WO2014060289A1 - Single-row hail and insect protection apparatus, with quick opening and closing, for protecting fields of plants arranged in rows - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a single-row hail and insect protection apparatus with quick opening and closing for protecting fields of plants arranged in rows. The respective apparatus comprises a supporting structure, composed of poles (2, 102) that are substantially mutually aligned along the row of plants to be protected and a top wire (3, 103) that is tensioned between the poles (2, 102), and a net (4, 104) that is arranged on the top wire (3, 103) and can be unrolled downward. The top wire (3, 103) is spaced downward from the tip of the poles (2, 102) and the apparatus comprises means (5, 105) for anchoring the net (4, 104) to the poles (2, 102) in a region that is spaced downward from the tip of the poles (2, 102) for the resting of the net (4, 104) on the top wire (3, 103). The net (4, 104) can be arranged in an extended position, in which it is extended along at least one side of the row of plants, or in a gathered position, in which it is at least partially rolled or folded up starting from its lower end toward its upper end. The apparatus comprises retention means (6, 106) that are associated with the poles (2, 102) and that can engage, from the inside outward, the net (4, 04) in order to retain it in the gathered position.

Description

SINGLE-ROW HAIL AND INSECT PROTECTION APPARATUS, WITH QUICK OPENING AND CLOSING, FOR PROTECTING FIELDS OF PLANTS ARRANGED IN ROWS

The present invention relates to a single-row hail and insect protection apparatus, with quick opening and closing, for protecting fields of plants arranged in rows.

Various types of hail protection apparatuses are known, for example with nets held in tension horizontally so as to cover the area to be protected, or single-row i.e. arranged straddling a row or line of plants to be protected.

These known types of apparatuses, in their use for protecting crops, have high purchase costs, have an average lifetime of the nets of around 6-8 years, and are complex in terms of erecting the structures for supporting the nets and accessories. Furthermore, such conventional apparatuses require for their installation the use of specialist labor and morphologically suitable surfaces, and have burdensome running costs.

The aim of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems, by providing a single-row hail and insect protection apparatus that can be installed and managed with perceptibly lower costs than those required for conventional apparatuses.

Within this aim, an object of the invention is to provide an apparatus with protection nets that can be extended or gathered in a simple and quick manner with reduced use of labor and which offers a high flexibility of use.

Another object of the invention is to provide an apparatus that, in addition to offering an adequate protection of the plants against hail and insects, also provides protection against other pathogens.

A further object of the invention is to provide an apparatus that also provides a control of the vegetative development of the plant and of the quantity of fruits that can be produced.

Another object of the invention is to provide an apparatus that can have a reduced environmental impact. This aim and these and other objects which will become more apparent hereinafter are achieved by a single-row hail and insect protection apparatus with quick opening and closing for protecting fields of plants arranged in rows, comprising a supporting structure, composed of poles that are substantially mutually aligned along the row of plants to be protected and a top wire that is tensioned between said poles, and a net that is arranged on said top wire and can be unrolled downward, characterized in that said top wire is spaced downward from the tip of said poles and in that it comprises means for anchoring said net to said poles in a region that is spaced downward from the tip of said poles for the resting of said net on said top wire, said net being arrangeable in an extended position, in which it is extended along at least one side of the row of plants, or in a gathered position, in which it is at least partially rolled or folded up starting from its lower end toward its upper end, means for retention being provided and associated with said poles and engageable from the inside outward with the net in order to retain it in said gathered position.

Further characteristics and advantages of the invention will become more apparent from the description of two preferred, but not exclusive, embodiments of the apparatus according to the invention, illustrated by way of non-limiting example in the accompanying drawings wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective view that schematically illustrates the apparatus according to the invention in the first embodiment, installed for protecting a row of plants, with the net in the extended position on both of the sides of the row;

Figure 2 schematically illustrates the apparatus of Figure 1 , with the net in the gathered position on both sides of the row;

Figure 3 schematically illustrates the apparatus of Figure 1 in front view with the net in the extended position on both sides of the row;

Figure 4 schematically illustrates the apparatus of Figure 1 in front view with the net in the gathered position on both sides of the row; Figure 5 schematically illustrates the apparatus of Figure 1 in front view with the net in the extended position on one side of the row and in the gathered position on the other side of the row;

Figure 6 is an enlarged view of a detail of Figure 4;

Figure 7 is a perspective view of an enlarged detail of the apparatus in

Figure 1 , relating to the tip of a pole, with the net in the extended position on both sides of the row;

Figure 8 is an exploded perspective view of the tip of a pole of the apparatus of Figure 1 ;

Figure 9 schematically illustrates a net of the apparatus of Figure 1, arranged in a flat position;

Figure 10 is an exploded perspective view of the tip of a pole of an apparatus according to the invention in the second embodiment;

Figure 11 is a perspective view of the same detail of Figure 10 with the pole assembled and with the net mounted in the extended position on both sides of the row;

Figure 12 is a perspective view of the same detail shown in Figures 10 and 11, with the pole assembled and with the net mounted in the gathered position on both sides of the row;

Figure 13 schematically illustrates a net of the apparatus according to the invention in the second embodiment, arranged in a flat position.

With reference to figures 1 to 9, the apparatus according to the invention, in the first embodiment, generally designated by the reference numeral 1, comprises a supporting structure, composed of poles 2 that are substantially mutually aligned along the row of plants to be protected, and a top wire 3 that is tensioned between the poles 2. The apparatus also comprises a hail and insect protection net 4 that is arranged on the top wire 3 and can be unrolled downward.

According to the invention, the top wire 3 is spaced downward from the tip of the poles 2 and there are means 5 for anchoring the net 4 to the poles 2 in a region that is spaced downward from the tip of the poles 2 so as to enable the resting of the net 4 on the top wire 3. The net 4 can be arranged in an open or extended position, in which it is extended along at least one side of the row of plants, or in a closed or gathered position, in which it is at least partially rolled or folded up starting from its lower end toward its upper end. The apparatus in question is provided with retention means 6 that are associated with the poles 2 and that can engage, from the inside outward, with the net 4 in order to retain it in the gathered position.

Preferably, the tip of the poles 2 is defined by a spike 2a that is fixed to the upper end of the body 2b of the corresponding pole 2.

The anchoring means 5, for each one of the poles 2, comprise the spike 2a, and the net 4 is impaled, with a region thereof, between the upper end of the body 2b of the corresponding pole 2 and the base of the spike 2a.

The spike 2a is preferably screwed into the portion of a plate 7 that covers the upper end of the body 2b of the corresponding pole 2. More specifically, the plate 7 is substantially L-shaped with a first wing 7a which is fixed to one side of the body 2b of the pole 2, for example by using a U- shaped clamp 8 which, together with such first wing 7a of the plate 7, surrounds the body 2b of the pole 2 and is fastened by way of a pair of nuts 9. The other wing or second wing 7b of the plate 7 extends to cover the upper end of the body 2b of the pole 2 and, in this second wing 7b, a threaded hole 10 is formed in which a threaded shaft 11 protruding from the base of the spike 2a engages.

The net 4 is preferably made so that, in the extended position, it covers both of the opposite sides of a row of plants. In such case, the regions of the net 4 that are impaled between the base of the spikes 2a and the second wing 7b of the plates 7 are defined in an intermediate band 21, conveniently reinforced, of the net 4, with reference to its extension transverse to, or astride, the row of plants to be protected.

The impaling of the net 4 between the spike 2a and the body 2b of the pole 2 can be carried out by passing the threaded shaft 11 through one of the meshes of the net 4, optionally enlarged, and then screwing the threaded shaft 11 into the threaded hole 10.

The retention means 6, for each pole 2, comprise at least two retention elements 12a and 12b that can engage, independently of each other, from the inside outward, respectively the flap 4a of the net 4 that can be extended along one side of the row of plants to be protected and the flap 4b of the net 4 that can be extended along the opposite side of the row of plants to be protected in order to retain the corresponding flap 4a and 4b of the net 4 in the gathered position proximate to the upper end of the net 4.

More specifically, each one of the retention elements 12a and 12b has an elongated shape and can be folded to be wrapped, from the inside outward, around a flap 4a and 4b of the net 4 in the gathered position. Each one of these retention elements 12a and 12b is connected, at one of its ends, to a corresponding pole 2 and can be arranged, in an inactive condition or condition of non-use, in which it is hung up at one of its ends on the pole 2 and is arranged between the same pole 2 and the corresponding flap 4a or 4b of the net 4 extended along one side of the row of plants, or in an active condition or condition of use, in which it is wrapped, from the inside outward, around the corresponding flap 4a or 4b of the net 4 in a gathered position proximate to its upper end and engages, with its other end, the corresponding pole 2.

The retention elements 12a and 12b are constituted by chains, but they may also be constituted by ties or belts, with a hole or with a slot at their ends so as to be capable of being anchored to a first engagement region 13a and 13b of the pole 2 with one of their ends and of being detachably coupled to a second engagement region 14a and 14b or to the same impaling region 13a and 13b of the pole 2 with their other end after being rolled up, from the inside outward, around the corresponding flap 4a or 4b of the net 4 in the gathered position. In the first embodiment, one end of the retention elements 12a and 12b is traversed by the U-shaped clamp 8, which forms the first engagement region 13a and 13b, while the other end, when the retention element 12a and 12b has to perform its function of retaining the net 4 in the gathered position, is fitted over the spike 2a of the pole 2, which is spaced upward from the first engagement region 13a and 13b and constitutes the second engagement region 14a and 14b.

Conveniently, detachable means 30 are also provided for fastening the lower end of the net 4 proximate to the ground. Such fastening means 30 can be conventional, such as for example hooks 31 which can engage the lower edge of the net 4 and with the ground or possibly with a cable tensioned and coupled to the ground or to the poles 2.

The net 4 preferably has bands with meshes that have widths and/or mechanical strengths that are mutually different in order to perform different functions. More specifically, for each one of the two sides of the row of plants that it is to protect, the net 4 has, starting from its upper end, as illustrated in Figure 9, a reinforced band or first band 21 with meshes, preferably square, having sides of 2 cm or less, a second band 22 with meshes, again square, having sides of 2 cm or less, a third band 23 with rectangular meshes in which at least the longer side is longer than 3 cm, and a fourth band 24 with meshes with sides of 4 cm or less.

The first band 21 is preferably black. The function of this first band 21, black and with very fine meshes, is to obtain, for the region of the net 4 that is in direct contact with the top wire 3 and thus has to support the rest of the net 4, the necessary mechanical strength. The very fine meshes furthermore serve to prevent the egress of vegetation (epicormic shoots) between the meshes, which could weaken the net 4. Furthermore, the black color reduces or eliminates the effect of UV rays on this first band 21 which, with the net 4 in the extended position, is arranged horizontally and thus is the one most exposed to UV rays. The black color of this first band 21 also makes the apparatus less visible from above, thus reducing its environmental impact.

The second band 22 is preferably white. The function of this second band 22 is to provide the plants with light, but, with its fine meshes, obstruct the passage of new vegetation.

The third band 23 is preferably also white. This third band 23, coarser than the previous one, extends, with the net 4 in the extended position, substantially parallel to the side of the plants. For this reason, this third band 23 does not have problems for the insertion of new vegetation and it is affected by degradation from UV rays to a lesser extent, since one side will always be in the shade over the course of the day. The size of the meshes of this third band 23 depends on the plants cultivated, and the phytophagous insects and the diseases from which one wants to protect the plants.

The fourth band 24 is preferably black. The function of the color and fine meshes of this fourth band 24 is to combat the growth of weeds with an effect similar to that of mulching. The fourth band 24 terminates in an edge or selvedge region 24a.

The width of these bands 21, 22, 23 and 24 can vary depending on the species of plant to be protected and on the goal of protecting and controlling the growth of the plants, which will be better detailed below.

In the second embodiment, the apparatus according to the invention, generally designated by the reference numeral 101, is provided substantially as in the first embodiment with the difference that the anchoring means 105 comprise through holes 115 which are defined in the net 104 and which are mutually spaced apart so as to correspond to the spacing of the poles 102 so that the net 104 can be fitted, by means of these holes 115, over the poles 102 so that the upper end of the net 104 rests on the top wire 103 which, in this embodiment, passes through the poles 102 in a region that is spaced downward from the tip of the poles 102.

In this second embodiment, the retention means 106 comprise a plate 116 which can be fixed to one side of the pole 102, for example by means of a U-shaped clamp 108 which, together with the plate 116, surrounds the pole 102 and which is fastened by way of a pair of nuts 109 so that the plate 116 is stably fixed to pole 102 above the top wire 103 and thus above the net 104.

The plate 116 defines first engagement regions 113a and 113b and second engagement regions 114a and 114b, mutually spaced apart vertically, for the ends of the retention elements 112a and 112b.

More specifically, the plate 116 is provided with two lower hooks 117a and 117b, and each one of these engages an end of a retention element 112a and 112b, constituted by a chain. The plate 116 is arranged above the upper end of the net 104 and the retention elements 112a and 112b, in the rest position, are hung up with their upper end on the plate 116 and descend by gravity, passing, through the hole 115 of the net 104 fitted over the pole 102, between the net 104 and the pole 102, as illustrated in particular in Figure 11.

The same plate 116 is provided with two upper hooks 118a and 118b, each one of which can engage the other end of the corresponding retention element 112a and 112b, after the latter has been wrapped, from the inside outward, around the corresponding flap 104a and 104b of the net 104 in the gathered position so as to retain it in such gathered position, as illustrated in particular in Figure 12.

Alternatively, the hooks 117a, 117b, 118a and 118b for hooking the two ends of the retention elements 112a and 112b can be provided on two separate plates which are fixed to the pole 102 at mutually different heights.

Optionally, both in the first embodiment and in the second embodiment, between the poles 2 and 102 there can be other retention means, such as for example belts, chains or ties for keeping the net 4 in the gathered position during winter.

In the second embodiment, the net 104 can be provided substantially like the net 4 of the apparatus in the first embodiment, with the difference that, in the intermediate band 21 of the net 104, conveniently reinforced, the holes 115 are defined which make it possible to fit the net over the poles 102. The net 104 for the apparatus according to the invention in the second embodiment is illustrated in Figure 13. The elements of the net 104 that correspond to the elements of the net 4 described previously with reference to the first embodiment of the apparatus have been marked with the same reference numerals.

Also in the second embodiment, detachable means are provided for fastening the lower end of the net 104 proximate to the ground. These means are not shown since they are very similar to those previously illustrated and described with reference to the first embodiment.

Optionally, each hole 115 can be edged by way of a ring plate, not shown, fixed to the net 104.

The installation of the apparatus according to the invention is very simple. First the poles 2 and 102 are erected, or pre-existing poles are used if these protrude sufficiently above the row of plants to be protected. Subsequently, the top wire 3 and 103 is placed under tension and is spaced downward, for example at a distance of 20-30 cm from the tip of the poles 2, 102. At this point, the net 4 is impaled between the spikes 2a and the second wing 7b of the plates 7 that cover the upper end of the body 2b of the poles 2 (first embodiment), or the net 104 is fitted, with the holes 115, on the poles 102 (second embodiment) and laid on the top wire 3 and 103.

When the net 4 and 104 has to perform its task of protecting the row, it is arranged in the extended position along the sides of the row and fastened, with its lower end, to the fastening means 30, as shown in Figures 1, 3 and 11. When, on the other hand, it is necessary to gain access to the plants and/or when the protective function of the net 4 and 104 is not required, the latter can be brought to the gathered position and held in this position by way of the retention means 6 and 106, as shown in Figures 2, 4 and 12. It should be noted that, with the apparatus according to the invention, the net 4 and 104 can be gathered on one side only of the row, as illustrated in particular in Figure 5.

Because the net 4 and 104, by way of the spikes 2a or by way of the holes 115, is stably anchored to the poles 2 and 102, an excellent strength is obtained in supporting the net 4 and 104 under any meteorological conditions, for example in hail, high winds, snow and ice, without the need for installing pole covers or for stitching the net 4 and 104 to the top wire 3, 103 since it is the poles 2 and 102 themselves that keep the net 4 and 104 centered and in place.

Also because the net 4 and 104 is stably anchored to the poles 2 and 102, the operations for opening and closing the net 4 and 104 are extremely simple and quick to perform.

In practical use of the apparatus according to the invention, the average time required for the operation of opening and closing the net is indicatively approximately 2-3 hours per hectare, against the 50-100 hours required by conventional apparatuses. These reduced times make it even more convenient to apply the apparatus to crops that require multiple harvesting passes or multiple manual thinning passes, such as for example drupaceous plants and some types of pomaceous plants. Furthermore, in some cases, it is possible to halve the time by uncovering only one side of the rows.

From the point of view of agricultural production, the apparatus according to the invention has considerable advantages.

In addition to offering an effective protection against hail, the apparatus according to the invention also offers an effective anti-insect action by interposing a physical barrier between the plant and the outside world which impedes the biological cycle of all phytophagous insects with a wing size greater than 3-4 mm, such as for example cydia, pandemis, capua, eulia, orgyia, wood leopard moth, fruit fly, and others. The apparatus in question also has an effective anti-fungal action since the spores that originate from the outside, when the net is in the extended position, are for the most part electrostatically attracted by the net itself and thus cannot reach the fruits or vegetation of the plants.

The apparatus in question also limits the excessive growth of new vegetation (epicormic shoots) which, by consuming most of the nutrients, would penalize the growth of the fruits.

A further function of the apparatus in question is that of being capable of being used to control the number of fruits grown by the plants so as to obtain larger fruits, particularly in apple growing. In fact, during the pollination of the flowers by insects, which takes place over several days, it is sufficient to keep the nets gathered in (closed) for a preset number of days and then to proceed to extend (open) them so as to prevent the protraction of the pollination, thus limiting the number of flowers pollinated and thus the number of fruits.

In practice it has been found that the apparatus according to the invention fully achieves the set aim since it has low purchase costs, is easy to install and requires running costs that are considerably lower than those required by conventional apparatuses.

Furthermore, the apparatus according to the invention represents a true integrated production system with advantages that include higher productivity, making it possible to control the growth of the plants, increasing the production of fruit buds, and reducing interventions with plant protection products.

Another advantage of the apparatus according to the invention is that it requires fewer passes, between the rows, of works vehicles, resulting in a higher fertility of the soil, since with fewer passes of heavy machinery there is less compaction of the soil, less consumption of fuel, and the use of fewer machines for the same achievable results.

The apparatus according to the invention also ensures an effect against spring frosts in that the net in the extended position hinders the dispersion, at night, of the heat accumulated during the day.

These aspects of the respective apparatus lead to a better quality of the fruits produced and to a reduction in the content of chemical residues.

The apparatus, thus conceived, is susceptible of numerous modifications and variations, all of which are within the scope of the appended claims. Moreover, all the details may be substituted by other, technically equivalent elements.

In practice the materials employed, provided they are compatible with the specific use, and the dimensions, may be any according to requirements and to the state of the art.

The disclosures in Italian Patent Application No. MI2012A001761 from which this application claims priority are incorporated herein by reference.

Where technical features mentioned in any claim are followed by reference signs, those reference signs have been included for the sole purpose of increasing the intelligibility of the claims and accordingly, such reference signs do not have any limiting effect on the interpretation of each element identified by way of example by such reference signs.

Claims

1. A single-row hail and insect protection apparatus with quick opening and closing for protecting fields of plants arranged in rows, comprising a supporting structure, composed of poles (2, 102) that are substantially mutually aligned along the row of plants to be protected and a top wire (3, 103) that is tensioned between said poles (2, 102), and a net (4, 104) that is arranged on said top wire (3, 103) and can be unrolled downward, characterized in that said top wire (3, 103) is spaced downward from the tip of said poles (2, 102) and in that it comprises means (5, 105) for anchoring said net (4, 104) to said poles (2, 102) in a region that is spaced downward from the tip of said poles (2, 102) for the resting of said net (4, 104) on said top wire (3, 103), said net (4, 104) being arrangeable in an extended position, in which it is extended along at least one side of the row of plants, or in a gathered position, in which it is at least partially rolled or folded up starting from its lower end toward its upper end, means (6, 106) for retention being provided and associated with said poles (2, 102) and engageable from the inside outward with the net (4, 104) in order to retain it in said gathered position.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the tip of said poles (2) is formed by a spike (2a) that is fixed to the upper end of the body (2b) of the corresponding pole (2).

3. The apparatus according to claims 1 and 2, characterized in that said anchoring means (5), for each one of said poles (2), comprise said spike (2a), said net (4) being impaled, with a region thereof, between the upper end of the body (2b) of the corresponding pole (2) and the base of said spike (2a).

4. The apparatus according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said spike (2a) is screwed into a plate (7) that covers the upper end of the body (2b) of the corresponding pole (2).

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that said anchoring means (105) comprise through holes (115) that are formed in said net (104) and are mutually spaced apart so as to correspond to the spacing of said poles (102), said net (104) being capable of being fitted, by way of said holes (115), over said poles (102) in order to rest on said top wire (103) spaced from the tip of said poles (102).

6. The apparatus according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said holes (115) or the regions of the net (4) that are impaled between said spikes (2a) and the body (2b) of the poles (2) are formed along a reinforced band (21) of said net (4, 104).

7. The apparatus according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said net (4, 104), in said extended position, is adapted to cover both of the two opposite sides of the row of plants, said holes (115) or the regions of the net (4) that are impaled between said spikes (2a) and the body (2b) of the poles (2) being formed in an intermediate band (21) of the net (4, 104), with reference to its extension astride the row of plants to be protected.

8. The apparatus according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said retention means (6, 106), for each pole (2, 102), comprise at least two retention elements (12a, 12b, 112a, 112b) that can engage, independently of each other, from the inside outward, respectively the flap (4a, 104a) of the net (4, 104) that can be extended along one side of the row of plants to be protected and the flap (4b, 104b) of the net (4, 104) that can be extended along the opposite side of the row of plants to be protected in order to retain the corresponding flap (4a, 4b, 104a, 104b) of the net (4, 104) in a gathered position proximate to the upper end of the net (4, 104).

9. The apparatus according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that each one of said retention elements (12a, 12b, 112a, 112b) has an elongated shape and can be folded to wrap it, from the inside outward, around a flap (4a, 4b, 104a, 104b) of the net (4, 104) in the gathered position, each one of said retention elements (12a, 12b, 112a, 112b) being connected, at one of its ends, to one of said poles (2, 102) and being arrangeable in an inactive condition, in which it is arranged between the corresponding pole (2, 102) and the net (4, 104) extended along one side of the row of plants to be protected, or in an active condition, in which it is wrapped, from the inside outward, around the net (4, 104) in a gathered position proximate to its upper end and engaged at its upper end with the corresponding pole (2, 102).

10. The apparatus according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said retention means (6, 106) comprise, for each one of said poles (2, 102), a first engagement region (13a, 13b, 113a, 113b) for one end of one of said retention elements (12a, 12b, 112a, 112b) and a second engagement region (14a, 14b, 114a, 114b) for the other end of the same retention element (12a, 12b, 112a, 112b).

11. The apparatus according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said second engagement region (14a, 14b) is formed by the pointed tip of the corresponding spike (2a) with which said other end of the retention elements (12a, 12b) of a same pole (2) can be engaged.

12. The apparatus according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises means (30) for the removable engagement of the lower end of the net (4, 104) proximate to the ground.

13. The apparatus according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said net (4, 104) has bands (21, 22, 23, 24) with meshes having mutually different widths and/or mechanical strengths respectively starting from the region of the net (4, 104) designed to be supported on said top wire (3, 103):

- said reinforced band or first band (21) with meshes having sides of 2 cm or less;

- a second band (22), with meshes having sides of 2 cm or less;

- a third band (23), which has rectangular meshes at least the longer side of which is longer than 3 cm;

- a fourth band (24), which has meshes with sides of 4 cm or less.

14. The apparatus according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said reinforced band or first band (21) is black.

15. The apparatus according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said second band (22) and said third band (23) are white.

16. The apparatus according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said fourth band is black.