A system, method, and apparatus for automatically gathering seed-specific data for an agricultural crop. Simulated seeds with contactless machine-readable data are co-mingled with actual seeds. Whether in stored form prior to planting, during planting, or after planting with the actual seed in the ground, appropriate readers can quickly and accurately read the seed-specific data for a variety of purposes. That can include simply confirming that the actual seed at least in proximity to a simulated seed is of a particular hybrid or variety. It could also include other seed-specific data such as time and date of planning, seed production company, seed-specific usage restrictions, etc. The data can be utilized by other systems. One example would be a precision agricultural system.

This application relates to methods and materials for providing a benefit to a seed or seedling of an agricultural plant (e.g., an agricultural grass plant), or the agricultural plant derived from the seed or seedling. For example, this application provides purified bacterial populations that include novel seed-origin bacterial endophytes, and synthetic combinations of seeds and/or seedlings (e.g., cereal seeds and/or seedlings) with heterologous seed-derived bacterial endophytes.

An elastic self-positioning pre-dicing device and method, the device includes a V-shaped self-positioning device, a cutter and a separation device; the V-shaped self-positioning device includes first and second elastic conveying faces which form a V-shaped conveying space, and materials are kept in a vertical state when arriving at a bottom end between the two elastic conveying faces with the conveying of the faces; the cutter is arranged at the bottom end between the two faces to cut the materials in half along a long axis; and the separation device is arranged at the lower part of the cutter and configured to convey the materials cut in half to next stage respectively. This overcomes the defects of low efficiency in manual dicing of seed potatoes and waste of seed potatoes. The half-cut seed potatoes will be conveyed to next intelligent dice identification station to ensure high utilization of seed potato production.

In a method of processing seeds, an angle of repose of processed seeds is determined to evaluate whether the processed seeds have been sufficiently processed in a processing step. In a system for determining an angle of repose of processed seeds, a receptacle receives and supports the seeds in a pile. An image sensor faces the receptacle to capture an image of the pile of processed seeds in the cavity. An image processor is operatively connected to the image sensor to receive the captured image from the image sensor. The image evaluates the image to determine an angle of inclination of the pile based on the image.

In a method of processing seeds, an angle of repose of processed seeds is determined to evaluate whether the processed seeds have been sufficiently processed in a processing step. In a system for determining an angle of repose of processed seeds, a receptacle receives and supports the seeds in a pile. An image sensor faces the receptacle to capture an image of the pile of processed seeds in the cavity. An image processor is operatively connected to the image sensor to receive the captured image from the image sensor. The image evaluates the image to determine an angle of inclination of the pile based on the image.

An intelligent seed production apparatus and method based on multistage screening and bud eye identification includes a feeding module, a pre-cutting module, a bud eye identifying and cutting module, and a material mixing module. The feeding module can screen out seed potatoes with the mass and shapes meeting the requirements through a multistage screening mechanism. The pre-cutting module can receive the seed potatoes discharged from the feeding module, and cut each seed potato in half; the bud eye identifying and cutting module can receive the seed potato pieces discharged from the pre-cutting module and determine the weight of the seed potatoes and identify the bud eye distribution on the surfaces of the seed potatoes, and cut the seed potato into multiple required tubers, so that bud eyes are distributed on different tubers uniformly. The material mixing module can receive the cut tubers, and complete the material mixing of the tubers.

A seed treater having upper and lower ends includes a mixing bowl. The mixing bowl includes a stator having an annular upper inner surface defining an upper portion of the open interior of the mixing bowl, and a rotor defining a lower portion of the open interior of the mixing bowl. An air duct is fluidly connected to the mixing bowl and is configured to be fluidly connected to an air mover. The air duct includes a duct outlet configured to direct forced air from the air mover into the upper portion of the open interior defined by the upper stator to direct the seeds flowing in the upper portion of the interior of the mixing bowl inward toward a generally vertical axis of the mixing bowl as the lower rotor rotates relative to the upper stator.

This application relates to methods and materials for providing a benefit to a seed or seedling of an agricultural plant (e.g., an agricultural grass plant or a Glycine plant), or the agricultural plant derived from the seed or seedling. For example, this application provides purified bacterial populations that include novel seed bacterial endophytes, and synthetic combinations of seeds and/or seedlings (e.g., cereal or soy seeds and/or cereal or soy seedlings) with heterologous seed-derived bacterial endophytes.

The invention relates to a device for moistening and/or fertilizing plants (1), comprising a movable spray lance (3) with at least one spray nozzle (4) arranged on the spray lance (3), wherein a preferably linear guide rail (2) is provided, wherein the spray lance (3) is movably guided in the guide rail (2) in a trajectory extending parallel to the guide rail (2) and extends substantially normal to this trajectory, and wherein a drive, preferably a linear drive (11), is arranged for moving the spray lance in the area of the guide rail (2). The invention further relates to a system for cultivating plants without a substrate, comprising the device according to the invention.

A conveyor having a conveyance structure, mixing components, belt, and gas manifold. The gas manifold disposed within or on an exterior portion of the structure. The gas manifold having one or more manifold outlet ports to dry, condition, or treat a metered stream of seed within the conveyor. The manifold may be operably connected to a recirculating air system providing the vacuum source and pressurized air source of atmospheric or conditioned air. A filter and vacuum port may extract debris or humidity from the metered stream of seed within the conveyor. A plurality of mixing baffles may be longitudinally spaced apart through the conveyor in a laterally alternating manner to mix the metered stream of seed. The conveyor may be used to transfer, mix, dry, condition and treat the metered stream of seed between multiple stages of treatment.