Classifications

• • 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
  • A01G27/00—Self-acting watering devices, e.g. for flower-pots
  • A01G27/005—Reservoirs connected to flower-pots through conduits
• • 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
  • A01G27/00—Self-acting watering devices, e.g. for flower-pots
  • A01G27/003—Controls for self-acting watering devices
• • 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
  • A01G18/00—Cultivation of mushrooms
  • A01G18/60—Cultivation rooms; Equipment therefor
  • A01G18/64—Cultivation containers; Lids therefor
  • A01G18/66—Cultivation bags
• • 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
  • A01G24/50—Growth substrates; Culture media; Apparatus or methods therefor contained within a flexible envelope

Definitions

• the present invention generally relates to a device for soilless culture of plants and mushrooms that is an apt substrate for hydroponic culture included in a container, generally flexible, said device comprising an inert substrate to bear and nourish plants through their roots and an irrigation system being integrated in said retained substrate in the flexible container.
• the production of plants and mushrooms in a substrate for hydroponic culture or soilless culture is an agricultural technique by means of which it is possible to grow plants without the requirement of soil. Fertilizers are directly provided to the roots dissolved in the water by means of the irrigation system.
• several inert and insoluble, organic or inorganic materials can be used (holding medium) such us seafloor or silica sand, tezontle, elements of dense plastic, vermiculite, pumice, perlite, coconut fibres and so on.
• the container or hydrophonic bed can be either a polypropylene sack, a PVC tank or a large case made in any waterproofed material.
• Culture sacks for soillness culture marketed as products for horticulture, berisme and gardening are known.
• Said culture sacks consist of a flexible sack-like container with an inorganic or organic substrate in its interior specially designed for soilless culture.
• the interior standard substrate is previously sanified and guarantees a good drainage due to the use of stable, porous and low-density material.
• One of those sacks for plant and mushroom culture is described and illustrated in the patent application specification WO-2007010078-A1 , with priority of the Spanish utility model ES-A-1061646.
• Said patent specification describes a substrate for hydroponic culture consisting of rubber particles obtained from recycled car tyres.
• Said substrate is just an example of the many, inorganic or organic substrates for hydroponic culture.
• Another document describing another kind of flexible container and another type of substrate is the patent EP-A-0476828, validated in Spain as ES- A-2054443, which describes the substrate for the hydroponic culture constituted by a compressed straw slab.
• EP-A-0476828 validated in Spain as ES- A-2054443, which describes the substrate for the hydroponic culture constituted by a compressed straw slab.
• an envelope as a flexible container that is made in plastic such as polythene and is closed at its ends, e.g. in the shape of a sleeve or a sack.
• the irrigation management is one of the most important factors of production, since fertilizers and phytosanitary elements required by each specific type of crop are supplied through the irrigation. It is worth mentioning that the frequency and the dose of irrigation have the same importance as the nutrient solution itself.
• the irrigation is supplied at low pressure and in long times to facilitate a better and homogeneous delivery of irrigation in all the application area. This aspect saves energy and system handling, what prolongs its life.
• Devices for soilless culture of plants and mushrooms comprising flexible containers with a substrate for the hydroponic culture housed in its interior with one part (extreme or end section) of an irrigation system previously integrated inside the substrate are not known.
• the present invention concerns a device for the culture of plants and mushrooms including:
• a container generally adopting the form of a flexible, closed sack and
• a substrate for the hydroponic culture loaded in the interior of said flexible container to be used as an inert support for the roots of plants going out by means of through holes made or to be made on a side of said flexible container.
• the proposed device includes at least part of a capillary irrigation system (extreme or end section) previously integrated or buried into said substrate, to be connected to an external source of irrigation liquid supply by means of a corresponding transitional hole made or to be made on an area of said container.
• a capillary irrigation system extreme or end section
• said irrigation system is a capillary or trickle irrigation system generally including a flexible tube with an integrated dropper buried into the substrate.
• said irrigation system is an exudative irrigation system including a flat hose (such as a plastic flat hose or a flat hose having micro-holes) or a porous flexible tube (such as an exudative tube with extrusion rubber base or a tube or textile pipe covered by a porous material, generally with acrylic resins) buried into the substrate in such a way that it is able to water plants that are distributed along the entire substrate.
• a flat hose such as a plastic flat hose or a flat hose having micro-holes
• a porous flexible tube such as an exudative tube with extrusion rubber base or a tube or textile pipe covered by a porous material, generally with acrylic resins
• Fig. 1 is a sectioned elevational view of the device proposed by the invention according to an embodiment example
• Fig. 2 is another sectioned elevational view of the device of Fig. 1 in an operative condition, with some plants enrooted into the substrate for the hydroponic culture contained in the illustrated sack and with a porous flexible tube integrated into the substrate and connected to the irrigation source.
• Fig. 3 is a sectioned elevational view of the device proposed by the invention according to another embodiment example.
• Fig. 4 is a lower perspective view of the device proposed by the invention according to another embodiment example that includes a container with some drainage holes on its bottom side,
• Fig. 5 is a plane schematic representation of an agricultural installation including several groups of the devices proposed by the invention parallely connected to irrigation pipes that are ramifications of a pipe connected to a source of irrigation liquid supply, according to an embodiment example, and
• Fig. 6 is another plane schematic representation of an agricultural installation including several groups of the devices proposed by the invention, which are connected in series to irrigation pipes that are ramifications of a pipe connected to a source of irrigation liquid supply, according to another embodiment example.
• the device for culturing plants and mushrooms D proposed by the invention includes:
• a flexible container 1 that for the illustrated embodiment example is a closed sack 1 , although for another embodiment examples it could be any other kind of flexible container, e.g. a closely-woven net (with holes sized in such a way to retain the substrate), such as a sack, an envelopment, etc., and - a substrate for the hydroponic culture 2 arranged inside of said flexible container 1 , to be used as an inert support of the roots of plants 3 (see Fig. 2) going out by means of some through holes 4 (see Figs. 2, 5 and 6) made on a side of said flexible container 1.
• a closely-woven net with holes sized in such a way to retain the substrate
• a substrate for the hydroponic culture 2 arranged inside of said flexible container 1 , to be used as an inert support of the roots of plants 3 (see Fig. 2) going out by means of some through holes 4 (see Figs. 2, 5 and 6) made on a side of said flexible container 1.
• the sack 1 included in the device D can be any of the various existing types at present in the market for soilless culture, the difference between them being their dimensions, as well as the material or material mixture the substrate is made from for the type of hydroponic culture to contain, in function of the vegetal or mushroom species to be cultured.
• sacks are usually hermetic, polyethylene being the material typically used. Usually they differ one from the other in their capacity in litres and their dimensions, the most habitual dimensions being those from 25x18x16 cm. up to 100x100x100 cm., although the most used dimensions at present is
• hydroponic substrates 2 of very different character constituted by different inorganic or organic inert and insoluble materials (growing medium), such as organic or silica sand, tezontle, elements of dense plastic, vermiculite, pumice, perlite, coconut fibres, etc., can be used as they are the most stable and porous materials that are typically used after being previously sanified.
• growing medium such as organic or silica sand, tezontle, elements of dense plastic, vermiculite, pumice, perlite, coconut fibres, etc.
• the device according to the invention includes part of a capillary irrigation system integrated into said substrate for the hydroponic culture 2 to be connected (see Figs. 2, 5 and 6) to an external source of irrigation liquid supply by means of a corresponding through hole 5 made or to be made on an area of said flexible container 1.
• said irrigation system is an exudative irrigation system including a porous flat hose
• a porous flexible tube 6 buried into the substrate for the hydroponic culture 2 so that it is able to water the plants 3 (see Fig. 2) that are distributed along most of the substrate for hydroponic culture 2.
• the said tube 6, according to a preferred embodiment example (see Figs. 1 and 2) can be obturated by heat sealing at the moment of closing one of the ends of the flexible sack 1 by heat sealing.
• Exudative irrigation is a localised irrigation system that continuously provides water, or in this case irrigation liquid or a solution for hydroponic culture, by means of a porous tube 6, as illustrated, that sweats said irrigation liquid through the pores along its surface.
• the liquid sweated by the pores of the tube wall 6 is transmitted to the substrate 2 where the tube 6 is buried, producing a continuous, uniform and wide wetting by capillarity, by the entire length and perimeter of the irrigation lines.
• This exudative irrigation system obtains a high uniformity when working on a lower pressure that allows, at the same time, for a more efficient use of the liquid with a minimum energetic cost because it works at lower pressures, which are close to the gravity (0,2-0,8 Atm.).
• porous tubes are commercially available, mainly those made in rubber, textile and polythene, which can be used to be integrated into the substrate 2 of the device D proposed by the invention.
• the porous flexible tube 6 is opened only at one of its ends 6a to be connected to said external source of irrigation liquid supply, as we may see in Fig. 2, the other end 6b being closed.
• Fig. 1 the proposed device D, according to the embodiment example described on the previous paragraph, is represented resting on the ground S before its utilization.
• FIG. 2 shows the same device D of the Fig. 1 but in an operative condition, that is to say with a tube 2 connected by means of a corresponding connector C, to pipe T coming from the supply source F, and with some plants 3 enrooted into the substrate 2.
• plants 3 have grown from some seeds previously sown in the substrate 2 by means of respective holes 4 (see Figs. 2, 5 and 6), although smaller plants or cutting can also be planted directly.
• FIG. 2 we may see an example of a very simplified, where the supply source is directly connected to a unique tube 6 from a unique device.
• the porous flexible tube 6 is opened at its two ends 6a, 6b in order to be connected to an end 6a, by means of a corresponding through hole 5 (see Fig. 6) made or to be made on an area of said flexible container 1 , of another porous flexible tube 6 of another analogue device D and at its other end 6b, by means of another corresponding through hole 7 (see Fig. 6) made or to be made on another area of said flexible container 1 , to said external source of irrigation liquid supply or to another porous flexible tube 6 of another analogue device D.
• Fig. 6 shows an installation that includes a plurality of devices D, wherein at least the illustrated devices D that are not arranged at the end of the device rows similar to those illustrated in Fig. 3.
• FIG. 6 shows an agricultural installation including various groups of devices D, which are connected in series to irrigation pipes conforming three ramifications of a pipe T that is connected to a source of irrigation liquid supply.
• Said ramifications are formed by a series of tube sections Tn, Tm, Tun,
• T 2 I, T 2 U, T 2 Ui, Ta, T 3 U, T 3 Ui that are interconnected by three corresponding porous tubes 6 (not illustrated in said Fig. 6) of three devices D by row, in the same way as the porous tube 6 illustrated in Fig. 2 is connected, but in the case of the intermediate devices D at both ends 6a, 6b.
• Fig. 5 shows another embodiment example of an agricultural installation including various groups of devices D as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 (although also the one illustrated in Fig. 3 could be obviously used).
• the devices D are parallelly connected to two irrigation pipes T-i, T 2 that are ramifications of a tube T connected to a source F of irrigation liquid supply (hydroponic solution formed by water and fertilizers, etc.).
• FIG. 5 shows two groups of six devices D, each one having its porous tube 6 (not illustrated in said Fig. 5) connected to a respective shunt tube T 13 , T 1b , T 1c , T 1d , T 1 ⁇ , T 1f and T 23 , T 2b , T 2c , T 2d , T 2 ⁇ , T 2f from one of the two ramifications T 1 , T 2 .
• the pipes T illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6 are generally secondary pipes of a general irrigation system.
• a device D according to an embodiment example including a humidity sensor 9 (depicted by a dotted-line) is represented arranged into the substrate for the hydroponic culture 2 and in connection with a monitoring system (not illustrated) of said external source of irrigation liquid supply, that controls it to provide said irrigation liquid at low pressure when said humidity sensor 9 detects that the wet in the substrate for the hydroponic culture 2 is under a predetermined value.
• a monitoring system not illustrated
• each sack 1 once connected to the irrigation system, is hydrated up to the optimal moment to carry out a first vegetal or mushroom planting.
• the general irrigation system will provide the necessary fertilizer and irrigation to sack 1 by means of the sweating hose or tube 6 at a pressure between 0, 1 and 1 atmospheres until restablishing the appropriated humidity rate.
• the flexible container 1 has, as it can be appreciated in Fig. 4, some drainage holes 8 arranged on the side opposite to the side having the holes 4 through which plants 3 go out, that is to say on the side that will be lower once disposed above ground S.

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• Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
• Environmental Sciences (AREA)
• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Water Supply & Treatment (AREA)
• Mycology (AREA)
• Hydroponics (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

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ID=39876297

Family Applications (1)

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Cited By (1)

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Family Cites Families (8)

• 2007
  • 2007-07-11 ES ES200701943A patent/ES2320075B1/es not_active Expired - Fee Related
• 2008
  • 2008-07-10 WO PCT/EP2008/058976 patent/WO2009007414A1/en active Search and Examination
  • 2008-07-10 EP EP08786032A patent/EP2164319A1/de not_active Withdrawn

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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