Pulsed injection into the ground of liquid fertilizer

#This invention relates to a technique for direct injection into the ground of a liquid fertilizer or other crop treatment.

#In the past fertilizer has been applied to the ground using several methods. Perhaps the initial method was that of broadcasting in which the fertilizer is spread upon the surface of the soil. Various developments have been made in the equipment used for the broadcasting technique to improve the consistency of the spread pattern and still this technique remains the most widely used. The technique does however in most cases require incorporation of the fertilizer into the soil by tillage to minimize volatization and to improve the placement of the fertilizer so that it can be more readily accepted by the crop.

#In recent years deep banding has received much experimentation and has achieved some commercial acceptance. In deep banding the fertilizer is placed into the ground generally at a position below the seed in the root zone by drawing a knife or other piece of tillage equipment through the soil while the fertilizer is placed into the ground in the furrow formed by the knife. In some cases the deep banding is carried out at the same time as the seeding with the level of the seed and the fertilizer being controlled to achieve the proper relative locations for best use of the fertilizer by the seed.

#FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of an apparatus for applying a crop treatment liquid into the ground.

#FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of one of the injecting heads of FIG. 1.

#FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view of the injecting nozzle and control valve of the apparatus of FIGS. 1 and 2.

#The apparatus as shown schematically in FIG. 1 includes a supply tank 10 mounted upon a suitable vehicle indicated schematically at 11 including ground wheels 12 by which the tank can be transported across the ground so the apparatus can apply a treatment liquid to the ground. Mounted upon the rear of the vehicle and shown separately for convenience of illustration is a tool bar 13 upon which is mounted a plurality of injector heads each generally indicated at 14. Each injector head is shown in more detail in FIGS. 2 and 3 and will be described in more detail hereinafter.

#Liquid drawn from a lower discharge point on the tank 10 is transmitted to a pump 15 arranged to generate a high pressure of the order of 6000 PSI in a liquid forwarded from the pump along a line 16. The pump is of a conventional type commercially available and accordingly will not be described in detail. The high pressure liquid on the line 16 passes to a pressure regulator 17 which maintains the pressure on the line 16 with any excess liquid being returned along the line 18 to the tank so that the pressure on the line at the point 16 is maintained at the required value regardless of the amount of liquid drawn from the line 16 to the heads 14. An indicator is mounted in line 16 as shown at 19.

#The line 16 divides into separate lines 16A, 16B and 16C for supplying the fluid under a constant common pressure to the heads 14.