Agricultural seed planting systems are provided. In some aspects, the system includes a processing unit, a frame, a furrow opener coupled to the frame for opening a furrow in soil, and a sensor in communication with the processing unit and adapted to sense a characteristic associated with seed planting. The sensor may generate a signal associated with the sensed characteristic and the processing unit may receive the signal. In some aspects, the sensed characteristic may be either a soil characteristic or a seed characteristic. Information associated with the sensed characteristic can be saved in memory for future use and to assist with more effective planting in the future.

Provided is a method for planting a mixed forest of yew trees and fig trees. Yew trees and fig trees are interplanted based on characteristics of yew trees and fig trees. A seedling bed method is used in the plain zones, and a terrace field method is used in mountain zones in order to improve land utilization rate and make full use of complementary advantages of ecological niches. In the present disclosure, ground and underground spaces on tree growing site are fully used. Fig trees grow fast and have large leaves, thus shading part of sunlight for yew trees and savings costs required for building shade shelters for yew trees. By using the method for constructing a mixed forest in the present disclosure, the constructed mixed forest not only allows for increase of biomass, but also provides higher paclitaxel content in yew trees than that in pure forest.

Embodiments of the present invention provide techniques, including systems and methods, for planting using planting pods. A planting system can be configured to deliver pods including a payload (e.g., seeds, cuttings, or other planting materials) into or onto the ground at a predetermined location. In some embodiments, the automated planting system can include a mapping system that receives various sensor inputs and generates a map of a planting area. A pod planting system may use the map of the planting area to deliver pods to the planting area. The pod planting system may be executed automatically using the maps generated by the mapping system and/or manually by a remote operator. Each pod can include a payload to be planted on or in the ground by the pod planting system. Pods may be customized depending on the types of plants being planted, the terrain, prior planting results, etc.

An arrangement for detection of the amount of material in a supply container of a machine for application of material to a field comprises a data entry device for receiving fill level data concerning an amount of material present in the supply container at a specific time point and an outflow sensor for detection of the amount of material that has flowed out of the supply container. A computer device connected to the data entry device and outflow sensor, the computing device is programmed to calculate the current amount of material in the supply container using the obtained fill level data and the signals of the outflow sensor obtained after the specific time point, and to issue a warning signal if the amount of material in the supply container goes below a predetermined level.

A method for micro-ridge mixed-sowing cultivation of rice includes: S1: draining away water at the maturity stage of the preceding crop until reaching a state allowing a harvester to operate; S2: harvesting the preceding crop, leaving the stubble, smashing the stalks of the preceding crop, and then spreading the smashed stalks on the stubble to form a rhizosphere layer for rice growth; S3: trenching the field to form ecological trenches; S4: flattening the standing stubble and the smashed stalks on the seedbed surface to form an underlying surface, molding seed-fertilizer-soil compounds into a ridge shape and fall the seed-fertilizer-soil compounds on the underlying surface to form ecological ridges, wherein a plurality of ecological ridges are formed between adjacent ecological trenches, and the seed-fertilizer-soil compounds are obtained by thoroughly mixing rice seeds, chemical fertilizers and soil at a mass ratio of 6 to 14:50 to 70:6,000 to 10,000.

A multiple variety planter has a direct vacuum system that allows for planting multiple varieties of seed while reducing occurrences of mis-planting events or planting inconsistencies such as multiples and skips by providing highly controllable seed meter vacuum performance characteristics that are controllable on a row-by-row basis. The direct vacuum system may include a vacuum unit at each row unit of the planter to apply a vacuum pressure to a seed meter at the row unit. Each vacuum unit may be individually and variably controlled to apply different vacuum pressures based on which seed variety is being planted with the respective seed meter at a given time.

A seed meter is provided for planting multiple types of seed and rapidly switching between the types being planted in a single planting pass of a planting session of row-crop planting. The seed meter has a split seed meter reservoir with a pair of seed meter chambers flanked by or next to a pair of seed disks. Activation and deactivation of the seed disks within the seed meter are synchronized to selectively deliver one type of seed from one of the seed meter chambers for delivery out of a single seed tube of the seed meter, which may provide absolute and instantaneous on-the-go seed switching within a single row from each seed meter.

An agricultural machine includes a seeding system comprising a plurality of planting units, each planting unit configured to meter and deliver seed and a control system configured to obtain a seed planting model that identifies a plurality of seed planting locations on a worksite, identify a machine path on the worksite, identify, based on the machine path, a set of the seed planting locations for each of the planting units, and control each planting unit to deliver seeds to the set of seed planting locations identified for the planting unit.

A planter is provided with onboard seed treatment for treating seeds on the go during row-crop planting of an agricultural field. The seed treatment system of the planter allows for selective planting of specific zones of a field with treated seed, which may include planting different zones of the field with seeds having different treatments. The planter may store untreated seed in bulk and include a seed treatment system that selectively and precisely treat the untreated seeds during treatment events by way of an injection or spray nozzle system that applies liquid treatment to the seeds traveling along a tightly defined travel path, such as within pockets of a belt that carries the seeds through a seed tube.

A biasing system is provided for use with an associated run selector device having a valve body member movable within a housing between opposite first and second run selection positions selecting respective first and second commodity distribution runs of the associated run selector device. The biasing system includes a first biasing element on the housing, and a second biasing element on the valve body member. The first and second biasing elements are movable relative to each other between opposite first and second biasing system positions together with the associated valve body member being moved relative to the housing between the opposite first and second run selection positions. The first and second biasing elements are mutually biased against each other to urge each other apart and towards a one or the other of the opposite first and second biasing system positions.