Weed Seed Destroyer Mounts Inside Combine

Weed Seed Destroyer Mounts Inside Combine COMBINES Modifications A new weed seed killing device that mounts inside combines uses a blend of heat and intense blue light to destroy weed seeds before they exit the combine While development has reached the prototype stage the device itself doesn’t yet have a name “We are calling it the Weed Seed Destroyer for now ” says Jon Jackson of Global Neighbor Inc GNI What it does have is effectiveness “We have consistently had greater than 90 percent control ” says Jackson “In germination chamber tests at Ohio State University only 8 out of 1 200 treated palmer amaranth pigweed seeds grew By comparison 97 percent of untreated seeds grew ” Central States University experimented with 4 different weeds including morning glory foxtail and ragweed and had a 95 percent kill rate The Destroyer consists of an auger through which seeds and chaff pass before exiting the combine The diameter and speed of the auger determines the volume of material the Destroyer can handle A heating unit warms the seeds and chaff before they pass through blue light from LED bulbs This process kills more than 95 percent of the seeds immediately The remaining 5 percent remain alive but are unable to send out a radicle baby root The concept for the Destroyer was the result of Jackson’s desire to find chemical-free weed control His first attempt was a small hand-held unit for killing weeds in lawns and gardens “My son pointed out that if light hits weed roots they don’t like it ” says Jackson “We developed the concept and then showed it to a university researcher and were told it wouldn’t work We built a unit hit crabgrass with it and 3 to 4 days later the weeds turned brown It worked!” When Jackson learned the U S Air Force had put out a request for proposals to use directed energy to control tumbleweeds he submitted his design It was selected for funding in the first round and again in phase two By then Jackson had secured patents and begun building and selling the Nature Zap see Vol 33 No 4 The next step was applying the directed energy concept to field crops This time researchers at several universities agreed to evaluate effectiveness Ironically while it has been proven effective understanding why it works is still in question “We are looking for researchers to help us understand what is happening in the plant cell to stop the radicle from developing ” says Jackson This fall the Destroyer will be installed on a combine in Tennessee and test units will be in Ohio and Louisiana Jackson plans to sell 10 to 15 systems next year and then scale up to more than 100 units in 2023 “Some customization is required for different makes and models ” says Jackson “We expect the cost will be around $30 000 plus about $3 000 for installation ” Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Global Neighbor Inc 1855 Bellbrook Ave Suite B and F Xenia Ohio 45385 ph 937 285-0990 or 937 231-8421; sales@g-neighbor com; www g-neighbor com

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