Abstract:
An agricultural system including: at least one seed; a growing media in communication with the one seed; a biodegradable outer retainer surrounding a portion of the one seed and the growing media, and; at least one growing media additive.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     (1) Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates generally to an agricultural system and, more particularly, to an agricultural system including: at least one seed; a growing media in communication with the one seed; and an outer retainer surrounding a portion of the one seed and the growing media. 
     (2) Description of the Prior Art 
     Agricultural growers such as commercial suppliers and home gardeners produce a wide variety of cultivated crops and plants. Often these suppliers or gardeners raise plants from seeds. Soil may be supplemented with additional water, fertilizers, pH controlling nutrients, and fungicides to support seed germination. This process is labor-intensive and time-consuming, which adds costs to commercial operations and detracts from the enjoyment of gardening for recreational gardeners, especially those advanced in age or physically limited. Likewise, growers raise some cultivated plants from seeds in pots or other small containers. Such a grower often transplants the seedling plant to the ground after an initial period in the container. This process is also labor-intensive and time-consuming. 
     In recent years, roll out flower gardens have been developed that reduce part of the painstaking work required to grow a home garden. The roll out gardens may consist of seeds within a nutrient rich substrate. These roll out gardens reduce part of the labor associated with growing flower gardens but are bulky and awkward to use, store, and transport. 
     Thus, there remains a need for a new and improved agricultural system for growing plants that is easy to use, store, and transport, and provides an acceptable level of seed germination. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is directed to an agricultural system comprising: at least one seed; a growing media in communication with the one seed, and; an outer retainer surrounding a portion of the one seed and the growing media. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the outer retainer is biodegradable. Also, in the preferred embodiment of the invention, the system includes at least one growing media additive. 
     In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the one seed is a non-dormant seed. The system may include at least one secondary seed. The secondary seed may have a longer germination period than the one seed. The secondary seed may have a slower growth period than the one seed. The secondary seed may have a longer life than the one seed. 
     In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the growing media may be organic. The growing media may be a natural soil. The growing media may be peat moss. The growing media may further include a water component. The wt. % moisture of the growing media may be less than about 50 wt. %. The wt. % moisture of the growing media may be between about 10 and 30 wt. %. The wt. % moisture of the growing media may be about 20 wt. %. The total available moisture of the growing media may be between about 5 and 10 mgs. The total available moisture of the growing media may be about 7 mgs. 
     In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the biodegradable material of which the outer retainer is comprised may be a capsule. The capsule may be a two-piece capsule. The biodegradable material may be a coating. The biodegradable material may be gelatin-based. The biodegradable material may be cellulosic-based. The outer retainer may include at least one biodegradable material additive. The biodegradable material additive may be a pigment. The biodegradable material additive may be a preservative. 
     In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the growing media additive may be a protein for promoting germination. The protein may be an amino acid. The growing media additive may be a fertilizer for promoting growth. The growing media additive may be at least one of a fungicide and a pesticide. The growing media additive may be time released. 
     Accordingly, one aspect of the present invention is to provide an agricultural system comprising: at least one seed; a growing media in communication with the one seed; and an outer retainer surrounding a portion of the one seed and the growing media. 
     Another aspect of the present invention is to provide a biodegradable outer retainer for an agricultural system having at least one seed in communication with a growing media, the outer retainer being formed of a biodegradable material. 
     Still another aspect of the present invention is to provide an agricultural system comprising: at least one seed; a growing media in communication with the one seed; a biodegradable outer retainer surrounding a portion of the one seed and the growing media; and at least one growing media additive. 
     These and other aspects of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art after a reading of the following description of the preferred embodiment when considered with the drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a cross-sectional view of the agricultural system constructed according to the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is an exploded view of the agricultural system shown in  FIG. 1  showing the individual components; 
         FIG. 3  is a graphical representation of the relationship between capsule life and seed germination as a function of percent moisture of the growing media; and 
         FIG. 4  is a graphical representation of the seed viability as a function of the percent moisture of the growing media and the total available moisture in milligrams on a 1-5 scale. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     In the following description, like reference characters designate like or corresponding parts throughout the several views. Also in the following description, it is to be understood that such terms as “forward,” “rearward,” “left,” “right,” “upwardly,” “downwardly,” and the like are words of convenience and are not to be construed as limiting terms. 
     Referring now to the drawings in general and  FIG. 1  in particular, it will be understood that the illustrations are for the purpose of describing a preferred embodiment of the invention and are not intended to limit the invention thereto. As best seen in  FIG. 1 , the present invention includes at least one seed capable of germination, which incased in a growing media  14 , which is held together by an outer retainer  16 . The growing media may include one or more traditional media additives  20 . In addition, at least one secondary seed  22  may also be used to compliment the primary seed  12 . 
     As best seen in  FIG. 2 , the agricultural system  10  components may be divided into three groups. The first group is the plant or flower seed  12  with or without the secondary seed  22 . In the preferred embodiment, the plant or flower set will seed is a non-dormant seed. These types of seeds are the most common agricultural and garden type seeds which, unlike gumballs, pinecones and peanuts do not normally have a natural outer protective shell. 
     Secondary seed  22 , may actually include one or more seeds, which may have either a longer germination period and therefore begin to grow after the primary seed or they may have a slower growth period and overtake the primary seed plant or they may have a longer life and remain after the primary seed plant has died. The following table shows examples of primary and secondary seeds having these combinations. 
     
       
         
               
               
               
             
           
               
                 TABLE I 
               
               
                   
               
               
                   
                 Primary Seed 
                 Secondary Seed 
               
               
                   
               
             
             
               
                 Secondary Seed has a Greater 
                 onions 
                 peppers 
               
               
                 Growth and Germination Period 
                   
                   
               
               
                 than Primary Seed 
                   
                   
               
               
                 Secondary Seed has a Shorter 
                 corn 
                 potatoes 
               
               
                 Growth Period than Primary Seed 
                   
                   
               
               
                 Secondary Seed has a Longer 
                 beets 
                 beans 
               
               
                 Life than Primary Seed 
               
               
                   
               
             
          
         
       
     
     As seen in Table I above, the primary seed may be of a first species or type and the secondary seed may be of a second species or type, where the second species differs from the first species. In particular, the second species may have a longer germination (and growth) period than the first species, a shorter growth period than the first species, and/or a longer life than the first species. 
     Growing media  14  preferably is an organic material and most preferably a natural soil such as peat. However, it will be appreciated that the growing media may also include inorganic or organic fillers such as conventionally used in seed starting pots. 
     A primary purpose of the growing media is to control the moisture content within the outer retainer  16 . As can be seen in  FIG. 3 , the capsule life for most suitable materials drops off quickly as percent moisture of the growing media increases over about 40 percent. At the same time the germination of the seed  12  increases sharply when the percent moisture content of the growing media increases above 40 percent. Currently in the preferred embodiment the percent moisture content of the growing media is less than about 50 percent to promote capsule life and reduce germination. In the preferred embodiment the percent moisture of the growing media is between about 10-30 percent with about 20 percent moisture of the growing media being the preferred embodiment. Reducing the percent moisture of the growing media further may result in damage to the seed and it is much more costly to dry the growing media to lower its percentage the moisture. 
     Turning to  FIG. 4 , there is shown a graphical representation of seed viability as a function of the percent moisture in the growing media and the total available moisture “TAM”. As can be seen, seed viability increases rapidly with the increase in percent moisture of the growing media reaching a maximum but then dropping off as the growing media moisture content becomes so high as to “drown” the seed. While not as critical the total available moisture in milligrams results in an increase in seed viability as total available moisture reaches about five milligrams but then begins to drop off as is increased past about 10 milligrams. 
     In the preferred embodiment outer retainer  16  is a biodegradable material and in preferred embodiment is a capsule such as a two-piece capsule, which can be produced on a model CS-M2 capsule machine available from Maneklal Global Exports of 237/239 Perin Nariman Street Fort, Mumbai—400 001, India. These types of capsules are typically gelatin based which are water-soluble, but may also be produced with a cellulosic base. In an alternative embodiment the seed  12  and growing media  14  are pre-pressed into a low-density pellet using a conventional pill forming machine and then the outer retainer  16  is applied as a coating using, for example an Auto Coater coating machine, also available from Maneklal Global Exports of India. 
     In the preferred embodiment outer retainer  16 , biodegradable material may also include at least one capsule additive such as a pigment or a solid preservative such as propanate or titanium dioxide to provide additional functions such as improved ease of identification of the seed  12  within the outer retainer  16  or to extend the shelf life of the outer retainer  16 . 
     In the preferred embodiment the growing media  14  may further include additional growing media additives  20 . For example, the growing media  14  may include a protein to facilitate plant germination. Organic proteins enzymes such as those in fish oils, peanut oils, and bark composts have been found to be specifically suitable for this purpose. In addition the media additive  20  may include conventional fertilizers such as to provide additional phosphate, nitrogen or other mineral pro-specific type of seed or soil condition. In addition the media additive  20  may also include conventional fungicides and/or pesticides depending on the needs of the particular growing condition. Finally, the media additive  20  may also be micro-encapsulated or other wise treated to provide a time release of the media additive over a predetermined period of the early germination of the seed  12 . 
     Certain modifications and improvements will occur to those skilled in the art upon a reading of the foregoing description. By way of example, other combinations and media formulas may be used as desired for the particular seed of the agricultural system. Also, if desired, the outer retainer for the agricultural system may include a fertilizer for promoting the growth of the particular seed into maturity. All such modifications and improvements have been deleted herein for the sake of conciseness and readability but are properly within the scope of the following claims.