WO2015066576A2 - Système de protection de culture polymère - Google Patents

Système de protection de culture polymère Download PDF

Info

Publication number
WO2015066576A2
WO2015066576A2 PCT/US2014/063607 US2014063607W WO2015066576A2 WO 2015066576 A2 WO2015066576 A2 WO 2015066576A2 US 2014063607 W US2014063607 W US 2014063607W WO 2015066576 A2 WO2015066576 A2 WO 2015066576A2
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
polymer
incorporated
water
covering
application
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/US2014/063607
Other languages
English (en)
Other versions
WO2015066576A3 (fr
Inventor
Paul W. SCHMALZL
Warren ROBERT
Original Assignee
Polymerium, Llc
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Polymerium, Llc filed Critical Polymerium, Llc
Publication of WO2015066576A2 publication Critical patent/WO2015066576A2/fr
Publication of WO2015066576A3 publication Critical patent/WO2015066576A3/fr

Links

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
    • A01G13/00—Protecting plants

Definitions

  • the invention described herein provides a novel system for using a high water content polymer and its various implementations to provide a means of protecting plant life, especially edible food crops from damage from various conditions, including draught, sunburn and cold weather.
  • This invention will provide benefits not previously available and at much lower initial and ongoing costs than alternative solutions.
  • a polymer is used to retain water on fruits or vegetables to enable simple protection of the fruits or vegetables from extreme temperatures.
  • a polymer incorporates specific enhancements to protect against other environmental factors, including but not limited to, sun exposure, insects, bacteria, fungus and others.
  • the invention allows for the use of multiple, possibly different polymer to further enhance protection.
  • Most damage mitigation techniques are either active, including adding heat or cooling or covering vegetation, or passive, including site selection and proper planting and harvesting scheduling to avoid problems.
  • the impact of potentially damaging conditions are based on many variables, including plant species, variety, growth or development stage, plant vigor, soil conditions, surface cover, heat or freeze intensity and duration, thawing conditions, cloud and wind conditions, and others.
  • duration is a key factor when considering the damage that may occur at the critical temperatures.
  • fruit trees may survive, but may have diminished or damaged yield at temperatures over 38°C and damaged fruit with increased sun exposure.
  • fruit tree buds may be damaged if exposed for an extended time to temperatures below 0°C but may avoid damage if exposed to an even lower temperature for a short period.
  • thawing conditions often affect the extent of damage after a frost.
  • Freeze damage conditions are well documented. As an example, Table 1 from North Carolina State University indicates approximate freeze-related critical temperatures for some crop types.
  • Irrigation Operational cost lower Installation costs relatively Plant part protected from than heaters in freezing high; risk damage to crop if feezing by heat of fusion; conditions; can be used rate inadequate; ice buildup from heat by evaporation; for other cultural may cause limbs to break; irrigation must continue purposes such as over- watering can waterlog until conditions change; drought prevention. soils; does not provide backup power source freezing protection in wind essential.
  • Wind machines Can cover 10-acre area Not effective in wind above 5 Mixes warm air near top of if flat and round; mph or advective freeze. inversion down to crop installation cost similar height; may be used with to heaters. heaters; may use
  • the protection most relevant for consideration of this invention is irrigation. Irrigation makes use of the change of state of water to vapor or water to ice. In warm conditions, the phase change to vapor removes 600 calories per gram of water and provides 80 calories of heat for each gram of water as it freezes. This heat removal or contribution provides some level of protection for the vegetation.
  • the water for this means of protection is delivered typically by a sprinkler system that is either in-place (above or below the vegetation) or can be installed as necessary.
  • a sprinkler system that is either in-place (above or below the vegetation) or can be installed as necessary.
  • a key advantage of an irrigation system is that costs are relatively low and the systems are well understood and easily operated and maintained. These same systems can also be used for normal, i.e., non-extreme, operations like normal watering, fertilizer application and the like.
  • freeze-related issue can be further exacerbated in wind conditions that are above 5 miles per hour.
  • Other disadvantages related to freezing conditions include the potential for ice build up causing breakage. Irrigation use for freezing and other conditions may also result in over-watering of the soil, which can also lead to nutrient depletion, plant and soil fungal growth, wet rot and system design related issues like flow rates.
  • Such a polymer may be found in US Patent 6,201,089, but myriad other polymers, including non-synthetic polymers, may be suitable.
  • This patent describes hydrophilic polymers with 95-99.9% water content that also allow for relatively high gas permeability. While developed for other applications, the characteristics of the polymers described are very suitable to the application of this invention. Additionally, as will be described later, the formulation of the polymer provides features that enhance the benefits beyond simple protection.
  • a key element of novelty of this invention is that by virtue of using a high water content polymer, a number of potential damage conditions can be addressed with a single solution core. Simple variations to the polymer or the additives do not change the baseline solution, but provide for a multi-season capability of a largely consistent baseline polymer system.
  • the preferred embodiment of this invention is best considered in terms of a layer of polymer on the surface of the vegetation as shown in Figure la and Figure lb (edge perspective).
  • This layer 102 which can be varied in thickness, will conform to the plant surface 101 in order to maximize the protection of the plant. As shown in Figure la, the layer 102 is shown covering only part of the surface, but may cover any portion or all of the surface(s).
  • the polymer of this invention will be predominately water that, as the temperature changes, will begin to evaporate during warm conditions taking heat energy away from the vegetation or, in cold conditions, freeze thereby releasing its heat of fusion. Moreover, as the temperature changes, additional high rates of water application will not be necessary because of the retention of the water on the plant by the polymer layer. That is, the water retained on the plant by the polymer will not need to be replaced because it has dripped/run off of the plant onto the ground.
  • An important enhancement to these inherent capabilities of the invention is the incorporation of various means to change the characteristics for either the heat of fusion or the heat of evaporation or both by incorporating elements or monomers into the polymer compositions. These characteristic changes may include specific temperatures at which fusion or evaporation occurs or the rate at which such occurs.
  • the polymer of this invention can also incorporate various additives, whether in the aqueous state or as a monomer in the polymer to provide additional capabilities.
  • additives may include ultra-violet (UV) blockers to provide sun protection, specific conditioners applicable to specific vegetation or other protection means.
  • UV ultra-violet
  • the polymer is applied to the vegetation. Sprayed on to the vegetation, as one would consider a standard irrigation system or handheld sprayer, the polymer can be applied either dry or pre-hydrated. Alternatively, as in the case of application during immediate need like a local or approaching weather front or event, the hydrated application may be seen as a replacement for simple dousing water or other plant covering means that are applied with traditional equipment.
  • the hydrated polymer in a spray-on application, will be part of a liquid mix that may include an adhesive component.
  • the adhesive component provides for a means to keep the polymer layer attached to the plant surface in addition to any natural adhesion found in the polymer itself.
  • the correct mixture of polymer to adhesive can be varied depending on the target surface type, expected thickness of the polymer layer, environment and other variables.
  • a layer of adhesive may be applied prior to the spray-on of the polymer as shown in Figure 2a and Figure 2b (edge perspective). In this case, polymer layer 102 is affixed to plant surface 101 with adhesive layer 203.
  • a variation of this embodiment is the inclusion of one or more food-safe adhesive components to eliminate the issue of digestion by humans or animals. This may not only provide useful adhesive properties, but may also enable the polymer to remain on the fruit until received by the consumer or other end user.
  • the advantage of the spray-on application is that specific vegetation surface structure does not matter.
  • the polymer will conform to any roughness of fruit, leaves, thin stems or the trunk of a larger citrus tree. Additionally, because the polymer will flow into small plant crevices, blossoms and blooms will be better protected by the insulating value and heat of fusion given off during freezing. Further, because of the inherent gas permeable nature of the polymer, natural gas intake and outtake will not be substantially degraded.
  • the insulating value of this invention can be enhanced by the ability for multilayer application of the polymer. This may enable for additional insulation abilities by further removing the cold surface from the fruit and allowing for a tiered, i.e., layer by layer, freezing to occur from the outside towards the inside.
  • an initial layer may provide basic protection of the fruit simply by means of heat of fusion, but subsequent layers may provide additional protection by incorporating novel features to enhance protection performance.
  • additional novel features may or may not present new considerations in the removal and handling of fruit.
  • the polymer may be sprayed over a protective covering, e.g. a tunnel row covering, over a layer of straw or hay covering the plants, such that the beneficial water layer is present but not touching the plant surface directly.
  • a protective covering e.g. a tunnel row covering
  • adhesive may be applied prior to application or may already be integrated into one or more surfaces of the polymer holding covering.
  • the specific implementation may guide the choice.
  • the polymer may be integrated into existing structural elements.
  • the polymer may be applied to the surface of or integrated into the composition of various covering treatments like mesh used otherwise to dissuade birds or insects.
  • a further advantage of such an implementation is that it allows for the use of a pre -manufactured polymer containing covering to be used as the cover to protect the plants.
  • This cover with the polymer integrated into the structure as described herein can be wetted by standard irrigation equipment to replenish water content and/or to build a further thicker layer of ice to add heat of fusion to the protecting structure and plants.
  • Still another implementation of the invention is the formation of the polymer into a rollable form that is similar to other covering materials.
  • the polymer may be fully or partially hydrated or unhydrated at any time prior to installation and rolled onto the surface.
  • an adhesive may be integrated or may be added at the time of installation.
  • a hydrated polymer may be quite fragile. Polymer fragility may be mitigated somewhat with increased thickness but may also incorporate additional means to provide structural stability.
  • a simple example to be considered, as shown in Figure 3, is a mesh 301 around which the polymer 102 is cast. Such casting may an active part of the polymerization process or it may be post-polymerization stages and include adhesive to provide connection to the mesh.
  • the mesh may be flexible or rigid.
  • the polymer may be encapsulated in some porous layer as shown in
  • the porous layer 501 will allow for water to enter and escape the polymer 102 but will also provide for some protection of the polymer itself.
  • the porous layer 501 may be that of a fabric material or rigid and may be on a single side or both top and bottom. It may also provide additional fire retardation capability.
  • An advantage of this implementation is the ability for the polymer layer to be installed temporarily or moved and adjusted to fit the specific and/or changing needs.
  • Another advantage of the polymer being encapsulated in a porous layer 501 is that it can help contain the polymer if it becomes completely dehydrated. In a case of complete dehydration, a nominally 95% water content polymer can shrink, become brittle and fracture into small pieces.
  • the polymer used will have sufficient hydrophilicity that rehydration will be easily accomplished. In some high humidity areas, such rehydration may occur naturally during low-heat periods like at night.
  • An alternative that is particularly useful during a freeze threat like a swift moving cold front or valley winds off of a mountain is to provide water to rehydrate the polymer. As shown in Figure 6, providing water 601 may be accomplished in a manner similar to that provided to agricultural plants with sprinklers, misters or trickle water systems 602. Fortunately, such a system can be tied directly into a irrigation system. The use of non-potable water, used in many locations specifically for irrigation, is readily compatible with this embodiment of this invention.
  • An advantage of using this invention is that any excess from application or as it is washed off or dries and falls off of the vegetation onto the ground, it will act as a super-absorbent water-retaining agent in the soil.
  • the polymer can be incorporated into the soil either by natural means or through various ground treatment means like plowing and cultivating. As such, future irrigation of the crops will require less water as that water is being retained in the soil by action of the polymer. This is beneficial in that it further helps reduce the use of water in agriculture.
  • the polymer may incorporate one or more soil augmentations, like fertilizers, minerals, biological elements or others, such that when excess polymer is applied and goes to the ground or the polymer is washed off or dehydrates and separates from the plant, it adds missing or necessary nutrients to the soil.
  • soil augmentations like fertilizers, minerals, biological elements or others, such that when excess polymer is applied and goes to the ground or the polymer is washed off or dehydrates and separates from the plant, it adds missing or necessary nutrients to the soil.
  • the aspect of soil enhancements highlights another benefit of this invention.
  • the polymers used herein, whether synthetic or non-synthetic, do not require the use of dangerous monomers.
  • An example of a polymer that may be otherwise suitable for crop protection are various forms of polyacrylamides, the monomers for which are known to be toxic.
  • High water content polymers are well known in patent literature and prior art.
  • Examples like those disclosed in US Patent 6,201,089 or variants thereof provide a baseline for this example.
  • the selected polymer, combined with a suitable adhesive component if necessary, is hydrated as necessary for the application and application means.
  • the level of hydration has a direct impact on the viscosity of the hydrated polymer, the specification of which may be based on several factors, but at a minimum will have to allow compatibility with application means.
  • the application means is a spray system commonly used in the agricultural irrigation trade for applying water and other water based agricultural materials (fertilizers, pesticides, etc.) to plants.
  • a grower may apply a layer of the polymer in anticipation of a freeze event.
  • the grower sprays the plants with the water containing the polymer.
  • the polymer will hold water for some period.
  • the grower may spray additional water onto the previously covered plants such that rehydration of the polymer occurs. This hydrated layer will provide sufficient protection during the freeze event while eliminating the grower's need for continuous spraying during the freeze event.
  • Sun damage to crops can range from superficial that affects only appearance to deeper damage that can damage the actual flesh of the fruit itself. In either case, the negative economic impact is felt by the grower.
  • the polymer of this invention will incorporate ultra-violet protective measures. After being hydrated, the polymer is sprayed on the plants via the in-place irrigation system. This is particularly useful in that the irrigation spray carrying the polymer will certainly land on any exposed parts of the plants, fruits and vegetables, but will also allow the polymer to spread to other areas that may be exposed later.

Landscapes

  • Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
  • General Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
  • Toxicology (AREA)
  • Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
  • Environmental Sciences (AREA)
  • Compositions Of Macromolecular Compounds (AREA)
  • Pretreatment Of Seeds And Plants (AREA)
  • Addition Polymer Or Copolymer, Post-Treatments, Or Chemical Modifications (AREA)
  • Protection Of Plants (AREA)
  • Cultivation Of Plants (AREA)

Abstract

Système à base de polymère pour la protection de plantes cultivées, reposant sur l'utilisation d'une teneur en eau élevée et sur l'aptitude à comprendre des caractéristiques et des éléments bénéfiques supplémentaires. La présente invention permet d'obtenir des options pour les applications et les utilisations, et de personnaliser une application pour des besoins spécifiques.
PCT/US2014/063607 2013-11-03 2014-11-02 Système de protection de culture polymère WO2015066576A2 (fr)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US201361899265P 2013-11-03 2013-11-03
US61/899,265 2013-11-03

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
WO2015066576A2 true WO2015066576A2 (fr) 2015-05-07
WO2015066576A3 WO2015066576A3 (fr) 2015-11-12

Family

ID=53005399

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
PCT/US2014/063607 WO2015066576A2 (fr) 2013-11-03 2014-11-02 Système de protection de culture polymère

Country Status (1)

Country Link
WO (1) WO2015066576A2 (fr)

Family Cites Families (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
ES2260920T3 (es) * 1998-07-23 2006-11-01 Kao Corporation Medio artificial acuoso.
US20060074184A1 (en) * 2002-10-03 2006-04-06 James Guillet Polymers for protecting materials from damage
EP1730207A4 (fr) * 2004-04-02 2008-06-11 Agroshield Llc Compositions et procedes de protection de matieres contre les dommages

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
WO2015066576A3 (fr) 2015-11-12

Similar Documents

Publication Publication Date Title
JP2008523811A (ja) 水耕栽培の方法およびそれに使用する構成要素
CN103314828A (zh) 移植树木的树体保护方法
CN110150070A (zh) 一种魔芋高温病变农业防治方法
JP2016021903A (ja) 果樹の樹皮保護用の発泡スプレー剤、果樹の樹皮保護用の気泡含有被覆体、果樹の育成方法およびその育成方法で育成した果実
CN107295930A (zh) 一种环剥促小叶榄仁主干定点发芽的方法
WO2015066576A2 (fr) Système de protection de culture polymère
CN101095393A (zh) 越冬甜椒无公害栽培方法
CN207995745U (zh) 一种沙区树基防灼纸
CN108207475B (zh) 一种提高树木抗寒性的培育方法
KR20200074456A (ko) 편근을 이용한 대나무의 대량 번식방법
CN207252312U (zh) 一种树木幼苗移栽抚育袋
US4037787A (en) Method of supplemental irrigation for farming
CN109121811A (zh) 果树早春防冻保果方法
CN107027835A (zh) 植物抗寒防冻剂
RU2409935C1 (ru) Способ восстановления лесных насаждений
Warnick et al. Hydramulch for muskmelon and bell pepper crop production systems
Lyrene et al. Protecting blueberries from freezes in Florida
Levy Citrus irrigation
Evans The ABC of Frost Management
CN105557397A (zh) 一种果树防冻的方法
Appleton et al. Selection and use of mulches and landscape fabrics
Yuyu et al. Analysis of Cold protection, Conservation and Pest Control of Winter Garden Flowers
Rose et al. Leaf Scorch
Bradley Frost protection
Coder Heat stroke in trees

Legal Events

Date Code Title Description
121 Ep: the epo has been informed by wipo that ep was designated in this application

Ref document number: 14858708

Country of ref document: EP

Kind code of ref document: A2

DPE1 Request for preliminary examination filed after expiration of 19th month from priority date (pct application filed from 20040101)
NENP Non-entry into the national phase in:

Ref country code: DE

32PN Ep: public notification in the ep bulletin as address of the adressee cannot be established

Free format text: NOTING OF LOSS OF RIGHTS PURSUANT TO RULE 112(1) EPC (EPO FORM 1205A DATED 31.08.2016)

122 Ep: pct application non-entry in european phase

Ref document number: 14858708

Country of ref document: EP

Kind code of ref document: A2