Planting – Miscellaneous
Reexamination Certificate
2000-08-01
2001-10-16
Novosad, Christopher J. (Department: 3671)
Planting
Miscellaneous
C111S900000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06302041
ABSTRACT:
The present invention relates to a novel method of cultivating corn (maize) and analogous plants.
In general corn is sown in parallel rows that are sufficiently spaced apart to allow cultivation implements to pass, and one grain of corn is planted every 25 centimeters, for example.
Corn is conventionally sown using seed drills with rotary distributors that plant the grains individually in the vicinity of a tool that causes them to be buried a little way into the ground.
The invention relates to a method of cultivating corn in which a particular disposition of the grains at the moment of planting enables the corn to develop under better conditions, thereby leading to earlier maturity and to greater yield.
The present invention provides a novel method of cultivating corn and analogous plants, the method being of the type in which the grains are planted in parallel rows, and being characterized by the fact that along each row, groups of two closely-spaced grains are planted at regular intervals, e.g. groups of grains about 7 cm to 12 cm apart.
Thus, although the rows of corn are spaced apart by 50 cm to 100 cm, for example, each group of grains comprises two grains that are spaced apart by about 7 cm to 12 cm and preferably by 8 cm to 9 cm, whereas successive groups are planted at intervals of 25 cm to 45 cm, for example, and preferably at intervals of 30 cm to 35 cm.
Surprisingly, it has been found that planting corn in this manner has a significant influence on the quality of the harvest both in terms of early ripening and in terms of yield.
When, in the state of the art, corn grains are planted at regular intervals of about 15 cm to 20 cm, the corn plants develop with their leaves disposed in substantially regular manner all around the vertical stalk.
In contrast, when the method of the invention, the two corn plants in a given group develop while hindering each other, and as a result the leaves of the two plants remain parallel to each other and develop perpendicularly to the row.
This has the effect of ensuring they receive more sunshine, and are better aired, and as a result they grow under better conditions leading to earlier ripening and increased yield.
Experiments have been performed using the above-described method and they show that a given variety of corn, cultivated using the method of the invention, reaches maturity about one to two weeks earlier than the same variety cultivated in conventional manner, and that the grain yield of the corn was better by about 5% to 10%. This corresponds to an improvement of about 30 points to 40 points on the FAO index.
It is already known to plant corn in bunches of two or three grains placed in random manner with the distances between bunches being about 25 cm to 40 cm, however the random positioning of the grains within any one bunch means that the corn plants grow in disorganized manner in all directions which makes it impossible to obtain the inherent advantages of the present invention whereby the grains are sown on the same row in groups of two while being spaced apart by about 7 cm to 12 cm.
The method as described above is not limited to corn, and is equally applicable to cultivating all plants of the same type, such as sugar cane, for example.
The present invention also provides a single-grain seed drill for implementing the above-described method, the seed drill being characterized by the fact that it plants groups of two grains in the ground, in line at a spacing of about 7 cm to 12 cm, with successive groups being sown about once every 25 cm to 45 cm.
In accordance with the invention, the grains are sown closer together for earlier varieties of corn.
Thus, with early or irrigated varieties, it is possible to sow the two grains of a group about 7 cm apart and to sow one group every 25 cm approximately, thereby giving a row in which the corn grains are spaced apart from one another alternately by about 7 cm and by about 18 cm.
In contrast, with late varieties, the grains can be sown alternately at spacings of about 12 cm and 30 cm, corresponding to one group of grains being planted every 42 cm, approximately.
REFERENCES:
patent: A1 2 289 101 (1976-05-01), None
patent: WO A1 86/05352 (1986-09-01), None
Krutikow et al., Theorie, Berechnung und Konstruktion der Landmaschinen, Band I: Maschinen und Gerate fur Bodenbearbeitung, Aussaat un Pflanzenpflege, Veb Verlag Technik, Berlin (DD) XP002074424, 1955, pp. 466-469.
Novosad Christopher J.
Oliff & Berridg,e PLC
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