Devices and method for protecting crop plants and/or sown seeds against unwanted plants

A method (100) for protecting crop plants (P) and/or sown seeds (S) against unwanted seedlings by means of a device (10) for protecting crop plants (P) and/or sown seeds (S) against unwanted plants or weeds, wherein the device comprises:

• a reusable, ribbon- or rope-shaped structure (11) to which a plurality of annular elements (12) are attached and spaced apart from one another, wherein the reusable, ribbon- or rope-shaped structure (11) has a width narrower than each annular element and is applied to a cultivated surface (F) se such that each annular element (12) encloses the location (O) of a useful plant (P) or its sown seeds (S) to mark and indicate a respective location (O1, O2, . . . On) as an annular protection and crop zone, and wherein each annular element (12) has a detectable metallic or magnetic material (12A) to mark or indicate the respective location (O1, O2, . . . On) for detection by a machine to manage mechanical weed removal outside each annular protection and crop zone,
• wherein the method (100) comprises the following steps:
• applying (110) to the cultivated surface (F) the reusable ribbon- or rope-shaped structure (11) to which the plurality of annular elements (12) are attached spaced apart from one another, each annular element (12) enclosing the location (O) of the crop plant (P) or the sown seeds (S) as the annular protection and crop zone;
• detecting (120) each annular element (12) having said detectable metallic or magnetic material (12A) to mark or indicate the respective location (O1, O2, . . . On) for detection by machine to manage mechanical weed removal;
• mechanically removing (130) by said machine unwanted plants or weeds outside the marked or indicated locations (O1, O2, . . . On) of the plants (P1, P2, . . . Pn) or the sown seeds (S).