WO2024259330A2 - Système d'aide à la croissance d'une plante - Google Patents

Système d'aide à la croissance d'une plante Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2024259330A2
WO2024259330A2 PCT/US2024/034143 US2024034143W WO2024259330A2 WO 2024259330 A2 WO2024259330 A2 WO 2024259330A2 US 2024034143 W US2024034143 W US 2024034143W WO 2024259330 A2 WO2024259330 A2 WO 2024259330A2
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WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
soil
based medium
carrier liquid
root
root system
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PCT/US2024/034143
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WO2024259330A3 (fr
Inventor
Igor Levi
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Individual
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Individual
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Publication of WO2024259330A3 publication Critical patent/WO2024259330A3/fr
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
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    • 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
    • A01G31/00—Soilless cultivation, e.g. hydroponics
    • A01G31/02—Special apparatus therefor

Definitions

  • Docket No.21133-160071-WO Page 1 of 19 provide certain benefits associated with traditional farming, particularly organic farming. Some products of traditional farming are thought to provide health and nutrition benefits that are not provided by hydroponic or aeroponic systems. Also, traditional organic farming processes are thought to provide environmental benefits that are not provided by hydroponic and aeroponic systems. [0007] In some hydroponic and aeroponic systems, essential nutrients are made absorbable by using man-made chelates, not by natural chelation processes associated with organic soil life. Resulting artificial aqueous nutrient solutions may be inherently biologically unstable. A hydroponic/aeroponic system tank may require continuous or frequent pH balancing, and may need to be drained every few weeks to maintain a healthy root environment.
  • the systems, methods and apparatus described herein include plant nourishment systems for providing nutrients, e.g., one or more essential elements such as carbon (C), hydrogen (H), oxygen (O), nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), sulfur (S), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), iron (Fe), boron (B), manganese (Mn), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), molybdenum (Mo), nickel (Ni), chlorine (Cl), and other non-essential elements in a plant-available form to a plant.
  • nutrients e.g., one or more essential elements such as carbon (C), hydrogen (H), oxygen (O), nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), sulfur (S), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), iron (Fe), boron (B), manganese (Mn), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), molybdenum (Mo), nickel (Ni), chlorine (Cl), and other non-essential elements in a plant-available form to
  • a system employs a liquid and gas permeable soil-based medium comprising particulate organic matter, minerals, one or more liquids, and organisms.
  • the soil- based medium is mixed, moistened and aged using a soil building technique until the medium is well-suited for particular plants.
  • suitable and/or optimal components and soil building techniques may be determined by elemental testing and experimental data for each type of plant.
  • the system includes a structure supporting the plant and maintaining a controlled environment that protects root systems and facilitates growth thereof.
  • the root system is exposed and accessible within the structure to facilitate transfer of nutrients to the root structure and to facilitate visual inspection of the root system.
  • the system effects interaction between a carrier fluid and a soil- based medium to transport nutrients from the soil-based medium to targeted plants. This may involve effecting flow of a carrier liquid intermittently and/or uniformly to maintain gas
  • the soil-based medium may comprise organic soil at or near grade level and/or other media at other elevations.
  • the plant nutrition system includes one or more housing structures, each of which comprises a roof-mounted frame placed in a location that can expose portions of plants to natural sunlight and a lightweight, aerated, humidity-controlled enclosure around the root system.
  • the structure may be supported by a residential building such as a single-family home; a multi-unit apartment or condominium building; a townhouse; a restaurant building; an office building; a food processing or distribution facility; or other building.
  • Each housing structure may be supported on a roof, balcony, or other support structure.
  • the system filters a water-based carrier liquid to retain certain particles while leaving other particles entrained, pumping the carrier liquid to the enclosure while maintaining the flow of carrier liquid as a film bounded by air for gas exchange, then spraying, with relatively low velocity to prevent root damage, at least a portion of the carrier liquid and entrained particulate matter onto the root system.
  • spraying the carrier liquid and entrained particulate matter may comprise generating a mist comprising droplets of carrier liquid traveling at, e.g., 0.5 to 5 feet per second (fps), or about 0.5 fps, or about 5.0 fps, or 0.5 to 4.5 fps, or 1.5 to 4.0 fps, or about 2.5 to 3.0 fps within plant enclosures to transfer water and particulates to roots without damaging the roots.
  • fps feet per second
  • the flow velocity may be, e.g., 10-50 fps, 15-45 fps, 20-40 fps, 25 to 35 fps or about 10 fps, or about 50 fps, or about 30 fps in the mist supply pipes.
  • this spraying comprises effecting flow of the carrier liquid and entrained particulate matter from a conduit onto an intermediate surface such that droplets of the carrier liquid are caused to travel from the intermediate surface to the root system, wherein the film of carrier liquid on the root system enables absorption of water and nutrients by the root system and wherein the film is bounded by air.
  • the flow velocity may be, e.g., 10-50 fps, 15-45 fps, 20-40 fps, 25 to 35 fps or about 10 fps, or about 50 fps, or about 30 fps in the mist supply pipes.
  • this spraying comprises effecting flow of the carrier liquid and entrained particulate matter from a conduit
  • the plant nourishment system may include a return system that collects excess carrier liquid, particulate matter and root exudates, aerates the excess carrier liquid, and returns some or all of the excess carrier liquid, particulate matter and root exudates to the soil-based medium. Addition of root exudates to the soil-based medium may assist in decomposition, moisture retention and natural nutrient conversion processes typically found in soil.
  • the soil-based medium and plant root zones may include organic soil life such as actinomycetes, algae, archaea, bacteria, fungi, protozoa, and/or larger soil fauna such as arthropods, earthworms and nematodes. This may assist with decomposition, aeration and nitrogen fixation as well as further assisting the natural soil nutrient conversion processes taking place therein.
  • effecting flow of carrier fluid can be conducted continuously and without interruption for an indefinite number of days without discarding or “flushing” the carrier fluid as may be done in hydroponics/aeroponics.
  • the plant produces one or more products useful for providing nutrition, health benefits or other benefits to humans.
  • the plant nourishment system includes soil-based medium in stacked soil beds wherein effecting flow of carrier fluid includes effecting flow sequentially into and out of the stacked soil beds to maintain soil porosity for aeration and flow.
  • a process includes creating a soil-based medium by aging, aerating, and supplying water to a mixture of organic matter and minerals in a bulk storage unit.
  • effecting flow of carrier fluid through the soil-based medium comprises effecting flow of water through a rotating drum containing the soil-based medium.
  • Some embodiments comprise maintaining a buffer layer of moist soil in the enclosure, and/or maintaining soil life in the enclosure.
  • the system provides some or all of the benefits of organic soil while eliminating about 80% to 90% of root zone soil weight associated with traditional organic farming. In some embodiments, this allows plants to grow on top of structures that normally could not support the full weight of traditional soil techniques. In some embodiments, this also allows
  • roots instead of roots growing into a heavy mass of soil to seek nutrients, they grow bare within a lightweight, humidity-controlled, aerated enclosure. As the roots grow, they are continuously coated with a layer of fine filtered soil particles, soil life and dissolved nutrients while larger soil particles (mostly unusable mass) stay behind to be processed into smaller particles. Unlike hydroponics/aeroponics, in some embodiments, the roots are growing within a film or coating of soil and water.
  • the film or coating may be nearly invisible to the naked eye, and may emulate natural transmission of nutrients to roots as occurs in traditional farming by soil contacting the roots, and by water filtered through the soil.
  • the roots are never submerged as they are in some other hydroponic, aeroponic or compost tea systems.
  • the soil and water throughout the entire system cycle, the soil and water always exist as a film at the boundary of air (as with soil).
  • soil life on the root surface can convert the solids to plant nutrients at a faster rate than traditional soil.
  • the environment within the root enclosure may be analogous to what roots experience inside underground soil pore spaces while achieving reduced weight, greater available volume for root growth and greater aeration of the root zone, reducing the amount of total soil required to start and continue growing.
  • the systems described herein are believed to be superior to traditional farming in some ways due in part to the fact that in traditional farming, most of the mass of the soil in which plants are grown is not immediately utilized by the plants while growing. Most of the soil’s mass is within relatively large particles while the roots, bacteria and fungi can only act on the surfaces of the particles. Excluding larger, heavier soil particles may make the system more practical in an urban environment.
  • Fig.1 provides an overview of an example of a plant nutrition system.
  • Fig.2 is an enlarged view of an array of plants with root systems supported within housing structures.
  • Fig.3 is an enlarged view of apparatus for creating a nutrient-rich fluid and effecting flow thereof.
  • Fig.4 is a sectional view of a portion of Fig.2.
  • Fig.5 is a schematic view of a cascading siphon system.
  • each soil bed may be disposed within a sealed enclosure, and the air pump or fan 46 may force air through the soil-based medium and into a soil bed exhaust pipe 52 which carries the air and entrained moisture to merge with air flowing from the remote plant beds to the atomizer through an air return 54.
  • Soil Contact Type 2 – Rotating Soil Drum (Fluidized, Forced Draining)
  • finished soil or soil-based medium is added to the interior of a rotating drum 82 with screened openings, mesh or other means to permit liquid to flow in, and
  • Fluid from the remote plant beds may be returned to the soil drum through a supply line 84, and external fluid such as water may be added through a supply pipe 86.
  • the external supply pipe may be positioned above the drum and may have an outlet 92 that sprays or otherwise distributes water downward onto the perforated cylindrical wall of the drum to continuously clean the screen while introducing external fluid into the drum interior.
  • the return line 84 from the remote plant beds may enter the drum through an axial opening in an end wall opposite the door 98 so that fluid and entrained particulate matter can enter the drum interior directly, without passing through the screen.
  • the mechanical and water flow action continuously helps to break down larger particles in the soil, while fluid and smaller particles will pass through openings at the bottom 100 of the drum into a collector 102 which drains through sloped pipe 104 into the atomizer.
  • Fresh water is automatically added to the system as required through the control valve 88, which may be opened and closed in response to changes in the weight of the drum, impeller, and/or other system components.
  • a check valve 90 may be provided to prevent back flow into the external fluid supply line, which automatically flushes the screens around the drum to keep them clear.
  • additional finished soil from bulk storage is added manually or with an automatic hopper.
  • the soil drum is a compact mechanical counterpart to the static soil beds in Type 1.
  • the baffle extends across an upper portion of the outlet of the atomizer, and returns large particles to the reservoir. Falling particles within the pipe return back to the atomizer through the same pipe 68 for re-atomization.
  • the falling particles may comprise condensate, agglomerated soil particles, or other particles. When these particles fall back down into the atomizer, they may be broken into smaller particles by the impeller, and the resulting smaller particles may then be sufficiently light to flow back upward to the remote plant beds.
  • the atomizer may be a simple device employing only a single, unitary, one-piece rigid rotor comprising an impeller 62 and disc 58, with the impeller drawing in air and effecting airflow through the atomizer and p to the plant beds, while the disc throws off small particles to be entrained in air flowing through and out of the atomization system.
  • the rotor is coupled to a drive mechanism 74 and may be driven or rotated by an electric motor and/or one or more renewable energy source (e.g., wind, hydro, solar chimney powered/.
  • mist 66 flows from the atomizer to the remote plant beds via pipe 68.
  • Pipe 68 may be provided with thermal protection, e.g., insulation and/or a reflective exterior if outdoors, to help control the temperature of the mist and thereby help to limit root temperature flux.
  • Each of the plant support structures may house multiple plants for efficiency.
  • Each structure may include a solid, laterally extending horizontal or sloped beam or platform with openings therein to receive plants.
  • the plants may be supported in pots that have openings therein for root systems to extend through, with the pots being supported in the openings in the beam or platform.
  • the pots may be netpots or other suitable pots.
  • One type of the plant support structures may house multiple plants for efficiency.
  • Each structure may include a solid, laterally extending horizontal or sloped beam or platform with openings therein to receive plants.
  • the plants may be supported in pots that have openings therein for root systems to extend through, with the pots being supported in the openings in the beam or platform.
  • the pots may be netpots or other suitable pots.
  • One or more distribution pipes 108 may provide a mist or fine spray of water, minerals, and/or other nutrition for each row of plants.
  • Each distribution pipe may have small holes or slots to discharge mist upward and laterally to coat the exposed roots with mist, and to coat the interior top surface or ceiling of the enclosure and to coat portions of the pots, from where liquid and entrained solids may drip onto and into the centers of the root masses where mist may not be able to reach directly from the distribution pipe in sufficient quantities.
  • a pair of distribution pipes may be provided, one on each side of a row of plants.
  • the distribution pipes may be used together, or one at a time.
  • Mist supply direction may be alternated to prevent uneven root growth and clogging of mist piping. Alternating the discharge side may help to manage the effects of hydrotropism (roots tendency to grow toward higher moisture levels).
  • Copper mesh or other copper elements may also be utilized to control root growth away from pipes.
  • Arrows 112 in Fig.4 illustrate an example of a flow direction that may be used with pipe 108.
  • Arrows 114 illustrate dripping of collected liquid and associated solids from the ceiling and pot.
  • An upper enclosure and/or plant support 116 may be provided above enclosure 106 to fully or partially enclose/support the stems, leaves and other portions of the plants above the root systems. Access doors 118 may be provided to facilitate access for initial introduction of plants into the system, as well as for harvesting fruits and vegetables, pruning, replacement of plants, etc.
  • the lower enclosures 106 may fully or partially contain the mist, i.e., limit or prevent dispersion of mist to the exterior of the system 10.
  • the enclosures may have semi-permeable or air-permeable sidewalls to enable airflow for cooling and to facilitate horizontal root pruning.
  • the enclosures may include temperature-control features to reduce solar heat to the root zone, e.g., with reflective insulation, stand-off shading, or other means. Excess heat may be removed from the root zone to stabilize temperature by using evaporative cooling with natural draft chimneys or solar chimneys 109, and/or with air intake slots 120 at or near the bottom of an enclosure. Evaporative cooling may also be provided with semi-permeable enclosures open to the atmosphere which improve root pruning along sides of the enclosures. The semi permeable enclosures may be covered with water tight enclosures to allow periodic short term flooding of roots which allows for greater penetration in larger root masses than aeroponics
  • the automatic flow control may function to open a valve or aperture associated with a particular enclosure when lower hydrostatic pressure is sensed by a sensing tube or other apparatus, thereby helping to balance flow to multiple plant beds.
  • An air return port 122 may be provided at or near the top of the enclosure 106 to permit saturated air to flow to the atomizer.
  • a second type of enclosure is shown at 124, for use in connection with a single large plant in a tower or pipe formfactor. The tower or pipe formfactor may allow greater pressure for the mist flow to penetrate better into root masses.
  • a third type of enclosure for use in connection with a vertical formfactor is shown at 126.
  • the enclosure 126 may allow multiple small plants to be grown in the same floor area by arranging the plants in vertical rows in a pipe or tower formfactor.
  • the plant nutrition system may include many separate enclosures connected in parallel or in series. The system may be configured to provide for simultaneous or sequential supply of water and nutrients to various enclosures and their associated plants.
  • the second and third types of enclosures may be used with the features described above with respect to the first enclosure, including automated flow control on inlet piping, venting of saturated air through a return port 122 at or near the top of each enclosure, use of copper mesh 128 to automatically prune roots and/or limit root growth, and use of a sloped floor drain to facilitate flow of liquid and associated solids downward to the atomizer.
  • Additional features include an optional air pump 136 to oxygenate and prune roots from the bottom, and an optional accumulator tank system 138 including a pump and a supply line to collect and effect flow of carrier liquid and nutrients from the bottom of an enclosure to the center of an associated pot to effect greater penetration of the root mass, which may be particularly useful
  • a siphon 140 may be provided to effect draining of the enclosure automatically when the fluid level in the enclosure reaches a certain level. This may be useful in conjunction with a system that periodically floods an entire root mass for a short period of time to allow greater penetration into the center, and cleansing of the semi- permeable material.
  • a semipermeable enclosure 142 may be provided inside a water-tight enclosure to allow an air gap around a root mass and effect automatic root pruning.
  • Siphons 140 may be connected to multiple beds or groups of beds at different elevations to allow cascading, illustrated at Fig.5, such that flooding occurs automatically and sequentially, to reduce the weight of the system during flooding operations.
  • Weight of the remote plant beds and associated components may be relatively low where nearly all the soil used to provide nutrients remains at grade level or other locations where it does not add weight to the remote plant beds, and where only the small particles are brought to the enclosures while suspended in moist air and coating the roots. Excess fluid and soil particles may fall from root masses to a small layer of buffer soil at the bottom of the bed. In some embodiments, the depth of the buffer layer will be the minimum depth, or close to the minimum depth, required to stabilize bed moisture. The depth may vary depending on plants grown, local climate and construction.
  • the depth may be, e.g., about 3 in., about 6 in., or from 0 to 4 in., or from 0 to 6 in.
  • Soil life including worms can thrive in the remote plant beds and utilize substantially the same soil particles as they would in traditional soil. Roots can utilize enzymes and soil life to break down the particles surrounding them as they normally would in soil. The greater ratio of surface area to mass for smaller particles and increased amount of oxygen may result in a faster conversion of plant nutrients within the rootzone as compared with traditional soil.
  • a mesh bottom may be provided for the enclosures to allow for airflow and automatic pruning of roots. Pruning prevents root binding and encourages root growth toward the top of the enclosure.
  • Enclosures are filled with mist from the top via sloped pipe and openings with hydrostatic controlled lining (with wick down throughout soil bed). Excess fluid from the soil bed is then drained as a film via sufficiently sloped pipes and returned down to grade to the soil contact section . Moist air (without mist particles by using enlarged elbow down to allow mist to settle (air velocity reduced to less than
  • the systems described herein may offer one or more of the following features: [0059] 1. Growth in a 100% soil-based medium with the additional benefits of being: [0060] - lighter to grow on top of areas not suitable for soil [0061] - suitable for placement on roofs of buildings or other structures [0062] - suitable for placement indoors on building floors [0063] - suitable for use in or above areas not suitable for growing, e.g., areas having contaminated soil, without needing to entirely top fill with new soil [0064] - suitable for use as temporary “popup gardens” with apparatus that can be set up at the beginning of a growing season, and put away and stored compactly at the end of a growing season [0065] - stageable for growing where bringing in all soil at once is not an option [0066] 2.
  • the plants may rely entirely on natural sunlight, artificial light sources, combinations thereof, etc.
  • the overall system described herein and/or individual components thereof may employ a windmill or wind turbine 144, a solar chimney 146, solar panels, conventional electric power, or other sources of power to drive pumps, fans, lighting systems and/or other components.

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  • Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
  • Environmental Sciences (AREA)
  • Cultivation Of Plants (AREA)

Abstract

Un système de fourniture de nutriments à une plante peut soutenir la plante avec le système racinaire exposé et accessible dans un environnement régulé à l'intérieur d'une structure, en assurant une interaction entre un liquide porteur et un milieu à base de terre pour transporter des nutriments du milieu à base de terre à des plantes ciblées. Le milieu à base de terre peut comprendre de la terre organique au niveau du sol ou à proximité de celui-ci et/ou d'autres milieux à d'autres élévations. Dans certains modes de réalisation, le système comprend une structure qui comprend un cadre monté sur le toit à un emplacement qui peut exposer des parties de plantes à la lumière naturelle du soleil et une enceinte légère, aérée, à humidité régulée autour du système racinaire.
PCT/US2024/034143 2023-06-14 2024-06-14 Système d'aide à la croissance d'une plante Pending WO2024259330A2 (fr)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

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US202363472917P 2023-06-14 2023-06-14
US63/472,917 2023-06-14

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WO2024259330A3 WO2024259330A3 (fr) 2025-06-19

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Family Cites Families (6)

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AU2011340199A1 (en) * 2010-12-07 2013-07-18 Centro De Investigacion Y De Estudios Avanzados Del Instituto Politecnico Nacional (Cinvestav) Plant cultivation system utilizing phosphite as a nutrient and as a control agent for weeds and algae
UA118254C2 (uk) * 2012-12-04 2018-12-26 Монсанто Текнолоджи Ллс Нематоцидні водні композиції концентрату суспензії
US20180343812A1 (en) * 2017-05-31 2018-12-06 Insectergy, Llc Cannabis farming systems and methods
CA3211058A1 (fr) * 2021-02-17 2022-08-25 Revol Greens Gbc Systemes et procedes de culture hydroponique de plantes
WO2022187364A1 (fr) * 2021-03-03 2022-09-09 Neox Public Benefit Llc Procédés et appareil de biorégulation et de modélisation de la croissance de plantes à l'intérieur d'une capsule de croissance contrôlée pour la production de bioconsommables augmentés
US12246116B2 (en) * 2021-12-08 2025-03-11 Radical Clean Solutions. Ltd. Agricultural proactive air/surface decontamination system and devices

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