WO2011027036A1

WO2011027036A1 - A plant protection, and a method for manufacturing a plant protection

Info

Publication number: WO2011027036A1
Application number: PCT/FI2010/050686
Authority: WO
Inventors: Ilari JÖNKKÄRI; Pentti JÄRVELÄ; Kari Valkosalo; Jarmo Lahtinen; Matti Lehtinen
Original assignee: Honkajoki Oy
Priority date: 2009-09-07
Filing date: 2010-09-02
Publication date: 2011-03-10
Also published as: FI20095920A0; FI20095920A

Abstract

A plant protection is intended for protecting a plant against competing vegetation and/or vermin. The plant protection (1) comprises at least biodegradable plastic and bone meal in a mixture. Animal fibre, such as animal or human hairs, can be used as reinforcement.

Description

A PLANT PROTECTION, AND A METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING A PLANT PROTECTION

Field of the invention

The invention relates to a plant protection. The invention also relates to a method for manufacturing a plant protection. Background of the invention

The planting of seedlings is often both expensive and laborious work. Without a distinct protection, seedlings have a great risk of dying during the first two growing seasons of the seedling, for example suppressed by surface vegetation that is more viable than the seedling, or because of moles (elks, wild reindeer, hares, and similar animals). For this reason, various seedling protections have been developed, by means of which the possibilities of survival of the seedlings can be essentially improved. In prior art, two different types of seedling protection are normally used, particularly for protecting a tree seedling. One seedling protection type is intended to protect against other surface vegetation, such as grass, and thereby to protect the seedling from competition for nutrients, water and light, among other things. Such a plant protection against surface vegetation improves the survival possibilities of the seedling essentially during its first years of growth, because the seedling thus does not need to particularly compete for nutrients, water and light. A plant protection against surface vegetation not only reduces seedling death rates and defects but also improves the growth of the seedling. One advantage of such a seedling protection may be the fact that there is no need to use biocides which are harmful to the environment. In prior art, such a seedling protection is often made of recycled paper, into which, for example peat may have been added.

The other seedling protection type is intended to protect against animals, primarily small mammals and usually particularly moles. Such seedling protections against vermin may be, for example, mole barriers or the like. Protection against small vermin, particularly moles, is often as important as or even more important than protection against surface vegetation, because moles may cause even extensive destruction of planted seedlings. Because protections against moles do not protect the seedling from surface vegetation, and protections against surface vegetation do not protect the seedling from moles, a protection intended for a plant against surface vegetation can be used, for example, inside a mole barrier to prevent the growth of weeds (such as grass) during the first two growing seasons of the seedling at the same time when the mole barrier prevents destruction caused by moles. Such a solution is, however, fairly expensive, and furthermore, the use of two different seedling protections substantially increases the amount of work during the planting. For this reason, there is a need for a solution by which the problems caused by both surface vegetation and moles could be prevented by means of a single seedling protection.

Brief summary of the invention

It is an aim of the present invention to provide an improvement to said situation in such a way that the seedlings do not need to be protected with two separate seedling protections to protect the seedling against both moles and surface vegetation. To achieve this aim, the present invention provides a seedling protection that protects the seedling against both surface vegetation and moles.

From time to time, there is also a need to protect plants that have passed the seedling stage against moles and surface vegetation, for example in gardens. For this reason, the seedling protection is also called a plant protection.

The solution according to the invention comprises a particular raw material mixture which is safe for the environment, decomposes in the nature and repels, among other things, moles. From the raw material mixture, a seedling protection (plant protection) is made, which advantageously has so large a surface area that the seedling protection also protects against surface vegetation. To achieve the aim of the invention, the plant protection according to the invention is primarily characterized in what will be presented in the appended claim 1 . The method for manufacturing a plant protection according to the invention is primarily characterized in what will be presented in the appended claim 9. The use of the plant protection is characterized in what will be presented in the appended claim 1 1 .

A binder (matrix) used in the raw material mixture for the plant protection is biodegradable plastic, for example polylactide or its copolymer. When bone meal is used as one component in the plant protection suppressing the vegetation surrounding a seedling or another plant, a mole repellent effect is achieved for the plant protection in addition to the effect to prevent vegetation around the seedling or other plant. The bone meal is simultaneously used as a fertilizer, which is advantageous for the growth of the seedling or other plant. A biodegradable fibrous material can be used as reinforcement for the plant protection. This reinforcement may be a supporting framework, for example a bag, that surrounds the plant protection of a composite structure (biodegradable plastic matrix with blended bone meal) on the outside, or the reinforcement may be blended in the same matrix as the bone meal. The reinforcement may consist of fibre from plants or animals. Particularly when hairs are used, it is possible to strengthen the mole-repelling effect of the seedling protection, and furthermore, hairs are good reinforcements for the raw material mixture. The hairs may be, for example, human hairs or pig hairs, which have a good repelling effect. Human hairs are produced in abundance as waste material at barbers and hairdressers, and their use as reinforcement for plant protection provides an application. Pig hairs are obtained as a side product from the slaughtering industry. As the reinforcement, it is also possible to use other animal fibres than hairs from mammals, for example poultry feathers, which are a side product of the poultry industry.

In the case of seedlings, it is very important to enhance the early growth stages of the plant in any way. Bone meal is a water-insoluble fertilizer, from which the roots of plants can, however, absorb primary nutrients and trace nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen, selenium) which are important for their growth. In scientific research, bone meal has also been found to influence the microfauna in the soil in such a way that it enhances the growth of plants. Description of the drawings

In the following, the invention will be described in more detail with reference to the appended drawings, in which shows a side view of a seedling with a seedling protection according to an advantageous embodiment, shows a top view of a seedling protection according to an advantageous embodiment, show two advantageous embodiments of a seedling protection, and show two other advantageous embodiments of constituent pieces of a seedling protection.

Detailed description of the invention

A seedling protection 1 (shown in Figs. 1 to 4) against surface vegetation and moles, among other things, is advantageously made of a mixture that contains at least biodegradable plastic and bone meal. It may also contain biodegradable fibre, particularly mammalian (including human) hairs, for reinforcement. Such a mixture is an entirely safe biodegradable product. The content of biodegradable plastic in the mixture is advantageously 40 to 80 wt-%, more advantageously 50 to 70 wt-%; the content of bone meal in the mixture is advantageously 15 to 45 wt-%, more advantageously 20 to 35 wt-%; and the content of hairs in the mixture is preferably about 4 to 5 wt-% in such a way that the content of hairs is advantageously 2 to 8 wt-%, more advantageously 3 to 7 wt-% in the mixture. In addition to the above- mentioned raw materials, it is also possible to use one or more other suitable raw materials in the manufacture of the seedling protection. The primary function of the biodegradable plastic is to act as a binder. There are several biodegradable plastics suitable for this purpose. Preferably, the biodegradable plastic is polylactide, in which the starting material is lactic acid. Polylactide belongs to the family of aliphatic polyesters which are made of hydroxic acids. Polylactide is biodegradable, and its degradation products are non-toxic and substantially environmentally safe, so that it is not harmful to the environment during the process of decomposition. The degradation time of polylactide depends on the molecule size in such a way that short- chained polylactide will degrade faster than long-chained polylactide, for which reason the degradation time of the seedling protection according to the invention, advantageously containing polylactide, can be influenced in such a way that the degradation rate can be changed, depending on the use. The seedling protection can be made, for example, in such a way that it will degrade and decompose well after a year has passed from the first two growing seasons of the seedling. It is also possible to use a polylactide copolymer or, instead of these, another suitable, substantially environmentally safe biodegradable plastic, for the mixture according to the invention. The plastic may also be based on another biodegradable polymer, for example a volume polymer (for example, common raw materials for thermoplastics: polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene, or polyester) modified to be biodegradable. The plastics may also be based on thermoplastic derivatives of natural polymers. Wood-based polymers, such as thermoplastic lignin, are also feasible. For using the plastic as a binder, its melt processability is an important property.

Bone meal has two functions in the raw material mixture. The first one is to act as a fertilizer for the seedling to be protected. Bone meal is an organic, environmentally safe substance, a so-called organic compound fertilizer. It is a nutrient with a long-term action, accepted for use as a fertilizer and having a significant nitrogen fertilizer effect. In addition to nitrogen, bone meal also contains a substantial amount of phosphorus and calcium, and it also contains potassium and magnesium, among other things. Bone meal is usually made of animal bones, horns or similar slaughter waste. The fertilizing constituents of bone meal are slowly dissolved in the soil so that when the seedling protection decomposes, nutrients are gradually released to be absorbed by the seedling over the course of several years. Bone meal is not actually dissolved, but the roots of plants are capable of absorbing minerals from the bone meal and thereby utilizing it. Thanks to its long-term action, it is particularly suitable for perennials, such as planted tree seedlings. The bone meal is preferably meat-and-bone meal. Most preferably, such meat-and-bone meal is used which is a by-product of slaughtering industry, processed according to the standards of EC Regulation No. 1774/2002. It is also possible to add another fertilizer, for example a source of potassium, in the bone meal, to balance the element composition to be suitable.

In theory, 40 wt-% of meat-and-bone meal in a seedling protection weighing 100 g will give about 3.2 g of nitrogen and 2.4 g of phosphorus per seedling, amounting to about 8 to 10 kg of N/ha and 6 to 8 kg of P/ha for a normal planting density of well over 2000 seedlings per hectare. The quantity is not very high, but on the other hand, the recommended fertilizer rates for moorland are 100 to 150 kg of N/ha at an interval of 6 to 10 years, that is 10 to 25 kg of N/ha per year (for P, 20 to 30 kg at a time, that is, 2 to 5 kg per year), and these recommendations are for growing forests, that is, relatively big trees.

A chemically concentrated fertilizer will prevent the action of ectomycorrhizae, that is, the symbiotic association between the roots of trees and fungi. Nutrients in the meat-and-bone meal, on the other hand, have been found to enhance the ectomycorrhizal symbiosis, that is, the ability to absorb water and nutrients.

For seedlings, the present invention enables so-called precision fertilization, that is, the fertilizer is provided solely around the root of the seedling. Consequently, the quantity of fertilizer required per total area is much smaller. The method according to the invention will reduce the fertilizer requirement to about one percent from the present recommendation. Because the method secures a safer initial stage for the seedlings, it is also possible to substantially reduce the number of seedlings used. The second function of bone meal in the raw material mixture is to repel moles and similar vermin. Bone meal has a distinct characteristic smell which naturally repels some vermin. For example, moles do not want to come close to a bed containing bone meal, but they prefer to pick up their nourishment farther away. Hairs containing keratin also have two functions in the raw material mixture. Their first function is to reinforce the mixture. In addition to being good reinforcements, hairs also act as a natural repellent against some small vermin, such as moles. This is due to the fact that e.g. moles naturally avoid not only the smell of bone meal but also the smell of hairs and therefore prefer to select a place farther away from the seedling protection as their eating place. The hairs used in the manufacture of the presented seedling protection may be, for example pig hairs or human hairs.

Thanks to their raw material, seedlings protected with a seedling protection made in a shape protecting against surface vegetation can be safe from not only surface vegetation but also vermin, such as moles.

Figure 1 shows an example of a seedling 2 with a seedling protection 1 , in a side view. The seedling protection 1 is a disc-like or plate-like piece covering an area of a given size around the seedling 2, which piece may be a single piece or composed of two or more parts. In the centre of the seedling protection 1 , an opening 4 is provided for the stem of the seedling 2, and if the seedling protection 1 is made of a single uniform piece, it also has a slit 5 extending from the outer circumference 9 to the inner circumference 10 of the seedling protection 1 (shown in Figs. 3a-b), through which slit the protection can be introduced around the seedling. Figure 1 shows, among other things, the seedling protection 1 , the seedling 2, the opening 4 for the stem of the seedling, inclinations 6, the outer circumference 9 of the seedling protection, and the inner circumference 10 of the seedling protection.

The seedling protection 1 is particularly suitable for protecting beds of tree seedlings, such as seedlings of broad-leaved trees, but in principle, it can be used for protecting any plants. In an advantageous embodiment of the seedling protection 1 shown in Fig. 1 , inclinations 6 are provided in such a way that the upper surface of the protection descends from the outer circumference 9 towards the inner circumference 10 of the seedling protection, wherein, for example, rainwater will be guided to the root of the seedling 2.

The surface area of the seedling protection 1 should be sufficiently large so that the seedling protection 1 would protect the seedling 2 against surface vegetation to a sufficient extent. For this reason, the size of the seedling protection may vary. The area covered by the seedling protection is advantageously 300 to 2500 cm² measured from its contours. However, the invention is not limited to the above-mentioned sizes.

The angle a determining the inclination 6 with respect to the vertical line is preferably 92° to 260°, more preferably 105° to 140°, and most preferably 1 10° to 130°. It is possible that the degree of inclination is not the same (equally high/low gradient) through the whole area of the seedling protection, but the degree of inclination varies, for example, with the radius from the outer circumference towards the inner circumference. However, the degree of inclination may naturally also be constant through the whole area of the seedling protection. Furthermore, it is possible that there are no inclinations 6 in the seedling protection 1 .

Figure 2 shows an advantageous embodiment of the seedling protection 1 , seen from above. The figure shows the seedling protection 1 , grooves 3, the opening 4 for the stem of the seedling, the outer circumference 9 of the seedling protection, and the inner circumference 10 of the seedling protection.

A protection with an appropriate design can be used to collect rainwater to the root of the plant. It may also be helpful in condensing airborne water to the lower surface of the plant protection and in collecting it to the root of the plant.

Grooves 3 shown in Fig. 2 can be added, for example, in the seedling protection 1 of Fig. 1 to boost the running of water to the root of the seedling 2 (shown in Fig. 1 ). There may be a few grooves 3 in each seedling protection 1 , for example at least one, two, three, or four grooves, but there may also be significantly more, for example at least 10 grooves. The depth and width of the grooves 3 may vary as desired; preferably, said measurements are 2 to 3 mm and 10 to 20 mm, respectively. The edges of the grooves 3 may be bevelled or rounded. In the seedling protection, the inclinations 6 shown in Fig. 1 and the grooves 3 shown in Fig. 2 can be used either both simultaneously or in such a way that the seedling protection 1 only comprises either grooves or inclinations.

Figures 3 and 4 show some examples of advantageous parts for making the seedling protection 1 . The seedling protection 1 is suitably made of either a single piece (shown in Figs. 3a-b) or at least two pieces (shown in Figs. 4a- b), but there may also be, for example, at least three or four constituent pieces. Preferably, the opening 4 for the stem of the seedling is placed substantially in the centre of the seedling protection 1 in all these configurations, but the opening 4 may also be placed off the centre of the seedling protection. The seedling protection 1 may comprise inclinations 6 of Fig. 1 and/or grooves 3 of Fig. 2 irrespective of the number of constituent pieces that the seedling protection is made of. Figures 3a and 3b show some advantageous embodiments of the seedling protection 1 . In these figures, the seedling protection is made of a single piece. The figures show the seedling protection 1 , the opening 4 for the stem of the seedling, the slit 5 facilitating the installation of the protection, the outer circumference 9 of the seedling protection, and the inner circumference 10 of the seedling protection.

Figure 3a shows a seedling protection of a circular shape, and Fig. 3b shows a seedling protection of a more rectangular shape. It should be noted that said figures only show examples of some advantageous shapes of the seedling protection 1 , and the seedling protection 1 may naturally also have another shape, such as an oval, polygonal and/or asymmetric shape. Primarily, it is essential that the seedling protection covers soil in the vicinity of the seedling. The seedling protection 1 is preferably provided with some kind of an opening 4 for the stem 2 of the seedling. Furthermore, particularly a seedling protection 1 consisting of a single piece is advantageously provided with a slit 5 to facilitate the installation of the seedling protection. The slit 5 extends preferably from the inner circumference 10 of the seedling protection 1 to the outer circumference 9 of the seedling protection 1 . The slit 5 may be a straight linear slit, but it may also be unlinear. Figures 4a and 4b show other advantageous examples of the seedling protection 1 . The figures show a seedling protection 1 made of pieces 7 and 8, an opening 4 for the stem of the seedling 2 (shown in Fig. 1 ), the outer circumference 9 of the seedling protection and the inner circumference 10 of the seedling protection. Furthermore, Fig. 4a shows snap fasteners 1 1 .

In the same way as Figs. 3a-b, Figs. 4a-b also show a more circular embodiment and another, more rectangular embodiment of the seedling protection. The figures show examples of advantageous embodiments in such a way that the seedling protection 1 may naturally also have another shape, such as an oval, triangular or polygonal shape. The pieces 7 and 8 may be substantially identical, but it is also possible that the first piece 7 covers a larger area than the second piece 8, or that the pieces 7, 8 are otherwise designed in a different way. The seedling protection 1 may also consist of more than two pieces, for example three or four pieces, wherein all the separate pieces may be identical, or the pieces may vary in size or shape.

These separate pieces 7 and 8 are preferably assembled in connection with installation of the seedling protections, wherein the seedling protection can be placed particularly easily around the seedling 2. Preferably, to facilitate the installation of the seedling protections, said separate pieces 7, 8 are assembled by the snap fasteners 1 1 shown schematically in Fig. 4a. As the snap fasteners, it is possible to apply any fasteners suitable for the use. The separate pieces of the seedling protection 1 , two or more, can also be fastened to each other by any other fastening members of prior art.

As mentioned above, the raw material mixture for the seedling protection 1 comprises at least biodegradable plastic, bone meal and hairs. The actual forming of the seedling plant 1 from the raw material mixture can be done, for example, by injection moulding of the mixture of raw materials into at least one mould. In this way, the seedling protection 1 can be easily formed into a desired shape. However, the invention is not limited solely to seedling protections made by injection moulding, but also other manufacturing methods suitable for the material mixture, particularly based on melt processing, can be used. Other suitable manufacturing techniques include, for example, compression moulding, extrusion, and methods resembling the papermaking technique. Preferably, the seedling protection is made by a serial production method for plastics. The presented seedling protection is particularly suitable for protecting beds of tree seedlings, such as seedlings of broad-leaved and conifer trees, but in principle, it can be used for protecting any tree seedlings and other plants. The seedling protection can be used as a protection for tree seedlings in afforestation and as a protection for seedling and plants that have passed the seedling stage in parks, green areas and gardens.

The plant protection to be placed on the ground protects particularly against moles, but it may also have a repellent effect on other animals. However, the protections may also be plastic objects or plastic sealing-off lines etc. hanging from trees, having no vegetation-suppressing effect but having a repellent effect against taller animals, such as elks and wild reindeer. The composition of such objects to be placed higher is the same as that described above. Also these decompose slowly, releasing fertilizer onto the ground. Such objects can be hung on seedlings, for example at the height of eating by vermin, on branches of trees or in a particular stand. The suitable hanging height is 1 to 3 m from the ground surface.

The plant protection with said composition can also be used as a flexible sheet-like structure to be wrapped around a plant. It can thus be placed, for example, around the stem of a seedling or the stem of a full-grown tree. It is thus used as a structure to protect against vermin but not competing vegetation, and it can be used in places where the vegetation around the plant has been prevented in other ways. The presented plant protection to be placed on the ground protects plants against both surface vegetation and vermin, such as moles, and it also fertilizes the seedling. A plant protection to be hung higher or formed as a sealing-off line is, in turn, used as a repellent against animals and as a fertilizer. The plant protection according to the invention is a safe product that decomposes in nature after it has been used as a protection for a sufficient time, without causing substantial harm to the environment afterwards. The plant protection can be easily made in a desired shape. However, the invention is not limited to the examples mentioned in Figs. 1 to 4 and the description, but it can be varied within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

Claims:

1 . A plant protection intended for protecting a plant against competing vegetation and/or vermin, characterized in that the plant protection (1 ) comprises at least

biodegradable plastic and bone meal in a mixture, and

a biodegradable reinforcement, which is animal fibre, such as human or animal hairs, either around the plant protection or in a mixture with the biodegradable plastic and bone meal.

2. The plant protection according to claim 1 , characterized in that the content of biodegradable plastic in the mixture is advantageously 40 to 80 wt-%, more advantageously 50 to 70 wt-%, the content of bone meal in the mixture is advantageously 15 to 45 wt-%, more advantageously 20 to 35 wt-%, and the content of animal fibre in the mixture is 2 to 8 wt-%, more advantageously 3 to 7 wt-%.

3. The plant protection according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the animal fibre used is human hairs or pig hairs.

4. The plant protection according to any of the claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the plant protection comprises grooves (3) extending substantially in the direction of the radius of the plant protection (1 ).

5. The plant protection according to any of the claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the plant protection (1 ) is made of at least two separate pieces (7, 8).

6. The plant protection according to any of the claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the plant protection comprises inclinations (6) for guiding water to the root of the seedling.

7. A method for manufacturing a plant protection to protect plants against competing vegetation and/or vermin, characterized in that the method comprises

- preparing a raw material mixture containing at least - biodegradable plastic, whose content in the mixture is advantageously 40 to 80 wt-%, more advantageously 50 to 70 wt-%,

- bone meal, whose content in the mixture is advantageously 15 to 45 wt-%, more advantageously 20 to 35 wt-%,

- animal fibre, such as human or animal hairs, whose content in the mixture is 2 to 8 wt-%, more advantageously 3 to 7 wt-%, and

- making the plant protection from said raw material mixture.

8. The method according to claim 7 for manufacturing a plant protection, characterized in that the plant protection (1 ) is made by injection moulding of a mixture in a mould, by compression moulding, or by extrusion.

9. The use of a plant protection according to any of the preceding claims 1 to 6 for protecting a plant by placing it at the base of the plant in such a way that it covers a ground area of a given size around the plant.

10. The use of a plant protection according to any of the preceding claims 1 to 6 for protecting a plant by placing it on the branches or the stem of the plant or in a stand at a suitable height.

1 1 . The use of a plant protection according to any of the preceding claims 1 to 6 for fertilizing the soil around the plant.

12. The use of a plant protection according to any of the preceding claims 1 to 6 for boosting the microfauna in the soil around the plant.