Abstract: A system for removing parts from plants rooted in an agricultural field while leaving other parts of the plants rooted in the agricultural field may include a harvester apparatus with an intake throat formed by structures such as the combination of an infeed head and infeed conveyor, a pair of stripping assemblies including stripping belts, or stripping assemblies including stripping members such as chains.

Abstract: The present application relates to selective harvesting of agricultural objects, such as asparagus spears. One described example relates to a harvester that includes at least one set of independently controllable cutter arm assemblies that rotate about a common axis to harvest individual asparagus spears.

Abstract: A weeding device includes a comb blade unit including first and second comb bodies in which a plurality of comb blades are arranged on a coupling rod in a comb shape. Both ends of a plurality of the comb blade units are fastened on the same circle of the rotating center of a pair of rotating plates. The coupling rod of the first comb body and/or the second comb body is pressed toward the longitudinal direction to project a projection piece to the outside of the rotating plates. The projection piece is depressed by guide plates located on the outside of the rotating plates, and the comb blades are brought into contact with one another or come close to one another to sandwich the blades of grass that are growing therebetween, and that the sandwiched blades are pulled out along with further rotation of the rotating plates.

Abstract: The soil sampler device has a cylindrical tubular shaped body member, one end portion of which is formed into a soil receiving section comprised of a pair of transversely opposite semicylindrically shaped half members one of which is integral with the body member and the other of which is cut from the body member for movable support thereon into and out of a cylinder forming relation with the integral or stationary half member. The movable member is guided into the cylinder forming relation with the stationary member on ground insertion of the device and such relation is maintained by the pressure applied on a footrest projected laterally from the movable member. An inlet opening of reduced diameter for the soil receiving section provides for a friction free travel of the soil sample material throughout the length of such section, with the sample being removed for testing by merely being dropped from the stationary member when the movable member is out of the cylinder forming relation.

Abstract: A rotatable wheel on a mobile frame carries radially extending pairs of movable, opposed crop-gripping arms which are spring-loaded toward each other. Brackets on each face of the wheel pivotably secure the arms. A roller on each arm moves onto and out of engagement with a cam on the frame with each rotation of the wheel, opening and closing the arms. Preferably the brackets, springs and rollers have quickly defeasible attachment hardward for ease in replacing worn parts, like a readily accessible removable pin securing each arm spring in a cavity in the arm, and rollers having shafts with indents in which a spring-loaded lock removably lodges. In one embodiment a lone threaded member secures each bracket and also affords a base locator for the arm spring. A bracket is removable with arms still attached for ease in maintenance with access to the threaded member through the spring cavity.

Abstract: A harvesting machine for root row crops, such as onions, radishes, parsley, turnips, turnip greens, carrots, and the like wherein the individual plants have root bodies within the soil and tops above the ground. The harvesting machine has at least one harvesting wheel mounted on a vehicle for movement along a plant row and provided about its perimeter with a pair of annular, axially confronting plant top gripping means which open and close locally as the wheel turns, in a manner such that the gripping means open within a plant receiving zone within the bottom of the wheel to receive between the gripping means the tops of the plants in the plant row being harvested, and the gripping means then close to grip the intervening plant tops, extract the plants from the ground, and transport the extracted plants upwardly through a transfer zone to an upper plant releasing zone, where the gripping means reopen to release the plants from the wheel.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for harvesting crops, such as mushrooms, wherein the method comprehends the growing of the crops in rows and the apparatus has a mobile frame adapted for transport along the row; a driven picking assembly mounted on the frame for rotational movement about an axis extending substantially transversely of the frame and having pairs of opposed, radially extending arms mounted thereon for pivotal movement toward and from each other; guides borne by the frame defining first paths of travel for the pairs of arms laterally of a picking station and second paths of travel for the pairs of arms toward each other into juxtaposition in the picking station; a sensing mechanism mounted on the frame adapted to detect crops in the row of predetermined maturity; and a control mechanism borne by the frame interconnecting the sensing mechanism and the guides adapted to direct a pair of opposed arms into the second paths of travel upon detection of a mature drop to pick the crop in the picking station.