DE2435393A1 - SEED FILM AND THE METHOD OF MANUFACTURING IT - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to a method for producing a substantially water-soluble seed film in which viable Seeds, soot, stretchers, herbicides, fertilizers and other materials that promote growth are embedded are, as well as seed foils obtained in carrying out this process.

So far, seed foils have generally had a sandwich-like structure, with a middle layer of seeds, fertilizers, Herbicides etc. was between two layers of material, such as fibrous mats, and with these materials was connected by various methods. However, these films are unsatisfactory because they are costly in the Manufacture and beyond are difficult to discard. Furthermore, the known seed foils do not adhere well to the soil surface and must be covered with soil to hold them in place after they are dropped, especially on hilly terrain.

The object of the invention is therefore to create seed foils that can be easily converted into individual foils or end-to-end

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Let loose rolls shed and after placing on the Soil result in a tightly intermingled sod.

The method of making the foils is to use a aqueous ^ organic or aqueous-organic carrier slurry, to produce the seeds and a substantially water-soluble polymeric material substantially dissolved therein, by pouring such a slurry onto a flat horizontal surface, the slurry forming a thin one Foil made of a polymeric material in which viable seeds are embedded or encapsulated to evaporate and to dry and remove this film from the surface.

The main advantage of the seed film according to the invention consists in Compared to other seed foils in the interlocking effect of the dissolving polymer on the soil surface, creating a Wind and water erosion is avoided. Another advantage of the seed film according to the invention is that there is no Earth must be applied.

The flat horizontal surface, onto which the slurry is poured, can be heated to rapidly disperse the liquid from the slurry and remove the polymeric material to dry.

The slurry can also contain herbicides, fertilizers and other growth promoting materials. Soot can also can be added to the slurry to indirectly accelerate germination of the seeds.

The polymeric material can be made from polyvinyl alcohol, sodium carboxymethyl cellulose, Hydroxypropyl cellulose, a vinyl acetate copolymer, dimethylhydantoin formaldehyde, polyethylene oxide, polyvinylpyrrolidone or a copolymer of methyl vinyl ether and maleic anhydride.

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A plasticizer can be added to the slurry to make the cast film more flexible. Examples of such Plasticizers are polyethylene glycol, glycerine, ethylene glycol, Triethylene glycol and ethanolamine.

Various substrates can be used to cast the films it has been found that glass surfaces are preferred, but other surfaces are also suitable, which may have been pretreated with a suitable release agent. Release agents are used because of their relatively adhesive properties Nature of the polymeric films used.

The thickness of the film is determined by the amount of polymeric material controlled in the carrier slurry. It has been found that an amount of about 2 to 15% of the polymeric material is a Foil is produced between 0.0127 and 0.005 mm (0.5 to 10 thousandths of an inch) in thickness, with the preferred thickness being 0.0508 mm (2 thousandths of an inch) and is obtained by mixing approximately 5% of the polymeric material into the carrier slurry will.

It has also been found that certain types of fertilizers "salt out" certain polymeric materials as well as embrittlement of the foils. It is preferred to use an encapsulated fertilizer or one containing a large amount of contains relatively insoluble and slowly released components, for example mixture 12-4-8 (active potassium, nitrogen and phosphorus) marketed by Canadian Industries Limited.

It has been found that certain stretching agents accelerate the disintegration of the cast films and also the costs as a result of replacement of the polymeric material. Suitable stretching agents can be water-milled clays or other inorganic Materials.

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A large number of foils were cast experimentally, the relevant data being shown in Table I below. "A" denotes a seed film that contains only seeds, while ¹¹ B "denotes a seed film with seeds and fertilizers
stands.

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• Ρ · O S- Descriptive Compositions Wt% Table I. 1.9 4.3 water Thickness, mm O tion Components, 1.8 - 93.8 0.0254 co 1A3 binder flexible seed foils 3.0 - 89.8 0.0635 QD
^! O 1B3 3.4 2.67 5.86 92.15 0.0254 t '■ ■ ■■ 2A2 3.3 2.51 - 90.85 0.0381 ρ- I " 2A3 4.13 Plasticizers seed fertilizers 4.62 · 85.52 0, .0635 2B3 5.51 0.9 4.56 9.61 92.53 0.0190 3A2 5.18 0.8 4.12 - 91.22 0.0254 3A3 2.49 0.73 3.38 7.31 ■ 82.46 0.0635 3B3 3.67 0.98 3.13 92.74 0.0508 4A3 3.32 0.92 3.53 7.61 85.96 0.0381 4B3 3.29 0.35 3.26 - 84.89 0.1016 5A3 3.05 0.55 3.46 - 78.44 0.1016 5B3 11.58 0.49 1.9 4.25 93.66 0.0203 6A3 10.69 0.59 1.82 6.25 93.22 0.0508 7A2 2.58 0.54 • 2.68 89.25 0.0508 7B2 4.39 - 84.34 0.0635 9B3 4.21 - 6.73 0.30 0.49 0.47 -

- 0.0381

binder used:

Row 1 slow solubilizing polyvinyl alcohol

• J Il Il Il

3 1: 1 mixture of the binders specified above

4 sodium carboxymethyl cellulose

5 poly (vinyl acetate)

6 fast solubilizing polyvinyl alcohol

• J Il Il Il

9 1: 1 mixture of a rapidly solubilizing polyvinyl alcohol and polyvinyl acetate)

The above seed sheets are placed in polyethylene sheet lined bodies filled with black earth to a depth of 9.6 mm (4 inches). Water drainage is possible by arbitrarily piercing the foil. The earth is smoothed and lightly tamped before the foils are placed on top. At this point the earth is so damp that a hand-molded ball will hold its shape. After the seed films have been poured with 250 ml of deionized water, their visual appearance is recorded. The foils are poured with another 250 ml aliquots every 24 hours and examined for visual changes. Two control bodies are also prepared, one being sown and the other being sown and loaded with a fertilizer in the same amount as is contained in the foils. The comparative bodies are cast in the same way as the foils. The temperature of the surroundings is kept at 21 ^° C. The first visual seed germination is shown in Table II. It has been found that, within 24 hours, the visual appearance of the films varies from complete disappearance of the polymer to excellent adaptation to the soil surface. After eight days, it can be seen at the test sites that substantial moisture retention has been achieved, as indicated by a darker appearance and a damp feel. The seed germination varies between 60 and 75 % of the originally introduced seed.

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Table II

First visual sign of the germination of experimental seed foils
Growth conditions: 24 ⁰ C, relative humidity as indicated

Days after planting Relative humidity Film name Reference seed ' Comparative seed / fertilizer

1
41%

40%

3
38%

4 44%

cn 1A3 O 1B3 co 2A2 CD 2A3 O 2B3 ■ "• J
■ ·· »" 3A2 O 3A3 (a) 3B3 4> 4A3 O 4B3 5A3 5B3 6A3 7A2 7B2 9B3

6th

% 44

X X

X X

789

% "43% 41%

X X

2A35393

Although it is not necessary to apply soil to the top of the foils, such application is nevertheless recommended.

The seed foils described above can be cast manually on a suitable substrate, but it is preferable to cast them automatically in the form of individual foils or endless rolls.

An apparatus for casting endless seed rolls is shown by the accompanying drawing.

In the drawing, a container 10 is shown schematically, in which the aqueous, organic or aqueous-organic carrier Sludge is introduced, the seeds, extenders, herbicides, fertilizers and other growth-promoting agents Materials as well as a substantially water-soluble polymeric material substantially dissolved therein. Such a carrier slurry contains approximately 90% liquid and is moved continuously by means of a mixer 12. The bottom of the vessel is provided with an opening 14 through which the slurry falls onto a belt 16 which is supported by two Rollers 18 and 20 is carried. Special devices not shown must be provided to keep the tape taut between the rollers so that a substantially flat horizontal surface is formed. A backflow of the slurry on the belt 16 is prevented by any suitable means, for example a blade 22, which prevents the Belt 16 in the vicinity of the roller 18 contacted. A doctor blade 24 is located in front of the heating device 26 for spreading the Slurry on the belt with a predetermined thickness. The slurry on the belt moves under the heater 26 when the belt is slowly moved in the forward direction. The heater 26 has a removal of water as well as others: result in carrier liquids from the slurry,

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leaving a coherent sheet of solidified material in which the seeds, stretchers, Herbicides, fertilizers and other growth-promoting materials are enclosed or encapsulated. The foil can then be used to the required width cut to size by a cutting device (not shown) and rolled up on a driven roller 28, which at the same time pulls the film off the surface of the belt. You can then cut pieces from the roll with the desired Length to be cut off.

The device described above is only one example of a device for producing the device according to the invention Seed foils. It should be pointed out that such films can also be used with other devices and possibly can be made manually.

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Claims (18)

Claims 1 / - Essentially water-soluble seed film, characterized in that it consists of a polymeric material,
in which viable seeds are enclosed or encapsulated. 2. seed film according to claim 1, characterized in that the polymeric material made of polyvinyl alcohol, sodium carboxymethyl cellulose, Hydroxypropyl cellulose, a vinyl acetate copolymer, dimethylhydantoin formaldehyde, polyethylene oxide, Polyvinylpyrrolidone or a copolymer of methyl vinyl ether and maleic anhydride. 3. seed film according to claim 1, characterized in that it contains herbicides, fertilizers and other materials to accelerate the growth of the seeds. 4. seed film according to claim 1, characterized in that it contains soot to indirectly accelerate the germination of the seeds. 5. seed film according to claim 1, characterized in that it
contains a plasticizer to make it more flexible. 6. seed film according to claim 5, characterized in that the
Plasticizer consists of polyethylene glycol, glycerine, ethylene glycol, triethylene glycol or ethanolamine. 7. seed film according to claim. 1, characterized in that the
The thickness of the film is 0.0127 to 0.005 mm (0.5 to 10 thousandths of an inch). 8. A seed sheet according to claim 6, characterized in that its thickness is approximately 0.0508 mm (2 thousandths of an inch) and one 509807/0340 Polymeric * material content of approximately 5%. 9. A method for producing a seed film, characterized in that that a) an aqueous, organic or aqueous-organic slurry carrier is produced, the seeds and an im contains substantially water-soluble polymeric material substantially dissolved therein, b) the slurry is poured onto a flat horizontal surface, c) the slurry to form a thin film a polymeric material in which viable seeds are entrapped, is evaporated and dried and d) peeling the film from the flat horizontal surface. 10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that the flat horizontal surface for removal of carrier liquids from the slurry as well as to the formation of an endless Foil made of the polymeric material is heated. 11. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that herbicides, Fertilizers as well as other materials are added to the slurry to promote seed growth. 12. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that carbon black of the slurry for indirectly accelerating germination of the seeds is added. 13. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that the polymeric material used consists of polyvinyl alcohol, sodium carboxymethyl cellulose, a vinyl acetate copolymer, dimethylhydantoin formaldehyde, a polyethylene oxide, polyvinylpyrrolidone or a copolymer of methyl vinyl ether and maleic anhydride. 509807/0340 14. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that a slurry extender for acceleration the disintegration of the film is added. 15. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that a plasticizer is added to the slurry to make the film more flexible. 16. The method according to claim 15, characterized in that the plasticizer used made of polyethylene glycol, glycerine, Ethylene glycol, triethylene glycol or ethanolamine consists. 17. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that the set thickness of the film between 0.0127 to 0.005 mm (0.5 to 10 thousandths of an inch) depending on the percentage of polymeric material in the slurry fluctuates. 18. The method according to claim 17, characterized in that the thickness of the film approximately 0.0508 mm (2 thousandths of an inch) corresponding to a percentage of the polymeric material of is about 5%. 509807/0340