WO2019025827A1

WO2019025827A1 - Agricultural tool and agricultural vehicle comprising such agricultural tool

Info

Publication number: WO2019025827A1
Application number: PCT/IB2017/001065
Authority: WO
Inventors: Baptiste Lelong; Delphin THEALLIER
Original assignee: Vilmorin & Cie
Priority date: 2017-08-03
Filing date: 2017-08-03
Publication date: 2019-02-07
Also published as: EP3661347A1

Abstract

Agricultural tool (15) comprising: - a support (16), - at least one cutting device (35) mounted on the support (16) and configured to separate a portion of the plant from a remaining part of the plant, - a control unit (50) connected to the detecting device (31) and configured to control the cutting device (35) so as to separate the portion of the plant, wherein the cutting device (35) is configured to project at least one jet of fluid adapted to separate the portion of the plant.

Description

Agricultural tool and agricultural vehicle comprising such agricultural tool

The invention relates to an agricultural tool and to an agricultural vehicle comprising such agricultural tool.

Although not limited thereto, the invention specifically applies to automated mechanical detasseling of corn plants.

In corn, hybrid varieties which result from a crossing of two parent lines, each being homozygous or already hybrid, are almost exclusive on the maize market. Due to the heterosis effect hybrid plants are currently more productive and vigorous than the parent lines.

To produce hybrid seeds, growers cultivate ranks of plants on a plot next to each other some ranks of plants comprising plants of one of the parent lines and other ranks plants of the other parent line.

The corn plant is monoecious, namely male and female inflorescences are supported on a same plant. The male inflorescence, called panicle or tassel, from which pollen is emitted is on the top of the plant. The female inflorescence composed of stigmas that are fertilized by the pollen is at a mid-height of the plant, at the base of a leaf. Fertilization of the stigmas of the female inflorescence by the pollen of the male inflorescence results in the formation of an ear. Usually plots are arranged with four plant ranks from one parent line, with tassel removed before pollination, upon which corbs with hybrid seeds should developed, and so-called 'female ranks' and two or three so-called 'male' rank from the other parent line, plants used for pollination of female plant, these male plant being destroyed after pollination. The male ranks are sowed at different date to spread the period when pollen is available. Others dispositive are also used for example alternation of two female and two male plants.

Detasseling is a critical phase in the production of hybrid seeds to avoid self- fertilization. Detasseling is carried out by cutting the panicle before flowering of some ranks of plants to form a "female" parent line that will be fertilized by the pollen of the other ranks as "male" parent line, the resulting ear wearing hybrid seeds.

To avoid costly manual detasseling, agricultural vehicles, known as detasseling machines or toppers, have been developed. Two main categories of toppers has been developed some with rotating cutters that cut the inflorescence and other with rollers that pull of the inflorescence, the two systems can be mounted on the same topper. Detasseling can be carry out by these devices in two steps taking advantage of the panicle growing faster than leaves of the whorl surrounding the panicle. In a first step, first cutting tools, for example in the form of rotating blades, cut a part of the male plant at about three-quarters of the whorl or three-quarters of the panicle if it protrudes from the whorl. In a second step, between two and five days after the first step, when the panicle has grown a little but before it was sufficiently open to emit pollen, rollers catch the panicle and pull it out.

Contrary to manual detasseling where only the tassel is remove, the plant removal by mechanical detasseling is more drastic and can impact yield of hybrid production by reducing the vegetative part of the plant. To limit this yield reduction and adapt the use of the machine to the irregularities of the culture detasseling machine can adjust the cutting position to the size of the plant. This adjustment is driven by the driver of the currents detasseling devices, generally the cutting is controlled at minimum for two front rows. Moreover the control of the cutting position by the driver is not optimum and the attention needed to this control negatively impact the speed of the vehicle.

The use of a detecting device to help in the control of the cutting tool is described in documents WO 2016/087526, WO 2016/087529 or WO 2017/009334, about an agricultural tool comprising, at least one detecting device attached on a support in front of the detasseling device configured to detect the tassel position and at least one cutting device mounted on the mobile support wherein the cutting device position can be adapted to the tassel position.

To enhance a yield of cultivation, the agricultural vehicle should advance at a highest possible speed. However, the speed of the agricultural tool is limited by a speed at which the automatic or the manual driven cutting device may move. Indeed, because of inertial consideration, a change in position of the cutting device supposes a deceleration followed by an acceleration which increases the time required for the cutting device to be positioned appropriately. In addition, strong decelerations and accelerations in short time periods resulting from brutal change in position cause jerks to the cutting device, which result in a risk of rapid deterioration of the cutting device and impede a follow-up of the movement to be ensured. The need exist for a cutting system which can cut the plant at different position without or with reduced vertical movement. This cutting device can be associated or not to a detecting device.

The invention also proposes an alternative way of cutting tassel. To this end, according to a first aspect, the invention provides an agricultural tool intended to be used in cultivation of plants grown on a plot, the agricultural tool comprising:

- a support,

- at least one cutting device mounted on the support and configured to separate a portion of at least one of the plants from a remaining part of the plant,

- a control unit connected to the cutting device and configured to control the cutting device so as to separate the portion of the plant,

wherein the cutting device is configured to project at least one jet of fluid adapted to separate the portion of the plant.

Hence, the invention merely describes a multiple setting of the jet of fluid which enables positioning of the cutting without movement of the tool so that adaptation of the cutting position to the plant and the feature to be processed can be achieved without reducing the speed of the agricultural tool. The invention may also avoid or at least limit jerking of the cutting device and thereby the risk of premature deterioration. A follow-up of the cutting operation can be easily handled by monitoring the setting of the jet of fluid.

The use of a jet of fluid further presents the advantage of avoiding possible contamination to be transmitted between plants by the cutting tool.

The agricultural tool may further comprise at least one detecting device mounted on the support and configured to detect at least one feature of the plant, and the control unit may be connected to the detecting device and configured to control the cutting device so as to separate the portion of the plant based on the feature detected by the detecting device.

The detecting device may be configured to detect a dimension of the plant measured in a measuring direction as feature of the plant, the cutting device may be arranged to project the jet of fluid along a cutting direction substantially perpendicular to the measuring direction and the control unit may be configured to control the cutting device so as to reduce the dimension of the plant to a desired dimension.

The cutting device may be configured to project the jet of fluid at different positions along the measuring direction and the control unit may be configured to set a position of the jet of fluid along the measuring direction.

The cutting device may comprise a plurality of nozzles spaced apart from each other along the measuring direction, the cutting device being configured to project the jet of fluid through at least one of the nozzles. The cutting device may comprise at least two nozzles facing each other and offset from each other along the measuring direction.

Alternatively, the cutting device may comprise at least one nozzle movable with respect to the support along the measuring direction.

The detecting device may be configured to detect a height of the plant as dimension measured in a vertical direction perpendicular to a ground surface of the plot as measuring direction, and the cutting device may be arranged to project the jet of fluid along a transverse direction parallel to the ground surface as cutting direction.

The detecting device may be spaced apart from the cutting device along a longitudinal direction parallel to the ground surface and perpendicular to the transverse direction, the agricultural tool further comprising a guiding device extending along the longitudinal direction between the detecting device and the cutting device and configured to contact at least a part of the plant.

The detecting device may comprise two rods spaced apart from each other along the transverse direction, one of the rods being equipped with an emitter adapted to emit a signal and the other rod being equipped with a receiver adapted to receive the signal emitted by the emitter, the cutting device being arranged in a spacing between the two rods, and the guiding device comprising two ramps converging from the rods of the detecting device towards the cutting device.

The detecting device may comprise at least one camera arranged so as to acquire an image of a scene including the plant and a computer processing unit configured to produce, on the base of the image acquired by the at least one camera, a 3D reconstruction representative of a depth of the scene with respect to one of the camera and the cutting device.

The cutting device may be configured to present an active state in which the jet of fluid is projected and an inactive state in which no jet of fluid is projected, the control unit being configured to selectively put the cutting device in the active state and in the inactive state to project an intermittent jet of fluid.

The cutting device may comprise:

- a tank adapted to contain the fluid to be projected,

- at least one outlet through which the jet of fluid is projected,

- a pressurizing device adapted to pressurize the fluid from the tank to the outlet to a jetting pressure, and - a valve arranged between the tank and the outlet, the valve presenting an open position allowing a flow of fluid and a closed position preventing any flow of fluid,

the control unit controlling the position of the valve chosen between the open and closed positions.

The jetting pressure may be comprised between 1900 bars and 3000 bars.

The agricultural tool may further comprise an attaching device configured to removably attach the support to an automotive frame of an agricultural vehicle.

According to a second aspect, the invention proposes an agricultural vehicle intended to be used in cultivation of plants grown on a plot, the agricultural vehicle comprising:

- an automotive frame movable with respect to a ground surface of the plot,

- an agricultural tool as defined previously attached to the frame.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will emerge from the following disclosure of a particular embodiment of the invention given as non limitative example, the disclosure being made in reference to the enclosed drawings in which:

- Figure 1 is a representation in elevation of an agricultural vehicle used in cultivation of plants and comprising an agricultural tool according to an embodiment of the invention,

- Figure 2 is a perspective view of the agricultural tool of the agricultural vehicle of Figure 1, the agricultural tool comprising detecting devices configured to detect a height of the plant, and cutting devices each associated with one of the detecting devices and configured to reduce the height of the plant to a desired height,

- Figure 3 is a perspective front view of a part of the agricultural tool of the agricultural vehicle of Figure 1, illustrating an assembly of one of the cutting devices with respect to the associated detecting device,

- Figure 4 is a perspective rear view of the assembly of Figure 3,

- Figure 5 is a plan front view of the assembly of Figure 3,

- Figure 6 is a plan top view of the assembly of Figure 3,

- Figure 7 is a plan side view of the assembly of Figure 3.

On the Figures, the same reference numbers refer to the same or similar elements.

Figure 1 represents an agricultural vehicle 10 intended to be used in cultivation of plants grown on a plot 1. On Figure 1, although not limited thereto, plants are corn plants 5 aligned along parallel ranks. Each corn plant 5 extends from a ground surface 2 of the plot 1 to a top carrying a male inflorescence, called panicle 6, emitting pollen. A female inflorescence 7 composed of stigmas that are fertilized by the pollen is arranged at a mid- height of the corn plant 5, at the base of a leaf.

The agricultural vehicle 10 comprises an automotive frame 11 movable on the ground surface 2 of the plot 1, at least along a longitudinal direction L parallel to the ground surface 2, corresponding to a forward direction, so as to be able to process successively the all corn plants 5 of at least one rank. Preferably, the frame 11 is also movable along a transverse direction T parallel to the ground surface 2 and perpendicular to the longitudinal direction L so as to cover the whole ground surface 2. To that end, the frame 11 is equipped with wheels 12, at least some of them being driven by a motor and at least some of them being directional, namely rotatable along an axis parallel to a vertical direction V perpendicular to the ground surface 2.

The frame 11 carries an agricultural tool 15 configured to separate a portion of a plant from a remaining part of the plant. In the illustrated embodiment, although not limited thereto, the agricultural tool 15 is configured to carry out automated mechanical detasseling of the corn plants 5. Detasseling consists in cutting the panicles 6 of the corn plants 5 of one rank before flowering (emitting pollen) so as to form a female parent line of corn plants 5. The female parent line can be fertilized by an adjacent male parent line of corn plants to grow and ear with hybrid seeds.

On Figure 2, the agricultural tool 15 comprises a support 16 mounted on the frame 11, in front of the vehicle in the direction of travel of the vehicle. The support 16 comprises a post 17 extending in the vertical direction V from a foot 18 attached to the frame 11 of the agricultural vehicle 10. The foot 18 is equipped with an attaching device 19 configured to removably attach the support 16 to the frame 11. The agricultural tool 15 can then be used independently from the agricultural vehicle 10 or on another agricultural vehicle, and the agricultural vehicle 10 can be used with another kind of agricultural tool. For example, the foot 18 can be bolted on the frame 11.

The support 16 comprises an arm 20 globally extending in the longitudinal direction L from the post 17. In particular, the arm 20 extends from a first end 20a attached to the post 17 to a free second end 20b.

The second end 20b of the arm 20 carries a middle portion of a traverse 21 extending along the transverse direction T.

The first 20a and second 20b ends of the arm 20 are articulated by pivots parallel to the transverse direction T respectively to the post 17 and the traverse 21. A connecting mechanism 22, including a cylinder 23 and a guiding rod 24, connects the arm 20 to the post 17 so as to enable the traverse 21 to be moved in circular translation and thereby a height of the traverse 21 measured in the vertical direction V to be adjusted.

The support 16 further comprises two pairs of flanges 25 respectively carried by halves of the traverse 21 on either sides of the middle portion. In each pair, the flanges 25 extend parallel to each other along the vertical direction V from the traverse 21 towards the foot 18. The flanges 25 of each pair have internal surfaces facing each other and spaced apart of a distance D along the transverse direction T enabling a corn plant 5 to pass, and external surfaces.

It should be noted that the support 16 could be any otherwise configured and possibly articulated to provide desired arrangement of supporting surfaces and degrees of freedom.

Each half of the traverse 21 is equipped with an assembly 30 comprising:

- a detecting device 31 configured to detect at least one feature of each corn plant 5,

- a cutting device 35 configured to separate a portion of the corn plant 5 from a remaining part of the corn plant 5.

The two assemblies 30 are arranged next to each other and spaced apart from each other of a distance enabling one rank of corn plants 5 to pass between the assemblies 30. Such arrangement enables two female parent lines of corn plants 5 to be processed at the same time. However, one assembly 30 or any other arrangement of several assemblies 30 could be provided.

Since both assemblies 30 are identical, only one of the assemblies 30 is represented on Figures 3 to 7 and will be disclosed in details in relation with these Figures.

Since the agricultural tool 15 is configured to carry out detasseling, that is removing a portion of the corn plant 5 containing the panicle 6 arranged at the top of the corn plant 5, the detecting device 31 is configured to detect a height of the corn plant measured in the vertical direction V.

In the illustrated embodiment, the detecting device 31 is of the type disclosed in document WO 2016/087526.

The detecting device 31 comprises two rods 32 each secured to the external surface of one of the flange 25 so as to be arranged forward with respect to the flanges 25, namely spaced apart from the flanges 25 in the longitudinal direction L opposite the post 17. The rods 32 are spaced apart from each other along the transverse direction T to define a spacing S between them that is greater than the distance D between the internal surfaces of the flanges 25. One of the rods 32 is equipped with an emitter E adapted to emit a signal and the other rod 32 is equipped with a receiver R adapted to receive the signal emitted by the emitter E. More particularly, the emitter E is in the form of a column of light sources aligned along the vertical direction V and each emitting a light beam, for example in the infrared, and the receiver R in the form of a column of photoreceptors each arranged in correspondence with one of the light sources. The height of the corn plant 5 can then be determined from the last light beam between the light source and the corresponding photoreceptor that is obstructed by the corn plant 5.

The cutting device 35 is configured to project one or several jets of fluid, especially of water, adapted to separate a portion of the plant from the remaining portion. In the illustrated embodiment, the cutting device 35 comprises a plurality of nozzles 36 mounted on the flanges 25 and spaced apart from each other along the vertical direction V. In particular, the cutting device 35 comprises a first row of nozzles 36 mounted on one of the flanges 25 and a second row of nozzles 36 mounted on the other flange 25. The nozzles 36 of the first and second rows have each an outlet 37 protruding from the internal surface of the corresponding flange 25 so that the jet of fluid can be projected along the transverse direction T. The first and second rows of nozzles 36 are offset from each other along the vertical direction V to project the jet of fluid at different positions along the vertical direction V with a reduced pitch. Each nozzle 36 is equipped with a valve 38 presenting an open position allowing a flow of fluid and a closed position preventing any flow of fluid.

In other embodiments, the cutting device 35 could comprise any other arrangement of one or several outlets 37 through which the jet of fluid is projected. In particular, the cutting device 35 could comprise one or several nozzles movable with respect to the support 16 and, especially, the flanges 25 along the vertical direction V.

Each nozzle 36 is connected by a pipe 39 to a feeder 40 mounted on the traverse 21, which feeder 40 is supplied with fluid from a tank 41 though a pressurizing device 42 and ducts 43. In particular, the tank 41 is formed of two separate compartments to share the load on both side of the agricultural device and the pressurizing device 42 is adapted to pressurize the fluid from the tank 41 to the outlets 37 of the nozzles 36 to a jetting pressure comprised between 1900 bars and 3000 bars.

To ensure the corn plant 5 of which the height is measured by the detecting device 31 to be cut at the desired height, the corn plant 5 is guided by a guiding device 45 extending along the longitudinal direction L between the detecting device 31 and the cutting device 35 and configured to contact at least a part of the corn plant 5. In particular, the guiding device 45 comprises two ramps 46 converging from the rods 32 of the detecting device 31 towards the flanges 25 carrying the cutting device 35.

The agricultural tool 15 comprises a control unit 50 connected to the connecting mechanism 22, the detecting device 31 and the cutting device 35, especially to the pressurizing device 42 and the valves 38 of the nozzles 36. The control unit 50 is configured to control the cutting device 35 and to set a position of the jet of fluid along the vertical direction V so as to reduce the height of the corn plant 5 to the desired height at which the panicle 6 is removed. In particular, according to the represented embodiment, the control unit 50 processes the signals received by the detecting device 31 to determine the height of the corn plant 5. The height of the panicle 6 being otherwise known or detected, the control unit 5 controls the positions of the valves 38 to selectively put the valve 38 of one of the nozzles 36 arranged at the desired height in the open position, this nozzle 36 being in an active state in which the jet of fluid is projected, while maintaining the valves 38 of the other nozzles 36 in the closed position, these nozzles 36 being in an inactive state in which no jet of fluid is projected. An intermittent jet of fluid can then be projected at a desired height adjusted for each corn plant 5.

The invention has been disclosed in relation with detasseling in which height is the feature detected by the detecting device 31 and processed by the control unit 50.

Another way of implementing the invention in the detasseling domain is the use of image acquisition as described in patent application WO 2016/087529 combined to the cutting device 51. In this context, an imaging system comprises at least one camera mounted such that it can form an image of a scene including the corn plant 5 located in front of the agricultural implemented in the direction of travel of the vehicle equipped with the arm, and a computer processing unit configured to produce, on the base of the image delivered by the at least one camera, a 3D reconstruction representative of the scene and a depth of the aforementioned scene with respect to one of the camera and the cutting device. The depth of the scene enables to properly control the cutting device 35 when the plant 5 and the flanges 25 are aligned. A top end of the scene represents the top of the plant 5, the localization of the top relative to the ground surface allows the determination of height of the plant 5. The portion of the plant 5 to be removed can be determined by the relative position or by another image recognition means as described in application WO 2016/087529. In particular, the tassel position can be determined and the cutting may be done according to the tassel position. Image acquisition can also be associated to others use of the device as weed elimination by identification of weed in the culture, for culture trimming or vegetable harvest by identification of cutting location.

Contrary to the cutting method with cutters or roller this system can cut the plant at different position along the vertical direction V by the use of alternative nozzle without or with very limited movement of the connecting mechanism 22, with no or limited movement of the cutting device, the speed of the agricultural device is not reduce and the yield of cultivation is greater than for previous devices.

The detecting device 31 and the control unit 50 could however be configured in any other suitable manner so as to control the cutting device 35 in order to separate the portion of any kind of plant based on any other feature detected by the detecting device 31.

In particular, the feature to be detected could be any other dimension of the plant measured in a measuring direction other than the height measured in the vertical direction V. The cutting device 35 would then be arranged to project the jet of fluid along a cutting direction substantially perpendicular to the measuring direction. The cutting device 35 would also be configured to project the jet of fluid at different positions along the measuring direction. And the control unit 50 would be configured to control the cutting device 35 so as to reduce the dimension of the plant to a desired dimension. For example, whereas in the embodiment previously disclosed in details, the measuring direction is the vertical direction V and the cutting direction is the transverse direction T, the feature could be a width measured in the transverse direction T as measuring direction and the cutting direction could be the vertical direction V.

The feature could also be directly the panicle 6 itself, an ear or any other remarkable part of the corn plant 5 and generally speaking of the plant to be cut, the feature being detected and processed in any suitable manner, for example by image acquisition and processing.

The agricultural tool is not limited to a detasseling tool for maize, the cut of the apical flower is also done on tobacco cultivation in order to promote the growing of lower leafs, the mechanical cut of higher plants is also known in hybrid cereal production as described in patent application WO 2015/135940. By extension this device could be used for any kind of agriculture use as culture trimming, for grapevine for example, some vegetable harvest as pepper and weed elimination.

Claims

1. Agricultural tool (15) intended to be used in cultivation of plants (5) grown on a plot (1), the agricultural tool (15) comprising:

- a support (16),

- at least one cutting device (35) mounted on the support (16) and configured to separate a portion of at least one of the plants (5) from a remaining part of the plant (5),

- a control unit (50) connected to the cutting device (35) and configured to control the cutting device (35) so as to separate the portion of the plant (5),

the agricultural tool (15) being characterized in that the cutting device (35) is configured to project at least one jet of fluid adapted to separate the portion of the plant (5).

2. Agricultural tool (15) according to claim 1, further comprising at least one detecting device (31) mounted on the support (16) and configured to detect at least one feature of the plant (5), and wherein the control unit (50) is connected to the detecting device (31) and configured to control the cutting device (35) so as to separate the portion of the plant (5) based on the feature detected by the detecting device (31).

3. Agricultural tool (15) according to claim 2, wherein the detecting device (31) is configured to detect a dimension of the plant (5) measured in a measuring direction as feature of the plant (5), the cutting device (35) is arranged to project the jet of fluid along a cutting direction substantially perpendicular to the measuring direction and the control unit (50) is configured to control the cutting device (35) so as to reduce the dimension of the plant (5) to a desired dimension.

4. Agricultural tool (15) according to claim 1 to 3, wherein the cutting device (35) is configured to project the jet of fluid at different positions along the measuring direction and the control unit (50) is configured to set a position of the jet of fluid along the measuring direction.

5. Agricultural tool (15) according to claim 4, wherein the cutting device (35) comprises a plurality of nozzles (36) spaced apart from each other along the measuring direction, the cutting device (35) being configured to project the jet of fluid through at least one of the nozzles (36).

6. Agricultural tool (15) according to claim 5, wherein the cutting device (35) comprises at least two nozzles (36) facing each other and offset from each other along the measuring direction.

7. Agricultural tool (15) according to claim 4, wherein the cutting device (35) comprises at least one nozzle (36) movable with respect to the support (16) along the measuring direction.

8. Agricultural tool (15) according to any of claims 2 to 7, wherein the detecting device (31) is configured to detect a height of the plant (5) as dimension measured in a vertical direction (V) perpendicular to a ground surface (2) of the plot (1) as measuring direction, and the cutting device (35) is arranged to project the jet of fluid along a transverse direction (T) parallel to the ground surface (2) as cutting direction.

9. Agricultural tool (15) according to claim 8, wherein the detecting device (31) is spaced apart from the cutting device (35) along a longitudinal direction (L) parallel to the ground surface (2) and perpendicular to the transverse direction (T), the agricultural tool (15) further comprising a guiding device (45) extending along the longitudinal direction (L) between the detecting device (31) and the cutting device (35) and configured to contact at least a part of the plant (5).

10. Agricultural tool (15) according to claim 9, wherein the detecting device (31) comprises two rods (32) spaced apart from each other along the transverse direction (T), one of the rods (32) being equipped with an emitter (E) adapted to emit a signal and the other rod (32) being equipped with a receiver (R) adapted to receive the signal emitted by the emitter (E), the cutting device (35) being arranged in a spacing (S) between the two rods (32), and the guiding device (45) comprising two ramps (46) converging from the rods (32) of the detecting device (31) towards the cutting device (35).

11. Agricultural tool (15) according to claim 9, wherein the detecting device (31) comprises at least one camera arranged so as to acquire an image of a scene including the plant and a computer processing unit configured to produce, on the base of the image acquired by the at least one camera, a 3D reconstruction representative of the scene and depth of the scene with respect to one of the camera and the cutting device (35).

12. Agricultural tool (15) according to any of claims 1 to 11, wherein the cutting device (35) is configured to present an active state in which the jet of fluid is projected and an inactive state in which no jet of fluid is projected, the control unit (50) being configured to selectively put the cutting device (35) in the active state and in the inactive state to project an intermittent jet of fluid.

13. Agricultural tool (15) according to claim 12, wherein the cutting device (35) comprises:

- a tank (41) adapted to contain the fluid to be projected,

- at least one outlet (37) through which the jet of fluid is projected,

- a pressurizing device (42) adapted to pressurize the fluid from the tank (41) to the outlet (37) to a jetting pressure, and

- a valve (38) arranged between the tank (41) and the outlet (37), the valve (38) presenting an open position allowing a flow of fluid and a closed position preventing any flow of fluid,

the control unit (50) controlling the position of the valve (38) chosen between the open and closed positions.

14. Agricultural tool (15) according to claim 13, wherein the jetting pressure is comprised between 1900 bars and 3000 bars.

15. Agricultural tool (15) according to any of claims 1 to 14, further comprising an attaching device (19) configured to removably attach the support (16) to an automotive frame (11) of an agricultural vehicle (10).

16. Agricultural vehicle (10) intended to be used in cultivation of plants (5) grown on a plot (1), the agricultural vehicle (10) comprising:

- an automotive frame (11) movable with respect to a ground surface (2) of the plot

(I) ,

- an agricultural tool (15) according to any of claims 1 to 15 attached to the frame

(I I) .