Plant eradication using non-mutating low energy rapid unnatural dual component illumination protocol (RUDCIP) in four parameters

• US 8,872,136 B1
• Filed: 07/19/2012
• Issued: 10/28/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/19/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Global Neighbor Inc.
• Original Assignee: Global Neighbor Inc.
• Inventors: Jackson, Jonathan A., Jackson, Patrick A.
• Primary Examiner(s): BERMAN, JACK I
• Application Number:
  US13/553,797
• Time in Patent Office: 831 Days
• Field of Search: 250/492.1, 250/493.1, 47/581.LS, 47/14.3, 47/14.4
• US Class Current: 250/492.1
• CPC Class Codes: A01M 21/00 Apparatus for the destruction of unwanted vegetation, e.g. weeds control of undesirable vegetation on roads or permanent ways of railways E01H11/00

Abstract

Non soil-invasive four-parameter rapid unnatural dual component selective illumination protocol (UDCIP) for plant eradication using a process time under one minute. Application of a relatively low level of non-mutating UV-A optical energy to root crowns and/or soil grades allows below-ground UV-A penetration into soil to illuminate root crowns, and when preceded by or coincident with an above ground near-IR defoliation and root crown illumination step, results in an unexpected rise in lethality. Very high lethality, including 100 percent, is obtained using low deposited energy. UV-A optical energy can be delivered to root crowns and adjacent soil via a UV-transmissive knive blade.

Claims

1. A substantially non-invasive low-energy low irradiance non-mutating method for eradicating a plant in a time under one minute, using a Rapid Unnatural Dual Component Illumination Protocol (RUDCIP) with illumination about said plant, said method comprising:

[1] An above-ground foliage and root crown damage illumination component comprising exposure to near-IR radiation directed to any of a foliage of said plant and a root crown of said plant, said near-IR radiation of irradiance E_near-IR in W/m² and a total exposure time T_near-IR in seconds following a RUDCIP Band (RUDCIP BAND) specification;

[2] A ground-penetrating UV-A illumination component, comprising exposure to UV-A radiation

directed to any of a root crown of said plant and a soil grade immediately adjacent said root crown;

said UV-A radiation of irradiance E_UV-A in W/m² and a total exposure time T_UV-A in seconds following said RUDCIP Band specification;

said above-ground foliage and root crown damage illumination component and said ground-penetrating UV-A illumination component each having said exposure times T_near-IR and T_UV-A of under one minute of total operation, respectively;

said RUDCIP Band specification comprising a Red River Crabgrass (Digitaria cilaris) protocol specification given by

L=5.5×

10^.6[E_near-IR]*T_near-IR+6.5×

10^.5[E_UV-A]*T_UV-A

where L is lethality effectiveness expressed in fraction of plants dead in 30 days, such that L is greater than zero and equal to or less than unity;

said RUDCIP Band specification further specifying that said UV-A irradiance E_UV-A is within a factor of three above or below said Red River Crabgrass (Digitaria cilaris) protocol specification, such that said UV-A radiation has an over-riding minimum irradiance E_UV-A of 60 W/m²; and

said RUDCIP band specifying further that said near-IR irradiance E_near-IR is between a maximum of 27,000 W/m² and a minimum of 270 W/m2.

2. The method of claim 1, additionally comprising shrouding said plant with a reflective shroud (Sh) to provide at least one foliage avoidance ray derived from said UV-A radiation.

3. The method of claim 1, additionally comprising shrouding said plant with a reflective shroud (Sh) and using it to perform any of a stab and a disturb of said soil grade.

4. The method of claim 1, additionally comprising shrouding said plant with a reflective shroud (Sh) and using it to shroud at least one plant leaf to avoid absorption block.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said above-ground foliage and root crown damage illumination component and said ground-penetrating UV-A illumination component occur at least partially simultaneously.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said total exposure times T_near-IR and T_UV-A are each of duration under 20 seconds.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said total exposure times T_near-IR and T_UV-A are each of duration under 5 seconds.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said total exposure times T_near-IR and T_UV-A are each of duration under 1 second.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said exposure to UV-A radiation directed to any of a root crown of said plant and a soil grade immediately adjacent said root crown is delivered via a UV-A transmissive knife blade (V).

10. The method of claim 1, additionally comprising locating said plant using machine recognition, and performing the method of claim 1 on the plant so located.

11. A substantially non-invasive low-energy low irradiance non-mutating method for eradicating a plant in a time under one minute, using a high velocity shift in illumination exposure levels to introduce an adaptive stress, said method comprising:

[1] Delivering an exposure directed to any of a root crown of said plant and a soil grade immediately adjacent said root crown, said exposure providing sufficient UV-A irradiance to allow UV-A exposure levels of at least 5 times a prevailing ambient UV-A exposure level for no longer than one minute of total operation, but no more than 14 kJ (kiloJoules) per square meter in total; and

[2] Delivering an exposure directed to any of foliage of said plant and said root crown, said exposure providing a near-IR irradiance E_near-IR between a maximum of 27,000 W/m2 and a minimum of 270 W/m2 for no longer than one minute of total operation.

12. The method of claim 11, additionally comprising shrouding said plant with a reflective shroud (Sh) to provide at least one foliage avoidance ray derived from said UV-A radiation.

13. The method of claim 11, additionally comprising shrouding said plant with a reflective shroud (Sh) and using it to perform any of a stab and a disturb of said soil grade.

14. The method of claim 11, additionally comprising shrouding said plant with a reflective shroud (Sh) and using it to shroud at least one plant leaf to avoid absorption block.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein said UV-A exposure levels and said near-IR irradiance occur at least partially simultaneously.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein said UV-A exposure levels and said near-IR irradiance occur in a total time under 20 seconds.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein said UV-A exposure levels and said near-IR irradiance occur in a total time under 5 seconds.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein said UV-A exposure levels and said near-IR irradiance occur in a total time under 1 second.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein said exposure to UV-A radiation directed to any of a root crown of said plant and a soil grade immediately adjacent said root crown is delivered via a UV-A transmissive knife blade (V).

20. The method of claim 11, additionally comprising locating said plant using machine recognition, and performing the method of claim 11 on the plant so located.