A planting system for a combine in embodiments of the present invention may have one or more of the following elements: (a) a soil opening system having one or more soil openers operably connected to one or more mounting arms operably attached to the combine, (b) a seed handling system having one or more seed dispensers with one or more seed tubes operably connected to the one or more seed dispensers and a seed reservoir adapted for housing cover crop seed, and (c) a control system having one or more actuators operably connected to one or more controllers, wherein at least one of the sets of soil openers and sets of seed dispensers is operably attached to a header of the combine.

The invention concerns an outdoor bio-tower (10) for placing in a garden or on a patio, wherein the bio-tower (10) promotes biodiversity in outdoor environments. The bio-tower (10) comprises a framework defining a plurality of compartments each providing separate habitats suited to different species of flora, fauna, micro-organisms and/or fungi. The compartments include at least a first internal dry compartment with an access for creatures requiring a dry habitat, and at least one separate second internal wet compartment containing a tray (27) which may retain water and access for creatures requiring a wet habitat. The two internal compartments are surrounded at least in part by external compartments filled with a growing medium, such as soil, that serve for growing plants and that offer insulation to the internal compartments.

A plant grower includes a base, an upper cover having a surface parallel to an upper surface of the base, the upper cover being disposed above the base so as to be spaced apart from the upper surface of the base, a plurality of growing panels disposed along the circumference of the upper surface of the base, the plurality of growing panels being rotatably disposed at the base and the upper cover, and a lighting bar extending vertically upwards from the center of the upper surface of the base to the upper cover, the lighting bar emitting light in a direction in which the plurality of growing panels is disposed, and a plurality of growing holders, into each of which a plant is inserted, disposed at one surface of each of the plurality of growing panels.

A sowing coulter for direct and/or mulch sowing includes a coulter body, a tear-open chisel fastened by a fastening device, and coulter blades laterally projecting from the tear-open chisel and provided with front cutting edges, which are arranged in order to create a sowing furrow in the ground. In order to change the penetration depth of the sowing coulter into the ground, the coulter blades are adjustable about a horizontal axis that extends transversely to the direction of travel, and that is fixable in different positions by way of an adjustment device arranged between the tear-open chisel and the coulter body.

A planting system for a combine in embodiments of the present invention may have one or more of the following elements: (a) a soil opening system having one or more soil openers operably connected to one or more mounting arms operably attached to the combine, (b) a seed handling system having one or more seed dispensers with one or more seed tubes operably connected to the one or more seed dispensers and a seed reservoir adapted for housing cover crop seed, and (c) a control system having one or more actuators operably connected to one or more controllers, wherein at least one of the sets of soil openers and sets of seed dispensers is operably attached to a header of the combine.

The present disclosure provides a transgenic plant comprising one or more nucleotide sequences encoding polypeptides selected from photosystem II subunit S (PsbS), zeaxanthin epoxidase (ZEP), and violaxanthin de-epoxidase (VDE), operably linked to at least one expression control sequence. Expression vectors for making transgenic plants, and methods for increasing biomass production and/or carbon fixation and/or growth in a plant comprising increasing expression of at least one of PsbS, ZEP and VDE polypeptides are also provided.

A process of growing a phototrophic biomass in a reaction zone, including a reaction mixture that is operative for effecting photosynthesis upon exposure to photosynthetically active light radiation, is provided. The reaction mixture includes phototrophic biomass that is operative for growth within the reaction zone. In one aspect, the carbon dioxide supply is modulated in response to detected process parameters. In another aspect, inputs to the reaction zone are modulated based on changes to the carbon dioxide supply. In another aspect, dilution of the carbon dioxide-comprising supply is effected. In another aspect, pressure of the carbon dioxide-comprising supply is increased. In another aspect, water is condensed from the carbon dioxide-comprising supply and recovered for re-use. In another aspect, the produced phototrophic biomass is harvested at a rate which approximates a predetermined mass growth rate of the phototrophic biomass.

Speed control of machines and associated implements during transitions of agricultural parameters is described herein. In one embodiment, a processing system comprises processing logic to execute instructions for processing agricultural data and performing speed control of a machine and associated implement during a transition period for adjusting a setting of an agricultural parameter. A communication unit is coupled to the processing logic. The communication unit to transmit and receive data from the implement. The processing logic is configured to execute instructions to adjust the setting of the agricultural parameter and to determine a desired speed control during the transition period based on at least one of a desired transition distance and productivity during the transition period.

A method of monitoring at least one aspect in a vegetation wall system and an apparatus for doing the same. The method comprising measuring, by a sensor, a first component and a second component in the vegetation wall system; determining, by a processor, a change in the at least one aspect based on: the first component, the second component, and an amount of time between the measurement of the first component and the second component; determining whether the change in at least one aspect is outside a threshold range; and in response to determining the change in the at least one aspect is outside the threshold range, determining an anomalous condition exists.

This invention describes discovery and development of a biological system of plant growth promotion and environmental improvement by carbon sequestration and/or nitrogen utilization by application of a microbial agent, e.g., a highly effective strain of T. viride, particularly strains NRRL B-50520 and/or K5. This strain outperforms the best current strains of Trichoderma used for this purpose available commercially. The highly active products also are expected to increase plant productivity and improve quality of fruits, vegetables, flowers or other plant products. The invention also describes and demonstrates that strain combinations including Bacillus amyloliquifaciens AS2 or AS3, as well as disclosed metabolites, promote plant growth. This is true across monocots and dicots, seed treatments and foliar sprays. In the field plant height, shoot weight, root weight, and photosynthesis (Spad meter readings) were all increased in comparison to the untreated control as well as the leading biological seed treatments. The invention also describes metabolite utilization for enhancing plant growth.