (111) of body (110) is configured to level the ground prior to implant placement. In some embodiments the device may comprise a connector bracket (150) configured to connect the applicator body to vehicle T. In some embodiments, the device may comprise a post-ground leveler frame (180) with a leveler bar (181), connected by links (183).

[0012] In some embodiments of the device, a plurality of backward curving furrow closers (182) extending downwards are provided. The furrow closers are offset from the furrow openers by a predetermined distance, and the arrangement is configured to push earth sideways into the furrows. The leveler bar (181) is configured to even the earth afiter the furrows are filled. In various embodiments, the pressure, inclination or both exerted by the leveler bar (181) are adjustable by addition or removal of weights (185).

[0013] In various embodiments, the device is configured to be raised or lowered during operation via a drive on the vehicle T. The device may be configured to be held in a raised position by a stand (160). In some embodiments, the device comprises a ground wheel (170) configured to be driven by relative motion of the vehicle T over the ground. In some embodiments the ground wheel is configured to drive a picker disk (146) placed within the picker box (140) via a variable gear drive at the metered rate required to place the implant material with spacing d₂ by each applicator unit.

[0014] This and other aspects are disclosed herein.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] The invention has other advantages and features which will be more readily apparent from the following detailed description of the invention and the appended claims, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0016] FIG. 1A shows side view of deep applicator device for placing fertilizer pellets attachable to a tractor.

[0017] FIG. IB illustrates front view of deep applicator device showing hopper manifold, hoppers, and furrow openers.

[0018] FIG. 1C shows cross sectional view of deep applicator device illustrating hoppers, picker box and dispensing pipe leading into the furrow opener.

[0019] FIG. ID shows bottom perspective view of one embodiment of furrow opener.

[0020] FIG. IE illustrates alternative embodiment of furrow opener.

[0021] FIG. IF shows bottom view of furrow opener shown in FIG. IE.

[0022] FIG. 1G shows perspective view of furrow closer and post-leveler.

[0023] FIG. 1H shows arrangement for adding weights to post-leveler.

[0024] Referring to the drawings, like numbers indicate like parts throughout the views.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

[0025] While the invention has been disclosed with reference to certain embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted without departing from the scope of the invention. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt to a particular situation or material to the teachings of the invention without departing from its scope.

[0026] Throughout the specification and claims, the following terms take the meanings explicitly associated herein unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. The meaning of "a", "an", and "the" include plural references. The meaning of "in" includes "in" and "on." Referring to the drawings, like numbers indicate like parts throughout the views. Additionally, a reference to the singular includes a reference to the plural unless otherwise stated or inconsistent with the disclosure herein.

[0027] The invention in its various embodiments discloses devices and methods for placing implant material deep into ploughed dry fields or wet soil or on the soil. The implant material may in various embodiments be fertilizer, soil enhancer, seeds, biofertilizer, or compost or aggregates containing such ingredients, and the like. The form of material may be pellets, granules or powder. The applicator may either be configured for hitching to an agricultural vehicle such as a tractor, or may have its own custom propulsion.

[0028] In various embodiments, the invention as illustrated in FIG. 1A-1D, discloses a deep applicator device 100 comprising an applicator body 110 and a plurality of applicator units 101 for placing an implant material at a depth within soil. FIG. 1A provides a side view of the device and FIG. IB shows a front view. A cross sectional view of an applicator unit 101 is shown in FIG. 1C. The applicator device may be connected to a tractor T for its operation. In various embodiments, the applicator device 100 may include several applicator units 101 located beside each other across the width of the applicator body. In various embodiments the furrow openers may be spaced a predetermined distance di from each other. Each applicator unit 101 includes a pick and drop system with at least a hopper 130, a picker box 140 having therewithin a dispensing mechanism, and a furrow opener 120 or 220, as illustrated in FIG. IB. In some embodiments the soil in which implantation is done may be wet mud, dry ploughed field or and the furrow opener may be 120 or 220. In some embodiments, for use on dry unploughed soil, furrow opener 220 may be used.

[0029] As illustrated in FIG. IB, the front portion of the applicator 105 is configured in various embodiments to have a washable surface configured to withstand splashing of water or mud from the tractor tires or wheels of the drive portion of the applicator. The applicator as already illustrated in FIG. 1A, bottom portion 111 of applicator body 110 serves as a pre-ground leveler, and further illustrated in FIG. 1C. The furrow openers 120 or 220 are located behind the pre-ground leveler.

[0030] As illustrated in FIG. 1C, in various embodiments, the pick and drop system for pellets 133 includes a common hopper manifold portion 131 that leads to funnel portions 135 feeding pellets or other type of implant material to each applicator unit 101. Each applicator unit includes a picker box 140, and a dispensing mechanism that may be a picker disk 144 as illustrated in FIG. 1C. In other embodiments, the dispensing mechanism may be a fluted roller, or a plate-type metering mechanism with slots or recesses to trap specified quantity of the implant material for implanting. The dispensing mechanism is configured to drop the implant material into a dispensing pipe 148 going down to a furrow opener to convey the implant material into the furrow. In some embodiments the hopper and feeder may be designed with optimum dimensions and slope characteristics, for ensuring smooth movement of implant material without clogging.

[0031] In various embodiments, each applicator unit is configured with a specially designed furrow opener 120 or 220 as shown in bottom perspective view in FIG. ID- IF. Each furrow opener 120 (FIG. ID) has a pointed front end 121 and wedge-shaped rounded body 125 configured to pierce soil. Top portion 122 is configured to be level with a bottom of the applicator body 111, and secured in position using fasteners. As shown in FIG. ID, the rounded body extends downward to the applicator bottom 126. The applicator bottom may extend to a maximum depth h.

[0032] The applicator bottom is provided with a slot 127 to place the pellet in wet soil. The slot 127 may have wing portions 128 on either side to keep out mud from the furrow and create space for the implant to be received via the bottom of dispensing pipe 148. Wing portions 128 are further configured to ensure that the dispensing pipe and furrow opener are not clogged with mud or debris.

[0033] In some embodiments the applicator 100 may be provided with an arrangement to adjust the height of the furrow openers 120 or 220 to facilitate use for different crops. In some embodiments the furrow opener (120, 220) is configured to be fully retractable, so that the applicator will be placing implant material on the soil surface. Such application may be suitable for implant placement on dry land.

[0034] In some embodiments, for use with dry soil, the applicator device may be provided with a wedge-shaped furrow opener 220 with a wedge-shaped front end configured to pierce and penetrate dry or moderately moist soil, as illustrated in FIG. IE and IF. As shown in these figures, furrow opener 220 has a pointed front end 221 configured to pierce dry soil. Body 225 is formed by two plane sides of the furrow opener meeting at an edge as shown in bottom view (FIG. IF).

[0035] In some embodiments the furrow opener may be configured to implant material at a depth h of 0-150 mm. The furrow opener in some embodiments is configured to produce furrows with width in the range 50-120 mm. In some embodiments the furrow opener may be made of a suitable material such as hard plastic or sheet metal.

[0036] In some embodiments the picker disk 144 may be a disk with buckets 146 located at its periphery to pick up powder, granular content or pellets, as illustrated in FIG. IB. Although FIG. IB shows pellets being picked up, in other embodiments the material may be powder or granular content. The number of buckets 146 in various embodiments may be at least 4. In one embodiment the number of buckets 146 may be at least 1. The picker disk 144 may drop picked implant material from a bucket 146 into the dispensing pipe 148 as shown in FIG. 1C, causing the implant to fall into the furrow opener 120 or 220. The implant material is configured to fall through groove 127 in the furrow opener 120 to be placed at the required depth in the field. In various embodiments the dispensing tube/pipe 148 is configured to drop the implant into the mud without touching the walls of the furrow opener. The tube 148 and slot 127 are configured to ensure that the implant falls on the mud present under the slot, avoiding contact with the side walls 148 of the furrow opener. This ensures that the implant material does not stick to the side walls of the device and improving reliability of implant placement.

[0037] In various embodiments the picker disk 144 may be fitted with different size of buckets 146 as per requirement. In various embodiments the disk 144 may be replaceable with those of different diameters, to accommodate different bucket sizes or number of buckets or buckets having different shape according to requirement.

[0038] In various embodiments, the applicator 100 is configured to be pulled through the wet soil at a predetermined speed by tractor T. The furrow openers are configured to open a plurality of furrows to receive the individual pellets and place the pellets in rows at a predetermined spacing d₂ within each row. In some embodiments, the applicator may be lifted so that the furrow openers are above ground level and the implant may be placed on the surface itself.

[0039] In some embodiments the width of the deep applicator device 100 may be configured to have a value that depends on the haulage capacity of the vehicle T. In various embodiments the vehicle T may be a tractor which is a four-wheeled vehicle or a tiller with at least two wheels. The applicator may be configured to be raised using the drive of the tractor T when not in use and lowered onto the ground when application is required. In some embodiments, the arrangement to raise the applicator manually may use a screw drive or the like. In some embodiments the applicator 100 may be configured to be locked in place in the raised position on a stand 160 to facilitate maintenance or for storage.

[0040] In some embodiments, the hopper manifold 130 may have an opening at the top fitted with a lid to exclude water ingress. The hopper manifold 130 leads to multiple funnels 131 at a bottom portion thereof, configured to drop pellets into a corresponding picker box 140. Each funnel 131 is provided with a rectangular slot 135 having a width and a length, for regulating flow of the implant material. The slot width may be configured to allow the implant material of specified size or flow characteristics to flow freely into the picker box 140. In various embodiments, the funnel slope, the slot width slot length or both may be adjusted to allow optimal flow of implant material into the picker box.

[0041] In some embodiments, the applicator further comprises furrow closure and leveler arrangement as illustrated in FIG. 1G and 1H. The furrow closure portion has backward curving furrow closers 182 extending downwards from a frame portion 180. The furrow closers 182 are offset from the furrow openers 120 or 220 by a predetermined distance, so that earth is pushed into the furrows from the side. The attachment further has a heavy leveler bar 181 connected by links 183 to the frame 180 for bearing down on the furrowed earth and causing leveling. The links 183 may be flexible links such as chain, rope, pneumatic links, spring suspension, or have rigid members such as hinged rods etc. In some embodiments, pressure exerted on the earth by leveler bar 181 or the inclination thereof, is variable by addition or removal of weights 185, as illustrated in FIG. 1H. In some embodiments, the inclination of the leveler bar 181 may be adjustable by offsetting the weights 185 with reference to the leveler bar 181. In various embodiments, the leveling may be made effective by optimizing the angle of inclination of the leveler bar 181 by modifying the height at which the links are connected to the frame 180 or body 110. Backward curvature of furrow closers 182 is intended to prevent straw or other debris from catching on the mechanism.

[0042] In various embodiments, each applicator unit may further be provided with a metering device for ensuring the dispensing of implant at a controlled rate. In some embodiments the dispensing mechanism may be driven by a ground wheel 170 that uses relative motion of the vehicle T with reference to the ground G. In some embodiments for use with wet or ploughed dry fields, the ground wheel 170 may be provided with spikes. For dry unploughed fields, the ground wheel 170 may be fitted with a tire with tread instead of spikes. In some embodiments, the height of the ground wheel 170 may be self-adjustable to optimally provide drive depending on the nature of the field. The spacing d in some embodiments may be modified by modifying the gear ratio of the drive to the dispensing mechanism, or by configuring the diameter of the ground wheel 170.

[0043] In some embodiments the spacing di of furrow openers may be modified, depending on the type of crop and the desired spacing for planting or fertilization. In various embodiments the predetermined spacing of pellets d within a furrow may be proportional to the speed of the vehicle T.

[0044] The metering device in various embodiments may draw power either from the tractor or from the self-propelled device itself. In some embodiments a single shaft may drive the dispensing mechanism to all the applicator units, using power from a ground wheel via a shaft and gear box. In some embodiments, the rotation of the picker disk is driven electrically by a motor drive and the spacing of implant placement is configured to be independent of travel speed of the tractor. In such embodiments, the pellet placement may be controlled via a feedback system so as to place the pellets at uniform or non-uniform intervals or controlled intervals irrespective of the speed of the tractor.

[0045] In various embodiments, methods of placing implant material at a configurable depth in the ground for planting fertilizer, seeds, soil enhancers, compost, or nutrients, or combinations thereof are disclosed with reference to the deep applicator already illustrated. In some embodiments, the hopper is filled with implant material as required, which are conveyed by gravity to the feeder and to the picker box. As the applicator is moved forward, the picker disk is configured to drop the material at a metered rate into the furrow opener for placement into the ground.

[0046] In various embodiments, the applicator design with the pre-ground leveler is configured to level out the deep and broad impressions left by tractor tyres on paddy fields and provide a levelled ground for placement of the implant.

[0047] In various embodiments, the deep pellet applicator 100 may be configured to deliver pellets 133 of size 10-30 mm. The pellets are intended to be delivered for placement at a particular depth in the field depending on the nature of fertilizer, the kind of seed or plantation and so on. The fertilizer may be urea, organic manure, vermicompost, other synthetic fertilizer or any combination thereof. The pellets may further incorporate seeds for planting. The pellets may also in some embodiments include other ingredients such as binders or plasticizers such as clay, gum, starch etc. that may serve to ensure mechanical integrity of the pellets prior to placement. In some embodiments, the pellets may be coated with a thin coating of biopolymer to aid in mechanical integrity. The biopolymer may be starch, gelatin, etc. that may be configured to disintegrate in contact with moisture.

[0048] The embodiments of the deep pellet applicator as illustrated in the description and figures foregoing, are appropriate for planting implant material in either wet or dry fields. The degree of wetness may vary depending on the ground. With furrow opener 120 (FIG. ID) the applicator is ideally suited for planting fertilizer, soil enhancer, compost or seed-bearing pellets in paddy fields and the like, although its use need not be limited to paddy and may cover any other suitable crop.

[0049] In some embodiments, modifications may be made to the pre-ground leveler, furrow opener and furrow closure units, or the pick and drop system (hopper- feeder-shutter-picker-dispensing pipe/tube) for deep implant application on dry ploughed fields also, as with furrow opener 220 shown in FIG. IE and IF. In some embodiments the modification may be a wedge shaped sharp pointed nose to the furrow opener that would ensure opening of dry ground. This modification may permit the device to be used for crops grown on non-flooded fields such as wheat, maize, and any other grains also.

[0050] The embodiments of the deep pellet applicator disclosed herein have several advantages over existing devices. Some of the advantages include modular design leading to low cost of manufacture, lesser number of moving parts, ease of operation and maintenance, to name a few. The multiple applicator units also provide means for covering large fields within a short time. Although the figures and embodiments have shown 7 applicator units with furrow openers, the number of such units could be larger or smaller than illustrated. Larger units with 10 or more applicators may be suitable for large areas required to be planted, where high capacity tractors may be utilized. A smaller tiller-drawn model with up to 4 applicator units may also be envisaged as part of the invention. In some embodiments, lower number of units, 1 or 2 or 3, may be utilized for human or animal driven smaller deep applicator, suitable for covering smaller fields at low cost.

[0051] In some embodiments the applicator could be used as a leveler for leveling the field with an empty hopper. In some embodiments, the applicator design may allow an operator to stand on body 110 to supervise the feeding of implant material from the common hopper into the applicator units.

[0052] Although the detailed description contains many specifics, these should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention but merely as illustrating different examples and aspects of the invention. It should be appreciated that the scope of the invention includes other embodiments not discussed herein. Various other modifications, changes and variations which will be apparent, to those skilled in the art, may be made in the arrangement, operation and details of the system and method of the present invention disclosed herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as described here. While the invention has been disclosed with reference to certain embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art, that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted, without departing from the scope of the invention. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt to a particular situation or material the teachings of the invention without departing from its scope, which is as delineated in the claims.

Claims

We claim:

1. A deep applicator device (100) for placing an implant material into dry or wet soil, the device configured to be attached to a vehicle T for its operation, the device comprising:

an applicator body (110) having a width and having a plurality of applicator units (101) spaced apart a distance di across the width, each applicator unit (101) having a furrow opener (120, 220) at a bottom thereof;

a feed arrangement mounted on top of the applicator units (101), the feed arrangement comprising a common hopper (130) opening to a funnel (131) for each applicator unit, and a dispensing mechanism below each funnel, configured to drop an implant (133) into a corresponding furrow opener of the application unit; and

wherein the applicator (100) is configured to be pulled through the soil at a predetermined speed, the furrow openers are configured to open a plurality of furrows to receive the implant in rows at a spacing d₂ within each row.

2. The applicator device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the implant is in the form of pellets, granules, or powder.

3. The applicator device as claimed in claim 1, wherein each furrow opener (120, 220) has a pointed front end (121, 221) and top portion (122, 222) configured to be level with a bottom of the applicator body (111), and a wedge-shaped body (125, 225) extending downward to the applicator bottom (126, 226) having a maximum depth h, and wherein the wedge-shaped body is configured to receive the implant through the applicator bottom and place the implant into the soil at depth h through a slot (127, 227) at the bottom thereof.

4. The applicator device as claimed in claim 2, wherein depth h is configured to be in the range 0-150 mm below ground level.

5. The applicator device as claimed in claim 2, wherein each furrow opener is configured with an open rear portion with wings (128, 228) to to provide space for the implant at the required position.

6. The applicator device as claimed in claim 1, wherein each hopper (130) comprises a funnel (131) at a bottom portion thereof, configured to drop the implant into a corresponding picker box (140), the funnel having a rectangular slot (135) with a width and a length.

7. The applicator device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the dispensing mechanism includes one of a picker box (140), a fluted roller, or a plate-type metering mechanism.

8. The applicator device as claimed in claim 7, wherein the picker box (140) comprises a feeder portion (142) configured to receive implant material from the hopper, a picker disk (146) configured to pick the received material and deposit the same into a dispensing pipe (148).

9. The applicator device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the implant material is configured to be dropped at a metered rate proportional to the predetermined speed at which the device is pulled.

10. The applicator device as claimed in claim 8, wherein the picker disk (146) comprises a plurality of buckets (144) placed at a periphery thereof, each bucket configured to scoop and hold a measured quantity of the implant material, and wherein the picker disk is provided with a rotating mechanism to deposit the material from each bucket into the dispensing pipe (148).

11. The applicator device as claimed in claim 8, the feeder portion (142) comprising a shutter (147) with adjustable opening for regulating flow of implant material towards the picker disk.

12. The applicator device as claimed in claim 1, wherein a bottom portion (111) of body (110) is configured to level the ground prior to implant placement.

13. The applicator device as claimed in claim 1, comprising a connector bracket (150) configured to connect the applicator body to vehicle T.

14. The applicator device as claimed in claim 1, comprising a post-ground leveler frame (180) with a leveler bar (181), connected by links (183).

15. The applicator device as claimed in claim 14, comprising a plurality of backward curving furrow closers (182) extending downwards, wherein the furrow closers are offset from the furrow openers by a predetermined distance, the arrangement being configured to push earth sideways into the furrows, and the leveler bar (181) is configured to even the earth after the furrows are filled.

16. The applicator device as claimed in claim 14, wherein the pressure, inclination or both exerted by the leveler bar (181) are adjustable by addition or removal of weights (185).

17. The applicator device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the device is configured to be raised or lowered during operation via a drive on the vehicle T, and wherein the device is configured to be held in a raised position by a stand (160).

18. The applicator device as claimed in claim 1, comprising a ground wheel (170) configured to be driven by relative motion of the vehicle T over the ground.

19. The applicator device as claimed in claim 18, wherein the ground wheel is configured to drive a picker disk (146) placed within the picker box (140) via a variable gear drive at the metered rate required to place the implant material with spacing d2 by each applicator unit.