Apparatus for placement of fertilizer below seed with minimum soil disturbance
First Claim
1. An apparatus which permits application of fertilizer into the soil below seed at the time of seeding with minimum soil disturbance, which comprises:
- (a) a first furrow opening means for opening a narrow first furrow in the soil, said means having a width of 5 to 13 mm and a ratio of height to width of 3.8;
1 to 20;
1;
(b) a second furrow opening means attached to said first furrow opening means for substantially simultaneously opening a second wider furrow above said first furrow;
(c) fertilizer feeding means attached to said first furrow opening means for feeding fertilizer into said first furrow as it is opened by said first furrow opening means; and
(d) seed deflecting means attached to said second furrow opening means for deflecting seed rearward and preventing seed from falling through said second furrow into said first furrow;
wherein said first furrow opening means has an elongated rectangular leading face which curves downward and forward and terminates at an edge which is the forward-most soil engaging edge of said opening means, flat side faces, a flat top face, a trailing face, and a bottom face; and
wherein said second furrow opening means has an elongated rectangular leading face which meets tangentially with said leading face of said first furrow opening means, a flat bottom face which is fixedly centered to said top face of said first furrow opening means, flat side faces, and a trailing face.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An apparatus and method are described which allow for placement of fertilizer at an optimum separation distance below seed at the time of seeding with a minimum of soil disturbance so that the creation of high ridges adjacent to the seed row is avoided. The apparatus includes a narrow first furrow opener for opening a narrow furrow for fertilizer; a wider second furrow opener attached to the first furrow opener for opening a seed furrow above the first furrow simultaneously in time and at a slightly differential position; a feed tube attached to the trailing edge of the first furrow opener for feeding fertilizer into the fertilizer furrow as it is opened, and a seed deflector for deflecting seeds rearward so that they do not fall into the seed furrow before the fertilizer furrow is filled with soil. The device can be used with existing implement shanks such as a grain drill opener shank.
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Citations
14 Claims
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1. An apparatus which permits application of fertilizer into the soil below seed at the time of seeding with minimum soil disturbance, which comprises:
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(a) a first furrow opening means for opening a narrow first furrow in the soil, said means having a width of 5 to 13 mm and a ratio of height to width of 3.8;
1 to 20;
1;(b) a second furrow opening means attached to said first furrow opening means for substantially simultaneously opening a second wider furrow above said first furrow; (c) fertilizer feeding means attached to said first furrow opening means for feeding fertilizer into said first furrow as it is opened by said first furrow opening means; and (d) seed deflecting means attached to said second furrow opening means for deflecting seed rearward and preventing seed from falling through said second furrow into said first furrow; wherein said first furrow opening means has an elongated rectangular leading face which curves downward and forward and terminates at an edge which is the forward-most soil engaging edge of said opening means, flat side faces, a flat top face, a trailing face, and a bottom face; and
wherein said second furrow opening means has an elongated rectangular leading face which meets tangentially with said leading face of said first furrow opening means, a flat bottom face which is fixedly centered to said top face of said first furrow opening means, flat side faces, and a trailing face. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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Specification