A system, an apparatus and a method for uniformly applying UAN fertilizing liquid to soil on farmland for the purpose of increasing crop yields. The system has an UAN sprayer distribution rail applicator apparatus which may be pulled behind a tow vehicle or pushed by a sprayer or fertilizer applicator. The atmospheric tank contains UAN fertilizing liquid which passes from a pump, through a safety shut-off valve, and through a turbine style flow meter. A safety bypass line is provided upstream of the flow meter to relieve unsafe hydraulic pressure back through a pressure-sensitive valve in the event that multiple control valves close simultaneously. Flow through this bypass line also provides mixing of the UAN fertilizing liquid during cold weather. Upon exiting the flow meter, the UAN fluid enters the center of a distribution rail assembly. Spray nozzles with individual automatic shut-off valves are spaced across the distribution rail assembly.

The invention is intended for the organization of an automated process for spraying of liquid means of chemical treatment from unmanned vehicles, for example, in precise farming systems. The use of a replaceable, marked and hermetically sealed liquid subsystem in the spray device of the invention, along with an integrated self-diagnosis system, using compressed gas energy and a pressure regulator instead of standard pumps, reduces the weight of the spraying device, improves spraying accuracy, ensures personnel safety and accounting of the accumulated life resource of the main units of spraying devices. All this in combination enables to create fully automated spraying systems.

A system for spraying plants comprises a location-determining receiver for estimating a position of a sprayer with respect to one or more rows of plants. A distance sensor is arranged to measure a distance between a nozzle assembly and a plant row segment. A guidance module is adapted to align the nozzle assembly with a target path between the rows of plants, such as a centered path between the rows, or offset between the rows of the plants. A first nozzle is targeted toward a first zone with respect to the plant row segment based on a first spray pattern of the first nozzle. A second nozzle is targeted toward a second zone with respect to the plant row segment based on a second spray pattern of the second nozzle. A nozzle selection module for selecting automatically a first nozzle or a second nozzle based on maximum coverage of a target zone around the plant segment based on the first zone, the second zone, and the measured distance.

A liquid spraying system having an elongated liquid supply boom and a plurality of spray nozzle assemblies. The spray nozzle assemblies have a compact design with a nozzle body having a liquid inlet and a first spray nozzle carrying liquid outlet section on opposite upper and lower sides, second and third spray nozzle carrying liquid outlet sections disposed in transverse relation to the supply boom; and first and second check valve supporting sections disposed parallel to the liquid supply boom. A first of check valves is operable for controlling liquid flow from the supply boom to one or both of the second and third spray nozzles, and a second check valve is operable for controlling liquid flow from said liquid inlet to said first spray nozzle. The illustrated check valves are operable in response to the pressure of the supply liquid.

An object of the present invention is to provide an agricultural work apparatus, an agricultural work management system, and a program capable of appropriately managing agricultural work information and smoothly implementing agricultural work and business in the future by making use of agricultural work information. An agricultural work apparatus may include: a first image-capturing device; an agricultural work determination unit that determines, on the basis of first image information obtained by capturing an image of a target of agricultural work through the first image-capturing device, whether or not to execute the agricultural work on the target; an agricultural work execution unit that executes the agricultural work; an agricultural work information generation unit that generates agricultural work information including a result of the agricultural work; a measurement unit that measures a position of the target; and an agricultural work information management unit that manages the agricultural work information and positional information.

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.

A monitoring system is presented for monitoring plants' conditions in one or more plant growing areas. The system comprises: a data collection system configured and operable to provide characterization data about plants in said one or more plant growing areas, the data collection system comprising data collection modules of at least first and second different types, the first type data collection module comprising a first imaging device of predetermined first optical properties and the second type data collection module comprising a second imaging device of predetermined second optical properties different from the first optical properties, the characterization data provided by at least one of the first and second imaging devices being indicative of various parameters of the plants being imaged; and a control system configured and operable to be in data communication with an analyzer to be responsive to operational data received from the analyzer and being based on analysis of the image data indicative of one or more plants being imaged by the first type imaging device, to selectively activate the second type imaging device to apply the second type imaging to at least a part of said one or more plants.

The inventive aerial dispersal system comprises a pump assembly, a control box, an applicator assembly, a viscous pesticide tank assembly, and a means for connecting the aerial dispersal system to an airplane and is particularly useful for dispersing viscous pesticide.

A system for detecting and identifying plant species in an agricultural field that allows to act on them, which comprises at least one camera that includes a lens, a bandpass filter and an image sensor; a GPS unit; and at least one data processing unit comprising data storage means and in data communication with the at least one camera and with the GPS unit, wherein each data processing unit comprises a system for calibrating the cameras, where the cameras capture and send images to the data processing unit, where each data processing unit is configured to autonomously detect and identify plant species, discriminating between crops, weeds and soil, based on the images that it receives and make decisions as detected and identified, and where each data processing unit geolocates the detected plant species. A method that uses the plant species detection and identification system of the present invention to detect and identify plant species in an agricultural field.

The invention relates to a spray unit comprising an axle (10), a disc (20), a liquid applicator (40) and a spray direction assembly (50). The disc is configured to spin about the axle centred on the centre of the disc. The liquid applicator is configured to apply liquid to a surface of the disc. The spray direction assembly partially surrounds the disc. The inner surface of the spray direction assembly is configured to modify the trajectory of all liquid that leaves the outer edge of the disc.