U.S. patent application number 12/848412 was filed with the patent office on 2011-02-03 for seed treatment apparatus.
Invention is credited to Greg Reineccius, Steven Schulz.
Application Number | 20110027479 12/848412 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 43527288 |
Filed Date | 2011-02-03 |
United States Patent
Application |
20110027479 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Reineccius; Greg ; et
al. |
February 3, 2011 |
Seed Treatment Apparatus
Abstract
A seed treatment apparatus provides for minimal waste of
products for treating seeds, in that it is precisely controllable
and automatically adjustable. A volume of seeds to be treated and a
flow rate of treatment product for treating the seeds can both be
sensed. At least one of the flow rate of the treatment product and
the volume of seeds can automatically be adjusted if it is
determined that a ratio of the flow rate of treatment product to
the volume of seeds is not the same as a predetermined flow rate to
volume ratio.
Inventors: |
Reineccius; Greg; (Eden
Prairie, MN) ; Schulz; Steven; (Eden Prairie,
MN) |
Correspondence
Address: |
BAYER CROPSCIENCE LP
Patent Department, 2 T .W. ALEXANDER DRIVE
RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK
NC
27709
US
|
Family ID: |
43527288 |
Appl. No.: |
12/848412 |
Filed: |
August 2, 2010 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
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61273325 |
Aug 3, 2009 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
427/212 ;
118/679 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A01C 1/08 20130101; A01C
1/06 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
427/212 ;
118/679 |
International
Class: |
B05D 1/02 20060101
B05D001/02; B05C 5/00 20060101 B05C005/00 |
Claims
1. A seed treatment apparatus, comprising: a housing having a seed
inlet for receiving seeds and a seed outlet for dispensing seeds; a
seed meter disposed within the housing; a seed treatment applicator
for receiving seeds from the seed meter and treating the seeds; at
least one treatment tank in fluid communication with the seed
treatment applicator containing a treatment product to be used by
the seed treatment applicator in treating the seeds; a seed sensor
disposed adjacent the seed meter for sensing a volume of seeds to
be dispensed from the seed meter to the seed treatment applicator;
a flow sensor disposed adjacent the at least one treatment tank for
sensing a flow rate of treatment product being dispensed from the
at least one treatment tank to the seed treatment applicator; and a
process controller communicatively coupled with the seed sensor and
the flow sensor, such that the process controller automatically
adjusts at least one of the flow of treatment product or the volume
of seeds in response to a determination, based on the seed sensor
and the flow sensor, that a ratio of the flow rate of treatment
product to the volume of seeds is not equal to a predetermined flow
rate to volume ratio.
2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the predetermined flow rate to
volume ratio comprises a range.
3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the seed meter is a rotatable
seed wheel having a plurality of individual slots for containing a
volume of seeds measurable with the seed sensor.
4. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a pump in fluid
communication with the at least one treatment tank, wherein the
pump directs the treatment product from the treatment tank to the
seed treatment applicator.
5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein there are a plurality of
treatment tanks containing treatment products in fluid
communication with the seed treatment applicator, and wherein the
process controller is adapted to mix the treatment products into a
predetermined treatment mixture for use in the seed treatment
applicator.
6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the seed treatment applicator
includes an atomizer configured as a rotating plate for applying
the treatment product to seeds.
7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the seed treatment applicator
further includes a dispersion cone that generally uniformly
disperses the seeds around the atomizer.
8. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a control panel
adapted to allow a user to monitor and/or control the flow of
treatment product and the volume of seeds.
9. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a tumbler drum
positioned to receive the seeds after they exit the seed outlet,
the tumbler drum adapted to rotate the seeds to distribute the
treatment product.
10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the housing is vertically
arranged such that the seed meter is positioned above the seed
treatment applicator.
11. A method of treating seeds with a seed treatment apparatus,
comprising: depositing a plurality of seeds through a seed inlet in
the seed treatment apparatus into a seed meter; sensing a volume of
seeds in the seed meter; discharging the seeds from the seed meter
into a seed treatment applicator; pumping a treatment product from
a treatment tank into the seed treatment applicator to coat the
seeds with treatment product; sensing a flow rate of the treatment
product pumped from the treatment tank to the seed treatment
applicator; and discharging the seeds out of a seed outlet, wherein
at least one of the flow rate of the treatment product pumped from
the treatment tank to the seed treatment applicator and the volume
of seeds sensed in the seed meter is automatically adjusted if it
is determined that a ratio of the flow rate of treatment product to
the volume of seeds is not equal to a predetermined flow rate to
volume ratio.
12. The method of claim 11, wherein the predetermined flow rate to
volume ratio comprises a range.
13. The method of claim 11, wherein depositing a plurality of seeds
into a seed meter includes depositing the seeds into an individual
slot of a rotatable seed wheel.
14. The method of claim 13, wherein discharging the seeds from the
seed meter into a seed treatment applicator includes rotating the
seed wheel to drop the seeds into the seed treatment
applicator.
15. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein pumping a treatment product
from a treatment tank includes pumping a plurality of treatment
products from a plurality of treatment tanks and mixing the
treatment products into a predetermined treatment mixture for
coating the seeds.
16. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the seed treatment
applicator includes an atomizer configured as a rotating plate for
coating the seeds and a dispersion cone, and wherein discharging
the seeds into the seed treatment applicator includes dropping the
seeds onto the dispersion cone to generally uniformly disperse the
seeds around the atomizer.
17. The apparatus of claim 11, further comprising manually
modifying one of the volume of seeds or the flow rate using a
control panel communicatively coupled to the apparatus.
18. A method of adjusting the application of a treatment product to
a plurality of seeds in a seed treatment apparatus, comprising:
metering a volumetric seed feed rate of seeds to be treated in the
seed treatment apparatus with a control processor; controlling the
flow rate of a treatment product for treating the seeds by the
control processor; sensing the flow rate of the treatment product
with a flow meter for regulating the flow rate; and automatically
adjusting by the control processor at least one of the flow rate of
the treatment product and the volume of seeds for maintaining a
desired application rate.
19. The method of claim 18, wherein one of the flow rate of the
treatment product or the volume of seeds is manually adjusted
through the control processor.
20. The method of claim 18, wherein the desired application rate
comprises a range.
Description
RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] The present application claims the benefit of U.S.
Provisional Application No. 61/273,325, filed Aug. 3, 2009, which
is fully incorporated herein by reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention relates to an apparatus for surface
treatment of seeds and more particularly to a seed treatment
apparatus that minimizes waste of treatment products.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] Seeds that are planted for agricultural and other purposes
are often treated prior to planting. The treatments may accomplish
various purposes including attacking target bacteria, molds and
fungus that can contaminate seeds or that may be present in the
soil. Also seed treatment can include insecticides, pesticides and
provide deterrence or prevention of insect and other animal pests
that would target seeds. Treatments may also provide fertilizer.
Direct application of seed treatment allows for a reduction in the
amount of treatment composition that would be required by
application to soil after planting for many of the beneficial
effects. Post-planting application may not penetrate the soil to a
level or location where it would be effective, is weather
dependent, and may not be as economical as direct seed
application.
[0004] Preplanting treatment of seeds, however, involves
applications of chemicals and other agents that are expensive and
may even be toxic to the environment and workers. Various devices
for treatment of seeds in batch or continuous treatment mode are
known. U.S. Pat. No. 5,891,246 to Lund, the disclosure of which is
hereby incorporated by reference, describes a seed coating
apparatus for applying a coating fluid whereby seeds are dispersed
with a seed dispersing member. U.S. Pat. No. 4,657,773 to Mueller,
the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference,
describes a process and apparatus for dressing seed in which seed
is guided over a dispensing cone through a jet of dressing and onto
a rotary table. German patent No. DE 4411058 to Niklas, the
disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference, describes
a device with a mixing bowl connected to a high speed, multi-turn
actuator and a mechanism to feed seed into the mixing bowl. The
bowl rotates to rotate seed being treated therein. The seed
treating formulation is sprayed in the bowl while the seed is being
rotated to uniformly coat the seed with the formulation.
[0005] Such treatment apparatuses typically apply treatment
products to the seeds at a uniform rate to each batch of seeds and
cannot adjust application rate as circumstances dictate, such as,
for example, upon a slowing of the feed rate to the seed treating
equipment. A significant amount of chemical waste can be generated
by applying excess treatment products to batches of seeds without
precise controls. Because treatment products can be very expensive,
e.g., hundreds of dollars per gallon, this can result in a large
economic loss. Such chemical waste can also result in an
environmental hazard. Accordingly, there is a need for an improved
way to control the amount of treatment products applied to the
seeds to minimize waste, particularly at the retail seed level.
[0006] Certain computerized large scale seed treaters can adjust
application rate based on the weight of "flow" of seeds being
processed. That is the seed being conveyed to the treatment
applicator is weighed and the application rate may be varied based
on the flow rate as measured by weight. There is room for
improvement of this methodology as such flow weight measurement is
taken over a length of the seed flow and thus requires averaging
and cannot readily accommodate dramatic seed flow interruptions or
variance. Moreover such equipment is expensive and not generally
suitable for use at the retail level. Moreover, the weight of the
seed can vary with humidity and then more or less than the optimal
amount of treatment fluid may be applied to the seed.
[0007] The amount of seed treatment provided to seeds is
conventionally determined by the weight of seeds, for example, x
volume of treatment fluid for y weight of seeds. A useful
measurement to determine the amount of treatment products needed,
as well as controlling the rate of coating, is the total surface
area of the seeds. The weight of seeds can vary with humidity and
other factors whereas the volume of seed correlates more directly
with the surface area of the seed.
[0008] For certain treatments, including formulations several of
treatments applied simultaneously to the seeds, the seeds need to
be planted very soon, within hours after application, for optimal
effectiveness. Such seed treatment needs to be done at a local
level by the seed retailer. This is problematic with existing seed
treaters with automatically adjusted treating controls as such are
expensive and typically are not easily used for repeated and rapid
processing small batches for individual users.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0009] The apparatus of the invention is directed towards and
resolves the issues described above. The seed treatment apparatus
provides for minimal waste of products for treating the seeds, in
that it is precisely controllable and automatically adjusts one of
a treatment product flow rate and a volumetric feed rate of the
seed to the atomizer in response to a change in the other.
Moreover, the device is controllable for end of batches to
eliminate treatment dispensing after the seed flow has ceased. The
device is economical and can be readily utilized by the seed
retailer for small batches and the set-up time and effort for a new
batch is minimal.
[0010] The device, in a preferred embodiment, generally comprises a
seed inlet, a seed metering portion, a treatment application
portion, a treated seed discharge, and a plurality of treatment
tank units, and a control processor. The device may have a tumbler
drum intermediate the treatment application portion and the seed
discharge. Each treatment tank unit includes controllable metering
pumps controlled by the control processor and in flow communication
with the treatment applicator portion. The process controller has a
user input, and is connected to the plurality of treatment tank
units, the seed metering portion, and the treatment applicator
portion. The process controller receives batch data from the
user/operator, including treatment composition, treatment
application rate, and seed treatment rate. The treatment
composition is the formulation of the treatment fluid to be applied
in precise proportions as selected from the plurality of treatment
tank units. The treatment application rate is the amount of
treatment fluid to volumetric measure (or weight in some
embodiments) of seed. The seed treatment rate is rate of processing
the seed through the device. The level sensor is connected to the
process controller.
[0011] Seeds are deposited through the seed inlet, such as a
hopper, into the metering portion which is configured as a seed
wheel. The seed wheel has precise volumetric metering compartments
circumferentially spaced around the wheel. As the wheel is rotated
the compartment under the inlet fills and is rotated with excess
volume in the compartment retained in the inlet. Opposite the
inlet, the volumetric metering compartments discharge their
contents into the treatment applicator portion, preferably an
atomizer configured as an apertured rotating plate. A sensor in the
inlet suitably positioned provides a signal indicating the level of
the seed in the inlet. The sensor is connected to the control
processor and allows control of the rotation of the seed wheel such
that the wheel does not commence rotation and the flow of seed
until the compartments are readily fillable at the seed inlet with
seed. Moreover the application portion does not activate to
dispense treatment fluid until seed dispensed by the seed wheel
enters into the application portion. The seeds are metered
volumetrically into the application portion by the seed wheel
rotation speed. This is typically entered by the user into the
control processor at the commencement of a new batch or may be
saved within the control processor and automatically selected. As
the seeds are discharged from the seed wheel, the seeds fall and
are distributed over a dispersion cone and into a spray curtain of
treatment fluid provided by an atomizer wheel. At the atomizer
wheel, the seeds are coated with treatment products and then are
gravimetrically dispensed into a tumbler drum where they are
rotated to provide for further uniform coating. The seed is
dispensed from the tumbler for packaging or transport to the
planting location. Treatment products are pumped from one or more
tanks into the atomizer wheel for application to seeds. Pumps are
controlled to precisely regulate the flow of treatment products
through pumps at a desired rate that is tied to the seed feed rate.
The computerized process controller can automatically adjust at
least one of the volumetric flow rates of the treatment products or
the volume rate of flow of seeds entering the atomizer at any given
time as controlled by the seed wheel to optimize the amount of
treatment products provided and to minimize waste. If the user
decides to slow the seed processing rate by manually reducing the
rate at the user input of the control processor, the control
processor automatically reduces the rate of treatment fluid pumped
into the applicator portion, the atomizer.
[0012] A feature and advantage of the present invention is
reduction of waste of treatment products in treating seeds. Seeds
are metered by volume because volume has a direct correlation to
surface area, unlike weight or number of seeds, which determines
the amount of treatment products necessary to coat the seeds. By
adjusting the amount of treatment products pumped from the tanks as
a function of the volume of seeds being treated, waste of excess
treatment products can be minimized.
[0013] Another feature and advantage of the present invention is
that the rate of flow of seeds through the system can be adjusted
without compromising the quality of seed treatment. The seed flow
rate can be manually adjusted using the system's control panel.
When the seed flow rate is adjusted, the system automatically
increases or decreases the fluid application rate from the pumps to
accommodate the corresponding increase or decrease in seeds that
are being treated. This prevents either under treating seeds or
producing waste from applying excessive treatment products.
[0014] Another feature and advantage of the present invention is
that existing seed treatment apparatuses can be retrofit with one
or more elements of the disclosed invention to allow them to adjust
the fluid application rate based on the volume of seeds to be
treated.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0015] FIG. 1 is a top view of a portion of a seed treatment
apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
[0016] FIG. 1A is a cross-sectional view of the portion of a seed
treatment apparatus of FIG. 1 taken along the line 1A-1A.
[0017] FIG. 1B is a cross-sectional view of the portion of a seed
treatment apparatus of FIG. 1 taken along the line 1B-1B.
[0018] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a seed treatment apparatus
according to an embodiment of the present invention.
[0019] FIG. 3 is a flowchart of process steps taken to coat seeds
with treatment products according to an embodiment of the present
invention.
[0020] FIG. 4 is a partial view of a seed treatment apparatus
according to an embodiment of the present invention.
[0021] FIG. 5 is a flowchart of process steps taken to operate a
seed treatment apparatus according to an embodiment of the present
invention.
[0022] FIG. 6 is a flowchart of a process for retrofitting a seed
treatment system according to an embodiment of the present
invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0023] Referring to FIGS. 1, 1A, 1B and 2, there can be seen
elements of a seed treatment apparatus 100 according to an
embodiment of the present invention. Seed treatment apparatus 100
can include a housing 102 including an inlet 104, a seed wheel 106,
a dispersion cone 108, an atomizer wheel 110, and an outlet 112.
Housing outlet 112 can connect to a polishing drum 114 or mixing
chamber. The atomizer wheel 110 can be fluidly connected to one or
more treatment tanks 116 containing products for treating the seeds
via an inlet tube 118. The system can be connected to a computer
system with a processor having a control panel 120 for monitoring
and/or adjusting the system.
[0024] FIG. 3 depicts a flowchart showing a process 200 by which
seeds can be treated according to an embodiment of the present
invention. Seed can first be fed into the apparatus at the housing
inlet at step 202 such that it travels through the apparatus under
the influence of gravity. In a preferred configuration, the
apparatus is therefore vertically arranged. After entering the
housing, the seed travels into and fills metering compartments,
such as slots, in the seed wheel at step 204. The seed wheel is
configured to collect a predetermined quantity of seed as it
rotates to ultimately dispense the seed. In one embodiment, the
seed wheel meters the seed based on a volume of the seed. This is
advantageous because the amount of seed treatment needed is may
advantageously be based on surface area, which correlates more
accurately to volume than to other metering measures, such as
weight and number of seeds. Seed wheel can be rotated by a motor,
such as, for example, a 1/3 horsepower variable speed motor, to
dispense the seed once it has been metered and to rotatably fill
each adjacent slot in the wheel. After being dispensed from the
seed wheel, seed falls onto the dispersion cone at step 206. The
dispersion cone dispenses the seeds generally uniformly into the
spinning atomizer wheel at step 208 into a curtain of treatment
fluid provided by the atomizer to coat the seeds at step 210. Seeds
are then ejected out of the housing outlet at step 212 and can then
be further processed or packaged at step 214.
[0025] Referring to FIG. 4, there can be seen a portion of a seed
treatment apparatus 100 incorporating a seed wheel 106 according to
an embodiment of the present invention. Seed wheel 106 can include
a plurality of radially inwardly extending slots 122 for containing
seed positioned there around. A grader 124 can be positioned at a
top portion of seed wheel 106 and connected to housing 102 such
that it remains stationary as housing 102 rotates. Grader 124 can
be positioned forward of inlet 104 relative to the direction of
rotation of seed wheel 106 so that as seed is input through inlet
104 and into seed wheel 106 as it is rotated by motor 126, the
grader 124 levels the seed to ensure a uniform volume of seed in
each slot 122. One or more sensors (not pictured) can be positioned
above the seed wheel 106 to provide the control processor data on
the amount of seed in the inlet 104 which correlates to when the
seed wheel slots 122 will stop being filled with seed and also
correlates with when the seed will stop being deposited on the cone
108 and passing into the seed treatment region. Importantly, the
control processor can then shut down the treatment fluid flow when
the seed will stop passing through the seed treatment region. In
one embodiment, the seed level sensor is a capacitive sensor such
as those available from Turck, Inc.
[0026] The treatment portion can have an atomizer wheel 110 that
receives treatment fluid from the treatment tank units 116 through
an inlet tube 118 and disperses the fluid onto seeds. Atomizer
wheel 110 is designed to apply treatment products at a constant
rate to evenly coat each seed. In one embodiment, it can apply
treatment products by atomizing them onto a falling curtain of seed
before the seeds are discharged. After seeds are treated at the
atomizer wheel 110, they can be discharged out of the housing 102
into a tumbling drum 114 for additional coating of the seeds by
seed to seed contact. The drum then may discharge the seed for
packaging or transport to the planting location. In another
embodiment, seeds can be discharged from housing for packaging and
transport without further processing in drum 114.
[0027] Operation of atomizer wheel 110 can be tied to seed wheel
106 such that when seed wheel 106 stops rotating (because of a
pause in operation or because there is no more seed left to treat),
atomizer wheel 110 can stop operating either at the same time or at
a predetermined time shortly afterwards.
[0028] Treatment products are received into the atomizer wheel 110
through an inlet tube 118 that is fluidly connected to one or more
treatment tank units 116. Tank units can include premix tanks
designed to mix liquid treatment products requiring dilution or
agitation. Premix tanks can include motorized rotating paddles and
internal baffles for mixing the treatment products and providing
suspension of the liquid with minimal foam. Non-mixing tanks can
also be connected to atomizer wheel, such as, for example, water
tanks, bulk tanks and dye tanks.
[0029] Pumping systems 128, such as peristaltic pumps, draw
treatment products from tanks and dispense them to the atomizer
wheel through fluid lines. Pumping system can include flow meters
for measuring and/or regulating the amount of product being
dispensed. Fluid lines can enter a static mixer to mix treatment
products from various tanks before entering inlet tube.
[0030] Seed treatment apparatus 100 can include a computerized
treatment system that proportions amounts of seed and treatment
products to provide for minimal treatment product waste.
Computerized treatment system can include sensors, flow meters,
and/or controls to monitor/control both the flow rates of the
treatment products coming out of the pumps and the metered volume
of seeds released from the seed wheel. Based upon a pre-programmed
algorithm, the system can automatically adjust the flow rates of
the treatment products based on the volume of seeds to be treated
at a given time to control the amount of treatment product applied
to the seeds. Thus, if a flow sensor sensing the flow rate of the
treatment products and a seed sensor sensing the volume of seeds
indicate that the ratio of flow rate to volume is not within a
desired amount of a predetermined optimal ratio or a range of
ratios, the system can automatically adjust the flow rate and/or
the volume. This provides a more accurate distribution of treatment
product because the correlation of volume of seeds to amount of
treatment product needed is more accurate than a correlation to
number of seeds or weight of seeds.
[0031] The system can also include a display providing the
information to a user and allowing the user to make manual
adjustments to the parameters. Display can allow a user to
calibrate flow rates for treatment products and seed and to set
other parameters, such as the amount of time the pumps should run
and the specific chemical recipe of the treatment products that is
to be applied. A user can also enter a desired ratio between flow
rate of treatment products and volume of seed for the computer
system to follow in automatically adjusting the flow rate as the
volume of seed varies. Alternatively, this ratio can be
preprogrammed in the system for the specific type of seed and
treatment composition.
[0032] FIG. 5 depicts a flowchart depicting one example of user
operation 300 of an embodiment of seed treatment apparatus
according to the present invention. Initially, the system must be
powered on at step 302. The user can then enter the desired fluid
application rate that dictates the operation of the pumps at step
304 and the seed feed rate than is controlled by the speed at which
the seed wheel rotates at step 306. The user can then deposit seed
in the seed inlet and activate the coating process for treating the
seeds at step 308. The treating process will continue automatically
as described above until all of the seed is coated. As the treating
process takes place, the user can optionally adjust the seed feed
rate at step 310. If the seed feed rate is adjusted, the fluid
application rate will automatically be adjusted proportionally.
Once all of the seed has been treated, at step 312 the system can
be shut off.
[0033] Adjustment of application of treatment products relative to
volume of seeds can be especially useful at the end of a series of
seed batches. For example, a mass of seeds may be deposited into
the inlet. The seed wheel then rotates at a predetermined rate,
filling each slot with the metered volume of seeds. However, at the
end of the mass of seeds, if more seeds are not deposited directly
on top of the previous seeds, the last slot on the seed wheel to be
filled may not be filled to the preset metered volume. In this
situation, the amount of treatment product pumped into the atomizer
for this final batch of seeds would be reduced proportionally based
on the volume of seeds as measured by the seed level sensor. This
can prevent a large amount of treatment product waste from this
final batch. In addition, during operation there may be times when
it is desirable to either increase or decrease the rate at which
seed is fed into the seed wheel. When the seed rate is manually
adjusted, the system can automatically adjust the pump output to
match the increase or decrease in seed volume in each batch of
seeds so that there is not either too much or too little treatment
product applied.
[0034] In a further embodiment, an existing system utilizing pumps
for applying treatment products to seeds can be retrofit with the
above described sensors, flow meters, controls, etc. to convert the
system into one that modifies pump volume based on seed flow.
Retrofitting an existing system can include some or all of the
steps 400 depicted in FIG. 6 in any order. The existing system may
already include a seed inlet, a means for dispensing seeds, a means
for coating seeds and a pump system for supplying treatment
products to seeds. Steps that could be taken include, for example,
replacing the means for dispensing seeds with the
volumetrically-based seed wheel described above or installing a
seed level sensor in the means for dispensing seeds for measuring
the volume (or weight) of seeds being dispensed at step 402,
installing one or more flow meters for measuring the speed and/or
volume of treatment products being pumped to the means for coating
seeds at step 404 and installing a computer system, display, and/or
software to allow the fluid application rate and seed flow rate to
be modified and to automatically adjust the output of treatment
products from the pumps based on the volume of seeds to be treated
at step 406.
* * * * *