Drug – bio-affecting and body treating compositions – Plant material or plant extract of undetermined constitution... – Containing or obtained from a leaf
Reexamination Certificate
2000-02-17
2001-08-21
Tate, Christopher R. (Department: 1651)
Drug, bio-affecting and body treating compositions
Plant material or plant extract of undetermined constitution...
Containing or obtained from a leaf
C424S779000, C435S420000, C435S431000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06277419
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to enhancing growth of plants, trees, and/or crops. More specifically, the invention relates to methods of enhancing growth of plants, trees, and crops with Stevia.
It is generally known that Stevia contains such very strong sweet substances such as Stevioside and Rebaudioside. In JP62-108790 and 62-108791, the mixture of the pulverized leaves and stalk of the Stevia plant, where the pulverized leaves portion shall be between 10% and 40% by weight and it is strictly required that the particles be no greater than 0.3 &mgr;m in diameter, is disclosed for use in the cultivation of plants. When applied as an additive to the fertilizers, the mixture acts to bring out the natural taste and sweetness, and also improves the taste, flavor, luster, corpulence, and size of fruits and other agricultural products.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention hereunder relates to use of the plant tissues of the leaves and stalk of Stevia, which enhance the vital and resistant powers of plants, trees, and crops, and which accelerate the growth of the roots of plants, trees, and crops. It is understood that the term “plants” as used herein, when not referring to a specific plant, is intended to encompass all plantlike, including trees. It has been determined according to the invention that use of Stevia in the form of particles of diameter at least 10 &mgr;m or in the form of a liquid extract of Stevia results in effects neither disclosed by nor obvious from the prior art, which, moreover, does not disclose or make obvious any agricultural use of a liquid extract of Stevia. In further accordance with the invention, particular modes of application of pulverized Stevia of particular diameters much greater than in the prior art and of liquid extracts of Stevia and particular effects resulting from applying these to plants and/or to the soil in which the plants are planted have been determined. The Stevia powder or liquid extract may be applied to the plants and/or to the soil in which the plants are planted. Practically speaking, it is convenient to refer to application of the Stevia powder or extract to the soil. On this basis, for example, applications per unit area are determined. It is to be understood, however, that recitations of application of Stevia particles or liquid extract to the soil are not intended to exclude application of the Stevia particles and/or liquid extract to the plants as well because, of course, the plants are not shielded during application of the Stevia particles or liquid extract.
The mixture of the dry and pulverized plant tissues of the leaves and stalk of Stevia has, according to the invention, been found to have the following effects when applied to the soil:
(1) It makes the taste of the crops last longer;
(2) Even when fertilizer is excessively applied, the plants, trees, and crops absorb only the required quantity of the mixture and grow without any problem;
(3) It makes the plants, trees, and crops more resistant to harmful microbes contained in the soil;
(4) It accelerates the growth of roots;
(5) It proliferates useful microbes contained in the soil;
(6) It prevents problems generally associated with repeated cultivation;
(7) It prevents fruits from falling off the trees before the harvest.
It has been determined, according to the invention, that hot water extract of the finely pulverized powder of the plant tissue of Stevia acts to vitalize plants, trees, and crops when applied even in small quantity to the plants and/or the soil in which the plants are planted and has the same effects as the pulverized Stevia according to the invention.
Even though the materials of the invention act to vitalize plants, trees, and crops when they are administered only once to the soil in a small quantity, the materials are more effective when administered two or more times at regular intervals. Compost is a desirable fertilizer and acts to vitalize the land laid to waste by the excessive application of chemical fertilizers. However, the application of 1-20 gram per square meter of compost is not effective at all. The substances of the invention have conspicuous effects even in small quantity; thus, they are not fertilizers but vitality-enhancing materials.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The raw material of the invention, which is referred to herein simply as Stevia, is a perennial composite plant, academically called
Stevia Rebaudiana Bertoni
, with its related plants originally growing in South America. The effective substances are contained in the whole mature body of the plant, especially in the leaves and stalk of the plant before budding occurs. They are also contained in the root and seedling of the plant in one-fifth to one-tenth of that contained in the stalk.
To produce the finely pulverized powder of Stevia, the part of Stevia above the soil is cut off and removed from the soil, dried, and pulverized. There is no specific way of drying and pulverizing it. It only should not be dried under rainy or dewy conditions. After separating the leaves and the stalk from one another and cutting the stalk into smaller pieces, the separated portions are separately pulverized. Pulverization after drying is the most effective way of producing the fine powder. The moisture contained within the mixture is preferably less than about, by weight, 12% and more preferably less than about, by weight, 10.5%. The diameter of the particles of the powder is at least 10 &mgr;m and preferably less than about 100 &mgr;m and more preferably less than about 50 &mgr;m.
It has been found that the effectiveness of Stevia powder or Stevia extract according to the invention is increased by the addition thereto of an organic acid. Preferred for this purpose are acetic acid, lactic acid, propionic acid, citric acid, tartaric acid, malic acid, valeric acid and maleic acid.
The effective substances of the invention hereunder have not yet been identified. However, it is recognized that hot water extracts of the finely pulverized powder have a very strong antioxidant activity.
The quantity to be applied of material according the invention varies with the kind of agricultural products and with the condition of the soil. But generally, about 1-20 grams per square meter, preferably about 2-15 grams per square meter and more preferably about 5-10 grams per square meter are applied at a time. In some instances, an application as light as about 0.2 gram per square meter or as heavy as about 100 grams per square meter or greater may be used. A single application is sufficient to produce the vitalization effects. To make sure the plants, trees and crops receive the effects, multiple spraying may be done before harvest. In cases where plants, trees and crops are young and fragile with the soil being full of harmful microbes or with the soil being damaged by repeated crops, about 12-15 grams per square meter may be sprayed. As will be explained hereinafter, materials according to the invention may be applied in quantities per unit area different from those mentioned hereinabove for particular crops and purposes.
Maintaining the hot water extract of the plant tissue of Stevia at room temperature, the extract ferments and emits carbon dioxide. It ferments vigorously at the initial stage and slowly after 3-6 months. It still ferments, though slightly, even after 1 to 5 years. The fermented liquid has the same effects as the pulverized powder of Stevia, such as lengthening the period harvested fruits, vegetables and the like stay fresh, preventing fruits from falling down off the trees, keeping the microbes contained in the soil, preventing damage caused by repeated plantings and harvests, and accelerating the expansion of the roots. The fermented liquid extract will usually be sold in a concentration of about 13-18% by weight solids content. When actually used, that product is to be diluted up to about 300 to 3000 times, by volume, with water and then applied to plants and/or the soil in which they are growing. The amount to be applied may be calc
Sasaki Yoshinori
Sato Naohiko
Tanaka Masafumi
Jordan and Hamburg LLP
Sato Naohiko
Tate Christopher R.
LandOfFree
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