Method of stimulating plant growth

• US 7,600,343 B2
• Filed: 09/29/2005
• Issued: 10/13/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/22/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Softwave Tissue Regeneration Technologies, LLC
• Original Assignee: General Patent, LLC (Tissue Regeneration Technologies LLC)
• Inventors: Goeschl, Robert, Schaden, Wolfgang, Warlick, John, Schultheiss, Reiner
• Primary Examiner(s): Valenti; Andrea M
• Application Number:
  US11/238,787
• Publication Number:
  US 20060100551A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,475 Days
• Field of Search: 47/581.LS, 47/581.SE, 47D/IG.9, 47D/IG.12, 601/2, 601/4, 600/437
• US Class Current: 47/58.1LS
• CPC Class Codes: A01G 7/04 Electric or magnetic or acoustic treatment of plants for promoting growth
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 47/09 Physical and chemical treatment of seeds for planting
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 47/12 Sonic or ultrasonic treatment

Abstract

The method of stimulating a plant substance is disclosed. The method has the steps of activating a pressure pulse or an acoustic shock wave generator or source to emit pressure pulse or acoustic shock waves; and subjecting the plant substance to the pressure pulse or acoustic shock waves stimulating said plant substance wherein the substance is positioned within a path of the emitted shock waves. In one embodiment the emitted pressure pulse or shock waves are divergent or near planar. In another embodiment the emitted shock waves are convergent having a geometric focal volume of point at a distance of at least X from the source, the method further comprising positioning the substance at a distance less than the distance X from the source. The substance is a plant tissue having cells. The tissue can be a seed, zygotic embryo or somatic embryogenic culture of somatic embryos of plants. The plant may be a vegetable, tree, shrub or tuber. The tissue may be a part of the root system, a part of the stem system or a part of the leaf system. The method of stimulating includes activating the cells within the treated tissue thereby releasing growth factor proteins or other chemical compositions promoting growth and accelerating germination or plant growth.

Claims

1. The method of stimulating a plant substance, the plant substance being a tissue having cells with cellular membranes, comprises the steps of:

activating a pressure pulse or an acoustic shock wave generator or source to emit pressure pulses or acoustic shock waves wherein the pressure pulses or acoustic shock waves are acoustic pulses which include several cycles of positive and negative pressure, the amplitude of the positive part of such a cycle being above 0.1 MPa having rise times of the positive part of the first pressure cycle amplitude being below 100'"'"'s of ns and the duration being below 1 to 3 micro-seconds (μ

s) for the positive part of a cycle and above some micro-seconds for the negative part of a cycle; and

subjecting the plant substance to the pressure pulses or acoustic shock waves stimulating said substance with convergent, divergent, planar or near planar acoustic shock waves or pressure pulses in the absence of a focal point impinging the plant substance stimulating a cellular response in the absence of creating cavitation bubbles evidenced by not experiencing the sensation of rupturing cellular membranes of the cells caused by the emitted waves or pulses in the cellular tissue of the plant substance wherein the substance is positioned within a path of the emitted pressure pulses or shock waves away from any localized geometric focal volume or point of the emitted shock waves wherein the emitted shock waves or pressure pulses either have no geometric focal volume or point or have a focal volume or point ahead of the plant substance or beyond the plant substance thereby passing the emitted waves through the plant substance while avoiding having any localized focal point within the plant substance wherein the emitted pressure pulses or shock waves are convergent, divergent, planar or near planar and the pressure pulse shock wave generator or source is based on electro-hydraulic, electromagnetic, piezoceramic or ballistic wave generation having an energy density value ranging as low as 0.00001 mJ/mm² to a high end of below 1.0 mJ/mm², the stimulation having a dosage duration between a few seconds to 20 minutes or greater at an energy density in the range of 0.00001 mJ/mm² to 1.0 mJ/mm² per shock wave or less while avoiding or minimizing cell or membrane damage or rupturing by not creating cavitation bubbles in the tissue of the plant substance.

2. The method of stimulating a substance of claim 1 wherein the emitted pulses or shock waves are divergent or near planar having no geometric focal volume or point impinging the plant substance.

3. The method of stimulating a substance of claim 1 wherein the emitted pulses or shock waves are convergent having a geometric focal volume or point at a distance of at least X from the generator or source, the method further comprising positioning the substance at a distance less than the distance X from the source so as to avoid having a geometric focal volume or point impinging the plant substance.

4. The method of stimulating a plant substance of claim 1 wherein the tissue is one or more seeds of a plant.

5. The method of stimulating a plant substance of claim 4 wherein the plant is a tree.

6. The method of stimulating a plant substance of claim 4 wherein the plant is a bush.

7. The method of stimulating a plant substance of claim 4 wherein the plant is a vegetable.

8. The method of stimulating a plant substance of claim 4 wherein the plant is cotton.

9. The method of stimulating a plant substance of claim 4 wherein the plant is soybean.

10. The method of stimulating a plant substance of claim 4 wherein the plant is a flower.

11. The method of stimulating a plant substance of claim 1 wherein the plant is a tuber.

12. The method of stimulating a plant substance of claim 1 wherein the tissue is one or more somatic embryos.

13. The method of stimulating a plant substance of claim 1 wherein the plant is asexually propagated.

14. The method of stimulating a plant substance of claim 13 wherein the plant is grafted.

15. The method of stimulating a plant substance of claim 13 wherein the plant is vegetative propagated by the rooting of cuttings.

16. The method of stimulating a plant substance of claim 13 wherein the plant tissue is micro-propagated from somatic embryos in vitro from minute pieces of tissue or individual cells.

17. The method of stimulating a plant substance of claim 1 wherein the tissue is a part of the root system.

18. The method of stimulating a plant substance of claim 1 wherein the tissue is a clone of the genetic system of a plant species.

19. The method of stimulating a plant substance of claim 1 wherein the tissue is one or more zygotic embryos.