# US 2014/0197249 A1 · Apparatus and method for no-till inter-row simultaneous application of herbicide and fertilizer, soil preparation, and seeding of a cover crop in a standing crop > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2014/0197249 A1 - Document ID: US20140197249A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 14/212,473 - Filed: 2014-03-14 - Published: 2014-07-17 - Earliest claimed: 2011-04-12 - Assignees: The Penn State Research Foundation - Applicants: The Penn State Research Foundation - Inventors: Gregory W. Roth; Corey Dillon; William Curran; Christian Houser; W. Scott Harkcom - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140197249A1 ## CPC - A01C 14/00: Methods or apparatus for planting not provided for in other groups of this subclass - A01B 15/18: Coulters - A01B 39/12: for special purposes {, e.g. for special culture} - A01B 49/027: {with a rotating, soil working support element, e.g. a roller} - A01B 49/06: for sowing or fertilising - A01C 5/062: {Devices for making drills or furrows} - A01C 5/064: {with rotating tools} - A01C 7/006: {Minimum till seeding} - A01C 7/06: Seeders combined with fertilising apparatus - A01C 7/206: {Seed pipes} - A01C 13/00: Machines or apparatus for consolidating soil around plants - A01C 23/00: Distributing devices specially adapted for liquid manure or other fertilising liquid, including ammonia, e.g. transport tanks or sprinkling wagons - A01C 23/047: {Spraying of liquid fertilisers} - A01M 7/0042: {Field sprayers, e.g. self-propelled, drawn or tractor-mounted} - A01B 39/08: with rotating tools {such as weeding machines} - Y02A 40/22: Improving land use; Improving water use or availability; Controlling erosion - Y02P 60/00: Technologies relating to agriculture, livestock or agroalimentary industries - Y02P 60/20: Reduction of greenhouse gas [GHG] emissions in agriculture, e.g. CO2 - A01C: PLANTING; SOWING; FERTILISING (parts, details or accessories of agricultural machines or implements, in general A01B51/00 - A01B75/00) - A01B: SOIL WORKING IN AGRICULTURE OR FORESTRY; PARTS, DETAILS, OR ACCESSORIES OF AGRICULTURAL MACHINES OR IMPLEMENTS, IN GENERAL (making or covering furrows or holes for sowing, planting or manuring A01C5/00; mowers convertible to soil working apparatus or capable of soil working A01D42/04; mowers combined with soil working implements A01D43/12; soil working for engineering purposes E01, E02, E21) - A01M: CATCHING, TRAPPING OR SCARING OF ANIMALS (appliances for catching swarms or drone-catching A01K57/00; fishing A01K69/00 - {A01K99/00}; biocides, pest repellants or attractants A01N); APPARATUS FOR THE DESTRUCTION OF NOXIOUS ANIMALS OR NOXIOUS PLANTS - Y02A: TECHNOLOGIES FOR ADAPTATION TO CLIMATE CHANGE - Y02P: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN THE PRODUCTION OR PROCESSING OF GOODS ## Abstract A no-till apparatus for application of herbicide and fertilizer, soil preparation, and seeding of a cover crop in a standing crop has inter-row assemblies configured to pass along inter-row areas between adjacent row lines of standing crop plants. Each assembly includes a fertilizer applicator, a no-till soil preparation element, a cover crop seed applicator, and a post-seeding element. The apparatus may include movable auxiliary seeding units such that the apparatus may operate as a grain drill. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An apparatus for simultaneous application of herbicide and fertilizer, soil preparation, and seeding of a cover crop in a standing crop in a no-till field, the plants of the standing crop defining a plurality of generally parallel row lines, a standing crop row area being defined around each row line so as to contain the row line of plants and extending between generally parallel edges to each side of the row line, an inter-row area being defined between each pair of adjacent standing crop row areas and extending between the closest edges of the adjacent standing crop row areas, the apparatus comprising: a plurality of spaced apart inter-row assemblies each configured to pass along one of the inter-row areas between adjacent row lines of standing crop plants, each assembly including; a fertilizer applicator operable to apply fertilizer to one of the standing crop row areas adjacent the inter-row area without substantial application of fertilizer to the inter-row area; a no-till soil preparation element operable to prepare soil in the inter-row area for cover crop seeding without forming a furrow, the soil having an upper surface with no-till crop residue disposed thereon, the no-till soil preparation element being operable to generally cut through the crop residue so as to at least break up an upper surface of soil under the residue for cover crop seeding; a cover crop seed applicator operable to apply cover crop seed across the inter-row area after the soil preparation element; a post-seeding element operable to at least partially firm the soil and provide seed to soil contact in the inter-row area after the seed applicator applies seed; and an herbicide applicator operable to apply herbicide to the inter-row area and at least part of the adjacent standing crop row areas; at least one auxiliary seeding unit, each of the at least one auxiliary seeding units being disposed in a space between two inter-row assemblies, each of the at least one auxiliary seeding units including a no-till soil preparation element, a seed applicator, and a post-seeding element, each of the at least one auxiliary seeding units being moveable between a lowered use position and a raised storage position; wherein when the at least one auxiliary seeding unit is in the raised storage position, the apparatus is operable as an inter-row apparatus that prepares the soil, applies seed and firms the soil in the inter-row areas, applies fertilizer to the standing crop row areas and applies herbicide to the inter-row and standing crop row areas; and wherein when the at least one auxiliary seeding unit is in the lowered use position, the apparatus is operable as a grain drill. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) An apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein the at least one auxiliary seeding unit comprises a plurality of auxiliary seeding units. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) An apparatus in accordance with claim 1, further comprising a support frame for supporting the plurality of inter-row assemblies. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) An apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein the fertilizer applicator is a sprayer operable to apply a liquid fertilizer to one of the row areas without substantial application to the inter-row area or to the standing crop plants. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) An apparatus in accordance with claim 4, wherein the fertilizer sprayer applies a narrow spray centered approximately four inches from the row line. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) An apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein the no-till soil preparation element comprises a plurality of coulters. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) An apparatus in accordance with claim 6, wherein the plurality of coulters comprises 3 coulters, including a leading, a mid, and a trailing coulter, each coulter being approximately 2 inches wide, the coulters being spaced apart side to side by approximately 4 inches. ### Claim 8 (depends on 6) An apparatus in accordance with claim 6, wherein the no-till soil preparation element further comprises a plurality of double-disk openers and the seed applicator comprises a seed tube aligned behind each double-disk opener. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) An apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein the no-till soil preparation element comprises a plurality of double-disk openers and the seed applicator comprises a seed tube aligned behind each double-disk opener. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) An apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein the seed applicator comprises a plurality of seed tubes positioned side by side. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) An apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein the post-seeding element comprises a packing wheel and a spring loading mechanism operable to urge the packing wheel toward the soil. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) An apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein the herbicide applicator is a sprayer operable to spray herbicide in a wide pattern. ### Claim 13 A no-till apparatus for simultaneous application of fertilizer, soil preparation, and seeding of a cover crop in a standing crop, the plants of the standing crop defining a plurality of generally parallel row lines, a standing crop row area being defined around each row line so as to contain the row line of plants and extending between generally parallel edges to each side of the row line, an inter-row area being defined between each pair of adjacent standing crop row areas and extending between the closest edges of the adjacent standing crop row areas, the apparatus comprising: a plurality of inter-row assemblies each configured to pass along one of the inter-row areas between adjacent row lines of standing crop plants, each assembly including; a fertilizer applicator operable to apply fertilizer to one of the standing crop row areas adjacent the inter-row area without substantial application of fertilizer to the inter-row area; a no-till soil preparation element operable to prepare soil in the inter-row area for cover crop seeding without forming a furrow, the soil having an upper surface with no-till crop residue disposed thereon, the no-till soil preparation element being operable to generally cut through the crop residue so as to at least break up an upper surface of soil under the residue for cover crop seeding; a cover crop seed applicator operable to apply cover crop seed across the inter-row area after the soil preparation element; and a post-seeding element operable to at least partially fine the soil and provide seed to soil contact in the inter-row area after the seed applicator applies seed; at least one auxiliary seeding unit, each of the at least one auxiliary seeding units being disposed in a space between two inter-row assemblies, each of the at least one auxiliary seeding units including a no-till soil preparation element, a seed applicator, and a post-seeding element, each of the at least one auxiliary seeding units being moveable between a lowered use position and a raised storage position; wherein when the at least one auxiliary seeding unit is in the raised storage position, the apparatus is operable as an inter-row apparatus that prepares the soil, applies seed and firms the soil in one of the inter-row areas and applies fertilizer to one of the standing crop row areas in a single pass; and wherein when the at least one auxiliary seeding unit is in the lowered use position, the apparatus is operable as a grain drill. ### Claim 14 An apparatus for simultaneous application of herbicide and fertilizer, soil preparation, and seeding of a cover crop in a standing crop in a no-till field, the plants of the standing crop defining a plurality of generally parallel row lines, a standing crop row area being defined around each row line so as to contain the row line of plants and extending between generally parallel edges to each side of the row line, an inter-row area being defined between each pair of adjacent standing crop row areas and extending between the closest edges of the adjacent standing crop row areas, the apparatus comprising: a plurality of inter-row assemblies each configured to pass along one of the inter-row areas between adjacent row lines of standing crop plants, each assembly including; a fertilizer applicator operable to apply fertilizer to one of the standing crop row areas adjacent the inter-row area without substantial application of fertilizer to the inter-row area; a no-till soil preparation element having a plurality of coulters and a plurality of double-disk openers, the no-till soil preparation element operable to prepare soil in the inter-row area for cover crop seeding without forming a furrow, the soil having an upper surface with no-till crop residue disposed thereon, the no-till soil preparation element being operable to generally cut through the crop residue so as to at least break up an upper surface of soil under the residue for cover crop seeding; a cover crop seed applicator operable to apply cover crop seed across the inter-row area after the soil preparation element, the seed applicator including a seed tube aligned behind each double-disk opener; a post-seeding element operable to at least partially firm the soil and provide seed to soil contact in the inter-row area after the seed applicator applies seed; and an herbicide applicator operable to apply herbicide to the inter-row area and at least part of the adjacent standing crop row areas; wherein the apparatus prepares the soil, applies seed and firms the soil in the inter-row areas, applies fertilizer to the standing crop row areas and applies herbicide to the inter-row and standing crop row areas. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) An apparatus in accordance with claim 14, wherein the fertilizer applicator is a sprayer operable to apply a liquid fertilizer to one of the row areas without substantial application to the inter-row area or to the standing crop plants, the fertilizer sprayer applying a narrow spray centered approximately four inches from the row line. ### Claim 16 (depends on 14) An apparatus in accordance with claim 14, wherein the plurality of coulters comprises 3 coulters, including a leading, a mid, and a trailing coulter, each coulter being approximately 2 inches wide, the coulters being spaced apart side to side by approximately 4 inches. ### Claim 17 (depends on 14) An apparatus in accordance with claim 14, wherein the post-seeding element comprises a packing wheel and a spring loading mechanism operable to urge the packing wheel toward the soil.