WO2001020971A2

WO2001020971A2 - Method of and apparatus for crop production

Info

Publication number: WO2001020971A2
Application number: PCT/GB2000/003656
Authority: WO
Inventors: Ingemar Bjurenvall; Tim Chamen
Original assignee: Ingemar Bjurenvall; Tim Chamen
Priority date: 1999-09-22
Filing date: 2000-09-22
Publication date: 2001-03-29
Also published as: WO2001020971A3; GB2354419A; AU7435800A; GB9922456D0

Abstract

A method of crop production comprising the steps of sowing first crops (2) in the spaced apart single or banded rows (1), removing heads (3) of the first crops, leaving stalks (5) of the first crops standing, and sowing second crops (6) in the spaces (7) between the rows before or after removing the stalks of the first crops, and optimally driving along the same tracks (4) for all operations.

Description

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR CROP PRODUCTION

The present invention relates to integrated methods of and apparatus for sowing, tending and more particularly, to methods of husbanding cereal crops that comprise a head supported on a stalk, such as wheat, rye, oats or barley.

At present, cereals such as wheat are grown in rows following extensive loosening, inversion and cultivation of the soil. Less commonly they are grown in rows following minimum or no cultivation, but are often at risk from poor establishment due to crop and weed residues. Similarly, these crops established with little or no cultivation often suffer from weed competition and poor soil structure. Poor soil structure results from compaction due to vehicles travelling up and down fields in a random fashion.

Presently crops are tended by vehicles with a relatively narrow track width. When chemicals are applied these vehicles are equipped with application booms that typically span between ten and twenty times the wheel track. As a result, small rolling movements at the wheels are amplified at the booms which are then difficult to keep parallel to the ground.

In such conventional vehicles the tanks which store the chemicals to be applied are normally made of plastics material and are not strong enough to support the load of the chemicals by themselves. Heavy frameworks spanning the entire width of the vehicle are required to provide extra support.

At present, cereals such as wheat are harvested using a combine harvester. The combine harvester cuts the stalk of the cereal that carries the head at the end of the stalk. The head and stalk are then threshed by the same machine, and this separates the husks and stalk from the valuable grains of corn. The combine harvester was developed for use in the dry climate of the USA. The combine harvester only collects the grain and leaves the stalks, husks and even stripped weed seeds on the ground following threshing, and these may be collected or left in the field to decompose. Even if these elements are collected soon after harvest, they may already have deteriorated as a result of being left in close proximity to the soil. In addition, these elements often have some grain left amongst them, and this is of detriment if the stalks and husks are to be used for industrial purposes. Presently the low value stalks and husks are generally chopped and spread randomly on the field together with any weed seeds that may be present. Sowing new crops directly through these residues is difficult.

The combine harvester requires the stalks to be dry and mature for effective threshing. In the moist climates of Western Europe, this requirement delays the onset of harvesting compared with traditional methods and results in a smaller window of opportunity for the sowing of autumn crops.

Combine harvesters generally travel up and down fields in a random fashion dictated only by the width of their cutting heads. Similarly, tractors with their grain trailers travel randomly over the field to pick up grain from the harvesters, and both of these operations cause considerable compaction damage to the soil.

For the reasons of alleviating soil compaction and burying crop residues, fields are generally ploughed after harvesting and before sowing the next year's crop. Ploughing is also employed to bury and kill most of a season's weed seeds, but equally, some seeds are buried and germinate when they are brought back up the following year.

The harvesting method disclosed in EP-A-0316969 has solved the harvesting problem in part in that the implement disclosed can strip the ears of corn from the stalk whilst leaving the stalk standing. Therefore, the corn can be harvested as soon as the head is mature and has dried, but before the stalk has fully dried. This increases the time available for harvesting and the speed at which it is carried out, but random trafficking and compaction of the soil still occurs. Furthermore, the weed seeds stripped from their stalks during this operation are still spread back on the land. In addition, the low value stalks and husks are still spread back on the field making sowing of new crops difficult without ploughing. The grain is separated in the field in part because of the bulky nature of the combination of grain and husks which can be a difficult combination to transport.

The above system alleviates part of the problem in that the farmer no longer needs to wait for the whole of the stalk to dry before harvesting the corn. However, a significant proportion of the stalks is squashed onto the ground by the wheels of the harvester and cannot be collected later. Thus, although once the corn has been harvested and the standing stalks have dried and can be cut and baled by a second vehicle, many of the stalks remain out of reach on the ground. Because the standing crop stalks generally need to be removed or cut and chopped before further crops can be sown, there is no opportunity for the standing material to be left to mature in the field.

The harvesting method described above is seldom used other than with a means of separating the grain from the husks stripped from the stalks. These husks and some leaves from the crop are very bulky and are difficult to elevate and transport efficiently. Additionally, these crop products presently have limited value.

In a first aspect the present invention provides a vehicle for applying agrochemicals to crops, said vehicle comprising: two wheels which in the straight ahead position share a common axis; a tank for agrochemicals; and a means for applying agrochemicals from an outlet of said tank to crops; wherein said tank is shaped and mounted such that: the centre of volume of said tank is substantially over the perpendicular bisector of said common axis; agrochemicals in said tank drain towards said outlet in the base of the tank under the influence of gravity when said vehicle is oriented substantially horizontally; and the cross-sectional area of the tank measured in the plane perpendicular to said common axis is greater near the axle end than at the axial centre.

In this way, the amount of the framework for supporting the tank of the vehicle can be minimized and the load is better distributed over the wheels.

In a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for compacting grains and husks, said apparatus comprising: a hopper including an elastic air-permeable cover for covering and compacting said grains and husks; a means for transferring stripped grains and husks into said hopper; and a means for discharging grains and husks from said hopper.

This apparatus prevents weed seeds which are removed with the grains of corn from being spread back on the field thereby reducing the weed seed population in the soil. Furthermore, the apparatus efficiently compacts the grains and husks which are collected and allows early harvesting of crops.

The third aspect of the present invention alleviates many of the above mentioned problems by providing a method of crop production comprising the steps of sowing first crops in spaced apart single or banded rows, removing heads of the first crops, leaving stalks of the first crops standing, and sowing second crops in the spaces between the rows before removing the stalks of the first crops.

This method allows a farmer to harvest crops without having to wait for the stalks to dry and leaves all of the stalks standing. This increases the time available for harvesting the grain in its optimum condition and allows the stalks to remain in the field for a longer period without damage. This extended period allows the stalks to mature, lose unwanted minerals and have intrinsic value as a raw material for manufacturing. This is achieved by leaving the stalks standing and not lying in the field.

It will be understood that although the method is best suited for cereal crops, any crop which has a head on a stalk can be harvested by this method.

The method allows the farmer to plant next year's crop soon after harvesting the heads of the previous year's crop and allows the stalks of the previous year's crop to be removed at a later time. This also allows the stalks to be chopped and spread extensively or chopped and left in rows in the field to be gathered later or collected and compressed for transport.

The method of present invention can also ensure that the farm machinery runs on the same tracks between one year's crop and the next, thereby freeing the cropped area from ground compaction by the traction or support components of the vehicles. Therefore the process of soil loosening normally carried out between harvesting and sowing will no longer need to be carried out between successive year's crops.

Preferably the method of crop production includes the step of selectively treating areas covered by the rows or the spaces between the rows. The method includes selectively dealing with the soil, weeds, residues and pests in the spaces between or covered by the rows.

In this way the quantity of agrochemicals used may be reduced and may be used in a more cost effective and efficient way. Further advantages of the crop production method and associated apparatus will become apparent from the following description given by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the various stages of the crop production method of the present invention;

Figure 2 is a schematic rear view of a vehicle for applying agrochemicals according to the present invention; and

Figure 3 is a schematic side view of apparatus for removing, collecting and compacting grains and husks of cereals according to the present invention.

The present invention involves first sowing cereals in substantially parallel spaced apart rows 1. In this embodiment each row 1 contains single plant 2 rows (single rows) or several plants 2 per row side by side (banded rows) (see Figure 1, step A). Spaces 4, 7 are left between the rows. Optimally, a single pass by a farm vehicle driving along tracks 4 which lie at multiples of rows 1, can sow the seeds of several rows 1. The best type of vehicle is a gantry such as the one disclosed in WO96/15656.

At any stage during the method of crop production, the rows 1 or spaces between the rows 7 or both the rows and spaces may be sprayed, cultivated or treated by other means as part of the husbandry process. The spray may be agro-chemicals of any nature, including herbicides, pesticides, fungicides and fertilisers. Cultivation may be with any soil or non-soil contacting element. Treatment may include the treatment of soil and/or growing plants and/or residues with contacting or non- contacting implements and the application of solids or other biological material to the soil or crop.

Once the cereals have matured and heads 3 are dry enough to be harvested, a farm vehicle passes through the field removing the heads 3 of the plants. Other elements of the plant may also be removed during this operation. Ideally the vehicle removing the heads 3 and other elements should use the same tracks 4 as used by the sowing vehicle. In this way ground compaction by the traction components of the vehicle is minimised.

The stalks 5 of the cereals can then be left standing as shown in Figure IB. This gives the stalks 5 a chance to mature as well as allowing some of the minerals contained in the stalks to be leached into the soil. Since the stalks 5 are left standing they remain clean.

Whilst the stalks 5 are standing the next year's plants 6 may be sown in the spaces 7 between the first rows 1. This can be done at any time both before and after the stalks 5 are harvested.

Ideally the heads 3 of the previous season's crop 2 are removed before the next sowing stage, however in some instances a new crop 6 may be sown before removing the heads 3 of the previous year's crop 2.

Ideally the vehicle sowing the new crops 6 will use the same tracks 4 as were used by the vehicle for sowing the previous year's crops 2 and by the vehicles used for removing the heads 3 of the matured crops.

Once the heads 3 of the first crop 2 cereal have been removed, the stalks 5 left standing from the first year's crop 2 may be processed and removed or processed and left in the spaces 7 between the rows 1 of the first year's crop 2. Once again it is preferable that the same tracks 4 used by the vehicles in the previous steps are used during the harvesting or distribution of stalks 5.

As will be appreciated, a third year's crop may be planted in the same rows 1 as the first year's crop 2. Since the vehicle tracks 4 are used over and over again, soil compaction in the cropped area is minimised and it is not necessary to loosen the soil in the field every year.

The method of crop production requires machinery which can accurately sow seeds in the spaces between the rows 7. This sowing apparatus allows seeds of the next year's crop to be sown in the narrow spaces 7 between rows 1 of the standing stalks with no cultivation of the soil.

A tine is used to open a slot in the earth by dragging it through the earth. The depth to which the seeds are planted can be adjusted by varying the heights of the tine in relation to the other components of the apparatus for sowing. A wheel which is mounted such that it can rotate about its axis through relative contact with the earth when the tine is dragged through the earth. The wheel is composed of many individual spokes. When the tine is dragged through the earth, debris such as shafts of straw can become entangled around the tine. The wheel is positioned such that when the tine is being pulled through the earth the wheel lies behind and to one side of the tine. This allows debris entangled with the tine to be held to the earth by the individual spokes of the wheel such that the debris disengage with the tine.

Seeds are fed into a shute from a hopper. A metering unit allows the passage of seeds at predetermined positions of rotation of wheel to pass into the boot which guides the seeds which fall under gravity into the slot opened by tine.

Once the seeds have fallen into the slot opened by the tine and the vehicle dragging the sowing apparatus has moved further on, the wheel presses against the side of the slot to firm the soil around, but not over the seed. A flexible finger bar lightly covers the seed with soil. These features ensure that the seed is introduced into the soil as soon as the machine moves forward when the tine is engaged in the earth. The metering unit is driven directly by contact of wheel with the earth such that seeds cannot be fed into the soil unless the wheel is in contact with the earth. By metering the seeds close to the point of insertion into the earth the distance between seeds can be more easily controlled than in the prior art. Furthermore, the speed of travel of the sowing vehicle through the field does not affect the spacing of the planted seeds.

In a preferred method of the present invention, the crops are sprayed with a vehicle which uses the same tracks as previous vehicles. Such a vehicle has a larger track width than normal vehicles used for this purpose. Figure 2 shows a vehicle for applying chemicals to crops which can be used with the method of the. present invention and which is in accordance with an aspect of the invention. The vehicle includes wheels 21 which, in the straight ahead position, share a common axis. The vehicle further comprises a tank 22 for storing agrochemicals which has an outlet 23 leading to a boom 24 which applies the agrochemicals. The vehicle also has a power source 25 for supplying power to both the wheels 21 and the means for applying agrochemicals 24. Typically the tank is made of a plastics material.

The base 26 of the tank 22 is formed such that when the vehicle is in the substantially horizontal plane, liquids (or even solids) will flow towards the outlet 23. The tank is formed generally symmetrically such that the centre of gravity of the tank when full, or the centre of volume of tank when empty, lies substantially equidistant between the two wheels 21. The tank is shaped such that the principal loads are carried by the vehicle close to the tank ends 27 and thus close to the wheels 21. In the embodiment depicted in Figure 2, this is achieved by a lowering of the height of the tank in the middle 28 of the tank. This allows the amount of heavy support structure required by tanks of this type to be minimized by concentrating it around the ends of the tanks and over the wheels.

In the method of the present invention, crops are harvested by removing the heads 3 of the crops from the stalks 5. The apparatus depicted in Figure 4 can be used to compress the mixture of grains and husks which are collected when the heads 3 are removed from the stalks 5. At a later stage, the grains and husks may be separated and the husks may be redistributed onto the field where, although they provide some physical nuisance, they also act as a mulch and weed suppressant and add valuable organic matter to the soil.

The vehicle shown in Figure 3 includes a stripping apparatus 31 at its head. The grains and husks are transported by a conventional elevator 32 to and from the stripper 31 to a subhopper 33. There is a screw auger 34 or a plurality of screw augers 34 at the base of the subhopper 33 . The screw auger or augers 34 positively drive the grain and husks from hopper 33 into the bottom of tank 35. A cross elevator 37 ensures that the material is evenly distributed along the bottom of the tank 35. The cover 36 is made of an elastic and air-permeable material. The cover 36 prevents the grains and husks from being blown by wind and also acts to compress grains and husks in the tank 35. This is done by the elastic property of the cover 36. When enough material is in the wide tank 35 such that it has been compressed by the cover 36 and has had the air driven out through cover 36, screw elevators 38 are used to discharge the material to other hoppers. The screw elevator 38 can also impart a compacting effect to the grain and light husks.

Claims

C L A I M S

A method of crop production comprising the steps of: sowing first crops in spaced apart rows; removing heads of first crops leaving stalks of the first crops standing; and sowing second crops in the spaces between the rows before removing the stalks of the first crops.

2. A method of crop production according to claim 1 wherein the step of sowing second crops in the spaces between the rows occurs before removing the heads of the first crops.

3. A method of crop production according to claim 1 wherein the step of sowing second crops in the spaces between the rows occurs after the step of removing heads of the first crops and before removing the stalks of the first crops.

4. A method of crop production according to claim 1 wherein the step of sowing second crops in the spaces between the rows occurs after the step of removing the stalks of the first crops.

5. A method of crop production according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the stalks of the first crops may be chopped and laid in rows.

6. A method of crop production according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the heads of the first crops are harvested and positively constrained within a tank.

7. A method of crop production according to any one of the preceding claims wherein a sowing unit can operate within the constraints imposed by the stalks of the first crops.

8. A method of crop production according to any one of the preceding claims including the step of selectively treating over areas covered by the rows or the spaces between the rows.

9. A method of crop production according to any one of the preceding claims wherein respective vehicles are used for sowing, selectively treating rows and inter- rows, treating the whole crop, removing heads and removing stalks, and wherein the vehicle for sowing, the vehicle for selectively treating rows and inter-rows, the vehicle for treating the whole crop, the vehicle for removing heads and the vehicle for removing stalks, run on the same tracks.

10. A vehicle for applying agrochemicals to crops, said vehicle comprising: two wheels which in the straight ahead position share a common axis; a tank for agrochemicals; and a means for applying agrochemicals from an outlet of said tank to crops; wherein said tank is shaped and mounted such that: the centre of volume of said tank is substantially over the perpendicular bisector of said common axis; agrochemicals in said tank drain towards said outlet in the base of the tank under the influence of gravity when said vehicle is oriented substantially horizontally; and the cross-sectional area of the tank measured in the plane perpendicular to said common axis is greater near the axle end than at the axial centre.

11. An apparatus for compacting grains and husks, said apparatus comprising: a hopper including an elastic air-permeable cover for covering and compacting said grains and husks; a means for transferring stripped grains and husks into said hopper; and a means for discharging grains and husks from said hopper.

12. An apparatus according to claim 11, further comprising a stripping means for stripping grains and husks off crops.

13. An apparatus according to claims 11 or claim 12, wherein said means for transferring comprises at least one screw auger.

14. An apparatus according to any one of claims 11 to 13, wherein said means for discharging comprises at least one screw elevator.

15. A method of crop production as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

16. A vehicle for applying agrochemicals to crops substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to, and as illustrated in, the accompanying drawings.

17. An apparatus for compacting grains and husks substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to, and as illustrated in, the accompanying drawings.