AUTOMATED MIXING AND APPLICATION OF AGRICULTURAL CHEMICALS

CURRENT METHODS FOR APPLYING AGRICULTURAL CHEMICALS, SUCH AS FERTILIZERS, HERBICIDES, AND PESTICIES, REQUIRE PREMIXING OF CONCENTRATED CHEMICALS WITH WATER AND POSE PROBLEMS OF DISPOSING OF THE UNUSED MIXED CHEMICALS AND THE PREMIX TANK WASH SOLUTION IN AN ENVIRONMENTALLY ACCEPTABLE MANNER. IN ADDITION, CURRENT SPRAYERS CANNOT ADJUST CONCENTRATIONS FOR CHANGES IN SPRAYER SPEED. THE OBJECTIVE OF MAIS, INC. IS TO DEVELOP A MICRO AUTOMATED INJECTION SYSTEM (MAIS) TO SOLVE THESE PROBLEMS BY MIXING THE CHEMICALS AS THEY ARE PUMPED TO THE SPRAY BOOM AND USING AN ELECTRONIC MICROPROCESSOR TO CALCULATE AND CONTROL THE AMOUNT OF EACH CHEMICAL. PHASE I RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT WILL DESIGN AND CONSTRUCT APROTOTYPE OF THE MIXING SYSTEM INCLUDING THE VALVES, PUMPS, MANIFOLD, MIXING CHAMBER, AND MICROPROCESSOR CONTROLLER. PHASE II WILL CONFIRM THE DESIGN WITH FIELD TESTING AND WILLDEVELOP A COMMERCIALLY MANUFACTURABLE PRODUCT BASED ON THE PHASE I PROTOTYPE.