JP2003047340A - Simulated environmental system for crop observation and control method for the system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a system for determining a cultivation crop variety and/or crop cultivation method optimum to the meteorological conditions in a specific district, comprising a cultivation greenhouse and a growth analyzer for the above determination, and working to monitor the entire process of the crop growth as image information and offer the thus obtained necessary information to e.g. agricultural producers. SOLUTION: This system works as follows: in the crop cultivation greenhouse equipped with a meteorological control unit for controlling the meteorological conditions in the greenhouse, an environment simulating the meteorological conditions at a specific farmland and other meteorological observation sites is created according to the data obtained from the meteorological data observation equipment set at the farmland and the database information from the meteorological organization; the entire growing process of the crop in the greenhouse is taken by camera and the resulting image data is taken into the growth analyzer, and based on the image data, the resultant digitized observation data concerning crop growth and form characteristics are analyzed to make a database; all of the above data, together with the meteorological data and crop genetic information, are offered to agricultural producers, breeders, producers involved in crop-related businesses, distributors, consumers, etc., through the Internet or the like.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In preparation for future population growth and food shortage, it is necessary to find a more suitable growing environment for agricultural products or to create more productive agricultural products. From the viewpoint of the environment for growing crops, it is useful to finely respond to specific regions or specific meteorological conditions. For new varieties that are genetically modified as new crops, establish their usefulness and cultivation method. is important.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In the study of a plant growth environment or the process of developing a new variety, a growth environment is simulated, plants are grown in the growth environment, and the growth result is evaluated. As such a device, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 08-172912 is disclosed, in which artificial temperature is artificially controlled by controlling temperature, humidity, soil humidity, and sunshine amount in a growing space, and transplanted from a seedbed to a pot. The acclimation of the seedlings thus prepared is monitored based on the image data obtained by the camera.

On the other hand, regarding the breed improvement, an agricultural test station or an organization commissioned by an agricultural producer conducts a cultivation test in a test field belonging to a very limited range of the area, and measures the obtained growth data. After that, they are compared and selected, and the agricultural producers are informed of the information, the actual provision of seeds and seedlings, and the instruction of growth management (replanting, fertilization, core removal, etc.).

[0004]

Conventionally, the growth data obtained here has to be used on the assumption that the growth condition is a standard growth condition in a wider area due to the restriction of the provision of facilities in the test field. Didn't get However, the climatic environment (sunshine, temperature, soil quality, humidity, wind, etc.) of the test field is subtly different from the climatic environment of the specific fields of individual agricultural producers (or groups). It was not possible to say that the growth management manual prepared as a standard was the optimum method for individual producers.

However, it is a practical problem to select the optimum varieties in a specific field of an agricultural producer and to establish a growth management method therefor based on the growth data of the crops grown in the actual fields of the agricultural producer. As a result, a space therefor and an inspection worker for measuring growth are required, which is difficult to realize.

Further, if the evaluation of the growth data depends on the visual inspection measurement with a ruler or the image taken by the operator in the field and photographed, not only is it inefficient and costly, The evaluation results vary depending on the experience and ability of the evaluator. Furthermore, since the meteorological conditions differ every year in the measurement of growth data in outdoor test fields, it is difficult to compare the data of the year when the first selection of new varieties and breeding lines with the data after the second selection, If you do not have sufficient skill and experience, you will not be able to perform appropriate selection and growth management guidance. In particular, the human visual measurement / observation process (color shade, shape, etc.) is strongly influenced by individual subjective factors, and the weather conditions, measurement time, worker's skill level, psychological condition, and fatigue level. Also, it is difficult to perform measurement for selecting excellent varieties based on uniform standards.

An object of the present invention is to grow a plant in a plant cultivation room where the weather conditions in the space can be artificially controlled, collect data on the growth by a camera monitor, and obtain image data from the camera. It is possible to obtain comprehensively the data showing the relation between the growing condition of the crop obtained from the above and the meteorological condition in which the growing condition is obtained, and using this result, the evaluation of the crop and the recommended meteorological condition are related. Then, we propose a simulated environment device for crop observation that enables appropriate selection and guidance on growth management and its usage.

[0008]

[Means for Solving the Problems] A cultivation room equipped with a weather control device for adjusting indoor weather conditions is prepared, and the weather control device adjusts the illuminance, light wavelength, rainfall, temperature, and humidity. , Adjust the wind speed at will. Further, the cultivation room is provided with a medium capable of adjusting the nutritional conditions for cultivating the crop, and the medium includes organic fertilizer, inorganic fertilizer, oxygen,
The nutritional conditions such as salt content and metal ion concentration can be arbitrarily adjusted. The meteorological conditions and nutrient conditions of the culture medium given to the cultivation room are made into a database and stored in a data storage medium as a meteorological and nutrient database.

Further, the cultivation room is equipped with a camera, which captures the image data by photographing the growing condition of the growing agricultural products. The camera can take images from various positions by a spatial drive control mechanism if necessary. The captured image data is stored in a data storage medium as an image database, and is also converted into a database by a computer as digitized analysis data regarding growth and morphological characteristics of crops and stored in the data storage medium as an analysis database.

The analytical database is contrasted with crop evaluation criteria, the meteorological and nutritional database, and
Agricultural production provides comprehensive information for selecting or cultivating optimal cultivars under specific weather conditions by referring to image data and, if necessary, external databases such as yield and genetic information of agricultural products. To farmers, breeders, producers and distributors of crop-related businesses, and consumers.

In the present invention, the meteorological control device may be controlled according to meteorological conditions obtained as data, but a person who requests the comprehensive information, for example, , The data measured by the meteorological data observation device installed on the farmer's specific farmland,
You can receive it from time to time via the Internet, etc., adjust the environment according to the conditions of the farmland, grow the plants, predict the weather conditions at some point in advance, and expect better harvest in advance. It may be possible to seek conditions.

[0012]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

(Example 1--Selection of Variety for Specific Area) FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of implementation of a simulated environment device for crop observation according to the present invention and an example of an entire system surrounding it. In the figure, reference numeral 100 denotes a cultivation room, which has an area and height with which a crop can be grown in a substantially natural environment, for example, an area of 1 m × 1 m and a height of 1.5 m.
101 is more made hydroponic apparatus as nutritional adjusting means 101 ₂ for adjusting the medium 101 ₁ and the media nutrient conditions for the cultivation of plants. In the medium 101 ₁ , a plurality of agricultural products are arranged and planted in an orderly manner. The crops are different cultivars, genetically modified crops, mutant crops, etc., and although not shown, each crop is labeled with a barcode or the like. Of course, the plant may be planted in a pot or the like instead of the hydroponic cultivation device 101. The cultivation room 100 may be completely isolated from the outside and managed by artificial weather, but if necessary, it may be allowed to enter a certain amount of outdoor atmosphere, sunlight, or the like. In addition, when the plant cultivated in the cultivation room 100 is a genetically modified crop, it is natural that it is isolated from the outside world so as to satisfy the necessary biohazard conditions according to a predetermined rule. Reference numeral 110 is a weather control device that adjusts the weather conditions in the cultivation room 100, and the control device can adjust the illuminance and the light wavelength for a long time through the illumination adjustment device 105. In addition, the weather control device 11
0 can adjust the rainfall amount, temperature, humidity, and wind speed via the rainfall amount adjusting device 104, the temperature air volume adjusting device 102, and the humidity adjusting device 103. The weather control device 110 is the computer 1.
Controlled by 60. Reference numerals 106 and 107 denote color cameras or night-vision cameras, which are installed in the cultivation room 100 and optically capture the growth status of agricultural products in the cultivation room and output them as image data. Only one camera 106 or 107 is installed in each cultivation room, or a plurality of cameras is installed in each cultivation room, and the cameras 106 and 107 are moved in the cultivation room 100 by the camera control device 150 or zoom-controlled to the medium 101 ₁ . Capture magnified images of multiple crops being planted. The image data obtained by the cameras 106 and 107 is sent to the computer 160 via the camera control device 150. Here, the color camera is used to obtain image data when the lighting for cultivation is turned on, and the night-vision camera is a light source of long wavelength (850 nm or more) which is not shown in the figure when the lighting is turned off but the plant has no sensitivity. For example, it is used together with a light emitting diode lamp, a laser light diode, or the like to obtain image data of a growth situation in a time zone corresponding to night. Reference numeral 130 is a meteorological data observation device installed in a specific farmland, and the data measured by this is sent to the computer 160 through the Internet 120. Reference numeral 140 is a database of a meteorological institution, which introduces the meteorological data in the past in a specific area or in a specific year into the computer 160 via the Internet 120. 180, 190, 200 and 210 are so-called users of agricultural producers, breeders, seed producers and distributors, and consumers, respectively, and the Internet 1
The user can access the computer 160 via 20, and can place an order for a test or research desired to be performed using the cultivation room 100, and receive data obtained by the research using the cultivation room 100. 161, 162, 163
---, 16n are various databases of the computer 160, for example, 161 is an image database, 16n
2 is an analysis database, 163 is a weather database, 1
6n is an agricultural product yield and gene information database. In addition to the database for utilizing the cultivation room 100, a disk for storing various calculation and control programs required for the computer 160, calculation data, and the like are naturally provided.

The person who manages and operates the cultivation room selects the optimum cultivar under the crop growth guidelines or specific weather conditions based on the user's request or long-term research plan.

FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically showing the concept of obtaining numerically analyzed data concerning the growth and morphological characteristics of crops based on the image data obtained by the cameras 106 and 107.

Image data is shown in time series in the upper part of FIG. An image of the seed sown on the left end, an image of the situation where shoots and roots are starting to appear on the right, then an image of the situation where shoots and roots are beginning to grow, an image of the seedlings that have grown to some extent, and finally the ears Shows an image in a state in which the "" appears. In these images, the roots are generally invisible when taken with a camera because they are in the medium, but they are shown for reference in the sense of the whole image of the crop. Also, in rice etc.,
Tiller occurs according to growth, but in the present invention, this is omitted mainly in the sense of focusing on individuals.

An example of obtaining analysis data from image data is shown in the lower part of FIG. For crops that change as shown in the upper row,
After starting the monitoring for each individual, for example, image data is taken in every 1 hour, and the change in the plant height every 24 hours is measured from these image data groups,
The change over time is displayed in a graph. Based on that data,
It is also possible to display the growth rate of plant height on a graph.
Here, on the left end, as the growth characteristic data, the same variety,
Under the same weather condition, it is schematically shown that the growth of individuals 1 and 2 varies. In the central part, characteristic 1,
That is, under certain weather conditions and fertilization conditions,
The variation of the obtained yield is shown for each variety. In the present invention,
Since the management data of the cultivation room 100, the growth data of crops, and the like are stored and saved in the databases 161 to 16n, the computer 160 uses the trait of interest from the measurement data of a plurality of individuals for each variety for each weather condition and fertilization condition. Statistical calculation such as average value and dispersion of
It is easy to display in graphs and tables. At the right end is a table that schematically shows this. Here, the reason why the tables are overlapped is that the same characteristics (weather conditions and fertilization conditions) are displayed as meaning that the data may change depending on, for example, soil conditions.

As described above, according to the present invention, which cultivar is used and which cultivar is processed by the statistical processing of the image data, the measurement data, and the data such as the yield and genetic information of the external agricultural products, if necessary, by the computer 160. Weather conditions,
Under fertilization conditions, it is easy to determine what kind of growth characteristics are exhibited, and by referring to this, it is possible to find the optimum growth conditions for each cultivar, and to determine the optimum cultivation conditions under the climatic conditions of a specific area. Comprehensive information for selecting varieties can be provided to agricultural producers, breeders, producers and distributors of crop-related businesses, and consumers.

FIG. 3 is an overall configuration diagram showing an embodiment as an application form of the first embodiment. In this embodiment, meteorological data observation devices 250-290 installed in a plurality of farmlands AX.
Based on the data from, a plurality of weather conditions individually reproduce the cultivation room 100 _A -100 _X, grown many cultivars simultaneously make it possible to compare the growth conditions and yield at once. In FIG. 3, components denoted by the same reference numerals as those in FIG. 1 are the same or equivalent. The cultivation of crops, the control of weather conditions, etc. are performed by the computer 160 as in the case of the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, and the data collection is also performed. In this example,
Medium 101 ₁ It is understood that the media representative of each land.

According to this embodiment, not only can the optimum variety in each individual farm be selected, but it can be easily determined in which farm the particular excellent variety shows the best growth. In addition, if the measured data from the meteorological data observation device is stored in the meteorological database, a series of meteorological conditions can be reproduced in the cultivation room 100 at any time as needed, and a large number of individuals using a plurality of cultivation rooms or High-throughput selection based on the number of product types is possible.

The data once accumulated in the first embodiment can be referred to as image data and growth characteristic data at any time, and target varieties and characteristics to be compared can be quickly searched as needed. Since the entire process of growth of the crop is recorded as image data without exception, it is possible to easily analyze the data retroactively in the past and to easily identify the factors that promote or inhibit the growth. As a result, it is possible to compare data such as differences in the growth status of specific varieties due to differences in regional characteristics, differences in growth characteristics due to differences in varieties in specified farmland, differences in growth status of specific varieties due to differences in growth weather conditions, etc. It will be easier. As a result, it is possible to select, from a large number of genetically modified varieties and mutant varieties, those that have good growth and excellent productivity under the climatic conditions of a specific area in a short time at low cost. In addition, it is possible to simultaneously test in a cultivation room under various weather conditions whether a certain excellent variety grows in a cultivation place under various weather conditions and select a cultivation area in a short time. The risk of cultivation can be reduced and the yield can be expected to increase.

(Example 2 --- Test dating back several years) Since the climatic environment of the farmland is different every year, the cultivar which the agricultural producer plans to cultivate is the cold summer year or precipitation in the farmland. It is important to investigate in advance whether or not expected growth and yield can be achieved in typical climatic environments of the past, such as low-abundance years.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a method and system for acquiring data that can meet such a request by the simulated environment device for crop observation according to the present invention.
In this embodiment, instead of the weather conditions farmland described in FIG 3, to reproduce the weather conditions based on historical weather data for a particular agricultural A cultivation chamber 100 _A -110 _D. Also,
To reproduce the future of the weather conditions of long-term short-term in the cultivation room 100 _E -110 _X. Medium 101 ₁ All cultivation room is assumed farmland A. In FIG. 4, components denoted by the same reference numerals as those in FIGS. 1 and 3 are the same or equivalent. The cultivation of crops, the control of weather conditions, etc. are performed by the computer 160 as in the case of the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, and the data collection is also performed.

One or more kinds of cultivated cultivars are cultivated in a cultivation room, and the growth thereof is monitored. It is determined in advance whether or not the varieties that are planned to be cultivated by reproducing the current or past weather conditions of the farmland A in the cultivation room and showing advantageous growth conditions and yields as compared with cultivars with past cultivation results. it can. For example, by inputting the weather data of a good harvest year or poor harvest year of a variety in the past into the climate control device in the cultivation room to cultivate a variety that you want to check and determine the growth status and yield of good harvest or poor harvest. . The current meteorological data of farmland A is measured by a meteorological measuring instrument installed in farmland A, and is input to the weather control device in the cultivation room via the Internet from moment to moment. Determine the status and yield of good harvest or bad harvest. Farmland A
Instead of the meteorological data limited to the above, the meteorological observation data at a point near the farmland A is acquired from an external meteorological data organization via the Internet, and the meteorological conditions are input to the meteorological control device in the cultivation room. Examining whether or not the varieties planned for have good growth is also one of the methods for preliminarily discriminating a good harvest or a poor harvest.

According to the second embodiment, it is possible to carry out the work that has conventionally been required to accumulate the data on the growth in the fields and the pattern data over several years, once the number of necessary cultivation rooms is prepared. It is possible to obtain growth data corresponding to several years during the cultivation period, and it is possible to determine whether or not cultivation is appropriate in a short period of time. In particular, genetically modified crops are required to undergo a cultivation test in an isolated greenhouse and an outdoor test farmland that meet certain requirements before being cultivated on an actual farmland in consideration of the environment. It took a long time to investigate the growth of actual farmland in the climatic environment. According to the present invention, it is possible to record and compare the characteristics of the genetically modified varieties to be tested in comparison with the conventional varieties in the weather conditions that specify the area to be cultivated, from the stage of selection in the isolated greenhouse in advance. Therefore, it is possible to efficiently select, in a short period of time, a genetic recombinant that has the optimum growth and yield in the farmland to be cultivated.

(Example 3--Establishment of cultivation method based on past meteorological data of specified farmland) Since the growth of crops depends not only on the meteorological environment of the farmland but also on the nutrition of soil and the occurrence of pests, fertilization is performed. Appropriate timing and amount of pesticides and pesticide application are important for productivity improvement. For example, even if the same variety is cultivated in a farmland with a high temperature, it is often the case that the growth of the crop is better when the addition of a fertilizer is less than that in a farmland with a low temperature. A series of crop production manuals on when to sow, watering, fertilizing, spraying pesticides etc.
Conventionally, it has been produced using standard varieties under an average weather environment such as an agricultural experimental station. However, since the actual climatic environment of the farmland is different from the farmland when the production manual was prepared, such a crop production manual is not always optimal for growing crops. In the meteorological environment of the farmland where it is actually cultivated, it is desirable to inform the agricultural producers in detail and specifically about when it is most effective for fertilization and pesticide application, and how much it should be applied. ing.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a method and system for acquiring data that can meet such a request by the simulated environment device for crop observation according to the present invention.
In this embodiment, a weather / pesticide spraying control device 111 is adopted instead of the weather control device 110 described in FIG. 1, and a pesticide spraying device 108 is additionally provided in the cultivation room 100. Here, it is abbreviated as pesticide spraying, but in the present embodiment, this has both fertilizer application control and fertilizer spraying. The weather / pesticide spraying control device 111 is controlled by the computer 160 as in the above-described embodiment.

In this embodiment, instead of cultivating the farmland A in FIG. 4 focusing on the change in climatic conditions over time, the crops are cultivated in a plurality of cultivation rooms while reproducing the climatic conditions of a certain past year. By changing the timing and amount of fertilization and pesticide application in each cultivation room variously and monitoring the growth, fertilization and pesticide application for optimal growth in the meteorological environment of the farmland can be performed. Determine the timing and provide information. Of course, it is possible to provide more easily available data to agricultural producers by accumulating data under various weather conditions.

Since the above experiment can be carried out in the cultivation room even before the cultivation is actually carried out on the farmland, the crops which are planned to be grown on the actual farmland can be tested. Especially, the optimum cultivation manual for the cultivation of new varieties that farmers have not experienced can be promptly provided, and the effect of productivity improvement can be expected.

(Example 4--Feedback of Cultivation Method in Weather Forecasting) As described in the previous example, the productivity of crops depends on a series of crop production manuals according to the weather environment of the farmland. It Conventionally, standard varieties have been used to produce standard varieties under average weather conditions at agricultural test sites, etc., but in a slightly different weather situation every year, such a crop production manual does not necessarily mean It is not always the best for training. Therefore, it is desired to inform the agricultural producers in advance of information about when it is most effective for fertilization and pesticide application in the meteorological environment of the year, and how much it should be added.

With the configuration described in FIG. 4 or FIG.
By contracting with a weather acquisition institution or company for the land for one to two months or one month ahead of the land actually produced, connecting to the Internet, preliminarily collecting the weather data, and reproducing the weather conditions in the cultivation room. Monitor the training status in real time. For example, the state of breeding is judged from the image data, and the timing of fertilization, pesticide application, replanting, and feeding of nutrients is obtained in advance. The upbringing management information taken in advance in this cultivation room is transmitted to the actual production site as information. The production area and the cultivation room side are contracted. Providing the acquired advance management information to the producer who owns the contracted production site. The provision may be real-time information by communication means via the Internet. In this way, it is possible to reduce crop losses and adjust the harvest time in a production-adjusted manner by using the cultivation management data in the cultivation room.

Regarding the implementation of the fourth embodiment, as an application example to the cold damage avoidance method in low temperature weather, an example in which the temperature and fertilization are specifically dealt with will be shown below.

One of the meteorological factors that reduces the yield of rice per unit area is an obstacle due to low temperature. Explain how to quickly select a method to avoid cold damage by monitoring the temperature and water temperature conditions of cultivated farmland and trying the fertilizer composition and fertilizer application amount while cultivating a crop with a simulated environment device for crop observation and providing information To do.

A specific cultivar brand (for example, Nihonbari) is cultivated in advance in a simulated environment device for crop observation in which temperature conditions and fertilization conditions are changed, and the growth curve and yield of plant height are measured. FIG. 6 shows an example of the observation result. (A) shows the plant height and the elongation rate of the plant height under the low temperature condition, and (b) shows the plant height and the elongation rate of the plant height under the proper temperature condition, respectively. here,
The low temperature condition means that the daytime temperature is 25 ° C and the nighttime temperature is 15 ° C. The optimum temperature condition means that the daytime temperature is 30 ° C and the nighttime temperature is 20 ° C.
℃ was made. As the fertilizer application conditions under each temperature condition, as a multi-nitrogen condition, a chemical fertilizer corresponding to a nitrogen content of 1 g per 5 liter pot was added, and as a low nitrogen condition, a chemical fertilizer equivalent to a nitrogen amount of 0.3 g was added to the same pot. Was added, and no fertilizer was added as a nitrogen-free condition. In addition, the sunshine conditions are
Regardless of the temperature conditions, 12 hours when the light is on from 6 am to 6 pm is day, and when it is off, it is night,
Humidity was set to 70%. (C) shows the final yields under these conditions in a bar graph. When the yield was evaluated by combining the temperature and fertilization conditions, the one with a large amount of nitrogen added had the highest yield under the optimum temperature condition, and the less the nitrogen added, the smaller the yield. Under low temperature conditions, the decrease in yield was very large with the addition of multiple nitrogen, and the decrease rate of the yield was small with addition of small amount of nitrogen and addition of no nitrogen.

Under low temperature conditions, growth is delayed in the early stage of cultivation, so that plant length grows slowly under any fertilization condition, but the final yield increases under low nitrogen conditions. Displaying the plant height extension speed curve makes it easier to understand the plant height extension speed.

By such a trial, it is possible to collect data in advance for what low temperature conditions and how much fertilizer should be added to minimize the decrease in yield. It is also helpful to collect image data and obtain the growth rate curve of plant height by changing the amount of fertilizer applied under the weather conditions of the year when the specified farmland was chilled.

When starting cultivation on an actual farmland, a simulated environment device for observing crops, in which measured weather data of the farmland is input, is used to grow the same cultivar as the farmland by using the soil of the farmland. Record the data. While confirming the growth image data in the simulated environment device for crop observation and the elongation curve of the plant height of rice obtained from it, it is determined whether or not additional fertilizer is added. For example, when actual farmland continues to grow at low temperatures, and weather forecast data predicts low temperatures for the next two weeks or so, whether or not fertilizer application should be done four weeks after planting rice should be monitored by crop observation. With reference to the growth curve of the plant height of rice grown in a simulated environment device, the amount of fertilizer that does not increase the plant growth rate at that temperature condition is selected and used as a guide for the actual amount of fertilizer applied on the farmland.
By such a method, which fertilization condition leads to favorable growth of seedlings can be determined at an early stage without waiting for the time when the ears finally grow, and cold damage due to poor initial growth can be minimized. In addition to the growth curve of the plant height, the growth data may be indexed by the number of tillers, the darkness of the green color of the plant, the area of leaves, the thickness of leaves, and the like.

Example 5 --- Image data acquisition method
In each of the above-described embodiments, the image acquisition system using the cameras 106 and 107 is necessary to monitor the growing condition in the cultivation room 100. Since the image has a large amount of data, the camera is operated continuously for 24 hours to acquire the image,
Storing all data requires a huge database, and also requires a large amount of processing time and a heavy load on the computer. An example of a method for efficiently handling this image data will be described as a fifth embodiment.

When the growing condition of the crop is successively captured as an image, the rate of change with time is small in many cases. Therefore, it is often pointless to collect data for a long time and save all changes in it. In this embodiment, acquisition of image data by the camera is performed, for example, in 15
It is performed periodically, such as once a minute, but paying attention to the displacement of the characteristic part of the crop on the image data, and only when the displacement of that part becomes a predetermined value or more, The central image data is recorded. The image captured sequentially may be a moving image or a still image. To detect the displacement on the captured image, image processing technology such as cross-correlation method or phase-only method is used.

In this embodiment, the number of characteristic points to be noticed is not limited to one, and the characteristic points may be changed in consideration of the growth process, or some characteristic points may be changed in parallel. It is good to monitor it. In this case, when there is a noticeable change in one feature point, it is preferable to process the image data of all the feature points.

Example 6 --- Image data acquisition method
The growth of crops depends not only on the weather environment of the farmland, the nutrition of soil and the occurrence of pests, but also the density at which the crops are planted. For the crops cultivated in the cultivation room, it is necessary to continuously record the growth process as images with a camera and analyze the growth data from the images, so that the leaves of adjacent plants grow so that they overlap. What you did,
The boundaries of each individual must be identified. Considering only to identify each individual, it is sufficient to cultivate them with a sufficient distance between them, but in that case, the crop at the cultivation density on the actual farmland means the sunshine that each individual receives, Since the humidity of the farmland changes, there is a problem that it shows a growth condition different from that of the crops with the planting density of the farmland. When cultivating crops in the cultivation room 100, it is important to create an environment that resembles the cultivation of crops in actual farmland as much as possible, and therefore it is desirable that the planting density is the same as in the actual farmland. Grow in the cultivation room at the same planting density as the actual farmland, along with the growth of the crop, as in the actual farmland,
There is a demand for a method capable of identifying each individual even if the leaves of adjacent individuals overlap each other.

This embodiment shows a method for solving such a problem. This will be specifically described with reference to FIG. 7. Figure 7
(A) is a diagram schematically showing a state in which the distance between individuals is the same as in the actual farmland, and an individual group that has grown to such an extent that leaves of adjacent individuals overlap each other is viewed obliquely from above. . FIG. 7 (b) shows the population of 2 seen from directly above.
It is a schematic representation of the dimensional arrangement. At the stage when the crop has grown to such a state, for example, in rice, naturally, division occurs, and the crop as an individual is often not isolated as shown in the figure. It is displayed as a single line in the sense of paying attention.

In this embodiment, the sample crop and the marker crop are alternately arranged and grown so that the sample crop can be identified only by the image data. Figure 7
In (a), the sample crops are designated by reference numeral 500, and the marker crops are designated by reference numeral 600, and are shown in black. In FIG. 7 (a), this is indicated by a white circle and a circle with a downward-sloping hatching. Therefore, for example, when it is desired to focus on the sample crop 500 ₁ , the crop surrounded by the marker crops 600 ₁ , 600 ₄ , 600 ₇ and 600 ₃ should be identified on the image.

As the marker crop, for example, if a variety in which leaves contain a large amount of anthocyan and turns purple, a green sample crop can be easily identified in image data taken by a color camera. Varieties with distinctly pale leaves due to low chlorophyll content can also be used as effective marker individuals. In addition, if a crop that has been modified with a fluorescent protein such as GFP is used as a marker crop, and a marker crop that fluoresces and a crop that does not fluoresce are discriminated from the image taken by irradiation with excitation light, a sample crop can be obtained. Can be identified by individual.

Furthermore, by combining such an arrangement with the labeling of sample crops using a bar code or the like, even if the crops have grown to such an extent that the leaves of adjacent plants overlap with each other, the boundaries of the individual plants can be identified and the individual plants can be identified. It is possible to discriminate and continuously record and record the growth.

[0046]

Industrial Applicability As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a guideline for growth in response to the demands of agricultural producers, and identify from among a large number of genetically modified varieties and mutant varieties. It is possible to select, in a short period of time and at low cost, those that have good growth in local weather conditions and excellent productivity.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of an implementation of a simulated environment device for crop observation according to the present invention and an example of an entire system surrounding it.

FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically showing the concept of obtaining numerically analyzed analysis data relating to growth and morphological characteristics of a crop based on image data obtained by a camera.

FIG. 3 is an overall configuration diagram showing an embodiment as an application form of the first embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a method and system for acquiring data by a simulated environment device for crop observation according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing another method and system for acquiring data by the simulated environment device for crop observation according to the present invention.

[FIG. 6] (a) shows an example of the results of cultivating a specific cultivar brand in a simulated environment device for crop observation in which temperature conditions and fertilization conditions were changed, and observing plant height and plant growth rate under low temperature conditions,
(B) shows an example of the result of observing the plant height and the elongation rate of the plant height under suitable temperature conditions, and (c) is a diagram showing the final yield of the result of cultivation under these conditions.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an arraying method for identifying the boundaries of individual individuals of plants that have grown so that leaves overlap with each other.
(A) is a schematic view of the array viewed obliquely from above, and (b) is a schematic view of the array viewed from directly above.

[Explanation of symbols]

100, 100 _A -100 _X: cultivation room, 101: hydroponic apparatus, 101 _1: Medium for the cultivation of plants, 101 _2:
Nutrient adjusting means, 102: temperature and air volume adjusting device, 103: humidity adjusting device, 104: rain amount adjusting device, 105: lighting adjusting device, 106, 107: camera, 108: pesticide spraying device, 110: weather control device, 111: weather -Agricultural chemical spray control device, 120: Internet, 130: Meteorological data observation device, 140: Meteorological institution database, 150:
Camera control device, 160: computer, 161: image database, 162: analysis database, 163: weather database, 16n: agricultural product yield, gene information database, 180: agricultural producer, 190: breeder, 20
0: Seed and seed producers and distributors, 210 :, consumers, 250
-290: Meteorological data observation device installed in a plurality of farmland AX, 500: sample crop, 600: marker crop.

   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    (72) Inventor Ruriko Tsuneda             1-280, Higashi Koikekubo, Kokubunji, Tokyo             Central Research Laboratory, Hitachi, Ltd. (72) Inventor Oda Isamu             4-6 Kanda Surugadai, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo             Within Hitachi, Ltd.

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A cultivation room for plants, which has a predetermined space and in which the weather conditions in the space can be artificially controlled, a weather control mechanism for adjusting the weather conditions in the cultivation room, and a specific area for the weather control mechanism. Means for inputting meteorological data of a specific period of, a nutrient adjusting means for adjusting the nutrient conditions of the medium for cultivating the plant, the growth state of a plurality of crops grown in the medium in the cultivation chamber A camera that captures image data and that captures the image data; an adjusting unit that can control the timing when the image data from the camera is captured; a growing state of the plurality of crops obtained from the image data from the camera; And a storage means for storing data showing a relationship with the condition, and evaluate the growth state of the plurality of crops obtained from the image data from the camera to evaluate and recommend the plant A simulated environment device for crop observation, which is capable of associating with a weather condition. 2. The simulated environment device for crop observation according to claim 1, wherein the plant evaluation is associated with a variety to be recommended under a predetermined weather condition. 3. The control means for controlling the addition of organic fertilizer, inorganic fertilizer, oxygen, salt, and metal ion to the medium of the simulated environment device for crop observation, in addition to the meteorological conditions. Simulated environment device for crop observation. 4. Having two cultivation rooms for growing crops under artificially controlled meteorological conditions, and changing the meteorological conditions of the respective cultivation rooms under substantially the same conditions,
By arranging them for a predetermined time, depending on the growth condition of the crop in the cultivation room under the preceding weather conditions, the nutrients supplied to the medium in the cultivation room that follows will be controlled to evaluate the cultivation conditions of the crop. A simulated environment device for observing a crop characterized by: 5. It has two cultivation rooms for growing crops under artificially controlled weather conditions, and the weather conditions in the respective cultivation rooms are changed under substantially the same conditions.
A simulation for crop observation, characterized by controlling the climate conditions of other cultivation rooms according to the growth conditions of the crops in the cultivation rooms under the weather conditions of one cultivation room to evaluate the growth conditions of the crops. Environmental equipment. 6. When planting a crop in a medium in a cultivation room where the crop is grown under artificially controlled weather conditions, the crop is planted at the density at which it is planted in a natural farmland, and The sample crops whose growth is to be examined are arranged so as to be alternately arranged so as to be surrounded by the marker crops, and the image data obtained by photographing the crops with the camera is to recognize the sample crops by focusing on the color of the marker crops. A method for identifying a crop individual characterized by. 7. The marker crop has a characteristic that can be visually distinguished from a sample individual by at least one of color, morphology and size, or an image even if the characteristic is visually difficult to distinguish. 7. The method for identifying a crop individual according to claim 6, wherein the crop individual has a characteristic capable of being distinguished from a sample individual by treatment, or has a characteristic of emitting fluorescence of a specific wavelength when irradiated with light having a limited wavelength. 8. A cultivation room for plants, which has a predetermined space and in which the weather conditions in the space can be artificially controlled, a weather control mechanism for adjusting the weather conditions in the cultivation room, and a specific area for the weather control mechanism. Means for inputting meteorological data of a specific period of, a nutrient adjusting means for adjusting the nutrient conditions of the medium for cultivating the plant, the growth state of a plurality of crops grown in the medium in the cultivation chamber A camera that captures image data and that captures the image data; an adjusting unit that can control the timing when the image data from the camera is captured; a growing state of the plurality of crops obtained from the image data from the camera; Using a simulated environment device for crop observation provided with a storage means of data indicating the relationship with the conditions, the growth state of the plurality of crops obtained from the image data from the camera In addition to evaluating and associating the evaluation of the plant with the climatic conditions that should be recommended, the climatic conditions and other conditions for crop cultivation should be provided by the farmer or a person concerned and the guidelines for farming work corresponding to them should be provided. A method for using a simulated environment device for observing a characteristic crop.