A pollen supplying method for supplying pollen to a pistil of a plant includes an air bubble production step of producing an air bubble with the pollen attached to the surface thereof, and an air bubble attachment step of releasing the produced air bubble into the air and attaching the air bubble to the pistil.

The present application discloses a flying device designed in the shape of a bee. The flying device comprises a body with a head and a pointed tail, two wings attached to either side of the body, and one or more sensors. The one or more sensors may be located on the outer surface of the device. The sensors may include cameras for capturing pictures or videos of the environment. The sensors may also include temperature sensors (thermometers), GPS readers, and/or wind sensors (anemometer). The body of the device comprises one or more transducers and one or more processors. The device is configured to identify a type of flower or plant and to perform pollination.

This invention describes a new method to increase grain yields in any crop plant by modifying pollination to effect an increase in grain yield, a change in grain content or characteristics, a decrease in contamination, or a combination of these attributes. The process involves the intentional delivery of pollen of the male plant at will to designated male-sterile female plants as available either in a preserved pollen bank, or real-time collection from male plants as they become available, in a growth chamber for example. Desired pollen is delivered to fertile females. The delivered pollen.sup.M is in such amounts and fortuitously timed that it preferentially pollinates the females and pollination from neighboring male-fertile plants. The intentional delivery of genetically different pollen will result in increased heterosis and accompanying grain yield increases resulting from increased grain size and the potential to influence grain content and constituents. The invention also permits real-time agronomic decision making in order to maximize grain yield by overcoming biotic and abiotic challenges in the growing season which may or may not have been anticipated.

A spray vehicle includes at least one boom, a plurality of spray units, at least one first actuator, at least one second actuator, a plurality of sensors, and a processing unit. The spray units are configured to spray pollen or a liquid chemical. The at least one first actuator is configured to move the at least one boom. The at least one second actuator is configured to control the spray units. At least one sensor is configured to measure a speed of the vehicle relative to the ground. At least one sensor is configured to measure an air movement direction relative to the vehicle. At least one sensor is configured to measure an air movement speed relative to the vehicle. The processing unit is configured to determine an air movement direction relative to the ground and determine an air movement speed relative to the ground.

A pollinator attraction pot includes a pot body made up of a top portion having an opening, a bottom portion, and a side wall connecting the top portion and the bottom portion, the bottom portion and side wall defining an interior which can be used to contain a growing plant, wherein the sidewall is made of a flexible fabric material suitable to serve as a plant pot. A pollinator attractor is positionable on or within the pot body. The pollinator attractor includes a material or substance that serves to attract a pollinator to the pollinator attraction pot.

A pollination machine (10) with improved cross-pollination abilities may feature a plurality of pollen recirculation chambers with an air circulation manifold (130A, 131A, 133A, etc.) connecting them in a manner that air in one chamber (30A), together with associated pollen, is removed from the one chamber and redirected to a second (30B), and so on until air is returned to the first (30A). The chambers' initial roller entrances (118) will serve to trip blossoms and release both pistol and pollen but a current in the air circulation manifold contains and will deposit foreign pollen grains on the plants' stigmas before they are inundated by the blossoms' own pollen. The air current also collects the plants' pollen and carries it to other chambers so that other plants will be cross-pollinated.

The invention relates to a Coanda effect flow booster (10) for inducing a boosted flow of gas, comprising: —a main air circulation pipeline (14), —at least one injection opening that opens into the main pipeline (14), —a plurality of openings for supplying compressed motive gas, each opening configured to be connected to a source of compressed motive gas in order to supply the at least one injection opening with compressed motive gas, —at least one distribution pipeline connecting the plurality of supply openings to the at least one injection opening, —a booster profile (48) at least partially defining the at least one injection opening and forming a convex surface configured to create a Coanda effect in a flow of compressed motive gas injected through the at least one injection opening.

The present invention discloses an improved method for magnetic transfection of maize pollen, including: (1) preparing plasmid DNA for transfection; (2) binding MNP nanomagnetic beads to the plasmid DNA at room temperature to form MNP-DNA complex; (3) collecting fresh pollen from maize at full flowering and bringing it rapidly back indoors under ice box storage conditions insulated from water; (4) mixing a maize pollen transformation solution with sieved maize pollen and being subjected to aperture-opening pre-treatment at low temperature; (5) adding the MNP-DNA complex to aperture-opening pre-treatment solution, mixing gently and placing on a low temperature pre-cooled magnetic plate for transfection; (6) after transfection, taking the pollen suspension to field in ice box and pollinating directly on ears of maize. The present invention directly uses maize grown in the field for transformation, requires only conventional refrigeration equipment, is simple and inexpensive to operate and is applicable to all maize varieties.

A spray vehicle includes at least one boom, a plurality of spray units, at least one first actuator, at least one second actuator, a plurality of sensors, and a processing unit. The spray units are configured to spray pollen or a liquid chemical. The at least one first actuator is configured to move the at least one boom. The at least one second actuator is configured to control the spray units. At least one sensor is configured to measure a speed of the vehicle relative to the ground. At least one sensor is configured to measure an air movement direction relative to the vehicle. At least one sensor is configured to measure an air movement speed relative to the vehicle. The processing unit is configured to determine an air movement direction relative to the ground and determine an air movement speed relative to the ground.

Plant treatment systems and methods are presented. The system comprising a plant treatment apparatus comprising: one or more treatment channels and at least one plant treatment device associated with said one or more treatment channels, said at least one plant treatment device being configured and operable to controllably generate a force field and apply the force field to at least a portion of a plant, said force field comprising at least one pulse, wherein each pulse has a fast rise time, certain duration and amplitude profile, thereby inducing a vibration pattern in the at least portion of the plant, said vibration pattern being characterized by a plurality of vibration frequencies above a predetermined value, to thereby apply treatment to said at least portion of the plant; a sensing system comprising one or more sensors configured and operable to provide sensing signals indicative of a condition of said at least portion of the plant and feedback signals indicative of said vibration pattern, said one or more sensors comprising an optical sensor configured and operable to provide the sensing signals and/or feedback signals indicative of image data of said at least portion of the plant. A control system is configured and operable for data communication with said plant treatment apparatus, to receive and process the sensing signals and/or feedback signals produced by the sensing system, the processing of the sensing signals and/or feedback signals comprising determining the condition of said at least portion of the plant and/or said vibration pattern and operating said at least one plant treatment device to apply and/or adjust said force field to thereby induce the vibration pattern corresponding to the treatment of said at least portion of the plant.