High precision greenhouse seed and seedling treatment

An apparatus for automatically treating and transplanting plant propagation materials from a reservoir to a plurality of plant-receiving cavities in a cultivation medium, comprising:

• a. one or more of plant-receiving cavity-creating means mounted on the apparatus and selectively operable for forming a plurality of laterally spaced-apart plant-receiving cavities;
• b. a separating device comprising a device operable for selectively engaging surfaces of the plant propagation materials, and for separating out and placing them substantially vertically above the plant-receiving cavities, wherein each separating device includes a manipulator for engaging and holding the plant propagation material substantially aligned along a horizontal and a vertical axis while the plant propagation material is displaced downwardly for insertion into a plant-receiving cavity;
• and
• c. a dressing application device configured to selectively apply an aliquot of a dressing composition to the separated plant propagation materials,
• wherein the dressing application device is configured to apply the aliquot to the separated plant propagation materials while it is displaced downwardly in free fall for insertion into a plant-receiving cavity, wherein the plant propagation materials are seedlings or seedling plugs suitable as plant propagation materials,
• the apparatus further comprising at least one sensor array comprising one or more sensors to detect each separated plant propagation material output from the reservoir, the at least one sensor configured and operable for detecting the passage of the material through a sensor shaft, and a controller to trigger the application device to apply the dressing composition on the basis of signal output by the at least one sensor, and optionally, one or more of the following:
• d. a valve operatively controlled by the controller;
• e. the sensor shaft being open at both ends, and wherein the application device is arranged in such a way that the separated plant propagation materials fall through the sensor shaft on their path from the separating device to the underlying surface and into the cavity;
• and
• f. an application nozzle for the dressing composition configured to apply a defined quantity of dressing composition to the plant propagation material after having fallen through the sensor shaft, once the material is outside the sensor shaft, wherein the application device has a controller which cooperates with the at least one sensor, the controller bringing about the triggering of the application nozzle in accordance with sensor signals generated by the at least one sensor, in order to apply the dressing composition to the plant propagation material.

An apparatus for automatically treating and transplanting plant propagation materials from a reservoir to a plurality of plant-receiving cavities in a cultivation medium, comprising:

• a. one or more of plant-receiving cavity-creating means mounted on the apparatus and selectively operable for forming a plurality of laterally spaced-apart plant-receiving cavities;
• and
• b. a separating device comprising a device operable for selectively engaging surfaces of the plant propagation materials, and for separating out and placing them substantially vertically above the plant-receiving cavities, wherein each separating device includes a manipulator for engaging and holding the plant propagation material substantially aligned along a horizontal and a vertical axis while the plant propagation material is displaced downwardly for insertion into a plant-receiving cavity;
• and
• c. a dressing application device configured to selectively apply an aliquot of a dressing composition to the separated plant propagation materials,
• wherein the dressing application device comprises:
• a. a sensor array comprising at least one sensor for measuring the trajectory of the plant propagation materials while free-falling,
• b. a controller for calculating the trajectory from the data received from the sensor array;
• and for coordinating and applying the dressing composition;
• and
• c. an outlet device for dispensing an aliquot of the dressing composition selectively onto the plant propagation materials during free-falling.

An apparatus for automatically treating and transplanting plant propagation materials from a reservoir to a plurality of plant-receiving cavities in a cultivation medium, comprising:

• a. one or more of plant-receiving cavity-creating means mounted on the apparatus and selectively operable for forming a plurality of laterally spaced-apart plant-receiving cavities;
• and
• b. a separating device comprising a device operable for selectively engaging surfaces of the plant propagation materials, and for separating out and placing them substantially vertically above the plant-receiving cavities, wherein each separating device includes a manipulator for engaging and holding the plant propagation material substantially aligned along a horizontal and a vertical axis while the plant propagation material is displaced downwardly for insertion into a plant-receiving cavity;
• c. and a dressing application device configured to selectively apply an aliquot of a dressing composition to the separated plant propagation materials;
• and
• d. at least one sensor array comprising one or more sensors to detect each separated plant propagation materials output from the reservoir, the at least one sensor configured and operable for detecting the passage of the material through a sensor shaft, and a controller to trigger the dressing application device to apply the dressing composition on the basis of signal output by the at least one sensor,
• wherein at least two sensors for detecting the passage of a material through the sensor shaft are arranged one after the other along the sensor shaft, in the falling direction of the plant propagation materials, wherein the controller is configured to calculate, on the basis of the sensor signals of the at least two sensors, a time delay after which it brings about the triggering of the application nozzle.