WO2012101426A1

WO2012101426A1 - Apparatus for protecting trees against insect attack

Info

Publication number: WO2012101426A1
Application number: PCT/GB2012/050133
Authority: WO
Inventors: Shakir AL-ZAIDI; Mohammad Nayemul HASSAN; Stephen John COOPER
Original assignee: Russell Ipm Ltd
Priority date: 2011-01-25
Filing date: 2012-01-23
Publication date: 2012-08-02
Also published as: SA112330204B1; GB2487721A; GB201101251D0; GB2487721B; EP2709434A1

Abstract

Apparatus for protecting trees against insect attack A system for treatment of trees, such as date palms, to inhibit boring and/or sucking insects is disclosed. The system comprises injection apparatus and a plurality of capsules that contain an active treatment chemical. The injection apparatus includes a hydraulic ram that is operable to drive a capsule into the trunk of a tree, the capsule then acting to release the treatment chemical into the trunk.

Description

Apparatus for protecting trees against insect attack

This invention relates to apparatus for protecting trees against insect attack.

Many trees are subject to insect attack. For instance, date palm trees suffer attack from six different species of insect, resulting in loss of up to 50% of the harvest. Insects enter the trunk of a date palm through crevices or cracks in the bark, and can then burrow as far as 5 to 6 metres within the trunk, causing destruction to the conductive tissue, so preventing the tree from taking up water effectively. Such attacks can last for many months, leading to dehydration and ultimately to death of the tree. This is a difficult problem to tackle because spraying with pesticides will not reach the insects. An aim of the present invention is to provide an effective means for preventing or at least reducing the severity of attack by burrowing insects to trees that does not have the disadvantages associated with spraying.

To this end, from a first aspect, the invention provides a system for treatment of trees to inhibit boring insects comprising injection apparatus and a plurality of capsules, the injection apparatus including a drive means that is operable to drive a capsule into the trunk of a tree, the capsule then acting to release a pesticide into the trunk. In this way, the pesticide is delivered to the place that it is most required, it also has the advantage of targeting the pesticide preventing any potential contamination to the environment.

The pesticide may be released over an extended period of time. For example, the pesticide may be released over a period of several days, weeks or months providing both preventative as well as curative solutions to pests attacking the structure of the tree.

The drive means typically includes a hydraulic ram.

Preferably, the drive means is double-acting such that it can be operated to forceably withdraw the ram after it has pressed a capsule into the trunk of a tree. The injection apparatus typically further includes a pump that can deliver fluid under pressure to the ram. The pump may be manually operated - the most versatile and lowest cost arrangement. As an alternative, the pump can be driven by an engine. The engine need not be dedicated to running the pump; it might be the engine is an engine of a vehicle, such as a quad bike, which could also be used to transport the apparatus. It is preferable that the capsule includes a point of hard material that can pilot the capsule's drive into a trunk or a tree. The capsule typically includes a pesticide body attached to the point. In these embodiments, the injection apparatus includes a push rod that acts on the point (and not on the pesticide body) to drive it into a trunk of a tree.

From a second aspect, the invention provides injection apparatus being part of a system according to the first aspect of the invention. Such apparatus typically comprises an injection assembly, a tree clamping assembly, and a support stand.

The tree clamping assembly may comprise a pair of arms pivotally mounted on the support stand, and a connection arrangement that interconnects the arms, the connection arrangement being operable to draw the arms together to clamp a tree between them. Each arm may include an abutment that makes contact with a tree that is being clamped. In addition, each arm may include a carrier assembly to which the injection assembly can be releasably connected for use.

Most advantageously, the spacing between the pivotal mounts of the arms on the support stand can be varied. This allows the apparatus to be used with trees that have trunks of a wide range of diameters.

From a third aspect, this invention provides a method of treating a tree to protect it against attack from boring as and/or sucking insects, comprising attaching a frame to a trunk of a tree, connecting an injection assembly to the frame, and operating a drive means of the injection assembly to drive a capsule of pesticide into the trunk of the tree, whereby the capsule can release pesticide into the trunk of the tree.

The method may include repeating the step of operating the injection assembly to drive a capsule of pesticide into the trunk of the tree a plurality of times at circumferentially spaced (for example, diametrically spaced) locations on the trunk of a tree. This allows a tree that has a trunk of a large diameter to be treated effectively. An embodiment of the invention will now be described in detail, by way of example, and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a general view of apparatus for use in an embodiment of the invention;

Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of the apparatus of Figure 1 in use on a tree having a trunk of relatively small diameter; Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of the apparatus of Figure 1 in use on a tree having a trunk of relatively large diameter;

Figure 4 is a side view of an arm being part of a clamping assembly of the apparatus of Figure 1;

Figure 5 is a general view of an injection assembly being part of the apparatus of Figure 1; Figures 6 and 7 are cross-sectional views of the injection assembly of Figure 4 in, respectively, a withdrawn and an extended condition;

Figure 8 is an end view of the injection assembly of Figures 6 and 7; and

Figures 9 to 11 show diagrammatically various stages in a sequence of operation of the apparatus of Figure 1.

With reference to Figure 1, apparatus for use in protection of a tree is embodied as a self- contained unit that can be taken to a tree that is to be treated. The principle components of the apparatus are an injection assembly 10, a tree clamping assembly 12, and a support stand 14. These components will now be described further. The support stand 14 comprises a support frame 20 that is in a generally upright plane when the apparatus is in use. The support frame has spaced, parallel upright members 22 that are interconnected at their upper ends by a transverse member 24, each of these being formed as a steel box-section. Each upright member 22 is supported by a respective wheel 26. A panel 28 interconnects the upright members 22 and the transverse member 24 and occupies a generally vertical plane. A plurality of holes 30 extends vertically through the transverse member 24. The support stand 14 further includes two U-shaped tubular steel loops 32 that serve as support legs.

The tree clamping assembly 12 comprises a pair of arms 40 that are mirror-symmetric of each-other. Each arm 40 is secured to the transverse member 24 by a bolt 42 that passes through one of the holes 30 in the transverse member 24 and a hole in the arm 40, the position of the arm 40 on the transverse member 24 being adjustable by selecting which one of the plurality of holes is used to mount each arm 40. This allows each arm 40 to pivot about a respective vertical axis.

Each arm 40 is a steel fabrication that comprises upper and lower webs 44, 46 that are similar to one another, and extend in horizontal planes spaced one above the other when in use. An outer web 48 extends vertically between the upper and lower webs 44, 46 such that each arm has a generally C-shaped cross-section in a vertical plane. The arms 40 are shaped such that they diverge from one another close to their attachment to the transverse member 24 and are cranked such that they are parallel to one another remote from their attachment to the transverse member 24. The ends of the arms 40 remote from the transverse member 24 are closed by an end plate. Each web has a plurality of holes that serve to reduce their weight. Each arm has a respective one of the loops 32 connected to its lower web 46 to serve as a ground-engaging support for the arm.

Close to their free ends (remote from their attachment to the transverse member 24), the arms 40 are interconnected by a chain 52. The chain 52 is releasably connected to one of the arms 40 by being passed through a keyhole-shaped hole in the end plate. The chain 50 is secured to the other arm 40 by a lever 56 carried pivotally on the end plate. Movement of the lever causes the end of the chain 50 to be displaced with respect to the arm 40.

Each arm has an injector carrier assembly in the region close to the crank between the divergent and the parallel regions. The carrier assembly comprises a carrier plate 60 on the outer web 48 to which an injection assembly 10 can be releasably connected. Each carrier plate 60 is a rectangular plate bolted to the outer web 48 which a circular through hole. A plurality of bolts project from the carrier plate 60 with their heads 62 spaced a small distance from the carrier plate 60.

The carrier assembly further includes an extension 70 of the outer web 48 that is displaced inwardly and which carries an abutment body. The abutment body comprises a tubular stem portion 66 that is bolted to the extension 70 of the outer web such that it has an axis that is normal to the plane of the carrier plate 60 and generally horizontal in use. An abutment plate 68 is carried on the stem portion 66. A face of the abutment plate 68 that is directed away from the stem portion 66, as seen in horizontal section, is concave. The abutment plate 68 carries a guide bush 72 centrally and coaxially with the stem portion, a horizontal bore extending through the guide bush 72 and the abutment plate 68.

The injection assembly 10 comprises a double-acting hydraulic ram having a cylinder 80 with first and second fluid ports 82, 84 that give access to an internal cylinder bore, and a piston 86 within the bore between the ports 82, 84. The cylinder is closed by inner and outer end plates 86, 88 that are clamped in place by tension rods 90 that extend the length of the ram. The second fluid port 84 is formed as a passage through the outer end plate 88, while the first fluid port 82 is formed radially through the cylinder 80.

A push rod 96 extends through a bore in a sealing boss 98 that is clamped between the inner end plate 86 and the cylinder 80. Seals are provided within the bore to provide a hydraulic seal between the sealing boss 98 and the push rod 96. An end portion of the push rod 96 is secured to the piston 86 such that axial movement of the piston 86 within the cylinder 80, in either direction, causes the push rod 96 to move axially also. A tubular spacer 92 surrounds the push rod 96 to limit movement of the piston 86 towards the inner end plate 86 to prevent the piston blocking the first fluid port 82, and adds axial stability when push rod 96 is fully extended. An axial bore 100 is formed in the push rod 96 that extends from a free end of the push rod externally of the ram part way along the length of the push rod. The push rod 96 can move through a stroke (of approximately 263mm in this embodiment) between a withdrawn position (Fig 7) and an extended position (Fig 6). Application of hydraulic fluid to the first hydraulic port 82 causes the push rod 96 to move towards the withdrawn position and application of hydraulic fluid to the second hydraulic port 84 causes the push rod 96 to move towards the extended position.

A plurality of mounting slots 102 are formed through the inner end plate 86. Each mounting slot 102 is keyhole-shaped, with a bulbous end portion from which a narrower extension extends about an arc centred on the axis of the ram. The mounting slots 102 allow the injection assembly 10 to be mounted on one of the arms 40. The push rod 96 is inserted through the guide bush 72 of the arm, and the injection assembly 10 is rotates such that the bulbous end portion of each mounting slot 102 is in alignment with a respective bolt head 62. The injection assembly 10 is moved such that each bolt head 62 passes through a respective mounting slot 102. The injection assembly 10 is then rotated such that a stem of the bolt enters into and the bolt head 62 lies adjacent to the narrower extension of the mounting slot 102. The slot and the head 62 of the bolt and the slot are dimensioned such that the stem of the bolt can pass though the extension of the slot 102 but the head 62 cannot. The injection assembly 10 is thus connected to the carrier assembly of the arm 40.

In addition to the apparatus described above, the embodiment includes a plurality of pesticide capsules. Each capsule comprises a pesticide body 110 that is cylindrical and a free sliding flt within the bore 100 of the push rod 96. The capsule further includes a head 112. The head 112 is formed of a single piece of solid hard material, plastic in this embodiment, and comprises a stem and a point. The stem is cylindrical and a close sliding fit within the bore 100 of the push rod 96. The head 112 also has a point that has a large outer diameter adjacent to the stem, which is of the same or slightly greater diameter as the outer diameter of the push rod 96, and which taper from the large outer diameter to a radiused point.

The first and second hydraulic ports 82, 84 are connected through a valve 124 that allows each port to be selectively connected to a hydraulic pump 126 or to a fluid reservoir 128. A pressure- limiting valve 130 prevents excessive pressure being delivered to the ram. Operation of the apparatus will now be described.

The apparatus is taken to a tree that has to be treated, movement of the apparatus being aided by the wheels 26. The chain 52 is disconnected and its lever 56 is moved to make the chain 52 as long as possible. The apparatus is moved towards the tree such its trunk 120 passes between the arms 40, and the arms are pivoted such that the abutment plates 68 come into contact with the trunk 120. The chain 52 is then re-connected to its arm, and the lever 56 is operated to pull the arms 40 towards one another and to bring the abutment plates 68 into firm contact with the trunk 120. The position at which the arms 40 are mounted on the transverse member 24 is chosen such that the arms 40 are approximately parallel to one another remote from the transverse member 24 when the apparatus is clamped to a tree in this manner.

A pesticide capsule is then loaded into the injection assembly 10 by sliding its stem into the bore 100 of the push rod 96 (Figs 9). The valve 124 is moved to allow connection of the first hydraulic port 82 to the reservoir 128 and the second hydraulic port 84 to the pump. The pump is then operated to cause fluid to enter the second port 84 to cause the push rod 96 to return to the withdrawn position, and the injection assembly 10 is connected to the carrier assembly. In this position, the head 112 of the pesticide capsule is close to the trunk 120 of the tree. The valve 124 is then moved to connect the first hydraulic port 82 to the pump 126 and the pump is operated. This urges the push rod 96 towards the extended position, driving the head 112 of the capsule into the trunk 120 of the tree, as shown in Figure 10. It will be seen that the push rod 96 bears directly on the head 112 and does not compress the pesticide body 110. Once the push rod has 92 reached the extremes of its travel (Fig 11), the valve 124 is reversed, and the fluid is pumped to urge the push rod 96 back towards its withdrawn position. The pesticide body 110 slides from the bore 100 in the push rod, leaving the pesticide capsule (including the head 112) embedded within the trunk 120. The hole formed in the trunk is then closed with a plug, typically of plastic material. The pesticide body 110 can slowly release its pesticide into the trunk 120 over a period of weeks or months, so protecting the tree from attack.

For smaller trees, just one pesticide body may suffice, as shown in Figure 2. For larger trees, the injection process may be repeated with the injection assembly used once on the carrier assembly of each arm 40 in turn. As an alternative to the support frame 20, the functional components of the apparatus could be carried on a vehicle, such as a small tractor or quad bike, to enhance its mobility.

Claims

1. A system for treatment of trees to inhibit boring and/or sucking insects comprising injection apparatus and a plurality of capsules, the injection apparatus characterised in that the system includes a drive means that is operable to drive a capsule into the trunk of a tree, the capsule then acting to release a pesticide into the trunk.

2. A system according to claim 1 in which the drive means include a hydraulic ram.

3. A system according to claim 1 or claim 2 in which the pesticide is released over an extended period of time.

4. A system according to claim 3 in which the pesticide is released over a period of several days, weeks or months.

5. A system according to any preceding claim in which the ram is double-acting such that it can be operated to forceably withdraw the ram after it has pressed a capsule into the trunk of a tree.

6. A system according to any preceding claim in which the injection apparatus further includes a pump that can deliver fluid under pressure to the ram.

7. A system according to claim 6 in which the pump is manually operated.

8. A system according to claim 7 in which the pump is operated by an engine.

9. A system according to claim 8 in which the engine is an engine of a vehicle.

10. A system according to any preceding claim in which the capsule includes a point of hard material that can pilot the capsule's drive into a trunk or a tree.

11. A system according to claim 10 in which the capsule further includes a pesticide body attached to the point.

12. A system according to claim 10 or claim 11 in which the injection apparatus includes a push rod that acts on the point to drive it into a trunk of a tree.

13. A system for treatment of trees substantially as described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings.

14. Injection apparatus for being part of a system according to any preceding claim.

15. Injection apparatus according to claim 14 comprising an injection assembly, a tree clamping assembly, and a support stand.

16. Injection apparatus according to claim 15 in which the tree clamping assembly comprises a pair of arms pivotally mounted on the support stand, and a connection arrangement that interconnects the arms, the connection arrangement being operable to draw the arms together to clamp a tree between them.

17. Injection apparatus according to claim 16 in which each arm includes an abutment that makes contact with a tree that is being clamped.

18. Injection apparatus according to claim 16 or claim 17 in which each arm includes a carrier assembly to which the injection assembly can be releasably connected for use.

19. Injection apparatus according to any one of claims 16 to 18 in which the spacing between the pivotal mounts of the arms on the support stand can be varied.

20. A method of treating a tree to protect it against attack from boring and/or sucking insects, comprising attaching a frame to a trunk the tree, connecting an injection assembly to the frame, and operating a drive means of the injection assembly to drive a capsule of pesticide into the trunk of the tree, whereby the capsule can release pesticide into the trunk of the tree.

21. A method according to claim 20 which includes repeating the step of operating the injection assembly to drive a capsule of pesticide into the trunk of the tree a plurality of times at circumferentially spaced locations on the trunk of a tree.