Indian Patents. 223028:A GROUND COVER FOR IMPROVING HARWEST YIELD OF TENTACLED PLANTS

Title of Invention	A GROUND COVER FOR IMPROVING HARWEST YIELD OF TENTACLED PLANTS
Abstract	A ground cover for cultivation of plants includes a membrane strip having a side which in use is an upper side, and anchoring formations on the upper side of the membrane strip. The anchoring formations assist a plant in the vicinity of the ground cover to anchor itself to the ground cover.

Full Text	The present invention relates to a ground cover for cultivation of plants and to a method of providing anchoring formations for plants. According to one aspect of the invention, there is provided a ground cover for cultivation of plants, the ground cover including a membrane strip having a side which in use is an upper side; and anchoring formations on the upper side of the membrane strip for assisting a plant in the vicinity of the ground cover to anchor itself to the ground cover. The membrane strip may be water impervious and it may be light impervious, at least to some degree, as required. Typically, the membrane strip is of polyethylene material. The membrane strip may be of conventional agricultural sheeting, e.g. any of the membranes or sheets supplied by Polyon Agricultural Sheeting of Kibbutz Barkai, M.P. Menashe 37860 Israel. The membrane strip may have a thickness of between about 15 mm and about 40 mm, typically between about 15 mm and about 37 mm, e.g. about 20 mm. The membrane strip may have a length of at least 500m, typically at least 1000 m, e.g. about 1000 m. The membrane strip may have a width of between about 0.5 m and about 2.5 m, typically between about 1 m and about 1.5 m, e.g. about 1,2 m. The anchoring formations may be defined by a net. The net may be attached, e.g. adhesively attached or physically connected such as by means of a temperature and / or pressure process when the net is also of synthetic plastics material, as described hereinafter, to the membrane strip at a plurality of spaced locations, allowing the net to be displaceable away from the membrane strip, in areas where the net is not attached to the membrane strip. Typically, the net is attached to the membrane strip along two longitudinally extending zones. Each zone may have a width of between about 2 cm and about 25 cm, typically between about 5 cm and about 15 cm, e.g. about 10 cm. Typically, the longitudinally extending zones are adjacent respective longitudinally extending edges of the membrane strip, leaving a central, longitudinally extending zone of the net displaceable away from the membrane strip. Apertures defined by the net may be rectangular. Major sides of each rectangular aperture may extend longitudinally relative to the membrane strip. Each aperture defined by the net may have a length of between about 2.5 cm and about 15 cm, typically between about 5 cm and about 10 cm, e.g. about 8 cm. Each aperture defined by the net may have a width of between about 1.5 cm and about 15 cm, typically between about 2.5 cm and about 10 cm, e.g. about 8 cm. The net may be of a synthetic plastics or polymeric material, e.g. polyethylene or polypropylene. Preferably, the net is of a material which is UV-stabilized. The net may be of strands having a thickness of between about 0.2 mm and about 3 mm, typically between about 0.3 mm and about 0.5 mm, e.g. about 0.45 mm. The membrane strip may define at least one aperture therethrough for receiving a plant. Thus, in use, a plant typically grows through the aperture in the membrane strip and anchors itself to the ground cover. The membrane strip may define a plurality of longitudinally spaced apertures. The apertures may be equidistantly spaced and may be located on a longitudinally extending centre line of the membrane strip. Although the ground cover may be supplied in the trade with the apertures, it is to be appreciated that it may be more convenient for a user of the ground cover simply to punch or tear holes in the membrane strip in the number and locations required by the user. The ground cover may be in the form of a roll, comprising a ply consisting of the membrane strip and another ply consisting of the anchoring formations. According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of providing anchoring formations for plants, the method including laying a ground cover as hereinbefore described on a strip of ground; and securing the ground cover to the ground. Laying the ground cover may include unrolling the membrane strip and the anchoring formations from a roll, comprising a ply of the membrane strip and a ply of the anchoring formations. Securing the ground cover to the ground may include securing longitudinally extending zones adjacent respective longitudinally extending edges of the ground cover to the ground. This may be effected by temporarily holding down a portion of an edge on the ground and piling soil onto the held-down portion of the edge. The method may include providing a tunnel or shelter over the ground cover. According to a further aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of providing anchoring formations for plants, the method including laying a membrane strip having a side which in use is an upper side on a strip of ground; laying anchoring formations on the upper side of the membrane strip; and securing the membrane strip and the anchoring formations to the ground. The membrane strip and the anchoring formations may be laid on the ground simultaneously, and may be as hereinbefore described. The method may include providing a roll, comprising a ply of the membrane strip and a ply of anchoring formations, and unrolling the membrane strip and the anchoring formations simultaneously to lay them simultaneously on the ground. Securing the membrane strip and the anchoring formations to the ground may include securing longitudinally extending zones adjacent respective longitudinally extending edges of the membrane strip and a body defining the anchoring formations to the ground. This may be effected by temporarily holding down a portion of an edge of both of the membrane strip and the anchoring formations and piling soil onto the held-down portions of the edges. The method may include providing a tunnel or shelter over the membrane strip and the anchoring formations. The invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings, in which Figure 1 shows a three-dimensional view of a portion of a ground cover in accordance with the invention; and Figure 2 shows a three-dimensional view of the portion of the ground cover of Figure 1, in use. Referring to the drawings, reference numeral 10 generally indicates a ground cover in accordance with the invention, only a portion of which is shown. The ground cover 10 includes a membrane strip 12 with a side 14 which in use is an upper side, and a net 16, the strands 18 of which define anchoring formations. The net 16 is located on and covers the upper side 14 of the membrane strip 12. Two longitudinally extending, ten cm wide edge portions of the net 16 are adhesively attached to similar edge portions 17 of the membrane strip 12. Thus, a longitudinally extending central area or zone of the net 16 is not directly attached to the membrane strip 12, but only by means of the edge portions. The central area or zone is thus free to move away, at least to a limited extent, from the membrane strip 12, allowing plant tentacles to grow inbetween the net 16 and the membrane strip 12. The membrane strip 12 is water impervious and light impervious, and is of polyethylene material. It has a thickness of about 20 mm, a width of about 1,2 m and a length of about 1000 m. Rectangular apertures or rectangular blocks 19 defined by the net 16 each has a length of about 8 cm and a width of about 8 cm. The net 16 is arranged relative to the membrane strip 12 such that the apertures or blocks 19 defined by the net 16 have their shorter sides transverse to the membrane strip 12. The net 16 is of polyethylene or polypropylene material. A typical example of a suitable net 16 is a net supplied under the trade name Netlon Palnet, available from African Commerce Developing Company (Proprietary) Limited of Dacres Avenue, Epping 2, Eppingdust, Cape Town, Republic of South Africa. The ground cover 10 is supplied in the form of a two-ply roll (not shown), one ply consisting of the membrane strip 12 and the other ply consisting of the net 16. In another embodiment of the invention, instead of the edge portions of the net 16 being adhesively attached to the edge portions 17 of the membrane strip, the edge portions of the net may be physically attached to the edge portions of the membrane strip, such as by means of a high temperature and/or high pressure process e.g. by means of welding. In use, the ground cover 10 is laid on the ground by unrolling the membrane strip 12 and the net 16 from the two-ply roll. Typically, the ground cover 10 is laid over a linearly extending ridge or hump, with a centre line of the ground cover 10 being located on a longitudinally extending centre line of the ridge or hump. Typically, an irrigation pipe or the like (not shown) is located underneath the membrane strip 12 but, as will be appreciated, the exact arrangement may depend on the kind of plants for which the ground cover 10 is intended to be used. The ground cover 10 may be laid using a conventional machine for the laying of conventional ground covers for the cultivation of plants. Thus, the unrolling membrane strip 12 and net 16 may be temporarily held down by a pair of spaced wheels pressing down on the edge portions 17, whilst ploughshares may throw two rows 20 of soil onto the edge portions 17. A plurality of apertures (only one of which is shown) is formed in the membrane strip 12, by simply pushing holes through the membrane strip 12. The apertures are typically located on the centre line of the membrane strip 12 and are spaced a desired distance from each other. Plants to be cultivated are then planted, one in each aperture. Typically, the ground cover 10 is used for plants with tentacles, such as watermelon or cantaloupe. The plants growing through the apertures find it easy to attach or anchor themselves to the net 16, as shown in Figure 2 of the drawings. The use of a ground cover, comprising only a membrane strip, is known to the applicant. Membrane strip ground covers have a number of advantages, including that fruit ripens earlier and more evenly, fruit can be harvested over a longer period, and less chemical pest control is required. By also supplying anchoring formations on the upper side of the membrane strip, thereby assisting cultivated plants to anchor themselves to the ground cover 10, the ground cover 10, as illustrated, also provides the following advantages: due to the anchoring of tentacles of the plant, wind damage to the plant is reduced; plants are less acceptable to fungi, infections and stress when they are less disturbed; immature fruits are not moved about, which reduces abrasions and loss of fruit; natural wind breaks are sufficient to prevent wind damage to the plants and fruit and it is thus not necessary to erect artificial windbreaks, lowering input capital; the net 16 strengthens the membrane strip 12, inhibiting wind damage to the membrane strip 12 and thus allowing thinner membrane strips to be used and use of the ground cover 10 for a second harvest during the same season; and more mature fruit is produced per hectare, leading to higher nett income per hectare. Some of the abovementioned advantages are illustrated by the following results from experiments conducted by the applicant. EXPERIMENT 1 An experiment was conducted at Ou Tuin, Doringrivier, District Clanwilliam in South Africa to investigate the effect of the invention on the cultivation of watermelon and cantaloupe compared to other ground treatment strategies. This area is subject to wind damage of plants. The watermelon variety used was Carmen and the cantaloupe variety used was Aphrodite. The membrane used with the watermelon was a brown plastics sheet, whereas the membrane used with the cantaloupe was a black plastics sheet. Observations on the leaf growth were made 8 weeks (Table 1) and 10 weeks (Table 2) after planting. The Tables show the number of fully grown permanent leaves per plant. Data for each repeat shows the average for 17 plants. It is clear from Tables 1 and 2 that initial growth of leaves is strongest inside the tunnel and it was markedly stronger for watermelon than cantaloupe, possibly because the watermelon was established from plants, whereas the cantaloupe was established from seed. The plastics sheet, with and without the net, also had a significant effect on the number of fully grown leaves, compared to bare ground only, as shown by Tables 1 and 2. After 10 weeks, the use of a plastics sheet in combination with the net, for watermelon, showed improved results compared to the use of a plastics sheet only. It appeared that the most prominent advantage of the use of the net with the plastics sheet is not to increase the number of leaves per plant, but rather to improve the effectiveness of the leaves. This can possibly be explained by the fact that anchoring of the tentacles of the plants to the net has the effect that the leaves can maintain a fixed orientation relative to the sun in contrast with unanchored plants which are subject to continual movement by the wind, causing changes in orientation of the leaves relative to the sun. Leaves are often turned upside down so that the leaf stems have to recompensate for incorrect orientation of the leaves relative to the sun. This problem is particularly severe on smooth plastics sheets. After 10 weeks, the number of tentacles per plant anchored to the net was 8 for watermelon and 0.46 for cantaloupe. This difference can possibly again be explained by the fact that the cantaloupe was established from seed whereas the watermelon was established from plants. Measurements were also taken to determine the effect of the different ground treatment strategies on the fruit-bearing capacity of the watermelon and the cantaloupe. The results are shown in Table 3 and indicate the number of fruits per plant after about 14 weeks. For cantaloupe, fruits larger than 8 cm were counted and for watermelon, fruits larger than 15 cm in length were counted. The values given are the average of 17 plants. Table 4 shows the results (number of fruits/plant) after about 20 weeks. It is clear that the combination of the plastics sheet with the net has a marked effect on the fruit-bearing capacity of both watermelon and cantaloupe, particularly in combination with a tunnel, particularly when compared to bare ground. Table 5 illustrates the effect of the ground treatment method on average fruit diameter (in mm) after about 20 weeks. As can be seen, for watermelon there was enough variation in fruit size in order to, in addition to fruit-bearing capacity, affect the mass of harvested fruit. For cantaloupe, this variation was relatively small and it is thus the fruit-bearing capacity in the case of cantaloupe which will have the largest effect on the yield of the cantaloupe harvest. The effect of the ground treatment method on harvest yield was calculated (in tons per hectare). The following factors were used in calculating yields: the number of fruits for watermelon was limited to fruits longer than 15 cm, and for cantaloupe to fruits longer than 8 cm for one trial row of 17 trial plants per planting. Average fruit diameter is calculated as the sum of the length diameter and the width diameter divided by two for 16 fruits from one representative trial row per planting. The calculated weight per fruit was determined by weighing 15 fruits over the whole range of fruit sizes and preparing a graph of the relationship of the average fruit diameter against the average fruit weight. Calculated harvest yield per hectare was then calculated as follows: number of fruits per plant after 20 weeks multiplied by the calculated average weight per fruit multiplied by 10000 plants per hectare divided by 1000, to give calculated harvest yield in ton per hectare. The results are shown in Table 6 below. It is clear from Table 6, that the use of the net with a plastics sheet (with or without the use of a tunnel), has markedly improved calculated harvest yields for both watermelon and cantaloupe, compared to bare ground and the use of a plastics sheet only. This is probably a reflection of the negative effects of wind damage in the area where the trials were conducted and the ability of the net to limit wind damage. The use of plastics sheeting alone improved calculated harvest yield for watermelon by only 13.2 %, compared to 75.6 % for cantaloupe. It is suspected that an unidentified factor in the form of a harmful organism infestation affected the watermelon covered by the plastics sheet only, causing the watermelon not to reach its full potential. Observations were made to determine the effect of the different ground treatment strategies on the possibility of an early harvest. The results are shown in Table 7 below, which indicates the number of fruit that ripened first per trial row of 17 plants, after about 20 weeks. The improvement when using plastics sheet combined with a net in respect of watermelon is very clear from Table 7. For cantaloupe, the improvement is also marked when a plastics sheet, a net and a tunnel are used, compared to bare ground. It was also observed that surface damage of young fruit as a result of movement caused by wind was at least 50 % higher for those ground treatments strategies which did not include a net, for both watermelon and cantaloupe. EXPERIMENT 2 An experiment was conducted to determine the effect of the colour of the plastics sheet on the growth rate of watermelon and cantaloupe. Measurements of the number of fully grown permanent leaves in one row of 30 plants were taken after 8 weeks and 10 weeks. Each planting consisted of 100 plants. The results are shown in the following Table 8. It is clear that, after 10 weeks, stronger stimulation of growth occurred underneath the brown plastics sheet than the black plastics sheet for both watermelon and cantaloupe. At this stage, there were 18.9 % more fully grown leaves under the brown plastics sheet for watermelon and 27.2 % more fully grown leaves for the cantaloupe. The effect of the colour of the plastics sheet on calculated harvest yield was calculated. Calculations were done on the same basis as for Table 6, although fruit size measurements were taken for 100 plants for both watermelon and cantaloupe. The results are reflected below in Table 9. EXPERIMENT 3 The purpose of this experiment was to determine the effect of the ground treatment strategies on sand blasting damage of young plants of Honey Chow cantaloupe cultivar. The plants were planted in such a manner that from repeat 1 to repeat 3 the plants were progressively more exposed to wind blown sand. This effect was promoted by judicious use of a reed windbreak. The following Table 10 illustrates the results 3 weeks and 5 weeks after planting. The positive effect of the use of a plastics sheet in combination with a net is clearly illustrated in Table 10. It was further observed that, where a plastics sheet was used without a net, the wind eroded soil from the edges of the sheet with the result that the plastics sheet was torn and blown to one side, particularly in respect of repeat 3. This problem did not occur where the plastics sheet was used in combination with the net, as the wind did not erode the soil from the net allowing the net to anchor the plastics sheet. We claim: 1. A ground cover for improving harvest yield of tentacled plants, the ground cover including a water-impervious membrane strip of a synthetic plastics material having a side which in use is an upper side on which a growing tentacled plant can be supported; and tentacle anchoring formations on the upper side of the membrane strip for assisting a tentacled plant in the vicinity of the tentacled plant anchor and ground cover to anchor itself thereto, the tentacle anchoring formations allowing plant tentacles to grow in-between the tentacle anchoring formations and the membrane strip. 2. A ground cover as claimed in claim 1, in which the membrane strip has a thickness of between 15 mm and 40 mm, and a length of at least 500m. 3. A ground cover as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, in which the membrane strip had a width of between 0.5 m and 2.5 m. 4. A ground cover as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, in which the tentacle anchoring formations are defined by a net located on the upper side of the membrane strip. 5. A ground cover as claimed in claim 4, in which the net is attached to the membrane strip at a plurality of spaced locations, allowing the net to be displaceable away from the membrane strip, in areas where the net is not attached to the membrane strip. 6. A ground cover as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, in which the membrane strip defines at least one aperture therethrough for receiving a plant. 7. A ground cover as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, which is in the form of a roll, comprising a ply consisting of the membrane strip and another ply consisting of the tentacle anchoring formations. A ground cover for cultivation of plants includes a membrane strip having a side which in use is an upper side, and anchoring formations on the upper side of the membrane strip. The anchoring formations assist a plant in the vicinity of the ground cover to anchor itself to the ground cover.

Full Text

The present invention relates to a ground cover for cultivation of plants and to a method
of providing anchoring formations for plants.
According to one aspect of the invention, there is provided a ground cover for cultivation
of plants, the ground cover including
a membrane strip having a side which in use is an upper side; and
anchoring formations on the upper side of the membrane strip for assisting a plant in the
vicinity of the ground cover to anchor itself to the ground cover.
The membrane strip may be water impervious and it may be light impervious, at least to
some degree, as required. Typically, the membrane strip is of polyethylene material. The
membrane strip may be of conventional agricultural sheeting, e.g. any of the membranes
or sheets supplied by Polyon Agricultural Sheeting of Kibbutz Barkai, M.P. Menashe
37860 Israel.
The membrane strip may have a thickness of between about 15 mm and about 40 mm,
typically between about 15 mm and about 37 mm, e.g. about 20 mm.
The membrane strip may have a length of at least 500m, typically at least 1000 m, e.g.
about 1000 m.
The membrane strip may have a width of between about 0.5 m and about 2.5 m, typically
between about 1 m and about 1.5 m, e.g. about 1,2 m.
The anchoring formations may be defined by a net. The net may be attached, e.g.
adhesively attached or physically connected such as by means of a temperature and / or
pressure process when the net is also of synthetic plastics material, as
described hereinafter, to the membrane strip at a plurality of spaced locations, allowing the
net to be displaceable away from the membrane strip, in areas where the net is not
attached to the membrane strip. Typically, the net is attached to the membrane strip along
two longitudinally extending zones. Each zone may have a width of between about 2 cm
and about 25 cm, typically between about 5 cm and about 15 cm, e.g. about 10 cm.
Typically, the longitudinally extending zones are adjacent respective longitudinally
extending edges of the membrane strip, leaving a central, longitudinally extending zone of
the net displaceable away from the membrane strip.
Apertures defined by the net may be rectangular. Major sides of each
rectangular aperture may extend longitudinally relative to the membrane strip.
Each aperture defined by the net may have a length of between about 2.5 cm
and about 15 cm, typically between about 5 cm and about 10 cm, e.g. about 8 cm.
Each aperture defined by the net may have a width of between about 1.5 cm
and about 15 cm, typically between about 2.5 cm and about 10 cm, e.g. about 8 cm.
The net may be of a synthetic plastics or polymeric material, e.g.
polyethylene or polypropylene. Preferably, the net is of a material which is UV-stabilized.
The net may be of strands having a thickness of between about 0.2 mm and
about 3 mm, typically between about 0.3 mm and about 0.5 mm, e.g. about 0.45 mm.
The membrane strip may define at least one aperture therethrough for
receiving a plant. Thus, in use, a plant typically grows through the aperture in the
membrane strip and anchors itself to the ground cover.
The membrane strip may define a plurality of longitudinally spaced apertures.
The apertures may be equidistantly spaced and may be located on a longitudinally
extending centre line of the membrane strip. Although the ground cover may be supplied
in the trade with the apertures, it is to be appreciated that it may be more convenient for a
user of the ground cover simply to punch or tear holes in the membrane strip in the number
and locations required by the user.
The ground cover may be in the form of a roll, comprising a ply consisting of
the membrane strip and another ply consisting of the anchoring formations.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of
providing anchoring formations for plants, the method including
laying a ground cover as hereinbefore described on a strip of ground; and
securing the ground cover to the ground.
Laying the ground cover may include unrolling the membrane strip and the
anchoring formations from a roll, comprising a ply of the membrane strip and a ply of the
anchoring formations.
Securing the ground cover to the ground may include securing longitudinally
extending zones adjacent respective longitudinally extending edges of the ground cover to
the ground. This may be effected by temporarily holding down a portion of an edge on the
ground and piling soil onto the held-down portion of the edge.
The method may include providing a tunnel or shelter over the ground cover.
According to a further aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of
providing anchoring formations for plants, the method including
laying a membrane strip having a side which in use is an upper side on a strip of
ground;
laying anchoring formations on the upper side of the membrane strip; and
securing the membrane strip and the anchoring formations to the ground.
The membrane strip and the anchoring formations may be laid on the ground
simultaneously, and may be as hereinbefore described.
The method may include providing a roll, comprising a ply of the membrane
strip and a ply of anchoring formations, and unrolling the membrane strip and the
anchoring formations simultaneously to lay them simultaneously on the ground.
Securing the membrane strip and the anchoring formations to the ground
may include securing longitudinally extending zones adjacent respective longitudinally
extending edges of the membrane strip and a body defining the anchoring formations to
the ground. This may be effected by temporarily holding down a portion of an edge of both
of the membrane strip and the anchoring formations and piling soil onto the held-down
portions of the edges.
The method may include providing a tunnel or shelter over the membrane
strip and the anchoring formations.
The invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the
accompanying diagrammatic drawings, in which
Figure 1 shows a three-dimensional view of a portion of a ground cover in
accordance with the invention; and
Figure 2 shows a three-dimensional view of the portion of the ground cover of Figure
1, in use.
Referring to the drawings, reference numeral 10 generally indicates a ground
cover in accordance with the invention, only a portion of which is shown. The ground cover
10 includes a membrane strip 12 with a side 14 which in use is an upper side, and a net
16, the strands 18 of which define anchoring formations.
The net 16 is located on and covers the upper side 14 of the membrane strip
12. Two longitudinally extending, ten cm wide edge portions of the net 16 are adhesively
attached to similar edge portions 17 of the membrane strip 12. Thus, a longitudinally
extending central area or zone of the net 16 is not directly attached to the membrane strip
12, but only by means of the edge portions. The central area or zone is thus free to move
away, at least to a limited extent, from the membrane strip 12, allowing plant tentacles to
grow inbetween the net 16 and the membrane strip 12.
The membrane strip 12 is water impervious and light impervious, and is of
polyethylene material. It has a thickness of about 20 mm, a width of about 1,2 m and a
length of about 1000 m.
Rectangular apertures or rectangular blocks 19 defined by the net 16 each
has a length of about 8 cm and a width of about 8 cm. The net 16 is arranged relative to
the membrane strip 12 such that the apertures or blocks 19 defined by the net 16 have
their shorter sides transverse to the membrane strip 12.
The net 16 is of polyethylene or polypropylene material. A typical example of
a suitable net 16 is a net supplied under the trade name Netlon Palnet, available from
African Commerce Developing Company (Proprietary) Limited of Dacres Avenue, Epping
2, Eppingdust, Cape Town, Republic of South Africa.
The ground cover 10 is supplied in the form of a two-ply roll (not shown), one
ply consisting of the membrane strip 12 and the other ply consisting of the net 16.
In another embodiment of the invention, instead of the edge portions of the
net 16 being adhesively attached to the edge portions 17 of the membrane strip, the edge
portions of the net may be physically attached to the edge portions of the membrane strip,
such as by means of a high temperature and/or high pressure process e.g. by means of
welding.
In use, the ground cover 10 is laid on the ground by unrolling the membrane
strip 12 and the net 16 from the two-ply roll. Typically, the ground cover 10 is laid over a
linearly extending ridge or hump, with a centre line of the ground cover 10 being located on
a longitudinally extending centre line of the ridge or hump. Typically, an irrigation pipe or
the like (not shown) is located underneath the membrane strip 12 but, as will be
appreciated, the exact arrangement may depend on the kind of plants for which the ground
cover 10 is intended to be used.
The ground cover 10 may be laid using a conventional machine for the laying
of conventional ground covers for the cultivation of plants. Thus, the unrolling membrane
strip 12 and net 16 may be temporarily held down by a pair of spaced wheels pressing
down on the edge portions 17, whilst ploughshares may throw two rows 20 of soil onto the
edge portions 17.
A plurality of apertures (only one of which is shown) is formed in the
membrane strip 12, by simply pushing holes through the membrane strip 12. The
apertures are typically located on the centre line of the membrane strip 12 and are spaced
a desired distance from each other. Plants to be cultivated are then planted, one in each
aperture. Typically, the ground cover 10 is used for plants with tentacles, such as
watermelon or cantaloupe. The plants growing through the apertures find it easy to attach
or anchor themselves to the net 16, as shown in Figure 2 of the drawings.
The use of a ground cover, comprising only a membrane strip, is known to
the applicant. Membrane strip ground covers have a number of advantages, including that
fruit ripens earlier and more evenly, fruit can be harvested over a longer period, and less
chemical pest control is required. By also supplying anchoring formations on the upper
side of the membrane strip, thereby assisting cultivated plants to anchor themselves to the
ground cover 10, the ground cover 10, as illustrated, also provides the following
advantages: due to the anchoring of tentacles of the plant, wind damage to the plant is
reduced; plants are less acceptable to fungi, infections and stress when they are less
disturbed; immature fruits are not moved about, which reduces abrasions and loss of fruit;
natural wind breaks are sufficient to prevent wind damage to the plants and fruit and it is
thus not necessary to erect artificial windbreaks, lowering input capital; the net 16
strengthens the membrane strip 12, inhibiting wind damage to the membrane strip 12 and
thus allowing thinner membrane strips to be used and use of the ground cover 10 for a
second harvest during the same season; and more mature fruit is produced per hectare,
leading to higher nett income per hectare.
Some of the abovementioned advantages are illustrated by the following
results from experiments conducted by the applicant.
EXPERIMENT 1
An experiment was conducted at Ou Tuin, Doringrivier, District Clanwilliam in
South Africa to investigate the effect of the invention on the cultivation of watermelon and
cantaloupe compared to other ground treatment strategies. This area is subject to wind
damage of plants. The watermelon variety used was Carmen and the cantaloupe variety
used was Aphrodite. The membrane used with the watermelon was a brown plastics
sheet, whereas the membrane used with the cantaloupe was a black plastics sheet.
Observations on the leaf growth were made 8 weeks (Table 1) and 10 weeks (Table 2)
after planting. The Tables show the number of fully grown permanent leaves per plant.
Data for each repeat shows the average for 17 plants.
It is clear from Tables 1 and 2 that initial growth of leaves is strongest inside
the tunnel and it was markedly stronger for watermelon than cantaloupe, possibly because
the watermelon was established from plants, whereas the cantaloupe was established from
seed. The plastics sheet, with and without the net, also had a significant effect on the
number of fully grown leaves, compared to bare ground only, as shown by Tables 1 and 2.
After 10 weeks, the use of a plastics sheet in combination with the net, for watermelon,
showed improved results compared to the use of a plastics sheet only. It appeared that
the most prominent advantage of the use of the net with the plastics sheet is not to
increase the number of leaves per plant, but rather to improve the effectiveness of the
leaves. This can possibly be explained by the fact that anchoring of the tentacles of the
plants to the net has the effect that the leaves can maintain a fixed orientation relative to
the sun in contrast with unanchored plants which are subject to continual movement by the
wind, causing changes in orientation of the leaves relative to the sun. Leaves are often
turned upside down so that the leaf stems have to recompensate for incorrect orientation
of the leaves relative to the sun. This problem is particularly severe on smooth plastics
sheets. After 10 weeks, the number of tentacles per plant anchored to the net was 8 for
watermelon and 0.46 for cantaloupe. This difference can possibly again be explained by
the fact that the cantaloupe was established from seed whereas the watermelon was
established from plants.
Measurements were also taken to determine the effect of the different ground
treatment strategies on the fruit-bearing capacity of the watermelon and the cantaloupe.
The results are shown in Table 3 and indicate the number of fruits per plant after about 14
weeks. For cantaloupe, fruits larger than 8 cm were counted and for watermelon, fruits
larger than 15 cm in length were counted. The values given are the average of 17 plants.
Table 4 shows the results (number of fruits/plant) after about 20 weeks.
It is clear that the combination of the plastics sheet with the net has a marked
effect on the fruit-bearing capacity of both watermelon and cantaloupe, particularly in
combination with a tunnel, particularly when compared to bare ground.
Table 5 illustrates the effect of the ground treatment method on average fruit
diameter (in mm) after about 20 weeks.
As can be seen, for watermelon there was enough variation in fruit size in
order to, in addition to fruit-bearing capacity, affect the mass of harvested fruit. For
cantaloupe, this variation was relatively small and it is thus the fruit-bearing capacity in the
case of cantaloupe which will have the largest effect on the yield of the cantaloupe harvest.
The effect of the ground treatment method on harvest yield was calculated (in
tons per hectare). The following factors were used in calculating yields: the number of
fruits for watermelon was limited to fruits longer than 15 cm, and for cantaloupe to fruits
longer than 8 cm for one trial row of 17 trial plants per planting. Average fruit diameter is
calculated as the sum of the length diameter and the width diameter divided by two for 16
fruits from one representative trial row per planting. The calculated weight per fruit was
determined by weighing 15 fruits over the whole range of fruit sizes and preparing a graph
of the relationship of the average fruit diameter against the average fruit weight.
Calculated harvest yield per hectare was then calculated as follows: number of fruits per
plant after 20 weeks multiplied by the calculated average weight per fruit multiplied by
10000 plants per hectare divided by 1000, to give calculated harvest yield in ton per
hectare. The results are shown in Table 6 below.
It is clear from Table 6, that the use of the net with a plastics sheet (with or
without the use of a tunnel), has markedly improved calculated harvest yields for both
watermelon and cantaloupe, compared to bare ground and the use of a plastics sheet only.
This is probably a reflection of the negative effects of wind damage in the area where the
trials were conducted and the ability of the net to limit wind damage. The use of plastics
sheeting alone improved calculated harvest yield for watermelon by only 13.2 %, compared
to 75.6 % for cantaloupe. It is suspected that an unidentified factor in the form of a harmful
organism infestation affected the watermelon covered by the plastics sheet only, causing
the watermelon not to reach its full potential.
Observations were made to determine the effect of the different ground
treatment strategies on the possibility of an early harvest. The results are shown in Table 7
below, which indicates the number of fruit that ripened first per trial row of 17 plants, after
about 20 weeks.
The improvement when using plastics sheet combined with a net in respect of
watermelon is very clear from Table 7. For cantaloupe, the improvement is also marked
when a plastics sheet, a net and a tunnel are used, compared to bare ground. It was also
observed that surface damage of young fruit as a result of movement caused by wind was
at least 50 % higher for those ground treatments strategies which did not include a net, for
both watermelon and cantaloupe.
EXPERIMENT 2
An experiment was conducted to determine the effect of the colour of the
plastics sheet on the growth rate of watermelon and cantaloupe. Measurements of the
number of fully grown permanent leaves in one row of 30 plants were taken after 8 weeks
and 10 weeks. Each planting consisted of 100 plants. The results are shown in the
following Table 8.
It is clear that, after 10 weeks, stronger stimulation of growth occurred
underneath the brown plastics sheet than the black plastics sheet for both watermelon and
cantaloupe. At this stage, there were 18.9 % more fully grown leaves under the brown
plastics sheet for watermelon and 27.2 % more fully grown leaves for the cantaloupe.
The effect of the colour of the plastics sheet on calculated harvest yield was
calculated. Calculations were done on the same basis as for Table 6, although fruit size
measurements were taken for 100 plants for both watermelon and cantaloupe. The results
are reflected below in Table 9.
EXPERIMENT 3
The purpose of this experiment was to determine the effect of the ground
treatment strategies on sand blasting damage of young plants of Honey Chow cantaloupe
cultivar. The plants were planted in such a manner that from repeat 1 to repeat 3 the
plants were progressively more exposed to wind blown sand. This effect was promoted by
judicious use of a reed windbreak. The following Table 10 illustrates the results 3 weeks
and 5 weeks after planting.
The positive effect of the use of a plastics sheet in combination with a net is
clearly illustrated in Table 10. It was further observed that, where a plastics sheet was
used without a net, the wind eroded soil from the edges of the sheet with the result that the
plastics sheet was torn and blown to one side, particularly in respect of repeat 3. This
problem did not occur where the plastics sheet was used in combination with the net, as
the wind did not erode the soil from the net allowing the net to anchor the plastics sheet.
We claim:
1. A ground cover for improving harvest yield of tentacled plants, the ground
cover including
a water-impervious membrane strip of a synthetic plastics material having
a side which in use is an upper side on which a growing tentacled plant
can be supported; and
tentacle anchoring formations on the upper side of the membrane strip for
assisting a tentacled plant in the vicinity of the tentacled plant anchor and
ground cover to anchor itself thereto, the tentacle anchoring formations
allowing plant tentacles to grow in-between the tentacle anchoring
formations and the membrane strip.
2. A ground cover as claimed in claim 1, in which the membrane strip has a
thickness of between 15 mm and 40 mm, and a length of at least 500m.
3. A ground cover as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, in which the
membrane strip had a width of between 0.5 m and 2.5 m.
4. A ground cover as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, in which the
tentacle anchoring formations are defined by a net located on the upper side
of the membrane strip.
5. A ground cover as claimed in claim 4, in which the net is attached to the
membrane strip at a plurality of spaced locations, allowing the net to be
displaceable away from the membrane strip, in areas where the net is not
attached to the membrane strip.
6. A ground cover as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, in which the
membrane strip defines at least one aperture therethrough for receiving a
plant.
7. A ground cover as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, which is in the
form of a roll, comprising a ply consisting of the membrane strip and another
ply consisting of the tentacle anchoring formations.
A ground cover for cultivation of plants includes a membrane strip having a side which
in use is an upper side, and anchoring formations on the upper side of the membrane
strip. The anchoring formations assist a plant in the vicinity of the ground cover to
anchor itself to the ground cover.

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Patent Number

223028

Indian Patent Application Number

01401/KOLNP/2004

PG Journal Number

36/2008

Publication Date

05-Sep-2008

Grant Date

03-Sep-2008

Date of Filing

22-Sep-2004

Name of Patentee

NIEUWOUDT, GERT, JOHANNES, VAN TAAK

Applicant Address

FARM "KLEINHOEK", 8135 CLANWILLIAM

Inventors:

#	Inventor's Name	Inventor's Address
1	NIEUWOUDT, GERT, JOHANNES, VAN TAAK	FARM "KLEINHOEK", 8135 CLANWILLIAM

PCT International Classification Number

A01G 13/02

PCT International Application Number

PCT/IB02/00541

PCT International Filing date

2002-02-25

PCT Conventions:

#	PCT Application Number	Date of Convention	Priority Country
1	PCT/IB02/00541	2002-02-25	IB