Classifications

• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A01—AGRICULTURE; FORESTRY; ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; HUNTING; TRAPPING; FISHING
  • A01G—HORTICULTURE; CULTIVATION OF VEGETABLES, FLOWERS, RICE, FRUIT, VINES, HOPS OR SEAWEED; FORESTRY; WATERING
  • A01G7/00—Botany in general
  • A01G7/06—Treatment of growing trees or plants, e.g. for preventing decay of wood, for tingeing flowers or wood, for prolonging the life of plants

Definitions

• THIS INVENTION relates to the treatment of plants and a means of facilitating such treatment.
• the invention resides in a plant treatment means comprising a reservoir intended to contain a plant treatment agent and adapted to be fixed to a plant stem and/or leaf, at least one probe which is able to penetrate the epidermis of the plant stem and/or leaf said probe being adapted to carry treatment agent from said reservoir to said vascular tissue over a period of time.
• the probe incorporates a fluid pathway constituted by a rigid porous capillary element extending between the reservoir and the free end of the probe.
• the reservoir contains a porous filler which accommodates the plant treatment agent.
• the reservoir is associated with a mounting which is able to support the reservoir on the plant stem, said reservoir having said probe on the face to be adjacent the stem, the mounting relationship between the reservoir and mounting being such as to provide an inwardly directed force to the probe relative to the plant stem to drive it into the plant stem.
• the mounting is common to a plurality of reservoirs.
• the mounting comprises a band which in use at least partly surrounds the stem.
• Figure 1 is a cross-sectional plan view of the first embodiment
• Figure 2 is a side elevation of the first embodiment
• Figure 3 is a plan view of the second embodiment.
• Figure 4 is a side elevation of the second embodiment.
• the embodiments hereinafter described are each directed to a treatment means for the application of treatment agents to a plant in a safe, effective and controlled manner.
• the first embodiment comprises a set of elongated tubular reservoirs 11 mounted to a flexible clamping band 12 which is intended to be wrapped around the plant stem S and the ends of the clamping band releasably secured together by means of a clamping device 13 which is operable to tension the clamping band about the stem.
• Figures 1 and 2 illustrate four reservoirs mounted to the clamping band, however more or less reservoirs may be used as desired.
• Each reservoir 11 is supported from the clamping band to lie substantially parallel with the plant stem S and extend upwardly from the clamping band.
• the end _of the reservoir 11 fixed to the clamping band supports a probe which extends radially inward when the clamping band 12 is wrapped around the plant stem S.
• the probes 14 are driven into the plant stem to penetrate the epidermis and enter the system tissue.
• the interior of the reservoirs may contain a porous filter and the treatment agent is carried to the plant stem by capillary action through the probe.
• Each probe 14 may be formed of a tube filled with a porous material having a capillarity similar to plant tissue which provides a capillary flow path between the interior of the reservoir 11 and the probe tip.
• the probe 14 may be formed of a rigid porous capillary tip similar in nature to the tip of a felt tipped pen which will not be damaged on penetration of the plant tissue and will not create a void in the space it occupies. It would seem that in order to counteract the protective responses of the plant tissue it is desirable that the probe on its entry into the plant stem does not create any voids in the stem and the flow path in the probe has similar capillary flow characteristics as the xyle tissue of the plant.
• clamping band 12 and the clamping device 13 to effect penetration of the probes 14 into the plant stem ensures a controlled penetration " of the plant tissue which it is believed should minimise the trauma to the plant tissue and reduce the normal protective responses of the tissue which may block off the flow of the treatment agent between the tip of the probe and plant tissue.
• the second embodiment comprises a rigid but resilient clamping band 12 which has the form of an incomplete annulus.
• the clamping band 12 is sufficiently resilient to be capable of location around a wide range of sizes of plant stem S.
• the clamping band is formed with a plurality of circumferentially spaced threaded apertures which each can threadably support a reservoir 11 having a threaded portion 11a and bulbous portion lib. located outermost and of sufficient volume to accommodate the desired quantity of treatment agent.
• the interior of the reservoir may contain a porous filler material.
• T h e inner end of the reservoir 11 supports a probe 14 of similar form to that of the first embodiment. On rotation of the reservoir 11 on the clamping band 12 in the appropriate direction the probe is driven into the plant stem in a controlled manner.
• a variation to the second embodiment may be the provision of locking means for releasably securing the free ends of the clamping band 12 together with this arrangement, the clamping band can be of flexible material.
• each probe is movable radially relative to the clamping band under the action of means other than a screw thread.
• each probe may be slidably supported on the clamping band.
• Both the first and second embodiments provide , a means of administering to- plants, treatment agents in a safe, effective and ' controlled manner with a reduced possibility of damage to the environment than existing methods.
• the reservoir 11 may take any desirable configuration and may be of any desirable capacity depending upon the nature of its application.
• the reservoir may be filled with a fibrous material to hold the treatment agent.

Landscapes

• Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
• Biodiversity & Conservation Biology (AREA)
• Ecology (AREA)
• Forests & Forestry (AREA)
• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Wood Science & Technology (AREA)
• Botany (AREA)
• Environmental Sciences (AREA)
• Catching Or Destruction (AREA)
• Saccharide Compounds (AREA)
• Media Introduction/Drainage Providing Device (AREA)
• Cultivation Of Plants (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (2)

Family

ID=3771289

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (6)

Families Citing this family (6)

Citations (5)

Family Cites Families (2)

• 1986
  • 1986-09-23 EP EP19860905674 patent/EP0272264A4/en not_active Withdrawn
  • 1986-09-23 JP JP61504998A patent/JPS63501262A/ja active Pending
  • 1986-09-23 WO PCT/AU1986/000275 patent/WO1987001559A1/en not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 1986-09-23 AU AU63787/86A patent/AU590799B2/en not_active Ceased
• 1987
  • 1987-05-22 DK DK262887A patent/DK262887A/da not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 1987-05-23 KR KR870700441A patent/KR870700282A/ko not_active Application Discontinuation

Patent Citations (5)

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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