FR2590763A1 - Material for protecting plants - Google Patents

Abstract

Material 4 for protecting young plants 1 essentially comprising lignocellulose fibres. Application in silviculture.

Description

 The present invention relates to a composite material for plant protection.

 In order to protect the seedlings against invasion by competing plants or weeds, it has been proposed in the prior art to place, around the seedlings, leaves of various materials which smother the weeds while allowing keep the root environment moist.

Such a material is for example described in British Patent No. 1,588,181 and consists mainly of a flexible material such as bitumen impregnated felt, polythene, peat agglomerates or other vegetable matter.

 Another similar material is described in Belgian Patent No. 805,262 and consists of a weeding paper comprising polyolefin resin fibers mixed with carbon black, cellulosic fibers and various reinforcing agents. These materials are inert. Finally, the use of non-biodegradable materials can cause a nuisance to the environment.

 The object of the invention is to provide a plant protection material which is active for a sufficient duration, then disappears naturally without harming the environment and which can ensure, in addition to the usual protection against invasion by the bad ones. herbs and the excessive drying of the soil in the vicinity of the plant, new functions such as the contribution to the vicinity of the plant of certain chemical or other elements of nutrition or treatment, for example one or more elements making it possible to remedy mineral deficiencies natural or accidental soil by the harmful effect of acid rain or for example one or more elements for controlling pests of the plant.

 For this, the invention provides a plant protection material <apply on the soil and around the plant at least in its immediate vicinity. This material is the product of the agglomeration of lignocellulosic fibers, clay, mineral matter and a binder and has a weight per unit area of between 0.2 and 0.4 grams per cm 2 in the dry state. and greater than 0.4 grams in the wet state, these lignocellulosic fibers being preferably derived from hardwood or softwood.

 According to the invention, the material is preferably in the form of a plate and comprising (by weight) - 30 to 50% of lignocellulosic fibers, - 30 to 60% of clay, - 1 to 8% of binder .

 Preferably, this material comprises in addition from 0.5% to 10% of active material.

 Depending on the protective functions sought, all the active ingredients are possible provided they are easy to incorporate into the fibers before agglomeration. They can be, for example, fertilizing minerals, to fight against the natural deficiencies of a soil or an alkaline product such as carbonate of lime to fight acid rain or a repellent or pesticide product to fight against pests or any another product beneficial to the healthy and harmonious development of the young plant.

 The composite plate material produced according to the invention is a biodegradable material, over a period of about 3 years. It has good water retention properties since it can hold up to 1 to 4 times its weight in water. It is obtained by the agglomeration of lignocellulosic fibers which ensure water retention and permeability, on the one hand, and the disappearance of the material by biodegradation without harm to the environment, on the other hand. To provide the material with new protective functions, the active ingredients are incorporated into the fibers chemical or other corresponding. To improve the effectiveness of these elements, it is necessary to buffer their release from the material by incorporating high capacity minerals. ion exchange, such as clays, which also provide some water retention on the one hand, and a physical consistency to the other material. Finally, to provide cohesion and flexibility necessary for proper handling, a binder product may be incorporated into the composite material. According to particular embodiments, the binder is constituted by at least one substance chosen from starch, latex and polyglycols, preferably by a mixture of 50% of starch and 50% of latex and the clay is consisting of talc or kaolin and / or expanded vermiculite.

 The characteristic of the material to retain its dry weight in water and to be permeable is essential because it allows the efficient expression of chemical or other elements incorporated in the material. Another advantage of this characteristic is to increase the weight per unit area of the wetting material allowing a better fight against the invasion of grasses on the one hand, and better adhesion to the ground avoiding the manipulator to cover the edges of the material with soil against the adverse effect of the wind on the other hand. The surface weight of the material should be greater than 0.2 gram per square centimeter in the dry state and greater than 0.4 gram per square centimeter in the wet state.

 The composite plate material made according to the invention having a significant percentage of clay, it has good ionic retention and ion exchange properties, which allows its use as a vector of ionic species used as a treatment agent or growth.

 Also this material has appreciable properties of cohesion and flexibility due to the use of binder.

But the invention and its advantages will be better understood on reading the following example which is given by way of illustration only with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: FIG. 1 represents a young plant fitted with a plate
according to the invention, - Figures 2 and 3 each represent a plate
performed according to the invention,
The young plant (1) shown in Figure 1 was planted in an area (2) where the soil is softened so that its root ball (3) is completely contained in this area (2). In order to protect it from vegetation, the softened zone (2) is covered with a plate (5).

The plate (5) has the following composition (in percentage by weight) - 45% of lignocellulosic fibers, - 25% of kaolin and 25% of talc, - 2% of alumina, - 8% of a mixture of binder (starch + latex) and material
active.

 The plate shown in FIG. 2 is rectangular and is made in two half-portions while the plate shown in FIG. 3 is in the form of a disk (6) whose center is provided with an orifice (7) for the passage plan. In order to be able to put the plate in place around the plane, and because it is deformable, it is provided with a radial groove (8) which extends between the orifice (7) and the periphery (9). ).

 But the invention is not limited to the embodiments described, it encompasses all variants.

Claims (9)

1 - Composite material for protecting a plant intended for  be applied to the soil and around the plant in at  least of its immediate proximity, characterized in that  consists of an agglomerate of fibers  lignocellulosic, clay and binder. 2 - Material according to claim 1, characterized in that  that it comprises, by weight  30 to 50% of lignocellulosic fibers,  - 30 to 60% clay,  - 1 to 8% of binder. 3 - Material according to claim 2, characterized in that  it also comprises from 0.5 to 10% of material  active. 4 - Material according to claim 2, characterized in that  that the binder is a substance chosen from starch,  latex and polyglycols. 5 - Material according to claim 2, characterized in that  that the clay is chosen from talc, kaolin and  expanded vermiculite. 6 - Material according to claim 1, characterized in that  that lignocellulosic fibers are fibers  from hardwood or softwood. 7 - Material according to claim 3, characterized in that  that the active ingredients consist of minerals  fertilizers or alkaline products. 8 - Material according to claim 3, characterized in that  that the active ingredients are repellents or  pesticides. 9 - Material according to claim 2, characterized in that  the binder consists of 50% starch and 50%  latex.