Disclosed are hypersensitive-response eliciting peptides that exhibit improved solubility, stability, resistance to chemical degradation, or a combination of these properties. Use of these peptides or fusion polypeptides, or DNA constructs encoding the same, for modulating plant biochemical signaling, imparting disease resistance to plants, enhancing plant growth, imparting tolerance to biotic stress, imparting tolerance and resistance to abiotic stress, imparting desiccation resistance to cuttings removed from ornamental plants, imparting post-harvest disease or post-harvest desiccation resistance to a fruit or vegetable, or enhancing the longevity of fruit or vegetable ripeness are also disclosed.

A sowing unit is provided including water-absorbing material, an enclosure and a seed. The water-absorbing material is vermiculite, which is a hygroscopic negatively-charged material capable of binding a positively charged nutrient ion selected from NH4+, L-arginine, L-lysine and L-histidine. Further, there is least one hole in the water-absorbing material arranged to hold one or more seeds.

A sowing unit including water-absorbing material, an enclosure and a seed, wherein the water-absorbing material includes a hygroscopic negatively-charged material capable of binding a positively charged nutrient ion selected from NH4+, L-arginine, L-lysine and L-histidine; and optionally a nutrient including a positively charged nutrient ion selected from K+, NH4+, L-arginine, L-lysine and L-histidine. Methods and uses of the sowing unit are described.

A biological water retention material, a method for preparing the same and a use thereof. A Bacillus subtilis, named as Bacillus subtilis GE1, which has been deposited in China General Microbiological Culture Collection, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences on Jan. 7, 2016, with a deposit number of CGMCC No. 11964, solves the problem of lacking a biological water retention material that fully combines water retention materials with microbial agents to increase the survival rate of silviculture under drought conditions by increasing soil moisture content as well as enhancing the drought resistance of plants. It is suitable for use under drought and water shortage conditions, and can fully utilize the coupling effect of water retention and bacterial agents, increasing the survival rate of silviculture under drought conditions and promoting seedling growth by increasing soil moisture content as well as enhancing the drought resistance of plants.

A first machine of a tree planting system includes: a cultivator cultivating soil where a plant for tree planting is to be planted; a first traveling device traveling with the cultivator; and a cultivated position detector obtaining and outputting actual cultivated positions corresponding to positions of the cultivator while the cultivator travels with the first traveling device and cultivates the soil. A management device of the tree planting system stores actual cultivated positions. A second machine of the tree planting system includes: a planting device planting a plant in the soil; a second traveling device traveling with the planting device; a planting device position detector obtaining a position of the planting device; and a controller controlling a position of the planting device based on: actual cultivated positions acquired from the management device; and the position of the planting device at the timing when a plant is planted.

An applicator assembly for applying an active substance to the root zone of a plurality of plants, the applicator assembly comprising: a subsoil applicator having a cutting element for generating an incision in the ground, an injector associated with the cutting element to allow the active substance to be injected into the incision; and a positioning device adapted to allow the position of the cutting element to change position such that an incision is generated in some material in the root zone while the cutting element moves over other material in the root zone.

Reforestation capsules composed of biodegradable materials are operable to be used in aerial reforestation operations. Capsules may contain one or more seedlings, compacted fertilizer, soil, and/or nutrients. Capsules include a flight platform component and cone tip component. The capsule structure survives impact and may serve as additional nutrient for the seedling(s). A housing unit sized and configured to contain and dispense capsules can be mounted or otherwise housed in an aircraft to deliver capsules.

The present invention relates to an intelligent tree transplanter that comprises a rotary support, a structure comprising at least one horizontal hydraulic closed telescopic boom that is driven by and connected to a driving device, wherein there is a multi-way valve assembly, tree-oriented anchor point and infrared horizontal automatic calibration point, wherein there is a ball pool data detector including infrared central contact in the center of the present device; and, a lateral hydraulic telescopic boom that drives the rotary support comprising a number of regolith scrapers, and at least one vertical hydraulic angle rotating shaft connected to a vertical hydraulic telescopic joints are located at the bottom of the device. Vertical hydraulic telescopic joints that are connected to the ball-end horizontal rotating shaft are also located at the bottom of the device.

The present invention relates to an intelligent tree transplanter that comprises a rotary support, a structure comprising at least one horizontal hydraulic closed telescopic boom that is driven by and connected to a driving device, wherein there is a multi-way valve assembly, tree-oriented anchor point and infrared horizontal automatic calibration point, wherein there is a ball pool data detector including infrared central contact in the center of the present device; and, a lateral hydraulic telescopic boom that drives the rotary support comprising a number of regolith scrapers, and at least one vertical hydraulic angle rotating shaft connected to a vertical hydraulic telescopic joints are located at the bottom of the device. Vertical hydraulic telescopic joints that are connected to the ball-end horizontal rotating shaft are also located at the bottom of the device.

Disclosed are hypersensitive-response eliciting peptides that exhibit improved solubility, stability, resistance to chemical degradation, or a combination of these properties. Use of these peptides or fusion polypeptides, or DNA constructs encoding the same, for modulating plant biochemical signaling, imparting disease resistance to plants, enhancing plant growth, imparting tolerance to biotic stress, imparting tolerance and resistance to abiotic stress, imparting desiccation resistance to cuttings removed from ornamental plants, imparting post-harvest disease or post-harvest desiccation resistance to a fruit or vegetable, or enhancing the longevity of fruit or vegetable ripeness are also disclosed.