Device and method for pollinating plants

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11641817-B2
Application number	US-201816476508-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 5, 2018
Priority date	Jan 6, 2017
Publication date	May 9, 2023
Grant date	May 9, 2023

Abstract

A pollinating device for pollinating crop plants includes a base mountable on a carriage. At least one pollination unit is mounted on the base and includes a pollen-releasing apparatus configured to release pollen from male flowers of the plants and at least one nozzle for directing fluid along a flow path for delivering at least some of the released pollen to the pollen-receiving rows of crop plants. Certain pollinating devices include multiple pollination units spaced apart along a width of the base. Some pollination units include at least two opposing nozzles. Plants are pollinated by driving the carriage along a field and directing air from the nozzles over the pollen born by some plants to deliver the pollen to female flowers of other plants in the field.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A pollinating device for pollinating crop plants grown in rows including pollen-bearing rows and pollen-receiving rows, the device comprising:
a base mountable on a carriage for traveling along the rows of crop plants;
at least one pollination unit mounted on the base for delivering pollen from the crop plants in at least one of the pollen-bearing rows to the crop plants in a plurality of the pollen-receiving rows, the at least one pollination unit comprising:
a pollen-releasing apparatus configured to contact male flowers of the crop plants in said at least one of the pollen-bearing rows as the carriage travels along the rows of crop plants and release pollen from the male flowers of the crop plants in said at least one of the pollen-bearing rows; and
at least one nozzle adjacent the pollen-releasing apparatus, the at least one nozzle aligned for discharging air along a flow path behind the pollen-releasing apparatus and/or generally toward the male flowers of the crop plants contacted by the pollen-releasing apparatus as the carriage travels along the rows of crop plants such that the discharged air delivers at least some of the released pollen from the male flowers of the crop plants to the pollen-receiving rows of crop plants.

2. The pollinating device as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the base has a width oriented transverse to a direction of travel of the carriage when the base is mounted on the carriage such that the base extends laterally outward from the carriage, the device comprising a plurality of pollination units spaced apart along the width of the base.

3. The pollinating device as set forth in claim 2 , wherein the plurality of pollination units comprises at least four pollination units spaced apart along the width of the base.

4. The pollinating device as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the at least one nozzle of the at least one pollination unit includes first and second nozzles.

5. The device as set forth in claim 4 , further comprising at least one valve operatively coupled to the first and second nozzles for selectively coupling one of the first and second nozzles to a source of blown air.

6. The device as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the nozzle is movably mounted on the base.

7. The device as set forth in claim 6 , further comprising a ball joint mounting the nozzle on the base.

8. The device as set forth in claim 6 , further comprising first and second ball joints mounting the nozzle on the base.

9. The device as set forth in claim 1 , further comprising a swing arm pivotably mounting the at least one pollination unit on the base.

10. The device as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the nozzle comprises an air knife.

11. The device as set forth in claim 1 , further comprising a blower operatively connected to the nozzle to provide blown air to the nozzle.

12. The device as set forth in claim 11 , wherein the blower is configured to provide the blown air to the nozzle such that the discharged air exits the nozzle at least at about 30 miles per hour.

13. The device as set forth in claim 11 , further comprising a filter coupled to an intake of the blower for filtering intake air as it is drawn into the blower.

14. The device as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the pollen-releasing apparatus comprises a chain suspended from the base.

15. The device as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the pollen-releasing apparatus comprises at least one rod extending at an oblique angle with respect to a direction of travel of the carriage.

16. The device as set forth in claim 15 , wherein the at least one rod comprises a plurality of rods oriented generally parallel to one another.

17. The device as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the pollen-releasing apparatus comprises a crop guide assembly defining a guide passage for receiving crop plants extending generally parallel to a direction of travel of the carriage.

18. The device as set forth in claim 17 , wherein the crop guide assembly is operatively aligned with the pollen-releasing apparatus to guide crop plants received in the guide passage so that the male flowers thereof contact the pollen-releasing apparatus as the carriage travels along the rows of crop plants.

19. The device as set forth in claim 18 , wherein the crop guide assembly has a front end portion defining a front opening of the guide passage that is wider than a rear end portion of the guide passage.

20. The pollinating device as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the pollen-releasing apparatus is configured to release the pollen from the male flowers of the crop plants in said at least one of the pollen-bearing rows into an ambient environment around the crop plants in said at least one of the pollen-bearing rows; and
wherein the at least one nozzle is configured to discharge air along the flow path to blow at least some of the pollen in the ambient environment to the pollen-receiving rows of crop plants.

21. A device for pollinating crop plants grown in rows including pollen-bearing rows and pollen-receiving rows, the device comprising:
a base mountable on a carriage for traveling in a travel direction oriented parallel to the rows of crop plants, the base having a width and being configured for being mounted on the carriage such that the width is oriented transverse to the travel direction;
a pollen blowing system comprising:
at least one blower configured to provide blown air;
a filter coupled to an intake of the blower for filtering intake air as it is drawn into the blower; and
a plurality of nozzles mounted on the base at spaced apart positions along the width of the base corresponding with a spacing of the pollen-bearing rows of the rows of crop plants, the nozzles being configured to receive the blown air from the at least one blower and to discharge the blown air toward the crop plants in respective ones of the pollen-bearing rows to deliver pollen from the crop plants in the pollen-bearing rows to the crop plants in the pollen-receiving rows as the carriage travels along the crop plants; and

a crop guide assembly disposed adjacent at least one of the plurality of nozzles, the crop guide assembly defining a guide passage for receiving the crop plants in the pollen-bearing rows and directing the received crop plants toward the blown air discharged from the at least one of the plurality of nozzles, wherein a front opening of the guide passage is wider than a rear opening of the guide passage.

22. A pollinating device for pollinating crop plants grown in rows including pollen-bearing rows and pollen-receiving rows, the device comprising:
a base mountable on a carriage for traveling along the rows of crop plants;
at least one pollination unit mounted on the base for delivering pollen from the crop plants in at least one of the pollen-bearing rows to the crop plants in a plurality of the pollen-receiving rows, the at least one pollination unit comprising:
a pollen-releasing apparatus configured to contact male flowers of the crop plants in said at least one of the pollen-bearing rows as the carriage travels along the rows of crop plants and release pollen from the male flowers of the crop plants in said at least one of the pollen-bearing rows, the pollen-releasing apparatus including a chain; and
at least one nozzle adjacent the pollen-releasing apparatus for discharging air along a flow path as the carriage travels along the rows of crop plants such that the discharged air delivers at least some of the released pollen to the pollen-rec

Assignees

• Monsanto Technology Llc

Inventors

• Aguiar Diego Almeida
• Borrowman Eric L
• Campos Diego
• Ghebretinsae Amanuel G
• Kohne Jeffrey L
• Lima Aldo Barbosa
• Mitchell Jason T
• Santos Antonio Carlos
• Segovia Isaías
• Spiess Gretchen E

Classifications

• A01H1/027 Primary

  Apparatus for pollination · CPC title

• A01G7/06

  Treatment of growing trees or plants, e.g. for preventing decay of wood, for tingeing flowers or wood, for prolonging the life of plants · CPC title

• A01G22/00

  Cultivation of specific crops or plants not otherwise provided for · CPC title