An agricultural method includes providing a positive air pressure chamber to prevent outside contaminants from entering the chamber; growing crops in a plurality of cells in the chamber, each cell having multi-grow benches or levels, each cell further having connectors to vertical hoists for vertical movements in the chamber; maintaining pre-set temperature, humidity, carbon dioxide, watering and lighting levels to achieve predetermined plant growth; using motorized transport rails to deliver benches for operations including seeding, harvesting, grow media recovery, and bench wash; dispensing seeds in the cell with a mechanical seeder coupled to the transport rails; growing the crops with computer controlled nutrients, light and air level; and harvesting the crops and delivering the harvested crop at a selected outlet of the chamber.

A treatment system for spraying treatment fluid onto plants in a field is described. The treatment system includes a highly configurable treatment mechanism including an array of nozzles and valve assemblies coupled into manifolds, and manifold assemblies. The manifolds of the manifold assemblies can be oriented in an open state or a nested state, the open state with no overlap between nozzles of adjacent manifolds and the nested state with overlap between nozzles of adjacent manifolds. The manifolds can have multiple configurations, examples of which include a tube manifold and an offset manifold. The nozzles of the system can have multiple configurations, examples of which include a tri-spray nozzle, a bar nozzle, a fan nozzle, and a deflected fan nozzle. The system can be controlled by a system controller which detects plant material and instructs a nozzle or combination of nozzles to spray treatment fluid.

A system for measuring moisture in soil below the ground surface comprises at least one passive microwave sensor device configured to measure natural thermal emissions from the soil and output a data signal and a processing circuit operably coupled to the at least one passive microwave sensor wherein the processing circuit is configured to receive the data signal and compile a soil moisture profile. The system further comprises a wide-band antenna wherein the at least one passive microwave sensor is located therein and an elongate horizontal mounting frame extending between first and second ends wherein the first end is securable to a mobile agricultural device and wherein the wide-band antenna is secured to the second end so as to position the wide-band antenna at a distance above the ground surface.

Nozzle control systems and methods for applying an agricultural product using an agricultural vehicle and plurality of valves separated into subgroups are disclosed. An example method includes actuating the valves to dispense the agricultural product, wherein the actuating includes (a) actuating a first subgroup of valves and a second subgroup of valves in succession using a phase delay; and (b) actuating successive valves in the first subgroup and successive valves in the second subgroup using at least one subgroup time delay. The subgroup time delay can be determined based on one or more vehicle speed values and a total number of the plurality of valves.

An agricultural sprayer includes a boom assembly having first and second wing boom sections. Additionally, the sprayer includes an actuator configured to adjust a fore/aft tilt angle of the boom assembly, with the fore/aft tilt angle defined between a central axis of the boom assembly and a vertical direction. Moreover, the sprayer includes a sensor configured to capture data associated with a position of the second boom section relative to the first boom section. In this respect, a computing system is configured to determine an angle defined between the first and second boom sections or a height of a tip of the second boom section based on the data captured by the sensor. In addition, the computing system is configured to control an operation of the actuator to adjust the fore/aft tilt angle of the boom assembly based on the determined angle or the determined height.

An apparatus for spraying flowable media and in particular plant protection agents onto plants, has at least a first spray unit and a second spray unit wherein each of the spray units has a tubular conduit unit that extends in a predetermined longitudinal direction and is suitable and intended for conducting a flowable plant protection agent, and wherein each of the spray units has at least one spray head that is in flow communication with the conduit unit associated therewith. The spray units are provided in a pivotable manner in relation to a predetermined pivot axis on a carrier, and the apparatus has an adjustment unit that allows both the first spray unit and the second spray unit to be pivoted between a working position and an idle position.

A planter system for planting seeds and spraying fluid includes a seeder assembly including a seed tube, a seed meter configured to dispense a seed into the seed tube, and a conveyor apparatus configured to carry the seed through the seed tube. The planter system also includes a sensor configured to transmit a detection signal upon detection of the seed passing a detection location. The planter system also includes a control system configured to determine a travel time of the seed from the detection location to a furrow based on a baseline drop time for the seed, a baseline travel speed of the seeder assembly, and an operating travel speed of the seeder assembly. The control system is configured to transmit a control signal to a valve coupled to a nozzle assembly based on the travel time and the detection signal to spray the fluid on or adjacent the seed.

A drip irrigation treatment device, which comprises a water storage tank, wherein a partition plate is arranged in the water storage tank and divides the interior of the water storage tank into a conveying cavity and a purifying cavity, one side of the conveying cavity and one side of the purifying cavity are jointly connected with a first water conveying mechanism, a protection box is arranged on one side of the water storage tank, a filter box is arranged in the protection box, one side of the upper end of the protection box is connected with a sewage conveying pipe, the lower end of the sewage conveying pipe corresponds to the filter box, a filtering mechanism is arranged in the filter box, a buffer moving mechanism is arranged on the periphery of the filter box, and a rotating mechanism is arranged on one side in the protection box.

Described herein are implements and applicators for placement of fluid applications with respect to agricultural plants of agricultural fields. In one embodiment, a fluid applicator for applying fluid to plants in rows in a field includes a frame, at least one applicator arm disposed in a rhizosphere of plants during fluid flow through the applicator, and a fluid conduit connected to the frame and disposed in the row between plants to deliver fluid to the row between plants.

An automated implement control system includes one or more distance sensors configured for coupling with an agricultural implement. The one or more distance sensors are configured to measure a ground distance and a canopy distance from the one or more sensors to the ground and crop canopy, respectively. An implement control module is in communication with the one or more distance sensors. The implement control module controls movement of the agricultural implement. The implement control module includes a confidence module configured to determine a ground confidence value based on the measured ground distance and a canopy confidence value based on the measured canopy distance. A target selection module of the implement control module is configured to select one of the measured ground or canopy distances as a control basis for controlling movement of the agricultural implement based on the comparison of confidence values.