PLANT TREATMENT MEANS

Abstract: A plant treatment means for introducing a treatment agent into a plant. The plant treatment means comprising an unpressurized reservoir (11) intended to contain a plant treatment agent and adapted to be fixed to a plant stem (S) and/or leaf. The plant treatment means further comprises at least one probe (14) which is able to penetrate the epidermis of the plant stem and/or leaf. The probe (14) having a fluid pathway to carry treatment agent from the reservoir (11) to the plant over a period of time. The fluid pathway is preferably constituted by a rigid porous capillary element extending between the reservoir and the free end of the probe. The reservoir (11) is associated with a mounting (12) which is able to support the reservoir on the plant stem (S).

Description: "PLANT TREATMENT MEANS" THIS INVENTION relates to the treatment of plants and a means of facilitating such treatment. In the treatment of plants to promote or impede growth to prevent attack by pests and/or disease and to treat plants suffering from attack by pests and/or disease it is usual to apply a treatment agent to the plant by means of a spray or a systemic agent which is added to the soil surrounding the plant or to " the leaves of the plant. In addition in the fertilisation of plants the usual means of treatment is to apply a fertiliser to the soil around the plant or apply a liquid by means of a spray to the leaves of the plant. A difficulty created by such treatment methods is that much of the material is applied to the soil and atmosphere and thus enters the ecosystem to affect organisms other than the plant and as a result the material may have long lasting effect upon the total environment. In addition application of the treatment agent can be hazardous to the use of other persons. It is an object of this invention to provide an effective means of treating plants by the application of pesticides and/or fungicides and/or fertiliser or like treatment with a reduced likelihood of the treatment agents entering the surrounding ecosystem. In one form the invention resides in a plant treatment means comprising a reservoir intended to contain a plant treatment agent and adapted to be fixed to a plant stem and/or leaf, at least one probe which is able to penetrate the epidermis of the plant stem and/or leaf said probe being adapted to carry treatment agent from said reservoir to said vascular tissue over a period of time. According to a preferred feature of the invention the probe incorporates a fluid pathway constituted by a rigid porous capillary element extending between the reservoir and the free end of the probe. According to a further preferred feature of the invention the reservoir contains a porous filler which accommodates the plant treatment agent. According to one preferred form the reservoir is associated with a mounting which is able to support the reservoir on the plant stem, said reservoir having said probe on the face to be adjacent the stem, the mounting relationship between the reservoir and mounting being such as to provide an inwardly directed force to the probe relative to the plant stem to drive it into the plant stem. Preferably, the mounting is common to a plurality of reservoirs. Preferably, the mounting comprises a band which in use at least partly surrounds the stem. The invention will be more fully understood in the light of the following description of several specific embodiments. The description is made with reference to the accompanying drawings of which: Figure 1 is a cross-sectional plan view of the first embodiment; Figure 2 is a side elevation of the first embodiment; Figure 3 is a plan view of the second embodiment; and Figure 4 is a side elevation of the second embodiment. The embodiments hereinafter described are each directed to a treatment means for the application of treatment agents to a plant in a safe, effective and controlled manner. The first embodiment comprises a set of elongated tubular reservoirs 11 mounted to a flexible clamping band 12 which is intended to be wrapped around the plant stem S and the ends of the clamping band releasably secured together by means of a clamping device 13 which is operable to tension the clamping band about the stem. Figures 1 and 2 illustrate four reservoirs mounted to the clamping band, however more or less reservoirs may be used as desired. Each reservoir 11 is supported from the clamping band to lie substantially parallel with the plant stem S and extend upwardly from the clamping band. The end _of the reservoir 11 fixed to the clamping band supports a probe which extends radially inward when the clamping band 12 is wrapped around the plant stem S. On the tension of the clamping band 12 being increased on operation of the clamping device 13 the probes 14 are driven into the plant stem to penetrate the epidermis and enter the system tissue. The interior of the reservoirs may contain a porous filter and the treatment agent is carried to the plant stem by capillary action through the probe. Each probe 14 may be formed of a tube filled with a porous material having a capillarity similar to plant tissue which provides a capillary flow path between the interior of the reservoir 11 and the probe tip. Alternatively the probe 14 may be formed of a rigid porous capillary tip similar in nature to the tip of a felt tipped pen which will not be damaged on penetration of the plant tissue and will not create a void in the space it occupies. It would seem that in order to counteract the protective responses of the plant tissue it is desirable that the probe on its entry into the plant stem does not create any voids in the stem and the flow path in the probe has similar capillary flow characteristics as the xyle tissue of the plant. In addition on entry of the probe into the plant stem S it is charged with treatment agent to facilitate flow of the treatment agent to the plant immediately after penetration which avoids a loss of fluid pressure in the stem and the entry of air or gas. The use of the clamping band 12 and the clamping device 13 to effect penetration of the probes 14 into the plant stem ensures a controlled penetration " of the plant tissue which it is believed should minimise the trauma to the plant tissue and reduce the normal protective responses of the tissue which may block off the flow of the treatment agent between the tip of the probe and plant tissue. The second embodiment shown at Figures 3 and 4 is of a similar nature to the first embodiment and the same reference numerals are used for equivalent components. The second embodiment comprises a rigid but resilient clamping band 12 which has the form of an incomplete annulus. The clamping band 12 is sufficiently resilient to be capable of location around a wide range of sizes of plant stem S. The clamping band is formed with a plurality of circumferentially spaced threaded apertures which each can threadably support a reservoir 11 having a threaded portion 11a and bulbous portion lib. located outermost and of sufficient volume to accommodate the desired quantity of treatment agent. The interior of the reservoir may contain a porous filler material. T h e inner end of the reservoir 11 supports a probe 14 of similar form to that of the first embodiment. On rotation of the reservoir 11 on the clamping band 12 in the appropriate direction the probe is driven into the plant stem in a controlled manner. A variation to the second embodiment may be the provision of locking means for releasably securing the free ends of the clamping band 12 together with this arrangement, the clamping band can be of flexible material. A further variation of the second embodiment may be that each probe is movable radially relative to the clamping band under the action of means other than a screw thread. For instance, each probe may be slidably supported on the clamping band. Both the first and second embodiments provide , a means of administering to- plants, treatment agents in a safe, effective and ' controlled manner with a reduced possibility of damage to the environment than existing methods. It should be appreciated that the reservoir 11 may take any desirable configuration and may be of any desirable capacity depending upon the nature of its application. In addition if desired the reservoir may be filled with a fibrous material to hold the treatment agent. In addition it should be appreciated that the scope of the invention need not be limited to the particular scope of the embodiments described above and in particular need not be limited to the particular configuration of the probe described, or particular means of providing communication between the interior of the' reservoir and the- probe, or the particular means for fixing the probe to the stem of a plant.

Claims: THE CLAIMS defining the invention are as follows:- 1. A plant treatment means comprising an unpressurised reservoir intended to contain a plant treatment agent and adapted to be fixed to a plant stem and/or leaf, at least one probe which is able to penetrate the epidermis of the plant stem and/or leaf, said probe having a fluid pathway to carry treatment agent from said reservoir to said plant over a period of time. 2. A plant treatment means as claimed at claim 1 wherein the said fluid pathway is constituted by a rigid porous capillary element extending between the reservoir and the free end of the probe. 3. A plant treatment means as claimed at claim 2 wherein the probe is charged with treatment agent on penetration of the plant stem. 4. A plant treatment means as claimed at claim 2 or 3 wherein the reservoir contains a porous filler which accommodates the plant treatment means. 5. A plant treatment means as claimed at claim 2, 3 or 4 wherein the reservoir -is associated with a mounting which is able to support the reservoir on the plant stem said reservoir having said probe on the face to be adjacent the stem, means being provided to provide an inwardly directed force to the probe relative to the plant stem to drive it into the plant stem. 6. A plant treatment means as claimed at claim 5 wherein the mounting comprises a flexible clamping band and said means comprises tensioning means associated with the clamping band, said reservoir being fixed to the clamping band. . 7 7. A plant treatment means as claimed at claim 5 wherein the mounting comprises a rigid part-annular clamping band and said reservoir is threadably received on the clamping band to be movable radially relative to the clamping band on rotation of the reservoir on the clamping band. 8. A plant treatment means as claimed in claim 5, 6 or 7 wherein the mounting is common to a plurality of reservoirs. 9. A plant treatment means susbstantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Inventors: MORAN DAVID JOHN, MORAN, DAVID, JOHN
Applicants: EASTMAN BERNARD THOMAS, MORAN DAVID JOHN, EASTMAN, BERNARD, THOMAS, MORAN, DAVID, JOHN
Application year: 1986
Main classification: A01G7
IPC codes: A01G7