SEED TREATMENT SYSTEMS AND METHODS

• Main Authors: MAY BRADLEY W, GEISS ALAN W, VAN DER WESTHUIZEN JACO ERNEST, RAMANARAYANAN THARACAD S, ANDRIEUX MARC JEAN-MARIE, REINECCIUS GREG A
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 19.07.2012
• Subjects: APPARATUS FOR APPLYING LIQUIDS OR OTHER FLUENT MATERIALS TOSURFACES, IN GENERAL; APPLYING LIQUIDS OR OTHER FLUENT MATERIALS TO SURFACES, IN GENERAL; CALCULATING; COMPUTING; COUNTING; ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PHYSICS; PROCESSES FOR APPLYING LIQUIDS OR OTHER FLUENT MATERIALS TOSURFACES, IN GENERAL; SPRAYING OR ATOMISING IN GENERAL; TRANSPORTING

An automated seed treatment system is adapted for on-site operation at a retail seed distributor. A sealed seed-treater vessel is configured to apply a plurality of chemical treatments to a batch of seed based on a recipe. A programmable system controller is electrically coupled to pump controllers of pump-stations. The controller is configured to receive a material transfer indication from each pump-stations and control the pump controllers in accord with the seed treatment recipe. The programmable system controller is configured to collect operational data representing at least consumption of chemical from the chemical container at each of the pump-stations based on the corresponding material transfer indication during seed treatment and to provide the operational data to a remotely hosted information system located remotely from the site of the retail seed distributor and accessible to at least one third party that is distinct from the retail seed distributor.