JPH067048A - Solution culture apparatus and raising seedling vessel to be used in the solution culture apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide a solution culture apparatus capable of easily varying the culture area of plants. CONSTITUTION:Cylindrical culture tanks 1 having plural planting openings 2 are connected with each other in series through a culture solution supplying connection ring 7 connected with a culture solution supply tube 8 or a simple connection ring free from the connected culture solution supply tube. A plural sets of the series connected culture tanks 1 are arranged in parallel. Prescribed plants are planted in the planting openings 2 of each culture tank 1 and a culture solution FW is intermittently supplied to a set of the culture tanks. The culture area can easily be varied by stopping the supply of the culture solution to each culture tank, increasing the number of connected culture tanks or removing a desired number of tanks from the apparatus. Accordingly, the culture area can be controlled according to the culture amount of the plant.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an apparatus for cultivating a plant using a nutrient solution and a seedling raising apparatus effective for producing seedlings used in this cultivating apparatus, and particularly to a planting apparatus depending on the amount of cultivation and the stage of plant growth. The present invention relates to a hydroponic cultivation apparatus capable of appropriately adjusting a cultivation area and a seedling raising apparatus used in the cultivation apparatus.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Cultivation using a nutrient solution makes it easy to control the plants to be cultivated and the growth of the plants is good. Therefore, it is necessary to cultivate commercial crops such as vegetables, some flowers and fruits. Widely used in the center. In the case of commercial crops, a larger cultivation scale is generally more economically advantageous, and therefore, when the commercial crops are hydroponically grown, the entire cultivation facility (apparatus) becomes considerably large.

[0003]

As described above, large-scale equipment is generally installed in hydroponics for producing commercial crops. However, depending on the type of crop and the time, such large-scale equipment may not be necessary. is there. In particular, in the case of commercial crops, in addition to the amount of production based on plant physiology such as season and temperature, it is often the case that production is controlled by economic factors such as market prices. In such a case, in the conventional large-scale equipment, most of the equipment such as the circulation system of the nutrient solution has to be operated even when the small-scale production is performed, and the economical efficiency is greatly reduced.

Further, when planting seedlings of plants to be cultivated such as vegetables in the field or sowing seeds of these plants directly, the planting interval of seedlings and the seedling planting intervals should be taken into consideration in consideration of the size of the plants to be cultivated at the time of harvest. The sowing interval must be set. From this point, for example, in leeks, it is necessary to leave an interval of about 30 cm between each ridge, and in cabbage, it is necessary to plant a seedling with a space of about 50 cm around one seedling. That is, such a method leaves a lot of space that is not effectively used at the seedling stage or the sowing stage that does not require a large area. This point is the same when using a hydroponic cultivation apparatus, and especially in a hydroponic cultivation apparatus with a high operating cost per unit area, it is economically very disadvantageous that many such unused spaces occur. Is.

Further, for example, radish sprouts, leek seedlings, etc. are cultivated with a nutrient solution from seeding to a seedling of a certain size, or germinated buds are planted in a hydroponic cultivation apparatus to obtain a certain size. In some cases, the hydroponics device is used until the seedlings are grown. In such a case, the period from sowing or planting of seedlings to harvesting (taking out of the seedlings from the hydroponic cultivation device) is a relatively short period of time, and this work from planting or seeding to harvesting should be performed many times a year. become. In such a case, when harvesting from the hydroponic cultivation apparatus, it is necessary that the harvesting work can be performed quickly.

Most of the hydroponics devices currently in use have a structure in which plants are planted in a porous material such as a foam material, and the nutrient solution is supplied mainly from the porous material portion from a nutrient solution supply system. As the plant grows, its roots enter the nutrient solution supply system of the cultivation device. For this reason, when the plant is harvested, the roots are caught in the device and the harvesting work is not always easy. Particularly when the seedlings are harvested as described above and the planting (sowing) and the rotation of the harvesting are frequently repeated, a large amount of labor is required for harvesting, which is a major drawback in the hydroponics.

[0007]

In view of the above-mentioned problems, the present invention makes it possible to easily expand or reduce the cultivated area according to the cultivation amount and the growth stage of the plant, and to easily perform the plant harvesting work. A nursery device used for the nutrient solution cultivating device and the cultivating device, wherein the cultivating device comprises a cultivating tank and a nutrient solution supply system for supplying the nutrient solution to the cultivating tank,
The cultivation tank is formed in a substantially cylindrical body, and both ends of the cultivation tank are configured to be connectable to other cultivation tanks so that a plurality of cultivation tanks are connected in series, or these cultivation tanks are arranged in parallel. It is a hydroponic cultivation apparatus configured so that the cultivation area of the entire cultivation apparatus can be adjusted.

Another structure of the present invention is a seedling raising device for producing seedlings to be planted in the above-mentioned hydroponic cultivation apparatus, which has a length that can be stored in the longitudinal direction of the cultivation tank on the premise of being planted in the cultivation tank. A seedling raising mat, a partition plate for partitioning each of these seedling raising mats, a seedling raising container for storing these seedling raising mats, and a sheet interposed between the seedling raising mat and the container bottom. To do.

[0009]

Embodiments of the present invention will be specifically described below with reference to the drawings.

First, FIGS. 1 to 5 show a first embodiment of the present invention. What is shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 is a cultivation tank that constitutes the main body of the hydroponic cultivation device. The cultivation tank 1 has a cylindrical shape as a basic shape, and is entirely made of plastic such as vinyl chloride or a material having the same effect. The overall length is, for example, about 4 m and the diameter is about 14 cm. Reference numeral 2 is an implantation opening formed on the side wall of the tubular body in the axial direction of the tubular body. This planting opening 2 is not formed continuously with respect to the cultivation tank 1 which is a cylindrical body, but a plurality of continuous portions 3 that leave the original cylindrical portion are left, so that a plurality of places are provided for one cultivation tank 1. (4 places in the figure) are formed. By leaving this continuous portion 3, the strength of the whole cultivation tank 1 is maintained, and as will be described later, even if a plant is planted in this cultivation tank 1 and a nutrient solution is supplied, the cultivation tank 1 bends due to their weight. There is no waste.

FIG. 3 partially shows a vertical cross section of the cultivation tank 1. In FIG. 3, reference numeral 4 denotes a nutrient solution pipe having a diameter of about 1 / about that of a cylinder forming the cultivation tank 1, for example. It is formed by dividing a pipe having a small diameter of about 4 in half, and this nutrient solution pipe 4 is arranged at the bottom of the cultivation tank 1 (see FIG. 4). Further, reference numeral 5 in FIG. 3 is a cap, which is a cultivation tank 1
The end of the cultivation tank is sealed by being inserted into the end of the so that the supplied nutrient solution does not leak outside. That is, if the caps 5 are attached to both ends of the cultivation tank 1 shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 and a system for supplying the nutrient solution to the cultivation tank 1 is connected, a minimum nutrient solution cultivation device is configured. Is possible.

FIG. 6 shows a state in which the cultivation tank 1 is connected and a nutrient solution supply system for supplying a nutrient solution to the cultivation tank. Reference numerals 6 and 7 are connecting rings made of a cylindrical body whose inner diameter is substantially equal to the outer diameter of the cultivation tank 1, and the reference numeral 6 is a simple cylindrical body that simply connects both adjacent cultivation tanks 1. Also, what is denoted by reference numeral 7 is configured as a connection ring in a state in which a pipe (hereinafter referred to as a "nutrient solution supply pipe") 8 through which a nutrient solution enters and leaves this tube is connected. The connection ring shown by the reference numeral 7 is hereinafter referred to as a nutrient solution supply connection ring. In this way, the cultivation tanks 1 can be connected in series by the connection ring 6 and the nutrient solution supply connection ring 7. However, not only the cultivation tanks 1 are connected in series, but a set of cultivation tanks connected in series is used. It is of course possible to arrange the cells in parallel. FIG. 7A shows a state in which the cultivation tanks 1 connected in series are further arranged in parallel, and a plant to be cultivated such as leeks is planted. Further, FIG. 6B conceptually shows the nutrient solution supply system of each cultivation tank connected in parallel (details will be described later as an explanation of FIG. 6).

In FIG. 6, reference numeral 9 is a nutrient solution tank, in which the nutrient solution FW is stored, and as a means for supplying and pumping the nutrient solution FW, a nutrient solution supply pump 10 (in the figure, a submersible pump). ) Is disposed and the nutrient solution FW is discharged and supplied to the nutrient solution main pipe 11 side. It should be noted that in the illustrated nutrient solution supply system, a pipeline dedicated to returning the nutrient solution is not provided, and by stopping the submersible pump 10, the nutrient solution FW on the side of the cultivation tank 1 naturally flows back due to its potential energy. Is configured. However, such a configuration is not essential for the present invention, and it is possible to install a return-only system. As described above, one or a plurality of cultivation tanks connected in series and / or in parallel and the nutrient solution supply system for supplying the nutrient solution to these cultivation tanks constitute the nutrient solution cultivation device of the present invention. In the case of cultivation tanks connected in parallel, if the nutrient solution supply pipe 8 is formed of a flexible tube such as a vinyl pipe, the cultivation tanks of each example are parallel to each other on a mount supporting the cultivation tank. It is possible to move. For example, the cultivation tanks 1 arranged in four rows on each frame of FIG. 7 (B)
For example, in the case where seedlings are planted in two rows and vegetables just before harvest are planted in the other two rows, for example, seedlings that do not require a large cultivation space are planted. It is possible to arrange the rows of tanks close to each other, and to arrange a cultivation tank in which vegetables before harvest are planted in a space with a sufficient margin with a sufficient margin. That is, by arranging the rows of the respective cultivation tanks in such a manner that the rows can be moved in parallel, the arrangement space of the respective cultivation tanks can be freely set according to the type and growing condition of the plant to be cultivated.

8 and 9 show the structure of a seedling raising device for raising seedlings to be planted in the above-mentioned hydroponic cultivation device. In FIG. 8, reference numeral 12 is a nursery mat, which is made of styrofoam,
It is made of highly water-containing materials such as glass fiber and various mineral fibers. Conventionally, the seedling-growing mat is formed in a small block having a substantially square shape so as to be divided into one seedling or a small number of seedlings, respectively. It That is, in FIG. 1, assuming that the length L1 of each planting opening 2 of the cultivation tank 1 is about 90 cm and that three seedling mats are arranged in each of the planting openings 2, each seedling mat. The total length L2 of 12 (see Fig. 8) is 30 cm considering the arrangement interval.
Weak, preferably 26 to 28 cm.

On the other hand, reference numeral 13 is a nursery box, which has a large number of small holes 13a formed on the bottom surface thereof. This nursery box 13
A sheet 14 made of a material such as vinyl that does not penetrate plant roots is laid on the bottom surface of the sheet. The width W of this sheet 14 is substantially equal to the width of the bottom surface of the seedling raising box and the total length is longer than the bottom surface, so that the three side edges of the sheet 14 substantially coincide with the side edge portions of the bottom surface of the seedling raising box. Is located at the end of the nursery box, and its entire length is longer than that of the nursery box.
Only 4a is arranged so as to be exposed to the outside of the nursery box 13. In this way, the seedling-raising mats 12 are arranged on the sheets 14 laid in the seedling-raising box 13.
At this time, a partition plate 15 made of a plastic plate or the like is interposed between each seedling mat 12. In this way, if the seedling-growing mats 12 and the partition plates 15 are alternately arranged in the seedling-raising box 13, the seedling-growing mats 12 are sowed, and if seeding is completed, the seedlings are placed on the seeds. Sprinkle thin gravel to form a gravel tank.

FIG. 9 shows the situation described above, with the reference numeral 16 indicating the seeds sown and the reference numeral 17 indicating the gravel layered on the seed 16. When the seeding and the formation of the gravel layer are completed in this manner, the surface of the gravel layer is softly and uniformly watered. As a result, the seeds 16 sown are sufficiently watered without flowing out. In this case, excess water passes through the gap between the sheet 14 and the inner side surface of the nursery box and is a small hole 13a on the bottom of the nursery box.
There is no need to worry about spoiled roots of germinated seedlings due to the accumulation of unnecessary water. In addition, as a watering method after sowing, in addition to the above method, the seedling raising box 13 is soaked with respect to the accumulated water that the water does not enter beyond the side wall of the seedling raising box 13, and watering is performed by a so-called lumbar water method. You may. That is, this waist water allows water to enter the seedling-growing mats 12 through the gaps between the sheet 14 and the seedling-growing box 13 through the small holes 13a, and can be watered without flowing the seeds 16.

The seedlings that have germinated and become a predetermined size by being grown for a certain period by the seedling raising device having the above-mentioned structure are then transplanted to the cultivation device. Prior to the transplantation, by pulling the portion 14a of the sheet 14 protruding from the seedling raising box 13, each seedling raising mat 12 in the seedling raising individual 13 is taken out of the seedling raising box 13 at once together with the sheet 14 being taken out. Taking it out is very easy. Further, since the partition plate 15 prevents the roots of the adjacent seedling-raising mats 12 from entering the adjacent seedling-raising mats, it is extremely easy to separate the taken-out seedling-raising mats from each other.

FIG. 10 and FIG. 5 show the state of planting seedlings. First, the cultivation tank 1 is filled with a predetermined amount of gravel 17 in advance. First, the filled gravel 17 is partially moved in the circumferential direction of the cultivation tank 1 to form a groove for planting along the axial direction of the cultivation tank 1, and the seedling P1 (in the case of the drawing, is formed in this groove. The seedling-raising mats 12 having onions are arranged. In the configuration of FIG. 10, three seedling raising mats 12 are arranged for each planting opening 2. When the placement of the seedling-growing mat 12 is completed, the surrounding gravel 17 is returned to the original position so that the seedling-raising mat 12 is positioned substantially in the middle of the gravel tank as shown in FIG. It should be noted that this planting is extremely simple because the work can be completed simply by arranging the gravel 17 around the seedling raising mat 12.

After the completion of planting in each cultivation tank 1, thereafter, the nutrient solution FW is appropriately supplied to the planted seedlings P1 to cultivate the seedlings. Specifically, FIG.
As shown in FIG. 7B, a timer 18 is connected to the nutrient solution supply pump 10 in the nutrient solution tank 9.
8, the nutrient solution supply pump 10 operates periodically. That is, when the nutrient solution supply pump 10 is operated, the nutrient solution tank 9 is
The nutrient solution FW therein enters the nutrient solution pipe 4 of each nutrient solution tank 1 through the nutrient solution main pipe 11 and each nutrient solution supply pipe 8. The entering nutrient solution FW flows into the gravel tank from between the nutrient solution pipe 4 and the inner wall surface of the nutrient solution tank 1 and fills this gravel layer (the reference numeral WL in FIG. 5 indicates the nutrient solution FW that fills this gravel layer). Indicates the highest water level).

After a certain period of time, the operation of the nutrient solution supply pump 10 is stopped by the stop signal output from the timer 18. As a result, the discharge pressure of the pump becomes zero, and thereafter, the nutrient solution FW in the cultivation tank 1 naturally returns to the nutrient solution tank 9 due to the potential energy of the nutrient solution FW that has risen to the cultivation tank 1. Even if the nutrient solution FW is returned, the gravel 17 and the seedling-growing mat 12 contain the nutrient solution FW for a certain period of time, so that the nutrient solution is properly secured in the root portion and aeration is possible. That is, the timer 1
By appropriately setting No. 8, the nutrient solution FW is appropriately supplied and returned, and the seedling P1 grows extremely smoothly and efficient plant cultivation / production is possible.

By automatically repeating the above nutrient solution supply operation, the seedling P1 to be cultivated grows, and when the seedling P1 reaches a predetermined size, this seedling or the grown plant is harvested, that is, taken out from the hydroponic cultivation apparatus. . In this case, FIG. 4 and FIG.
As shown in (1), since no holes are formed in the wall surface of the nutrient solution pipe 4 forming the nutrient solution path, the root is not entangled with the nutrient solution pipe 4. As a result, the plant to be cultivated can be easily taken out. In addition, since the roots are rarely cut and remain in the gravel, the next planting work can be started immediately after the harvesting work is completed, and this planting work is extremely easy as described above. However, the device is very effective for a plant having a short length and frequent planting and harvesting.

The amount of cultivation of the target plant can be easily adjusted depending on the number of the cultivation tanks 1 installed, but if each nutrient solution supply pipe 8 is provided with a valve 8a, it can be removed or used. By stopping the valve 8a of the nutrient solution supply pipe 8 to stop the supply of the nutrient solution to the cultivation tank which is not performing, the nutrient solution supply system can immediately cope with expansion / reduction of the cultivation area.

FIG. 11 shows another embodiment of the cultivation tank in the hydroponic cultivation apparatus.

Reference numeral 20 is a plant support plate arranged in the cultivation tank 1 above the nutrient solution pipe 4 with a certain space 21. The plant support plate 20 may be formed separately from the pipe material forming the cultivation tank 1. However, when the planting opening 2 is formed by cutting a part of the pipe material, the cut pipe side wall portion is used as the cultivation tank. The plant supporting plate 20 can be obtained by arranging the plant supporting plate 1 inside. The illustrated configuration shows a state in which the side wall of the cut pipe material is used as the plant support plate.

A sheet-like material (hereinafter referred to as “water absorbing material”) 22 that absorbs nutrient solution such as nonwoven fabric is laid on the plant support plate 20, and both end edges of the plant support plate 20 and the cultivation tank 1 are It enters the space 21 through the space between the wall. Furthermore, a bag-shaped covering 23 made of synthetic resin such as vinyl is attached to the cultivation tank 1 along the axis of the cultivation tank 1. Further, the covering 23 has a planting opening 2 of the cultivation tank 1.
The openings 23a are individually formed in the portions corresponding to a. Since the nutrient solution reaches the upper part of the plant support plate 20 when the nutrient solution is supplied, the end of the water absorbent material 22 does not necessarily have to be in the space 21 in view of the retaining ability of the nutrient solution. .

The seedlings P2 are respectively planted into the cultivation tank 1 in the above-mentioned state through the openings 23a of the cover 23. That is, in the configuration of FIG. 11, the roots of the seedlings P2 are planted so as to be in direct contact with the water absorbent material 22, and the water absorbent material 22 is constantly wet because the nutrient solution FW is regularly supplied by the method described above. In this state, the root extends along the water absorbent material 22. By extending along the water absorbent material 22, the root enters the space 21 under the plant support plate 20. In this part, the nutrient solution FW is sufficiently supplied and it is a dark and moist space, so that the root growth is very good. Further, since the entire cultivation tank 1 is covered with the covering 23, the evaporation of water from the planting opening 2 is small, and the frequency of feeding the nutrient solution can be small.

In this way, the plant P2 can be easily taken out from the cultivation tank 1 together with the water absorbent material 22 by growing the plant P2 to a predetermined size and pulling out the plant P2 at the harvest time. In this case, the covering body 23 is cut off in advance so as to communicate with the opening 23 and removed in advance before harvesting.

All the cultivation tanks in the hydroponic cultivation apparatus according to the present invention are formed by working a pipe having a circular cross section, such as a vinyl chloride pipe, but the invention is not limited to this structure and may be, for example, a cross section. It is of course possible to form the cultivation tank by using a cylindrical body such as a quadrangle.

[0029]

As described in detail above, the present invention has the following advantages.
Configured by connecting cultivation tanks in series or in parallel,
The cultivation area can be easily changed by adjusting the supply of the nutrient solution to these cultivation tanks, so that the nutrient solution cultivation system can always be economically formed according to the production amount and the growth stage of the plant, and the plant can be efficiently hydroponically grown. It becomes possible to do.

Further, since planting of seedlings and harvesting of cultivated plants can be performed very easily, it is particularly effective in the case of cultivation in which the period from planting to harvesting is short and this rotation is repeated frequently, and the production of commercial crops is achieved. Is especially effective for

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view of a cultivation tank used in a hydroponics device according to the present invention.

2 is a plan view of the cultivation tank shown in FIG. 1. FIG.

FIG. 3 is a partial vertical cross-sectional view of the cultivation tank shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG.

5 is a diagram showing a state in which a plant is planted in the configuration of FIG. 3, corresponding to a cross section taken along line CC of FIG.

FIG. 6 is a system diagram showing a supply system of a nutrient solution for a plurality of cultivation tanks connected in series.

FIG. 7 (A) is a perspective partial view of the hydroponic cultivation apparatus showing a state in which a set of cultivation tanks connected in series is further arranged in parallel, and FIG. 7 (B) is for a cultivation tank arranged in parallel. It is a nutrient solution supply system diagram which shows the supply state of a nutrient solution.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a configuration state of a seedling raising device.

9 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB of FIG.

FIG. 10 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the cultivation tank showing a state in which seedlings grown in the cultivation device are planted in the cultivation tank.

FIG. 11 is a sectional view of a cultivation tank showing another configuration example of the cultivation tank.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Cultivation tank 2 Planting opening 3 Continuous part 4 Nutrient solution supply pipe 6 Connection ring 7 Nutrient solution supply connection ring 8 Nutrient solution supply pipe 9 Nutrient solution tank 10 Nutrient solution supply pump 12 Nursery seedling mat 13 Nursery box 14 Sheet 15 Partition plate 17 Gravel P1 Plant to be cultivated P2 Plant to be cultivated 23 Cover 23a Cover Open

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. An apparatus having one or more cultivation tanks and a nutrient solution supply system for supplying a nutrient solution to the cultivation tanks, the cultivation tanks being configured such that both ends can be connected in series with other cultivation tanks. A tubular body having one or more implantation openings formed in the axial direction of the tubular body, and a path for supplying the nutrient solution is formed in the tubular body along the axial direction of the tubular body. The nutrient solution supply system is configured so that the nutrient solution supply system is connected to a path for supplying the nutrient solution. 2. The culture tanks are connected in series by a connection ring or a nutrient solution supply connection ring to which a nutrient solution supply pipe is connected, and the set of culture tanks connected in series is further connected in parallel. The hydroponic cultivation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein 3. The cultivation tank is formed of a pipe material having a circular cross section, and a side wall of the pipe material is cut to form a planting opening, and the cut side wall surface is a plant support plate at the bottom of the planting opening. Since a space is formed in the lower part of the plant support plate by arranging as a water absorbent material, a water absorbing material is arranged on the upper surface of the plant supporting plate, and the plant is configured to be directly planted in the water absorbing material. Claim 1
Or the hydroponic cultivation apparatus according to 2. 4. The nutrient solution supply system is configured to intermittently supply the nutrient solution to the nutrient solution supply path of the cultivation tank, and when the nutrient solution is not supplied, the nutrient solution is automatically supplied by its own potential energy. The nutrient solution cultivation device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, which is configured to flow out from a nutrient solution supply path in the cultivation tank. 5. A nursery box having a small hole on the bottom surface,
A sheet laid on the bottom of this seedling raising box, a seedling raising mat for seeds to germinate and grow, and a partition plate, and each of the seedling raising mats is arranged on the sheet so that adjacent seedling raising mats are partitioned by a partition plate. When seedlings are planted in the hydroponic cultivation apparatus, one to a few seedling mats are arranged in the axial direction of the cultivation tank through a planting opening in the cultivation tank of the hydroponic cultivation apparatus. A seedling raising device for use in a hydroponic cultivation device, which is configured as described above. 6. An end of the sheet is exposed to the outside of the seedling raising box, and the seedling raising mat in the seedling raising box can be taken out all at once by pulling the exposed end of the sheet. Seedling raising device for use in the hydroponics device of.