In a forage harvester having a cutter for chopping gathered crop material, a unit is arranged downstream of the cutter, the unit including an accelerator arranged in the path of crop flow for propelling the crop towards a discharge spout, and a crop processor for cracking kernels which is selectively movable into and out of the crop flow path at a location between the cutter and the accelerator. The accelerator comprises a rotor and housing which are together movable towards the cutter when the ...

A new pollination method for efficient crop pollination by insects, primarily the economical production of solitary bees and other pollinating insects in such sufficient and reliable numbers so as to permit their timely distribution among and pollination of entomophilous plants to produce a crop. The process utilizes a clean manufacturing environment to rear insect ovum to imagoes that are isolated from agents of disease, predation, and parasitism. This pollination method employs a point-to-poin...

An array of foliage contacting rods having a certain stiffness and trunk contacting rods having a greater stiffness is assembled in combination for mounting on an oscillatory shaker head configured to be carried over row cultivated crops by a mobile harvester to effect crop harvesting by both foliage shaking and trunk shaking using a single shaker head. Moreover, the number of rods of each type may be varied to suit harvesting conditions while the oscillatory shaker head remains in place in the ...

The present invention provides cover crop systems which employ hybrid lethal plant varieties. Hybrid lethal cover crops such as hybrid lethal wheat varieties are useful, for example, in reducing soil erosion and inhibiting weed growth during the winter season prior to planting the primary crop (e.g., potatoes).

A large round baler includes a crop feed arrangement for taking up crop deposited on the ground and for delivering it to the inlet of the baling chamber of the baler. The baling chamber has a width less than that of a pick-up forming a forward portion of the crop feed arrangement and the arrangement includes a pair of augers respectively mounted at its opposite sides for narrowing the flow of crop to a width matching that of the baling chamber. These augers are mounted on a shaft also used for s...

A round baler for agricultural harvested crop and including a variable volume bale chamber having a delivery opening and limited, in an axial direction, by side walls of the baler housing and, in a radial direction, by at least one flexible transporting and pressing belt, which is guided over deflection rolls, and by at least one pressing roller which is arranged adjacent to a respective deflection roll, a pivot device supported in the baler housing for pivoting the transporting and pressing bel...

Plant-protecting mixtures of active ingredients having a synergistically increased action, wherein component I is a compound having a plant-immunizing action of the formula I ##STR1## in which Z is CN, COOH or a salt thereof, CO--OC.sub.1 -C.sub.4 alkyl or CO--SC.sub.1 -C.sub.4 alkyl; and wherein component II is a compound selected from the group consisting of tebuconazol, epoxyconazol, cyproconazol, metconazol and tetraconazol.

A header includes a generally C-shaped cutter bar supporting the sickle knife assembly across a front edge of the header. A draper assembly is carried behind the cutter bar and includes a pair of rollers at right angles to the beam carrying a continuous draper canvas band around the rollers with the front edge of the canvas underneath the cutter bar. The rollers and a support plate between the rollers for the upper run of the canvas are both recessed relative to the front edge of the canvas to l...

A baled crop material processor for disintegrating baled crop material comprising a container, a disintegrator, a discharge opening and means for manipulating the crop material for disintegration by the disintegrator. The container, receives and contains the crop material. The disintegrator comprises a flail roller that is mounted within the container and has a number of flails pivotally mounted about it. The flail roller rotates about its own longitudinal axis in either a clockwise or counter-c...

A crop conditioning system to reduce the drying time of crops. The invention generally provides a framework, a fixed roller mounted on the framework, a movable roller mounted on one or more bellows which are mounted on the framework and a source of compressed gas or air for the bellows. The invention also provides a compressible roller sleeve which reduces down time due to jamming or clogging of the rollers with slugs and other debris, which includes a compressible base mat and a plurality of pl...