Weed Seed Destroyer Mounts Inside Combine

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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).

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