Apparatus and method for minimizing the volume of a liquid carrier used for delivering agricultural products into a furrow during planting

• US 10,251,337 B2
• Filed: 08/21/2018
• Issued: 04/09/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 07/03/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AMVAC Chemical Corporation (American Vanguard Corporation)
• Original Assignee: AMVAC Chemical Corporation (American Vanguard Corporation)
• Inventors: Conrad, Larry M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Novosad, Christopher J.
• Application Number:
  US16/107,374
• Publication Number:
  US 20180352727A1
• Time in Patent Office: 231 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A01C 23/047 Spraying of liquid fertilisers
• CPC Class Codes: A01C 5/068 Furrow packing devices, e.g. press wheels
• CPC Class Codes: A01C 7/06 Seeders combined with fertilising apparatus

Abstract

A method and apparatus for minimizing the volume of a liquid carrier used for delivering an agricultural product into a furrow during planting. In one embodiment, a spray nozzle is mounted on a planter row unit so as to dispense a carrier containing an agricultural product along a dispensing pattern in alignment with the pattern width of the spray nozzle, in the direction of the furrow.

Claims

1. A method for minimizing the volume of a liquid carrier used for delivering an agricultural product into a furrow during planting, comprising:

a) mounting a spray nozzle on a planter row unit having a closing wheel assembly, said spray nozzle having a pattern width thereof, wherein said spray nozzle is mounted on the planter row unit so as to dispense the carrier containing the agricultural product along a dispensing pattern in alignment with the pattern width, in the direction of a furrow; and

,

b) operating said planter row unit to deliver the liquid carrier containing the agricultural product in a pulsed rate to provide a substantially continuous line of agricultural product in the furrow.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said spray nozzle comprises a flat spray tip.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said pulsed rate is in a range of 3 to 20 times per second.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein said dispensing pattern comprises a strip generally in a range of between 6 and 10 inches.