12378results about "Soil-working methods" patented technology

This invention is directed to the production of plants, plant tissues and seeds which are resistant to inhibition by an herbicide which normally inhibits the growth and development of those plants, plant tissues and plant seeds. In particular this invention is directed to altered acetohydroxyacid synthase enzymes which are resistant to inhibition by herbicides which normally inhibit the activity of the synthase before such alteration. This invention further relates to genes encoding such enzymes, and to processes for utilizing these novel genes and enzymes. Further products of the invention include plants, plant tissues and seeds which exhibit resistance to such herbicides resulting from expression of genes encoding herbicide resistant acetohydroxyacid synthase enzyme.

An agricultural robot system and method of harvesting, pruning, culling, weeding, measuring and managing of agricultural crops. Uses autonomous and semi-autonomous robot(s) comprising machine-vision using cameras that identify and locate the fruit on each tree, points on a vine to prune, etc., or may be utilized in measuring agricultural parameters or aid in managing agricultural resources. The cameras may be coupled with an arm or other implement to allow views from inside the plant when performing the desired agricultural function. A robot moves through a field first to “map” the plant locations, number and size of fruit and approximate positions of fruit or map the cordons and canes of grape vines. Once the map is complete, a robot or server can create an action plan that a robot may implement. An action plan may comprise operations and data specifying the agricultural function to perform.

A method for agronomic and agricultural monitoring includes designating an area for imaging, determining a flight path above the designated area, operating an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) along the flight path, acquiring images of the area using a camera system attached to the UAV, and processing the acquired images.

The invention provides a method for analyzing spatial variations in field and crop performance. The method allows analysis of the field and crop performance as a function of various treatment and / or environmental conditions. This method is an advance over the prior art in that it allows better defined, more accurate comparisons of adjacent test areas, eliminating the need for extrapolation of data and avoiding inaccuracies therefrom. Also, the more accurate comparisons allow better characterization of effects due to the environment, such as those caused by genotype by environment (GxE) interaction. The more accurately defined comparison units also lead to improved analysis when comparing to other data layers for non-spatial analysis. The invention also provides a system for carrying out this method. The system preferably includes a device for inputting spatially-referenced data, a memory, an output device, and a processor. The output data may be represented spatially or non-spatially. The information provided by the method and system of the invention will allow farmers to make more informed decisions regarding seed and farming inputs and practices, thereby maximizing agricultural productivity.

A system includes an enclosed space defining a controllable environment chamber. The system also includes at least one monitoring device configured to measure multiple characteristics of an environment within the chamber. The system further includes multiple actuators configured to alter the characteristics of the environment within the chamber. The enclosed space includes at least one rack system configured to be placed within the enclosed space. Each rack system includes multiple layers configured to receive multiple plants to be grown in the chamber. The actuators are configured to adjust the characteristics of the environment within the chamber to condition the environment based on the plants to be grown in the chamber.

A system comprised of hardware, software and business processes for developing an optimal custom farm management plan, and in particular, a single year or multi-year crop selection, acreage allocation, and resource management strategies for production agriculture. The method uses mathematical programming and sensitivity analysis to help the user determine optimal allocations of controllable resources such as land, capital, labor, water, machinery, and chemicals in the context of farm management objectives. The system allows the import of data and information relating to the farm and data and information from third party industry professionals and sources, thereby providing for a complete analysis based on these parameters.

Modern farming is currently being done by powerful ground equipment or aircraft that weigh several tons and treat uniformly tens of hectares per hour. Automated farming can use small, agile, lightweight, energy-efficient automated robotic equipment that flies to do the same job, even able to farm on a plant-by-plant basis, allowing for new ways of farming. A hybrid airship-drone has both passive lift provided by a gas balloon and active lift provided by propellers. A hybrid airship-drone may be cheaper, more stable in flight, and require less maintenance than other aerial vehicles such as quadrocopters. However, hybrid airship-drones may also be larger in size and have more inertia that needs to be overcome for starting, stopping and turning.

The subject invention relates in part to stacking Cry1Be toxins along with Cry1Fa toxins to prevent insects from developing resistance towards either toxin by itself. As discussed in more detail herein, the subject pair of proteins is a particularly advantageous combination, as no other pair of proteins is known to provide high levels of control and non-cross-resistant activity against both Spodoptera frugiperda (FAW) and Ostrinia nubilalis (ECB) insects. This dual, non-cross-resistant activity is also advantageous because it can reduce the number of proteins / genes needed to target these insects with multiple, non-cross-resistant proteins. This can reduce or eliminate the need for refuge acreage. Accordingly, the subject invention also relates generally to using four genes to provide three proteins for non-cross-resistant control of a first insect, and three proteins for non-cross-resistant control of a second insect. In preferred embodiments, the targeted insects are FAW and ECB.

The subject invention includes methods and plants for controlling lepidopteran insects, said plants comprising Cry1Fa and Cry1Da core toxin containing proteins in combination to delay or prevent development of resistance by the insect(s).

The subject invention includes methods and plants for controlling lepidopteran insects, said plants comprising a Cry1Fa insecticidal protein and a Cry1Ca insecticidal protein, in combination, to delay or prevent development of resistance by the insect(s).

The subject invention includes methods and plants for controlling lepidopteran insects, said plants comprising Cry1Ca insecticidal protein and a Cry1Ab insecticidal protein in combination to delay or prevent development of resistance by the insects.

The subject invention includes methods and plants for controlling lepidopteran insects, said plants comprising a Vip3Ab insecticidal protein in combination with a Cry 1Fa insecticidal protein to delay or prevent development of resistance by the insect(s).

A system and method for managing a crop insurance program facilitates determining an input management plan for application of a crop input to a field within a defined geographic area. A first yield per land unit is measured. The first yield per land unit pertains to a particular crop associated with the field. A second yield per land unit is estimated. The second yield per land unit relates to the particular crop associated with the defined geographic area. A difference or variation is determined between the first yield and the second yield. The determined difference is made available to a receiving entity (e.g., an insurer that is associated with at least one of claims and insurance on the field).

The subject invention relates in part to Cry34Ab / 35Ab in combination with Cry6Aa. The subject invention relates in part to the surprising discovery that combinations of Cry34Ab / Cry35Ab and Cry6Aa are useful for preventing development of resistance (to either insecticidal protein system alone) by a corn rootworm (Diabrotica spp.) population. Included within the subject invention are plants producing these insecticidal Cry proteins, which are useful to mitigate concern that a corn rootworm population could develop that would be resistant to either of these insecticidal protein systems alone. Plants (and acreage planted with such plants) that produce these two insecticidal protein systems are included within the scope of the subject invention. The subject invention also relates in part to combinations of Cry34Ab / 35Ab and Cry3Aa proteins “triple stacked” with a Cry6Aa protein. Transgenic plants, including corn, comprising a cry6Aa gene, cry34Ab / 35Ab genes, and a cry3Aa gene are included within the scope of the subject invention. Thus, such embodiments target rootworms with three modes of action.

Aspects of the present invention concern tobacco having reduced nicotine and nitrosamines, which is used to manufacture consumer tobacco products, and methods to produce such tobacco. More specifically, embodiments include methods to reduce nicotine and nitrosamines in tobacco crops by applying auxin, auxin analogs, and jasmonate antagonists during the cultivation of such tobacco crops. Tobacco generated using said methods and consumer tobacco products obtained therefrom are also embodiments.

A trait of interest is detected as being present within individual ones of a plurality of agricultural samples (such as seeds or plant tissues) by imaging the plurality of samples to form a magnetic resonance image. The image of the plurality of samples is then analyzed to detect image information indicative of the presence of the trait within one or more of the imaged samples. A determination is then made as to whether the trait is exhibited in individual ones of the samples based upon the foregoing analysis. As an example, the samples may be a plurality of seeds, and the detected trait may be oil. A determination is made, based on the image analysis, as to whether each individual seed in the multi-seed image contains oil. A further examination may be made to determine a relative content of oil in each seed as well as a content by weight.

An agricultural robot system and method of harvesting, pruning, culling, weeding, measuring and managing of agricultural crops. Uses autonomous and semi-autonomous robot(s) comprising machine-vision using cameras that identify and locate the fruit on each tree, points on a vine to prune, etc., or may be utilized in measuring agricultural parameters or aid in managing agricultural resources. The cameras may be coupled with an arm or other implement to allow views from inside the plant when performing the desired agricultural function. A robot moves through a field first to “map” the plant locations, number and size of fruit and approximate positions of fruit or map the cordons and canes of grape vines. Once the map is complete, a robot or server can create an action plan that a robot may implement. An action plan may comprise operations and data specifying the agricultural function to perform.

A border of a designated area is defined within a work area. A designated axis is determined for the designated area. A series of generally parallel rows are aligned consistent with a travel axis having a known alignment with respect to the designated axis. One of the generally parallel rows is aligned as a starting row. The vehicle is pointed in a starting direction along or generally parallel to the travel axis. The vehicle engages in a turn path segment after an end of the starting row to move the vehicle at least somewhat perpendicular to the travel axis between the starting row and a next row. A turn path segment has a turn radius greater than or equal to a minimum turning radius of the vehicle, where the starting row and the next row are spatially separated by a multiple of effective vehicular implement widths less an overlap allowance. The turn path segment is defined so as to skip one or more intervening parallel rows between the starting row and the next row.

Methods for classifying plants by remote sensing and image analysis technology are presented. These methods are useful for evaluating plants and for selecting plants for a plant breeding program which has as its goal to selectively alter phenotype. The methods combine the newer techniques of remote sensing technology to obtain indirect correlates of the traits of interest, with classical pedigree breeding strategies. Thermal and infrared reflectance measures of plant canopies are examples of energy values measured by remote sensing, used to indirectly predict the selected traits.

A seeding machine having a plurality of row units and a processing circuit. Each of the row units have a seed metering device, a seed placement device and a sensor suitable to detect a parameter related to seed placement. The seed metering device includes a metering member providing a metering action to a plurality of seeds. The seed placement device receives the seeds from the seed metering device. A seed meter drive controller receives an index signal from the sensor on the row unit as well as a reference pulse signal. The processing signal of the drive controllers compares the index signal to the reference signal. Each drive controller is selectively programmable to control an associated motor of the meter drive to produce a desired relationship between the row unit index signal and the reference signal thereby synchronizing the seed placement among two or more rows. block diagram illustrating an alternative arrangement of the meter drive and control system components.

A method and system of evaluating crop performance facilitates characterization of the environmental impact of a geographic region or areas within the region for growing plant-life. Environmental measurements are obtained. The environmental measurements are associated with a geographic region. Each environmental measurement includes at least one of soil data and weather data. Respective location data is obtained. The location data is associated with corresponding environmental measurements. An estimated performance characteristic is determined for a particular crop planted in the geographic region based on the obtained environmental measurements and respective location data. Contours are established for one or more uniform performance areas with generally uniform performance characteristic within the geographic region by applying a decision-tree analysis to the obtained environmental measurements.

A spray control method employs a spray vehicle including a material tank, a pump communicating with the tank, and nozzles of a spray boom communicating with the pump. A GNSS receiver mounted on the vehicle and interfaced to a controller tracks its position in relation to stored position coordinates of field boundaries separating spray zones from spray exclusion zones. The tank is activated and deactivated by the controller to retain spray of the material within the spray zones and to prevent spray of the material in the exclusion zones, by processing an offset of the spray nozzles from the receiver, the spray range of the nozzles, spray turn-on and turn-off lag times, and the velocity of the spray vehicle, all in relation to the field boundaries. An alternative embodiment individually controls spray from the nozzles by using associated valves interfaced to the controller.

An apparatus comprises a base vehicle, a takeoff and landing system, a rack system, a refueling system associated with the base vehicle, and a controller. The rack system comprises a group of racks with slots in which the slots receive unmanned aerial vehicles, provide refueling connections that facilitate refueling of the unmanned aerial vehicles located in the slots, and provide data connections that facilitate data transmission with the unmanned aerial vehicles located in the slots. The refueling system refuels an unmanned aerial vehicle located in a slot using a refueling connection in the refueling connections. The controller communicates with the unmanned aerial vehicle using a data connection and control the refueling of the unmanned aerial vehicles by the refueling system while the unmanned aerial vehicle is in the slot, enabling exchanging data with the unmanned aerial vehicle and the refueling of the unmanned aerial vehicle simultaneously.

A method and apparatus for providing for real time automated control of the position of a blade on a earth-moving machine. The method includes providing a geography altering machine, including a blade and a computer, the computer having stored therein a reference line and a three dimensional computer model of a desired topography, providing a user defined offset relative to the reference line, determining a blade position in local coordinates, converting the local coordinates to reference line coordinates, utilizing the reference line coordinates and the user defined offset to calculate blade movement commands, and moving the blade in a direction required by the blade movement commands.

A global navigation satellite sensor system (GNSS) and gyroscope control system for vehicle steering control comprising a GNSS receiver and antennas at a fixed spacing to determine a vehicle position, velocity and at least one of a heading angle, a pitch angle and a roll angle based on carrier phase position differences. The roll angle facilitates correction of the lateral motion induced position errors resultant from motion of the antennae as the vehicle moves based on an offset to ground and the roll angle. Alternative aspects include multiple-antenna GNSS guidance methods for high-dynamic roll compensation, real-time kinematic (RTK) using single-frequency (L1) receivers, fixed and moving baselines between antennas, multi-position GNSS tail guidance (“breadcrumb following”) for crosstrack error correction, guiding multiple vehicles and pieces of equipment relative to each other, and snow grooming equipment and method applications.

A global navigation satellite sensor system (GNSS) and gyroscope control system for vehicle steering control comprising a GNSS receiver and antennas at a fixed spacing to determine a vehicle position, velocity and at least one of a heading angle, a pitch angle and a roll angle based on carrier phase position differences. The roll angle facilitates correction of the lateral motion induced position errors resultant from motion of the antennae as the vehicle moves based on an offset to ground and the roll angle. The system also includes a control system configured to receive the vehicle position, heading, and at least one of roll and pitch, and configured to generate a steering command to a vehicle steering system. The system includes gyroscopes for determining system attitude change with respect to multiple axes for integrating with GNSS-derived positioning information to determine vehicle position, velocity, rate-of-turn, attitude and other operating characteristics. A vehicle control method includes the steps of computing a position and a heading for the vehicle using GNSS positioning and a rate gyro for determining vehicle attitude, which is used for generating a steering command. Alternative aspects include multiple-antenna GNSS guidance methods for high-dynamic roll compensation, real-time kinematic (RTK) using single-frequency (L1) receivers, fixed and moving baselines between antennas, multi-position GNSS tail guidance (“breadcrumb following”) for crosstrack error correction and guiding multiple vehicles and pieces of equipment relative to each other.

Systems and methods are provided for directly linking a harvest environment using precision farming techniques to the marketplace. It is a feature of this invention that properties of crops are evaluated "on-the-move," during the harvest thereof, and are made known to users in the harvest environment to enable the real-time transaction for the sale of these crops. In a preferred embodiment, crops are harvested from an agricultural field in the harvest environment with a combine having an auger section thereon. A plurality of properties of the crops are evaluated on-the-move by flowing the harvested crops through the auger section and over an optical device. The optical device utilizes light reflected from the crops to determine the properties. Thereafter, the marketplace is searched with a computing configuration aboard the combine for a market seeking the crop properties. If a market is found, a wireless communication link between the harvest environment and the market is used to transact for a sale of the crops. The properties of the crops are correlated to a location in the agricultural field to expand the knowledge base about the field to enhance future precision farming operations.

The invention provides artificial soil and a method for land reclamation by the aid of gold mine tailing slag backfill exploitation regions. The method includes carrying out filling and compaction onthe tailing waste slag backfill exploitation regions; uniformly mixing various components of the optimally designed artificial soil with one another and ultimately covering tailing waste slag backfillsurfaces with the novel artificial soil with a certain thickness so as to effectively treat mine tailing. The artificial soil and the method have the advantages that the prepared artificial soil contains abundant nutrient components, the contents of organic matters can be increased, the gas permeability of the soil can be improved, and the artificial soil is excellent in water retention capacityand fertilizer preservation capability and suitable for growth of plants; organic thoroughly decomposed substances come from agricultural and forestry waste, are extensive in source and are easily available, accordingly, solid waste can be comprehensively utilized in a 'reduction, resource utilization and harmlessness' manner, and the artificial soil and the method conform to principles of circular economy; the land occupation problems of tailing ponds and the problems in the aspect of tasks of land reclamation of mined-out regions can be simultaneously solved by the aid of the artificial soiland the method, and the artificial soil and the method have large market spaces.

A GNSS integrated multi-sensor guidance system for a vehicle assembly includes a suite of sensor units, including a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) sensor unit comprising a receiver and an antenna. An inertial measurement unit (IMU) outputs vehicle dynamic information for combining with the output of the GNSS unit. A controller with a processor receives the outputs of the sensor suite and computes steering solutions, which are utilized by vehicle actuators, including an automatic steering control unit connected to the vehicle steering for guiding the vehicle. The processor is programmed to define multiple behavior-based automatons comprising self-operating entities in the guidance system, which perform respective behaviors using data output from one or more sensor units for achieving the behaviors. A GNSS integrated multi-sensor vehicle guidance method is also disclosed.