{
  "patent_number": "US 11134620",
  "country": "US",
  "title": "Using Special Mud to Help Plants Grow Better",
  "original_title": "Use of bentonite for improving plant growth-related traits",
  "summary": "This patent describes a method using a super-saturated bentonite clay mud mixture to improve plant growth, especially in dry conditions, by retaining more moisture than regular soil.",
  "what_it_does": "This patent details a method for boosting plant growth by using a special mud, called a 'flowable supersaturated bentonite slurry.' This slurry is made of bentonite clay and water, with more water than needed to fully saturate the clay, as measured by something called the Swell Index. You apply this mud into a hole in the soil before planting, or around an existing plant. The plant's seeds or roots then touch this mud. The key is that this special mud holds onto water much better than just wet soil. This helps the plant grow measurably better, whether that's measured by how tall it gets, how much it weighs, or how big its roots are. It's particularly helpful for plants growing when there isn't much water, like during a drought. The slurry can also include other helpful things like fertilizers or bug killers.",
  "what_it_does_not_cover": [
    "Using bentonite that is not in a supersaturated slurry with more water than needed for complete saturation.",
    "Methods that do not involve applying the bentonite slurry into a hole in the plant growth medium.",
    "Using the bentonite slurry without a plant propagative material (like seeds or seedlings).",
    "Enhancing plant growth without measuring specific traits like biomass, yield, or root growth.",
    "Applying the slurry to established plants that are not considered 'plant propagative material' like seedlings or saplings."
  ],
  "filed": "2019-04-08",
  "granted": "2021-10-05",
  "expires": "2039-04-08",
  "status": "active",
  "holder": "Individual",
  "holder_url": "https://patentbrief.org/company/individual",
  "inventors": [
    {
      "name": "Christopher Scannell",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/christopher-scannell"
    }
  ],
  "times_cited": 1,
  "tags": [
    "agriculture",
    "materials",
    "biotech"
  ],
  "abstract": "The present invention relates to a slurry comprising water, bentonite, and a compound selected from fertilizer, a plant growth regulator, a fungicide and an insecticide. The present invention also relates to an agricultural product comprising a slurry comprising water and bentonite, and a plant propagative material. Methods of using the bentonite to enhance a growth-related trait, such as drought tolerance, in a plant are also described.",
  "url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/11134620/use-of-bentonite-for-improving-plant-growth-related-traits",
  "markdown_url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/11134620/use-of-bentonite-for-improving-plant-growth-related-traits/md",
  "google_patents_url": "https://patents.google.com/patent/US11134620",
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}