WO2018091902A1 - Substrat de coir et appareil et procédé de production de celui-ci - Google Patents

Substrat de coir et appareil et procédé de production de celui-ci Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2018091902A1
WO2018091902A1 PCT/GB2017/053455 GB2017053455W WO2018091902A1 WO 2018091902 A1 WO2018091902 A1 WO 2018091902A1 GB 2017053455 W GB2017053455 W GB 2017053455W WO 2018091902 A1 WO2018091902 A1 WO 2018091902A1
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Prior art keywords
coir
particles
growth medium
fibres
substrate
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Ceased
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PCT/GB2017/053455
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English (en)
Inventor
Kalum BALASURIYA
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Botanicoir Ltd
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Botanicoir Ltd
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Publication of WO2018091902A1 publication Critical patent/WO2018091902A1/fr
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Classifications

    • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
    • C05—FERTILISERS; MANUFACTURE THEREOF
    • C05F—ORGANIC FERTILISERS NOT COVERED BY SUBCLASSES C05B, C05C, e.g. FERTILISERS FROM WASTE OR REFUSE
    • C05F11/00—Other organic fertilisers
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A01—AGRICULTURE; FORESTRY; ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; HUNTING; TRAPPING; FISHING
    • A01G—HORTICULTURE; CULTIVATION OF VEGETABLES, FLOWERS, RICE, FRUIT, VINES, HOPS OR SEAWEED; FORESTRY; WATERING
    • A01G24/00—Growth substrates; Culture media; Apparatus or methods therefor
    • A01G24/20—Growth substrates; Culture media; Apparatus or methods therefor based on or containing natural organic material
    • A01G24/22—Growth substrates; Culture media; Apparatus or methods therefor based on or containing natural organic material containing plant material
    • A01G24/25—Dry fruit hulls or husks, e.g. chaff or coir
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A01—AGRICULTURE; FORESTRY; ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; HUNTING; TRAPPING; FISHING
    • A01G—HORTICULTURE; CULTIVATION OF VEGETABLES, FLOWERS, RICE, FRUIT, VINES, HOPS OR SEAWEED; FORESTRY; WATERING
    • A01G24/00—Growth substrates; Culture media; Apparatus or methods therefor
    • A01G24/40—Growth substrates; Culture media; Apparatus or methods therefor characterised by their structure
    • A01G24/44—Growth substrates; Culture media; Apparatus or methods therefor characterised by their structure in block, mat or sheet form
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B02—CRUSHING, PULVERISING, OR DISINTEGRATING; PREPARATORY TREATMENT OF GRAIN FOR MILLING
    • B02C—CRUSHING, PULVERISING, OR DISINTEGRATING IN GENERAL; MILLING GRAIN
    • B02C18/00—Disintegrating by knives or other cutting or tearing members which chop material into fragments
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B07—SEPARATING SOLIDS FROM SOLIDS; SORTING
    • B07B—SEPARATING SOLIDS FROM SOLIDS BY SIEVING, SCREENING, SIFTING OR BY USING GAS CURRENTS; SEPARATING BY OTHER DRY METHODS APPLICABLE TO BULK MATERIAL, e.g. LOOSE ARTICLES FIT TO BE HANDLED LIKE BULK MATERIAL
    • B07B1/00—Sieving, screening, sifting, or sorting solid materials using networks, gratings, grids, or the like

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to an improved coir substrate for use as a growth medium and apparatus and methods for producing and using the same.
  • peat In commercial horticultural crop production, peat has traditionally been the most commonly used growth medium or constituent in mixed composts. However, there are several practical problems associated with the use of peat as a growth medium, including its tendency to dry out quickly, acidic pH and nutrient deficiencies, limiting its application to certain crops and meaning that peat systems require a constant nutrient supply, either in the form of a slow-release fertiliser or as liquid feeds. There are also several environmental issues relating to the use of peat as a growth medium. Peat is primarily sourced from lowland raised bogs, rare habitats that are rapidly being destroyed, causing damage to wildlife and depleting unsustainable peat resources. As such, the use of peat in composts and hydroponic growth mediums (i.e.
  • coconut coir pith (hereinafter referred to as "coir pith") is made from coconut husks which are by-products of the coconut food industry. Coir pith is a useful peat replacement material as it is sustainably and abundantly provided in tropical climates such as Sri Lanka and India without the environmental damage caused by peat mining.
  • the coconut tree is a member of the Arecaceae family and the coconut fruit is classified as a fibrous one-seeded drupe. Like other drupes, coconuts comprise three layers. The outermost layer, called the exocarp, is typically smooth and green in colour. The middle layer is a fibrous layer called the mesocarp and the innermost layer, called the endocarp, is a hard, woody layer that surrounds the seed. Once harvested, whole coconuts are separated into seed, shell and husk, with the seed being used as food or processed into food products.
  • the coconut shell (the endocarp) can be converted to carbon and activated carbon for use in water and air filtration systems whilst the coconut husks (made up of the exocarp and mesocarp) are harvested for coir fibres and coir pith.
  • coconut husk comprises tightly packed coir fibres whilst the remaining 60-70% of the coconut husk comprises a non-fibrous, porous and lightweight material known as coir pith.
  • coir pith is made up of short fibres and dust, is the by-product of this fibre processing and was historically considered to be a waste by-product that was burned or left to rot.
  • coir pith has since been recognised as a useful growth medium for plants and crops, and is now itself being processed for use in horticultural markets.
  • coir pith In addition to the environmental benefits, coir pith has superb water holding capacity of up to 8 times its weight and good drainage which promotes irrigation efficiency and saves water resources. Coir pith also has high air-fill porosity which promotes rapid, healthy and dense natural rooting and a high iignin content which improves resistance to bacteria and disease as well as reducing the rate of decomposition of the coir pith. Accordingly, its popularity as a soil treatment and hydroponic growth medium in UK glasshouse crop production has been steadily increasing over the last ten years, and it has become a popular alternative to traditional glasshouse growing media such as peat and rockwool.
  • FIG. 1 An example of a prior art method of production of coir pith for use as a growth medium in the horticultural industry is shown in Figure 1 .
  • coir fibres have been extracted by retting dried coconut husks in water for several months and then separating the coir fibres from the coir pith by beating the husks with a mallet.
  • An alternative fibre extraction method employed by mills involves the use of a de-fibreing machine, which processes the coconut husks and extracts the long fibres from the husk separating them from the shorter fibres and dust, collectively known as of coir pith.
  • the coir fibres are then processed for use in geotextiles, mattresses, brooms and products for the automotive industry.
  • the remaining coir pith is processed for use as a growth medium in the horticultural industry.
  • the coir pith is sieved to remove any large lumps and long fibres, leaving coir pith with particle and fibre sizes varying between roughly 1 mm to 12mm - however some long coir fibres remain as they penetrate the sieve.
  • the coir pith is sometimes treated, for example, with calcium nitrate to buffer it and remove unwanted ions such as sodium and then washed to remove any excess calcium nitrate.
  • the buffered coir pith is dried, either naturally outside in the sun in hot, dry climates or artificially in rainy climates and is usually compressed into a less bulky form suitable for shipment.
  • coir substrates supplied as compressed slabs can experience poor rehydration rates due to poor grading or compression at incorrect moisture levels.
  • a rehydration or re-wetting agent typically, water
  • water needs to be added for complete rehydration to occur.
  • the present invention seeks to overcome the prior art disadvantages.
  • a method of production of a coir substrate comprising the steps of:
  • the portion of coconut husk is a portion of fresh coconut husk.
  • Fresh coconut husk is less brittle than dried coconut husk, meaning that it is easier to slice cleanly during step (a) and break cleanly during step (b), resulting in a higher proportion of large, consistent particles and a smaller proportion of fine coir particles.
  • the entire coconut husk comprising coir pith and coir fibres is used. This enables greater control over the size of coir particles produced compared to prior art methods of production of coir substrate which utilise the coir pith remaining after the coir fibres have been extracted.
  • step (a) produces slices of coconut husk having a thickness of between 2mm and 5mm. More preferably, step (a) produces slices of coconut husk having a thickness of between 3mm and 4mm. Controlling the thickness of the slices of coconut husk within these parameters improves the consistency of the size of coir particles in the coir substrate, meaning that most have at least one diameter in this range.
  • slices of other thicknesses may be produced, particularly thinner slices. For example, the majority (i.e. >50%) of slices may be within the desired thickness range, but other slices may be outside of the range.
  • at least 60% of slices are within the desired thickness range. More preferably, at least 70% of slices are within the desired thickness range.
  • the selecting step comprises filtering. More preferably, the selecting step comprises sieve filtering. Other means to select particles will be readily apparent to the person of ordinary skill in the art. Sieving is a cheap and easy method of separating the coir particles and coir fibres according to size to select coir particles and coir fibres having the required dimensions. Alternative methods of separating solids according to size may be used to select coir particles and coir fibres having the required dimensions.
  • step (c) comprises sieving the coir particles and coir fibres to select coir particles and coir fibres capable of passing through a sieve having a mesh size of 8mm but not through a sieve having a mesh size of 2mm.
  • 6mm and 2mm 6mm and 2mm
  • step (c) comprises sieving the coir particles and coir fibres to select coir particles and coir fibres capable of passing through a sieve having a mesh size of 8mm but not through a sieve having a mesh size of 2mm.
  • the method may also comprise a step of cleaning the coir particles and coir fibres produced by step (c).
  • coir particles and coir fibres are cleaned using water.
  • coir particles and coir fibres are cleaned using calcium nitrate and water.
  • the method additionally comprises the step of buffering the coir particles and coir fibres produced by step (c). More preferably, this is buffering particles and coir fibres produced by step (c) which have been cleaned.
  • a calcium buffering compound is used.
  • calcium nitrate is used to buffer the coir particles and coir fibres.
  • Other buffering compounds will be readily apparent to the person of ordinary skill in the art.
  • Buffering not only removes elements soluble in water, but it also removes elements which are naturally bound by the cation exchange complex.
  • the coir pith and coir fibres are soaked in the buffer (e.g. calcium nitrate) for an extended period, removing residual salts.
  • the buffer e.g. calcium nitrate
  • the use of a calcium buffering compound makes it possible to ensure that there is sufficient calcium available in the growth medium for plant roots to utilise for establishment.
  • the method comprises a step of cleaning and a step of buffering the coir particles and coir fibres produced by step (c). More preferably, the step of cleaning the coir particles and coir fibres produced by step (c) precedes the step of buffering the coir particles and coir fibres produced by step (c).
  • additives and treatments may also be applied to the coir particles and coir fibres produced by step (c), for example, fertilizers and insecticides. If the coir particles and coir fibres are washed and/or cleaned, application of the additives and treatments is done after these steps.
  • the method further comprises a step of drying the coir particles and coir fibres that have been washed and/or buffered. This is done, for example, by spreading the coir particles and coir fibres over a concrete drying floor and allowing them to dry naturally in the sun. Alternatively, the coir particles and coir fibres are dried artificially by drum drying, hot air drying, fluid-bed drying or any other suitable technique.
  • the method further comprises a step of compacting the coir particles and coir fibres which have been produced. This can also be referred to as compressing the coir particles. Thus, the product can be described as being compacted or compressed.
  • the method comprises the step of placing the compacted coir particles and coir fibres which have been produced into a container, more preferably into a bag. More preferably, the method comprises the additional step of sealing closed the container containing the compacted coir particles and coir fibres which have been produced.
  • a coir substrate produced according to the present invention is a compacted product. More preferably, is it selected from the group consisting of: growbag, slab, block, bale and disc.
  • the present invention also provides a growbag, slab, block, bale or disc produced according to the method of the present invention.
  • the larger, more regular shape and more consistent size of the coir particles and coir fibres improves the predictability of the coir substrate, increasing the air fill porosity and drainage of the growth medium and minimising the water content.
  • the net result is a substrate which offers the grower fine control over the water content in the root zone and, ultimately, the availability of this water and nutrients for the plants. This enables crops to be steered more generatively according to the environment and climate that they are grown in, leading to improved crop development, yield and product quality.
  • the coir substrate may be used alone or in combination with other substrates as a growth medium.
  • a growth medium comprising at least 40% by weight, for example 40-49%, coir substrate produced according to the method of the first aspect of the present invention.
  • the remaining proportion of the growth medium may comprise organic or inorganic materials, either alone or in combination, including sphagnum peat, composted bark, wood fibre, green compost, grit, rock wool, perlite, a different coir substrate, or any other horticulturally acceptable substrate.
  • the growth medium comprises at least 50% by weight, for example 50-59%, coir substrate produced according to the method of the first aspect of the present invention.
  • the growth medium comprises at least 60% by weight, for example 60-89%, coir substrate produced according to the method of the first aspect of the present invention.
  • the growth medium comprises at least 70% by weight, for example 70-79%, coir substrate produced according to the method of the first aspect of the present invention.
  • the growth medium comprises at least 80% by weight, for example 80-89%, coir substrate produced according to the method of the first aspect of the present invention.
  • the growth medium comprises at least 90% by weight, for example 90-99%, coir substrate produced according to the method of the first aspect of the present invention.
  • the coir substrate produced according to the method of the first aspect of the present invention may be combined with prior art coir substrates.
  • coir substrate degrades over time and the coir particles break to give smaller particles, and this can result in degraded growth conditions for plants. Rather than having to replace the entire growth medium, it can be supplemented with a coir substrate produced according to the present invention, thus improving its suitability to grow plants. Thus, a growth medium which has degraded over time can be supplemented with a coir substrate produced according to the present invention. Thus, the growth medium can be "regenerated".
  • the coir substrate produced in accordance with the method of the first aspect of the present invention has increased air-filled porosity and drainage characteristics and improved water management characteristics in comparison with coir substrates produced in accordance with methods disclosed in the prior art, afforded by the more regular coir particle size and shape.
  • a larger proportion of the coir substrate produced in accordance with the method of the first aspect of the present invention should be incorporated in the growth medium.
  • the growth medium comprises at least 50%, for example 50% or 50- 59%, by weight coir substrate produced according to the method of the first aspect of the present invention.
  • This growth medium is particularly effective for growing any kind of soft fruit, including strawberries, raspberries, blackcurrants and gooseberries.
  • This growth medium may be a strawberry growth medium.
  • it may also be used as a raspberry, blackcurrant and/or gooseberry growth medium.
  • the growth medium may be a growth medium for a flowering plant.
  • the growth medium may be a rose growth medium.
  • the growth medium may comprise at least 60%, for example 60-69%, by weight coir substrate produced according to the method of the first aspect of the present invention.
  • This growth medium may be a raspberry, tomato, cucumber or aubergine growth medium.
  • a growbag containing (i.e. filled with) a growth medium according to the third aspect of the present invention.
  • Typical growbag sizes include 12, 16 and 20 litres (although turn out volume is higher).
  • a method of growing a plant comprising the steps of:
  • Plants can be grown from a wide variety of sources, for example a whole plant, a part thereof, seed or cutting.
  • cuttings include stem, leaf and root cuttings.
  • Other examples of plant parts include spores, bulbs, rhizomes, stolons and tubers.
  • the plant is a fruit plant, such as raspberry, tomato, cucumber or aubergine plant.
  • the fruit plant may be a soft fruit plant, such as a strawberry, raspberry, blackcurrant or gooseberry plant.
  • the soft fruit plant is a strawberry plant.
  • experiments have shown that it is also highly effective in growing other plants, including roses.
  • the plant may be a rose plant.
  • a method of production of a growth medium comprising the steps of:
  • the other substrate material may comprise organic or inorganic materials, either alone or in combination, including sphagnum peat, composted bark, wood fibre, green compost, grit, rock wool, perlite, a different coir substrate, or any other horticulturaily acceptable substrate.
  • the other substrate material comprises a different coir substrate.
  • a coir substrate production apparatus comprising:
  • a cutting member for cutting a portion of coconut husk into slices
  • a breaking portion comprising a receptacle shaped and configured to receive slices of coconut husk and an at least one impacting member configured to impact and break up the slices of coconut husks in the receptacle
  • This coir substrate production apparatus produces a coir substrate comprising coir particles and coir fibres with a consistent size and shape and improved physical characteristics.
  • the coir substrate production apparatus may further comprise a transport means shaped and configured to transport sliced coconut husks from the slicing portion to the breaking portion.
  • the transport means may be a conveyor belt.
  • another means of transferring the sliced coconut husk to the breaking portion may be used, for example, manually transporting the sliced coconut husk, or a providing a connecting surface on which the sliced coconut husks may slide if the breaking portion is positioned lower than the slicing portion.
  • the breaking portion comprises a plurality of impacting members.
  • the at least one impacting member may be rotatably mounted in the receptacle.
  • the at least one impacting member is a metal block.
  • the cutting member comprises an at least one rotatable blade.
  • the cutting member comprises three rotatable blades.
  • the cutting member is a rotatable metal sheet having at least one blade mounted to a face thereof at a fixed distance therefrom.
  • the coir substrate production apparatus further comprises a husk feeding device for guiding and/or supporting the coconut husks being cut into slices.
  • the selection means comprises a sieve having a 7mm mesh and a sieve having a 2mm mesh. More preferably, the selection means comprises a sieve having a 6mm mesh and a sieve having a 2mm mesh.
  • Figure 1 is a flow diagram illustrating the procedural steps of a prior art method for obtaining and processing a coir substrate
  • Figure 2a is a photograph showing a side view of a block of growth medium comprising 100% coir substrate produced according to the method of Figure 1 showing the root structure of two strawberry plants grown therein;
  • Figure 2b is a photograph showing a plan view of the block of growth medium of Figure 2a, cut down the centre, showing the root structure of two strawberry plants grown therein;
  • Figure 3 is a flow diagram illustrating the procedural steps for obtaining and processing a coir substrate in accordance with a method according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention
  • Figure 4a is a photograph showing a side view of a block of growth medium comprising 50% coir substrate produced according to the method of Figure 1 and 50% coir substrate produced according to the method of Figure 3, showing the root structure of two strawberry plants grown therein;
  • Figure 4b is a photograph showing a plan view of the block of growth medium of Figure 4a, cut down the centre, showing the root structure of two strawberry plants grown therein;
  • Figure 5a is a photograph showing a side perspective view of an a coir particle production apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention
  • Figure 5b is a photograph showing a front view of a slicing blade housed in the coir particle production apparatus of Figure 5a;
  • Figure 5c is a photograph showing a partial front view of the coir particle production apparatus of Figure 5a;
  • Figure 5d is a photograph showing a plan view of the inside of the breaking portion of the coir particle production apparatus of Figure 5a;
  • Figure 6a is a photograph of a section cut through a growbag filled with growth medium comprising 50% coir substrate produced according to the method of Figure 1 and 50% coir substrate produced according to the method of Figure 3, and showing the root structure of strawberry plants grown therein, the roots extending right into the top corner of the growbag; and
  • Figure 6b is a photograph of a side profile cut through a growbag filled with growth medium comprising 50% coir substrate produced according to the method of Figure 1 and 50% coir substrate produced according to the method of Figure 3, and showing the root structure of strawberry plants grown therein, the roots exhibiting improved extent and growth as compared to roots of strawberry plants grown in a prior art growbag.
  • a list of reference signs used herein is given at the end of the description immediately before the claims.
  • growth medium is used herein to refer to any medium suitable for supporting the growth of plants.
  • coir substrate is used herein to refer to any growth medium solely comprising coir material, such as coir fibres and coir particles.
  • coir particle herein refers to a fragment of coconut husk and is distinct from the term “coir fibre”. Production of coir particles
  • a process in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is provided in the flow diagram 30 shown in Figure 3.
  • Raw coconut husks comprising the exocarp and mesocarp of the coconut, are cut into thin slices of coconut husk, measuring approximately 3mm to 5mm thick.
  • Short coir fibres and small coir particles are also produced during this stage of processing.
  • the entire coconut husk is used in this process and not just the coir pith that remains once the coir fibres have been removed for use in the coir fibre processing industry, as is the case in the prior art method shown in Figure 1 .
  • Fresh coconut husks are used instead of the dried coconut husks used in the prior art method shown in Figure 1 because they tend to be less brittle.
  • the slices of coconut husk, smaller coir particles and short coir fibres are then broken up to produce a coarse mixture of short coir fibres and coir particles. Slicing
  • Coir particle production machine 50 carries out the slicing step of the process provided in the flow diagram 30 (Fig. 3).
  • Coir particle production machine 50 comprises housing 60 which houses circular slicing component 65 formed of a circular piece of steel and mounted on a rotatable drive shaft (not shown).
  • Circular slicing component 65 defines three cut-out segment shaped openings 66, the chord 67 of each extending radially from a point near the centre of circular slicing component 65 to a point near the circumference of circular slicing component 65.
  • the three openings 66 are regularly interspaced.
  • Substantially covering each of the openings 66 on the front face 69 of circular slicing component 65 is a lune-shaped raised blade 68.
  • Circular slicing component 65 is positioned such that its front face 69 is substantially vertical (i.e. so that it is generally vertically oriented) and rotation of the circular slicing component65 rotates the three lune-shaped raised blade
  • opening 62 is defined in face 61 of housing 60and is of sufficient size to receive portions of coconut husk, for example, segments of coconut comprising roughly a fifth of a whole coconut husk, divided down the apex thereof.
  • a husk feeding device 80 adapted to guide portions of coconut husk into housing 60 at a substantially perpendicular angle to front face 69 of circular slicing component 65 where they are sliced by rotating lune-shaped blades 68 on circular slicing component 65.
  • Husk feeding device 80 comprises a substantially horizontal curved tray 81 within which a coconut husk portion can rest.
  • Husk feeding device 80 also comprise a scaffold 82 substantially perpendicular to curved tray 81 (and thus parallel to face 61 of housing 60) at the end of curved tray 81 proximal to housing 60.
  • Scaffold 82 supports a guiding arm 83 which is rotatabiy attached at a fixed end 84 thereof to scaffold 82.
  • Gripping member 86 is located at free end 85 of guiding arm 83.
  • Gripping member 86 is designed to in-use grip the apex of a coconut husk portion distal to housing 60.
  • Handle 87 extends outwardly from guiding arm 83 and is designed to enable a user to rotate guiding arm 83 about its fixed end 84.
  • a coconut husk portion is placed on curved tray 81 , and guiding arm 83 is moved so that the apex of the coconut husk portion is engaged by gripping member 86.
  • Rotation of free end 85 of guiding arm 83 (thus rotation of gripping member 86) towards slicing portion 60 feeds the coconut husk portion into slicing portion 60 where it is cut by lune- shaped raised blades 68 of circular slicing component 65.
  • Gripping member 86 prevents the coconut husk portion which is being sliced from rotating or otherwise moving off course on impact with the lune shaped raised blades 68.
  • the product of this step is coconut husk slices.
  • housing 60 has a second face 61 ' which is arranged opposing face 61 and which has second opening 62'.
  • a further circular slicing component 65 mounted on the rotatable drive shaft (not shown), and with other components and features (including lune- shaped raised blades 68) configured and arranged as appropriate such that coconut husk portions can be fed into housing 60 of coir particle production machine 50 from second face 61 '.
  • the distance that each of lune-shaped raised blades 68 is raised above front face 69 of circular slicing component 65 determines the thickness of the coconut husk slices.
  • the coconut husk portion is sliced into slices of roughly 3-5mm thickness.
  • Coir particle production machine 50 also carries out the breaking-up step of the process provided in the flow diagram 30 (Fig. 3).
  • the coconut husk slices fail to the base of cylindrical slicing portion 60, wherein they pass to breaking portion 90,
  • the base of the lower half of breaking portion 90 comprises a plurality of semi-circular metal strips 91 equidistantly spaced, with roughly a 4mm gap between each metal strip 91 (i.e. defining a series of slots between metal strips 91 ), across the width of cylinder 90 and extending around the circumferential edge of the lower half of breaking portion 90.
  • Three parallel, vertical, circular metal plates 92 are equidistantly spaced along the internal width of breaking portion 90, with one positioned adjacent the centre of each circular internal face 93 of breaking portion 90 and the other positioned therebetween.
  • each circular metal plate 92 Extending between and fixedly attached to the central point of each circular metal plate 92 is a central metal rod 94 which is rotatable relative to the two circular faces 93 of breaking portion 90.
  • each circular metal plate 92 Extending between and fixedly attached to the circumferential portion of each circular metal plate 92 is a pair of diametrically opposed metal rods 95.
  • a plurality of metal blocks 96 are fixedly attached to and equidistantly spaced along the length of each of metal rod 95.
  • central metal rod 94 is rotated, thus rotating each of the three circular metal plates 92 and the two diametrically opposed metal rods 95. This causes the metal blocks 96 attached to metal rods 95 to rotate so they extend radially outwardly from central metal rod 94.
  • coconut husk slices pass from housing 60 to breaking portion 90 where they are repeatedly impacted by the rotating metal blocks 96, thus breaking up the coconut husk slices into smaller pieces. Once the coconut husk slices have been broken up into small enough coir particles, they are able to fall through the approximately 4mm gaps (slots) between metal strips 91 onto a conveyor (not shown) positioned thereunder and passes them to a sieve arrangement (detailed below). It is worth noting that any smaller coir particles and coir fibres produced by the breaking step will also pass through the gaps between metal strips 91 onto the conveyor. The resulting product of this breaking step is therefore a coarse mixture of coir fibres, coir particles and smaller coir particles.
  • the coir mixture is then passed to a sieve with a 2mm mesh to grade the coir particles according to size, removing small coir particles and some coir fibres that fit through the 2mm mesh in the sieve.
  • the resulting coir substrate is a coarse mixture comprising coir particles (which passed through the 6mm sieve but did not pass through the 2mm sieve) and coir fibres of varying sizes.
  • Washing Coir particles produced by slicing and breaking the fresh coconut husks are highly porous and spongey (more so than dry husks which are brittle and produce more dust/fine particles when broken up), and this together with their consistently large and regular shape, means that they can be cleaned and buffered easily and effectively.
  • the coir mixture is soaked with calcium nitrate solution (typically for up to 24 hours) and washed with clean water to reduce the concentration of unwanted water-soluble ions that are naturally present in coconut husks, including potassium, sodium, chloride, boron and silicone.
  • the calcium nitrate treatments are much more effective, resulting in a more consistent product for the grower.
  • the resulting coir mixture is then dried by spreading it over a concrete drying floor and allowing it to dry naturally in the sun.
  • the coir substrate is dried artificially by drum drying, hot air drying, fluid- bed drying or any other suitable technique.
  • the coir substrate mixture produced in accordance with the present invention has increased air-filled porosity and drainage characteristics and improved water management characteristics in comparison with coir pith substrates produced in accordance with methods disclosed in the prior art, afforded by the more regular coir particle size and shape.
  • the resultant coir substrate is compressed into products including growbags, slabs, blocks, bales and discs for transport and sale in the commercial horticultural industry.
  • Slabs of growth medium are produced by compressing the dried coir substrate using a conventional vertical growbag slab pressing machine which produces slabs having a width of 20mm, 18mm or 15mm and a length of 120mm, 100mm or 90mm.
  • the machine comprises a hydraulic power unit configured to actuate two hydraulic cylinders having a maximum operating pressure of 220 bars.
  • the compressed coir substrate (growbags, slabs, blocks, bales and discs) can be re-wetted using e.g. drip irrigation once they have been laid out (such as in a field, greenhouse, polytunnel etc.).
  • the amount of water applied for expanding the slab is set according to the volume of the compresses coir substrate.
  • Particle size distributions A comparison of particle size distributions is shown in Table 1 . The comparison is between: (i) coir mixture obtained in the above process after use of the 6mm mesh sieve (prior to use of the 2mm sieve), and (ii) prior art products.
  • Particle sizes are determined by measuring individual particles on their longest/widest side using an electronic gauge.
  • Growth Medium 1 a slab of coir growth medium consisting of 100% coir substrate prepared according to the prior art process shown in Figure 1 ;
  • Growth Medium 2 a slab of coir growth medium consisting of 50% coir substrate prepared according to the prior art process shown in Figure 1 and 50% coir substrate prepared according to the process as shown in Figure 3.
  • Roots were visible towards the development towards the surface surface of the slab, at the base of of the coir slab and also at the the module and also present in the base of the module (Figure 2a) as centre of the substrate sample compared to Growth Medium 2. ( Figure 4a).
  • the strawberry plants grown in Growth Medium 2 appeared to be healthier than the strawberry plants grown in Growth Medium 1 .
  • Growth Medium 2 was dryer than Growth Medium 1 and this dryer substrate allows for better growth.
  • Growth Medium 2 is better at draining of excess water, meaning that the risk of over-wetting plants using Growth Medium 2 is significantly reduced.
  • Growth Medium 2 With Growth Medium 2, the roots were evenly spaced throughout and into ail corners of the growbag. This contrasts with Growth Medium 1 where root distribution and extent of growth was not as good.
  • the improved root growth and distribution achieved with Growth Medium 2 results in improved crop quality and crop yield.
  • the root system of a strawberry plant and the hair roots volume per cm 3 should be white, dense and evenly distributed throughout the growing container, in this case growbag.
  • the roofs of the strawberry plants grown in Growth Medium 2 were more evenly distributed throughout the entire section of the slab (i.e. from top to bottom) than the roots of the strawberry plants grown in Growth Medium 1 where there was much less root growth in the centre of the slab. This can clearly be seen by comparing Figure 4a and 4b (Growth Medium 2) to Figure 2a and 2b (Growth Medium 1 ).
  • interveinal chlorosis i.e. pale yellow leaves lacking in chlorophyll
  • interveinal chlorosis is typically caused when leaves do not have enough nutrients to synthesise the chlorophyll that they need. The symptoms were consistent with magnesium deficiency.
  • Figures 6a and 6b illustrate the enhanced root growth obtained with strawberry plants grown in a growth medium according to the present invention, with significant roof growth extending into the top corner of the growbag. Further experiments have been undertaken with a coir substrate produced using 7mm and 2mm mesh sieves, and the results show a similar improvement over prior art coir substrate products.

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  • Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
  • Environmental Sciences (AREA)
  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Organic Chemistry (AREA)
  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Food Science & Technology (AREA)
  • Cultivation Of Plants (AREA)

Abstract

La présente invention concerne un substrat de coir amélioré destiné à être utilisé en tant que milieu de croissance, et un appareil et des procédés de production et d'utilisation de ce dernier.
PCT/GB2017/053455 2016-11-16 2017-11-16 Substrat de coir et appareil et procédé de production de celui-ci Ceased WO2018091902A1 (fr)

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GB1619412.8A GB2543968B (en) 2016-11-16 2016-11-16 Coir substrate and apparatus and method for the production thereof

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WO2022159311A1 (fr) * 2021-01-20 2022-07-28 Genus Industries, Llc Dba Icoir Products Group Matériau de coco tamponné
WO2023195835A1 (fr) * 2022-04-06 2023-10-12 Martinez Gonzalez Alberto Moyen d'ensemencement pour produire des plantes dans des bacs à partir du mésocarpe du coco (cocos nucífera), par adhésion de liaisons ioniques de la silice, du calcium et du potassium contenus dans les cendres volatiles et charbons

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CN112705323B (zh) * 2020-11-19 2022-03-01 福建农林大学 一种竹笋壳破碎设备及竹笋壳应用于植物栽培基质的方法
GB2605769B (en) * 2021-04-01 2023-10-04 Cocogreen Uk Ltd Growing Medium
NL2030182B9 (en) * 2021-12-17 2023-07-31 Van Der Knaap Diensten B V Organic method for buffering coir products

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WO2022159311A1 (fr) * 2021-01-20 2022-07-28 Genus Industries, Llc Dba Icoir Products Group Matériau de coco tamponné
WO2023195835A1 (fr) * 2022-04-06 2023-10-12 Martinez Gonzalez Alberto Moyen d'ensemencement pour produire des plantes dans des bacs à partir du mésocarpe du coco (cocos nucífera), par adhésion de liaisons ioniques de la silice, du calcium et du potassium contenus dans les cendres volatiles et charbons

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