JPS5823731A - Culturing of crops - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a method for cultivating crops, and more particularly to a method for cultivating crops by automatically supplying water to crops continuously and saving labor in irrigation work.

When cultivating crops using conventional cultivation containers such as planting boxes or planters, the watering method used to maintain proper growth conditions is to water from the top of the cultivation container using a method such as joro, and drain excess water from the bottom of the container. The water is drained from the drain, but since the soil can only contain a small amount of water, water must be supplied at regular intervals. Furthermore, since the pond water method using Nyoro etc. requires intermittent water supply, it is difficult to apply the amount of water that is appropriate for the crop variety and growth stage, and especially in large-scale cultivation such as greenhouse cultivation, the irrigation work requires a great deal of labor. It becomes necessary.

To avoid such problems, use sprinkler irrigation method.

There are methods to supply water to crops using automatic irrigation equipment such as drip irrigation, but these methods require a large amount of money for the equipment and also require electricity consumption to operate, making cultivation costs high. It has some drawbacks.

In order to solve the above problems, we used an unglazed container with a porous permeable substrate as the cultivation container, and placed the cultivation container on a water tray or water tank to take advantage of the slight water permeability of the unglazed container. A method has been proposed for cultivating crops by automatically supplying water to the plants.However, in this method, there is a certain limit to the water permeability of the clay pot, that is, the ability to supply water to the crops. The drawback is that it is not possible to supply water evenly, and it is not possible to supply enough water to properly grow crops.

The present inventors completed the present invention as a result of intensive research to eliminate the above-mentioned drawbacks of existing crop cultivation methods that use cultivation containers, and the purpose is to improve the normalcy of crops. To provide a method for cultivating crops by continuously and automatically supplying water necessary for growth to the roots of crops in a sufficient and uniform manner, and saving labor in irrigation work.

The above object is to lay a sheet-like porous body having continuous pores flat in the soil of a cultivation container, and to connect at least one end of the sheet-like porous body to a water tank in which the water surface is located below the sheet-like porous body; This is achieved by a method for cultivating crops, which is characterized in that the crops are grown by automatically and continuously supplying water from a water storage tank to the soil in the cultivation container through the sheet-like porous body.

The sheet-like porous material with continuous pores applied to the present invention may be various porous sheets or filament sheets with continuous micropores, but the sheet-like porous material with continuous pores can be In this respect, a hydrophilic polyvinyl alcohol (hereinafter abbreviated as PVA) based sponge is suitable.

The PVA sponge used in the present invention may be one that is made mainly of PVA and has continuous pores.
The high water affinity of VA allows it to exhibit excellent water supply ability, but in terms of practical strength, water resistance, compressibility during water retention, etc., polyvinyl acetal (hereinafter referred to as PVAt) described below It is more preferable to use a type sponge.

PVAt-based sponge usually has an average degree of polymerization of 500 to 3000.
, one type of PVA with a saponification degree of about 80 to 100% or an appropriate mixture is dissolved in water to make an aqueous solution of about 10 to 15%, and starch such as potato, corn, wheat, etc. is added to this.
Add a pore-forming aid such as modified starch such as dextrin, and add sulfuric acid or hydrochloric acid.

Formaldehyde in the presence of an acid catalyst such as phosphoric acid.

It can be easily obtained by reacting aldehydes such as acetaldehyde to acetalize it.Furthermore, colorants and fiber powders can be added as needed.

A filler reinforcing agent such as pulp powder or the like may be added as appropriate.

The properties of the PVAt sponge obtained in this case are appropriately controlled by the type of PVA that is the main raw material, the type of pore-forming aid and other additives, the type of aldehyde, and the temperature and time of the acetalization reaction. However, PVA used in the present invention
The T-type sponge has a porosity of 60 to 95%, preferably about 80 to 92%, a pore diameter of 5 to 300p, preferably about 10 to 80 pores, and a degree of acetalization of 40 to 90 mol%, preferably 70%. It is about 86 mol%,
Thickness generally 0.5 to 30 m, preferably 1 to 20 m
It is preferable that the diameter is about m.

If the porosity is less than 60%, the water supply capacity due to the capillary action of continuous pores will be insufficient, and if it exceeds 95%, practical strength will be insufficient.

Also, the pore diameter is 5. If it is smaller than i+, the manufacturing technology will be quite advanced and there will be a problem in terms of price, and if it is larger than 300 m, the water supply performance due to the capillary phenomenon of continuous pores will decrease and there will also be problems in terms of practical strength.

Furthermore, if the degree of acetalization is lower than 40 mol%, there will be problems in terms of practical strength, water resistance, compressibility during water retention, etc. If it is higher than 90 mol%, PV
Not only does the excellent water absorbency of the material A decrease and the water supply capacity decreases, but also the acetalization reaction requires a large amount of time and energy, which is unfavorable in terms of cost.

If the thickness is less than 1 mm, the practical strength and water supply capacity will be insufficient, and if it is greater than 20 mm, the thickness will be more than necessary and there will be problems in terms of cost.

The PVAt-based sponge used in the present invention as described above is
Excellent water supply properties due to the capillary phenomenon of fine continuous pores,
Combined with the excellent water supply properties due to the hydroxyl groups of PVA-based materials, it exhibits an extremely high water absorption capacity, and also has excellent practical strength, water resistance, and compressibility when retaining water. This is the most suitable sheet-like porous material having natural pores.

In the crop cultivation method according to the present invention, a sheet-like porous material having continuous pores (hereinafter abbreviated as "sheet-like porous material") is laid flat in the soil of a cultivation container, and at least one end thereof is submerged in a water storage tank. By connecting the water tank to the soil of the cultivation container, that is, the roots of the crops, through the sheet-like porous material, the water in the water tank is automatically and continuously supplied to the soil of the cultivation container, thereby saving the labor of watering and cultivating crops. However, the method and effects will be explained in detail below with reference to the drawings.

Figures 1 to 3 illustrate an example of the crop cultivation method of the present invention. E [, and (1) is a cultivation container, (2
) is a sheet-like porous body, (3) is a water tank, (4) is a through hole provided in the side wall of the cultivation container (1), (5) is soil,
(6) represents water.

In Figure 1, a sheet-like porous material (2) is laid flat on the bottom of a cultivation container (1) through a through hole (4) provided in the side wall of the cultivation container, and the water in the water tank (6) is used for cultivation. The soil in the container is connected to the soil in the container (Fig. 2), and in Figure 2, the porous material (2) is passed over the side wall of the cultivation container (1) without making any through holes, and is placed flat on the bottom surface of the container. Similarly, the water in the water tank (6) communicates with the soil in the cultivation container (5).

Another possible method is to communicate the water in the water storage tank with the soil in the cultivation container via a sheet-like porous material and lay it flat in the soil of the cultivation container, but as shown in Figure 2, there is a special method. It is preferable to install the cultivation container without providing a through hole because it is easier and the existing cultivation container can be used as is. The sheet-like porous body may be placed on the bottom of the cultivation container, or, if necessary, in the middle of the cultivation container in the soil.

In addition, a single wide sheet-like porous material may be placed in the soil of the cultivation container, or two or more sheets of narrow, short fence-like material may be placed side by side and placed in the soil of the cultivation container. It may be installed.

The soil in the cultivation container and the water in the water storage tank may be communicated through one end of the sheet-like porous body, or may be communicated through both ends of the sheet-like porous body.

Figure 3 shows that in addition to the sheet-like porous material (2) laid on the bottom of the cultivation container (1), there is also another sheet-like porous material (7) with holes formed in the soil (5) of the cultivation container. ), and communicated with the water (6) in the water tank, but if necessary, a larger number of sheet-like porous bodies may be laid. Particularly when cultivating root vegetables such as radish and carrots, or crops with long roots, where the soil in the cultivation container must be deepened, it is extremely effective to use a method that allows water to reach the upper layer of the soil. It is true. In this case, it is important that the sheet-like porous material placed in the middle of the soil in the cultivation container be made with holes large enough to allow the roots of the crop to penetrate without causing any hindrance to its growth. It is.

The size and area of the sheet-like porous material to be laid in the soil of the cultivation container vary depending on the type of crop, the number of plants planted, and the method, but generally it is spread evenly over the soil in the cultivation container, that is, the roots of the crop. Since it is necessary to supply sufficient water, it is preferable to lay it as close to the entire surface of the cultivation container as possible, but when using PVA or 1% sponge, which has a high affinity for water, as the sheet-like porous material, its superiority Due to the water supply performance, the area of the normal cultivation container is reduced by 5%.
A sheet-like porous material having an area of about 0 to 80% is sufficient.

In addition, what is important in the crop cultivation method of the present invention is that
The reason is that the water level of the water tank must be lower than the sheet-like porous material in the soil of the cultivation container. In other words, if the water level is higher than the sheet-like porous material, the water in the water tank will be unilaterally supplied into the soil of the cultivation container in a short period of time, making it impossible to adjust the amount of water supplied and effectively Automatic and continuous irrigation cannot be achieved.

The cultivation container (1) used in the present invention may be any known container such as an ordinary flower pot or a planter, or may be a cultivation container in which the soil is surrounded by a waterproof sheet material such as a plastic sheet. In addition, the water storage tank (3
), a water supply tank may be installed, or a nearby irrigation canal, reservoir, etc. may be used.

Furthermore, crops may be planted in flat-bottomed seedling pots or flower pots, and then placed on top of the sheet-like porous material for cultivation.

According to the crop cultivation method of the present invention, only a sheet-like porous material of an appropriate size is used without requiring special pond water equipment, which not only greatly reduces cultivation costs, but also allows automatic and continuous cultivation. Since it is a water supply, it has the advantage of saving labor in complicated irrigation work. In addition, since it is only necessary to lay the sheet-like porous material inside the cultivation container, the work is extremely simple and applicable to a wide range of applications. Another advantage is that water can be uniformly supplied to the soil inside, that is, the roots of the entire planted crop.

Furthermore, as mentioned above, in the crop cultivation method of the present invention using a hydrophilic PVA sponge as a sheet-like porous material, in addition to the water supply ability of capillary action due to continuous pores, the PVA material In addition to the water supply capacity due to its excellent water absorption, it can exhibit extremely high water supply performance, so it can fully adapt to large amounts of water stagnant during the maximum growth period of broad-leaved crops such as Japanese mustard spinach, and can maintain normal water supply without causing water deficiency. It becomes possible to carry out training. As a result, the growth value and fruit set of cultivated crops will increase, and an increase in yield can be expected.

The present invention will be explained in further detail with reference to Examples below.

Example 1 In the configuration shown in FIG. 1, the water supply capacity of the sheet-like porous body according to the present invention was measured. In this case, dry Kanuma without any plants was used as soil 5.

A sheet-like porous material 2 with a length of 70 mm is placed flat on the bottom of a styrofoam planter 1 with dimensions of 45 x 25 x 5 crn.
G1 width 15cm Karabo Bell Eater-A3200 (+
1 formalized PVA, 1 sponge sheet, average pore size 6
0p, apparent specific gravity 0.15P/m). One end of the sponge sheet 2 is made to protrude from a through hole 4 in the side wall of the planter 1, and is suspended into a water tank 3 whose water surface is below the bottom surface of the planter 1.

When measuring the amount of water loss in the aquarium 3 when the Kanuma soil piled up flat is sufficiently moist, the time required is 17 hours and 50 minutes, and the amount of water loss is 1520 cc. As a result, sponge sea) 2
It can be confirmed that the water supply capacity is quite high.

Example 2' Using the same equipment as in Example 1, komatsuna and strawberries are cultivated with 6 plants per box. The amount of soil per plant is just under 11.

Table 1 shows the daily water absorption of komatsuna and strawberries measured in terms of water loss in the aquarium in late April, two months after planting.

(Margins below) Table 1 Komatsuna is growing smoothly in late April, does not wilt even on sunny days, and reaches a height of about 2 m by mid-May and produces many seeds.

Komatsuna and strawberries absorb more water as they grow, and the amount of water absorbed fluctuates significantly depending on the weather (sunny or rainy), but this sponge sheet 2 can continuously supply a large amount of water, over 2000cc per day, depending on the amount of water stagnant. It is possible. The water permeability at this time is 0.2”44 per unit cross section per unit time.
This is a large value of cc/c=yl1 minute, and the water permeability of the sponge sheet 2 has a sufficient margin for strawberries.

Example 3 Kale (cabbage original) with dimensions 22 x 28 x 5 cIn
Cultivate in styrofoam planting boxes with 4 plants per box. At this time, in order to investigate how much the amount of soil would affect the growth of plants, the amount of soil per box was 3e, 1. si, or l
Let it be l. The same sponge sheets as in Example I are used, and two sheets with a length of 50 a and a width of 5 a are used for each digit.

In order to compare with the method of the present invention, one box was also cultivated using the conventional method, that is, the manual watering method. The amount of soil in this box is 31. Manual water supply is performed once or twice a day, and in the method of the present invention, it is sufficient to replenish once every few days.

Table 2 shows the results when the kale had grown sufficiently.

Table 2 As is clear from Table 2, the kale grown by the method of the present invention grows larger than the kale grown by the conventional method.

The method of the present invention increases the productivity of plants, so even if the volume of soil is reduced to 173, the growth rate is about 20% higher than that of the conventional method. This indicates that it may be reduced to 3.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

1 to 3 are diagrams schematically showing some examples of apparatus for carrying out the method of the present invention, in which 1 is a planter, 12 is a sheet-like porous body, 3 is a water tank, and 5 is soil. , 6 is water. Figure 1 Figure 3

Claims (7)

[Claims] (1) A sheet-like porous material having continuous pores is laid flat in the soil of a cultivation container, and at least one end thereof is communicated with a water storage tank whose water surface is located below the sheet-like porous material. 1. A method for cultivating crops, which comprises growing crops by automatically and continuously supplying water to the soil in a cultivation container through the shed-like porous body. (2) Claim 1, wherein the sheet-like porous body having continuous pores is a hydrophilic polyvinyl alcohol sponge.
Methods for cultivating the crops described in Section. (3) The method for cultivating crops according to claim 2, wherein the hydrophilic polyvinyl alcohol sponge is a polyvinyl acetal sponge. (4) The method for cultivating crops according to claim 3, wherein the borizenyl acetal sponge has an acetalization degree of 40 to 90 mol%. (5) Polyvinyl acetal sponge has a porosity of 60~
95% of the crop cultivation method according to claim 3 or 4. (6) Polyvinyl acetal sponge has a pore size of 5 to 3.
The method for cultivating crops according to claims 3 to 5, which is a crop of 0.00 tones. (7) Polyvinyl acetal sponge has a thickness of 1~
The method for cultivating crops according to claims 3 to 6, which is 20 am.