JP2005052099A - Agricultural culture medium and method for culturing crop by using the same culture medium - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To effectively utilize thinned wood, or the like, by producing a culture medium for agriculture from a woody material such as the thinned wood. <P>SOLUTION: A swollen and crushed material of a woody material crushed by a screw type crushing and swelling apparatus for crushing a fiber while loosening the fiber by carrying out crushing and grinding of the woody material while feeding the woody material in the forward direction under pressure by rotation a screw and discharging and swelling the crushed material by feed pressure of the screw is used as the agricultural culture medium. The culture medium is particularly suitable as a culture medium for elevated culture. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an agricultural medium used for cultivation of agricultural crops, and more particularly to a lightweight medium suitable for upland cultivation and a method for cultivating crops using the medium.

  After planting cedars, bushes, etc., by pruning and thinning at an appropriate time to improve the sunlight of the plantation materials, and to reach the sun's surface to promote moderate growth of undergrowth and shrubs It is necessary to balance the growing plants in the forest. However, in recent years, the use of pruning and thinning materials generated when pruning and thinning has decreased, and these pruning and thinning materials have to be left in the forest. Since timber and thinned wood will not decay in a short period of time, they have been a remote cause of flood damage due to runoff during heavy rains and catching on downstream bridge girders.

  On the other hand, due to the recent increase in imported wood and the aging and decreasing population of the forestry population, care for the above-mentioned forests such as pruning and thinning has been neglected, which is also a problem in the cultivation of healthy forests.

  Therefore, it is considered that these thinned lumber will be used effectively for pruning, and that these thinned lumber will provide economic value to the pruned lumber, which will promote thinning and pruning and lead to the cultivation of healthy mountain forests. .

  From such a viewpoint, various methods for effectively using thinned wood and pruned wood have been proposed. For example, the plant growth inhibitory substances contained in the pulverized material are removed by boiling the pulverized material of thinned cedar and cedar in hot water, and the obtained pulverized wood material is used as a medium for mushroom cultivation. (For example, Patent Document 1). As another method, there is a method in which water content is increased by adding water to bark of cedar or birch and then pulverized in a feather shape with a crusher, and this woody pulverized material is used as plant planting material (for example, Patent Document 2). . In either case, the wood is crushed and used. Furthermore, recently, a screw-type swelling pulverization apparatus is known as an apparatus that simultaneously pulverizes and swells by crushing under pressure and pulverizing and discharging into the atmosphere instead of simply pulverizing a wooden material ( For example, Patent Document 3)

In addition, when cultivating crops with a low height such as cocoons, the crouching work puts an excessive burden on the legs, so containers with cocoon cultivation media are placed on multistage cultivation shelves. The high cultivation method which performs is spreading (for example, patent document 4)
JP 2003-70356 A (refer to claims) Japanese Patent Publication No. 7-55097 (refer to claims) JP-A-8-253385 (see FIGS. 1 to 40) Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2003-79239 (see summary and FIG. 1)

  However, the thing of patent document 1 is limited to mushroom cultivation, and requires the boiling process of a thinning material, and not only a large expense is required for culture medium manufacture, but the usage-amount cannot be anticipated.

  A typical example of pulverized wood is sawdust. Although the said patent document 1 uses a thinning material with a sawdust, it is not just what should just pulverize like a sawdust. Sawdust is a piece of wood that has been shredded by shearing force alone, and its structure remains wood. Therefore, the porosity is small and the water retention is poor. Therefore, in the above-mentioned Patent Document 2, a crushed wood material having improved water retention by applying a strong force to the timber and crushing the fiber structure using a crusher such as a Hammar crusher is proposed. Not only is it an expensive device and a high operating cost, it also takes time and effort to adjust the moisture content, leaving a problem in practicality.

  Also, in the above-mentioned cultivation method, the weight of one case containing the medium is about 12.4 kg in one box of standard medium (16 liters) with the seedlings of cocoons planted. It is often lifted or moved to other places to be placed on the shelf for cultivation, but it is not uncommon for the number of cases in the house cultivation to reach hundreds. Movement is a heavy labor for workers, and a lightweight medium is required.

  The present invention has been made in view of the present situation, and has a first object of increasing added value together with effective use of thinned wood and pruned wood, and is lightweight and suitable for a high cultivation method. The second object is to provide an agricultural medium superior to the above medium.

  In order to achieve the above object, the agricultural medium of the present invention uses a pulverized product obtained by pulverizing a wooden material as a medium, and has a great feature in the pulverizing technique of the wooden material. That is, the swelling of the wood material pulverized by a screw type swelling pulverization device that crushes and crushes while pumping forward by the rotation of the screw to pulverize the fiber, and discharges and swells the pulverized material by pressure. The pulverized material is used as an agricultural medium.

  As the wood material, wood thinned or pruned wood such as cedar and firewood, or waste wood such as millwood generated at a sawmill is preferable.

  The agricultural culture medium of the present invention may be only the above-mentioned swelling and pulverized material, but a preferred embodiment is one in which a water-retaining material such as volcanic ash, perlite, permeculite, peat moss or black soil is added and mixed to improve the water retention. It is. In particular, when volcanic ash is blended, it is preferable to blend the swollen pulverized material and volcanic ash in a volume ratio of 7: 3 to 9: 1.

  Since the bulk density of the swollen pulverized material pulverized by the screw-type swelling pulverization apparatus is significantly smaller than that of conventional sawdust and the like, it is lightweight and is used as a medium for tall cultivation such as straw. Is also a preferred embodiment. The medium of the present invention can also be used as a medium for raising seedlings.

  Next, the method for cultivating crops according to the present invention is a method for growing crops while supplying liquid fertilizer after planting seedlings of the crops in the medium according to the present invention. As a method for applying the fertilizer, a method of applying a slow-release fertilizer in advance can be used, but it is preferable to grow the crop while instilling the liquid fertilizer. In addition, this cultivation method is the optimum cultivation method for the tall cultivation method.

  The culture medium according to the present invention is swelled by a special screw-type swelling pulverization apparatus, shearing crushing action, fiber defibrating action by crushing, and discharge from inside the apparatus in a pressurized state to the outside of the apparatus under normal pressure. Due to the action, the medium is mainly composed of a swollen pulverized product in which the fibers of the wood material have been defibrated and cut, so that the porosity is high (small bulk density), air permeability is high, and the water absorption is high. Light weight. In particular, since air permeability is good, the swollen pulverized material itself is immediately decomposed by a fermenting action by an aerobic bacterium, and has the effect of quickly providing a source of organic fertilizer components necessary for crop growth.

  The above-mentioned swelling ground material itself is aerobically fermented to become organic fertilizer, and at the same time, mineral components such as magnesium and iron absorbed by the original wood material itself as a necessary component are also released during the fermentation process. Therefore, it is a notable feature that it also has a function as a mineral source to the crop planted in the medium.

  Moreover, in the seedling cultivation using the culture medium according to the present invention, the yield and quality equivalent to or higher than those of the conventional culture medium are obtained, and the quality of the culture medium is extremely excellent.

  In addition, using wood thinning and pruning wood as a wood material not only enables these new uses, but also adds value to the product, so it has been left as waste in the past. Economic value is given to thinned wood and pruned wood, and as a result, thinning and pruning are carried out, contributing greatly to the growth of healthy mountain forests.

  Furthermore, since the swelling and pulverizing material used in the present invention has a low bulk density, the weight of the state in which the medium is filled in the container for high cultivation is significantly reduced in weight as compared with the one using the existing medium. Thus, the work at the time of the movement of the container becomes easy, and it becomes possible to greatly reduce the pain for an aging worker.

  Moreover, in seedling cultivation, when supplying nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) as liquid fertilizer, which tends to be insufficient for the swollen pulverized material of the present invention, these liquid fertilizers have good water absorption. It is absorbed and held quickly, and the use efficiency of liquid fertilizer is further improved.

  First, a screw-type swelling and grinding device that is a major feature of the present invention will be described. This apparatus is an apparatus described in Patent Document 4, and FIG. 1 shows a cross-sectional view of the main part, and FIG. 2 shows a conceptual diagram of the crushing and crushing action by this apparatus. First, as shown in FIG. 1, the screw-type swelling and grinding apparatus includes a casing 2, a screw 3 that is rotatably inserted into the casing 2, and a top cover 7 that is fixed to the front end of the casing by bolts 23a. A support member 11 disposed in the center of the top cover 7 and rotatably supporting the tip shaft 12 of the screw 3; and a cutter 9 slidably contacting the inner surface of the top cover 7; 2 is provided with a funnel-like hopper 10 for feeding an object to be opened in the casing as an inlet 13 which is a lower opening thereof. Further, the top cover 7 is provided with a number of discharge holes 6 for discharging the pulverized material.

  The cutter 9 is disposed so as to be in contact with or close to the inner surface of the top cover 7, and is attached to the tip of the rotary shaft 20 of the screw 3 so as to rotate together with the rotary shaft 20. The screw support member 11 is provided at the center of the top cover 7, and the tip shaft 12 of the screw 3 is rotatably supported by the screw support member 11. Further, the rotary shaft 20 of the screw 3 is rotatably held by the rear cover 8 fixed to the casing 2 with bolts 23b, and the rear end thereof is attached to an appropriate drive source 22 via a connector. In the casing 2 is rotatably supported. A plurality of shear blade members 4 are fixed to the front side of the casing 2 along the longitudinal direction of the casing 2 by bolts 5. In the figure, reference numeral 21 denotes a protective cover for the rotary shaft 20.

  By the apparatus 1 having such a configuration, the object to be processed is crushed and crushed by the screw 3 and the shear blade member 4 on the inner surface of the casing 2 by the rotational force of the screw, and further, the blade 3a of the screw 3 Since the interval is formed so as to narrow toward the tip, the object to be processed is pumped forward by the rotational force of the screw 3, and the object to be processed is crushed on the inner surface side of the top cover 7. It is in a state of being crushed by high pressure, and this is pushed out from the discharge hole 6 by internal pressure. Immediately before this extrusion, the cutter 9 provided in front of the discharge hole 6 in the casing 2 cuts the fiber of the object to be processed, thereby preventing the discharge hole 6 from being clogged. . In addition, since the pressure is rapidly released to normal pressure at the moment when it is pushed out from the discharge hole 6, the extruded object is vaporized and expanded by the reduced pressure, and the same as so-called popcorn. It is swollen by the principle and becomes a swollen pulverized material.

  In addition, a plurality of shear blade members 4 are formed inside the casing 2 along the longitudinal direction of the casing 2, and in a manner conceptually shown in FIG. Defibration is performed by crushing and crushing. That is, first, as shown in FIG. 5A, the workpiece 30 that has been fed by the rotation of the screw 3 is sandwiched between the outer peripheral edge of the screw blade 3a and the shear blade member 4. . Next, as shown in FIG. 2B, the workpiece 30 is rotated by the rotation of the screw 3 (in the direction of the arrow in the drawing), and the outer peripheral edge of the screw blade 3a and the tapered shear blade of the shear blade member 4 are moved. As shown in FIG. 5C, the workpiece 30 existing between the outer peripheral edge of the screw blade 3a and the tapered shear blade surface 4a is subjected to a shearing force with the surface 4a. Then, the crushing action is received by the relative movement of both members, whereby the fiber in the object to be treated is sheared and crushed while being loosened.

  As described above, the object to be processed 30 put into the casing 2 is gradually crushed into pieces 30a and 30b while being crushed by shearing, and simultaneously crushed into smaller particles. In particular, since the blade pitch of the screw 3 is narrower toward the front, the object to be processed is compressed and consolidated by the rotational force of the screw as it goes to the front of the screw, and from the compression parts 25b and 25c at the tip part to the pressurizing part. In the process of being pumped to 25a (see FIG. 1), the pulverized materials are crushed together by the kneading action by the rotation of the screw and defibrated, and simultaneously subjected to the pulverizing action, pulverized into finer particles, resulting in a small pulverization. It turns into a finely pulverized product. The effect of defibrating and pulverizing by twisting the pulverized materials becomes more effective as the screw ends toward the tip of the screw.

  Further, the discharge from the discharge hole 6 means a rapid pressure reduction from the compressed and compacted state of the pulverized product, whereby the pulverized product vaporizes the internal moisture and swells to become a swollen pulverized material. It is considered that the swelling action due to sudden pressure reduction from this compression-condensed state is the same as the principle of popcorn. Further, in the crushing and crushing process due to the rotation of the screw, the rotational energy of the screw is the friction between the object to be processed and the screw blade 3a, and the object to be processed and the tapered shear blade surface 4a of the shear blade member 4. It is converted into thermal energy by the friction between the pulverized product and the pulverized product to be processed, thereby increasing the temperature of the pulverized product. This temperature is due to the fact that a part of the material is carbonized when processing low moisture materials such as rice husks, dead grass or waste paper, and raw water containing moisture (pruned branches and immediately after cutting). In the case where weeds and green bamboo just after cutting are used as treatment objects, the temperature of the swollen pulverized material immediately after being discharged from the discharge port 6 of the top cover 7 reaches 80 to 90 ° C. It is considered that the temperature in the pressure part 25a reaches 100 ° C. or higher. This temperature and pressure are considered to make the swelling effect more effective.

  When the object to be processed is left to dry for a long time, the object to be processed is subjected to the shearing action between the screw blade 3a and the shearing blade member 4 or the compression by the screw 2 described above. The friction between the casing inner wall and the screw surface or the friction between the pulverized workpieces increases the temperature of the workpiece, and in some cases, the phenomenon of carbonization occurs. For the purpose of preventing this, the machine wall of the casing 2 is attached to the front part of the casing such as the pressurizing part 25a at the tip of the casing 2 and the compression parts 25b and 25c in the vicinity thereof. A water guide pipe 14 is provided through the casing, and water can be supplied into the casing by opening and closing the valve 14a as necessary, or water can be supplied from the hopper 10. Arranged water guide pipe (not shown) as, from a hopper 10 by the supply of water, has become like can be performed moisture control of the object to be treated.

  When the cedar thinned wood is pulverized using the above-mentioned apparatus, the thinned timber is crushed into cedar chips that have been crushed to about 5 cm square with a chipper in advance from the hopper 10, and the thinned material such as branches and leaves is crushed. When the pulverizing process is carried out with the diameter of the hopper 10 as it is, it will be discharged from the discharge port 6 of the top cover 7 as a swelling pulverized material of cedar at around 80 ° C.

[Characteristic test of swollen pulverized material]
Next, characteristics of the swollen pulverized material using the screw type swelling pulverizer will be described. The samples used are as follows.
(Sample 1) Swelled and crushed cedar bark: Swelled pulverized material according to the present invention obtained by swelling and pulverizing only cedar bark with the screw type swelling and pulverizing apparatus (Sample 2) Swelled pulverized material (sample 3) swelled pulverized cedar board: swollen pulverized material according to the present invention obtained by swelling and pulverizing a cedar backboard with the screw type swelling pulverizer (sample 4) : A swollen pulverized material according to the present invention obtained by swelling and pulverizing a cedar thinning with the screw type swelling pulverizer. In addition, the volume ratio of timber and bark of thinned wood is 9: 1.
(Sample 5) Swelling and pulverized Todo pine bark: Swelling pulverized material according to the present invention obtained by swelling and pulverizing Todo pine bark with the screw type swelling and pulverizing device (Sample 6) Oita cedar thinned wood swelled and pulverized with the screw type swelling pulverizer according to the present invention (sample 7) swelling pulverized todo pine thinned wood: Todo pine thinned wood was swelled and pulverized with the screw type swelling pulverizer Swelling and pulverized material according to the present invention (Sample 8) Standard medium: Existing standard medium mixed with 50% by volume of peat moss and 50% by volume of coarse volcanic ash, and corrected for pH

  The physical properties of Samples 1 to 5 and 7 were measured, and the results are shown in Table 1. For reference, a photograph of the swelling and pulverized cedar skin material of Sample 1 is shown in FIG. As is clear from this photograph, this swollen pulverized material no longer has an image of cedar bark, and it can be seen that the fiber has been defibrated and cut into cotton.

  As is clear from Table 1 and from the photograph in FIG. 3, the medium (samples 1 to 5) according to the present invention has a larger gas phase ratio (porosity) than the existing standard medium. As a result, it is rich in air permeability and has a large field capacity and maximum capacity. Having this large gas phase rate means that it is rich in air permeability, and aerobic fermentation bacteria permeate into the culture medium to aerobically ferment the swollen pulverized material, which is an organic matter, and it can be absorbed by crops. It can be seen that the organic material is generated and the swelling pulverized material itself functions as an organic fertilizer. In particular, the swollen pulverized material used in the present invention is in a state that is easy to ferment because the fiber is defibrated and swollen, and aerobic fermentation proceeds promptly, after transplanting the seedling Immediately, useful organic fertilizer components are produced. This can be seen from the fact that when the swollen pulverized material is allowed to stand, the fermentation immediately proceeds and the temperature rises. This fertilizer function is due to the fact that the swollen pulverized material according to the present invention is defibrated and swollen, and is unique only to the culture medium of the present invention that is significantly different from the wood pulverized material represented by conventional sawdust. It is a feature.

  At the same time, having a large porosity means that the bulk specific gravity is small, and the unit weight is 20% to 30% compared to the conventional standard medium (sample 8). When used, it can be said that the transportation in a state where the culture medium is put in a container becomes extremely easy. By the way, when we put conventional standard culture medium in standard 16 liter cultivation box in the state that we planted firewood, it is 12.4 kg including weight of box and weight of sprayed water, whereas cedar thinning material When the swollen pulverized material is added, the weight is 8.0 kg under the same conditions, and the weight is about 2/3. In addition, after the cultivation of this cocoon, when the cocoon is taken out together with the stock and dried to some extent, the conventional standard culture medium is 9.9 kg, whereas the cedar thinning swelled pulverized material is added. The thing is 4.3kg, about 40% of the weight. Even from this fact, it is understood that if the medium of the present invention is used as an elevated medium, the burden on the operator is greatly reduced.

  The field water volume is 1.3 to 2.0 times the value of the existing standard medium (sample 8), and even when liquid fertilizer (liquid fertilizer) described later is supplied. It can be seen that a large amount of liquid fertilizer can be retained compared to the medium. On the other hand, the maximum water volume is 3.5 to 6.1 times that of the standard medium, and the ratio of the maximum water volume / the field water volume is 5.4 to 10.1. The double value indicates that drainage is extremely good. That is, when a large amount of water is supplied, the amount of water is temporarily maintained 5 to 10 times that of the standard medium, but it can be seen that there is good drainage in a short period of time. This physical property can be said to be a preferable characteristic for an agricultural medium.

  Next, the samples 1 to 5 and 8 were soaked in water for 30 days and analyzed for mineral components extracted. The results are shown in Table 2. For reference, the base substitution capacity (CEC) of each sample is also described.

  As is clear from Table 2, the swollen pulverized material (samples 1 to 5) generally has a smaller amount of Na, more K, and the same CEC compared to the standard soil (sample 8). Looking at the swollen pulverized materials individually, the cedar bark materials (samples 1 and 2) are extracted with more K, Ca, and Mg than other materials, and the cedar bark materials are mixed with other swollen pulverized materials. This suggests the possibility of adjusting these components. At the same time, as described above, the swollen pulverized material according to the present invention is easily decomposed by aerobic fermentation, and the mineral component absorbed as a useful component of the wooden material is also generated as a soluble substance in the process of the decomposition. As a result, it is judged that there is a function as a mineral component supply material for crops.

[Strawberry cultivation test 1]
Next, the strawberry cultivation test will be described. Using the swollen ground cedar bark material (sample 1), the swollen ground cedar thinning material (sample 4) and the standard medium (sample 8) shown in Example 1, the following media 1 to 4 were prepared.
[Test medium]
-Medium 1: Sample 1 (swelled crushed cedar bark) only-Medium 2: Sample 1 (swelled pulverized cedar bark) on the lower side and Sample 7 (standard medium) on the upper side, stacked in half Medium 3: Sample 4 (swelled crushed cedar thinned wood) only • Medium 4: Sample 8 (standard medium) only These culture media were filled in 16 liter fish boxes, and 4 strawberry seedlings were planted. The strawberry cultivation experiment was conducted twice under the conditions of the following test 1 and test 2 using 3 each (total 12 strains).
[Test 1]
・ Cultivation method: Warm semi-forced cultivation ・ Strawberry variety: Toyonoka ・ Further fertilization: N3.0kg, P2.0kg, K3.2kg / a at a rate of liquid fertilizer instillation [Test 2]
・ Cultivation method: Non-heated, semi-forced cultivation ・ Strawberry variety: Kentaro ・ Further fertilization: N1.5kg, P1.6kg, K2.3kg / a

  The test results are shown in Tables 3 and 4. Each value is an average of two tests.

  In the results of Test 1 in Table 3, the upper yields of the culture media 1 and 2 using the sample 1 (swelled and ground cedar material) are slightly lower than those of the culture media 4 (standard culture media), but are approximately the same. To be judged. On the other hand, in the result of Test 2 in Table 4, the medium 3 using the sample 4 (swelled crushed cedar thinned wood) has a higher yield than the mediums 1 and 4, and the sugar content and other qualities are the same as the standard medium. Judged to be about. Therefore, the swelling and pulverizing material using the cedar thinning material is judged to be practical as at least a strawberry medium.

[Strawberry cultivation test 2]
Using the swollen ground cedar bark (sample 1), the swollen ground cedar thinned material (sample 4), the swollen ground ground cedar thinned material (sample 6) and the standard medium (sample 8) shown in Example 1 above, Medium 5-9 was prepared.
[Test medium]
・ Medium 5: Sample 4 (swelled pulverized cedar thinned wood) only ・ Medium 6: Sample 6 (swelled pulverized cedar thinned timber) only ・ Medium 7: Sample 6 (swelled pulverized cedar thinned cedar skin) on the upper side Sample 8 (standard medium) stacked in half, medium 8: Sample 4 (swelled and ground cedar skin) on the lower side, sample 8 (standard medium) on the upper side, stacked in half -Medium 9: Sample 8 (standard medium only) Using these mediums, each of the three strawberry seedlings filled with 4 strains of strawberry seedlings each filled in a 16 liter fish box in the same manner as in Example 2 (total) 12 strains) were used, and the strawberry cultivation test was conducted twice under the conditions of the following Test 3 and Test 4.
[Test 3]
・ Cultivation method: Warming semi-forcing cultivation ・ Strawberry variety: Toyonoka ・ Additional fertilizer: N3.0kg, P2.0kg, K3.2kg / a, liquid fertilizer applied by drip [Test 4]
・ Cultivation method: Non-heated, semi-forced cultivation ・ Strawberry variety: Kentaro ・ Further fertilization: N1.5kg, P1.6kg, K2.3kg / a

  The test results are shown in Tables 5 and 6. Each value is an average of two tests.

  From Tables 5 and 6, medium 5 using swollen crushed cedar thinned timber from fresh cedar thinned wood shows a higher quality yield than standard medium (medium 9) in both tests 3 and 4. The quality is equal to or better than the standard medium. From this fact, it can be seen that the swollen pulverized material of cedar thinning is suitable for strawberry cultivation. In addition, with fresh cedar thinned timber and with cedar thinned timber that has been piled for half a year, fresh results are better. However, it can be seen that it can be used without problems.

[Seedling medium test 1 of swelling ground material]
Sample 4 using the above-mentioned cedar thinned timber thinning pulverized thinned timber and standard soil, peat moss, coarse volcanic gravel (magma soft), volcanic ash from Atsuzawa, powdered superphosphate lime (powdered permaline), bitter lime Further, mediums 10 to 18 containing chemical fertilizers (S555) containing 15% each of N, P, and K were prepared as shown in Table 7. The medium 10 is a standard medium, and S555 is added to the mediums 12, 14, and 16 by 20% of the standard medium.

Next, using the above mediums 10 to 18, strawberry seedling tests were conducted under the following test conditions.
〔Test conditions〕
Test varieties: Kentaro, nursery pots: 10.5 cm in diameter, 1 ml per plant in a polypot with a capacity of 500 ml Glass greenhouse ・ Period of implementation: Date of potting; July 31, 2002, survey date; September 10 Table 8 shows the results of the above test.

  As can be seen from Table 8, the medium (medium 13 to 18) mixed with volcanic ash is relatively superior to the medium containing only the swollen and ground cedar thinned wood (medium 11 and 12), Among them, the one with a mixing ratio of volcanic ash of 20% (medium 13, 14) was optimal. From this, not only using the swollen pulverized material alone, but in the seedling culture medium, about 20% by volume of volcanic ash, specifically, the mixing ratio of swollen crushed material and volcanic ash is 9: 1-7: It can be said that the range of 3 is a preferable range. In addition, in the culture medium 12, 14, 16, 18 in which the chemical fertilizer (S555) is increased by 20%, no particular difference is recognized compared to other culture media. Fertilizer increase is deemed unnecessary. This is considered to be due to the organic fertilizer effect of the swelling pulverized material itself described above, and a reduction in seedling cost is expected. Moreover, overall, although the standard medium (medium 10) is highly evaluated for the growth of seedlings, it is needless to say that mediums 11 to 18 using a swelling pulverized material can also be used.

[Seedling medium test 2 of swelling pulverized material]
Sample 4 using swelling cedar thinning using the cedar thinning and sample 7 swelling pulverized todo pine thinning using todo pine thinning and standard soil 8, respectively, peat moss, volcanic ash from Atsuzawa, pearlite, mashed lime, Medium 19-26 which mix | blended powdery perishi and S555 as shown in Table 9 was adjusted. Medium 21 was used as the standard medium.

Next, using the above media 19 to 26, melon seedling tests were conducted under the following test conditions.
〔Test conditions〕
-Test varieties: Sorachiko No. 11, Rupiah Red-Nursery pot: Planting 1 strain per 1 pot in a 10.5 cm diameter polypot-Test area: 2 pots in 10 pots, 2 repetitive random block method-Test location: No addition Warm glass greenhouse, implementation period: sowing date: June 25, 2002, potting date; July 1, same year, survey date; July 22, same year The results of the above test are shown in Table 10.

As can be seen from Table 10, the medium (medium 19, 22, 25) using the swollen ground cedar thinning material is the seedling rather than the medium (medium 20, 23, 26) using the swollen ground todo pine thinning. It can be seen that the growth is excellent. Therefore, it is better to select the cedar thinning material than the todo pine thinning material as the melon breeding medium. In addition, the culture medium (19, 20) mixed with volcanic ash and the medium (25, 26) mixed with pearlite are slightly superior in growth of seedlings and mixed with volcanic ash rather than pearlite than the swelling pulverized material alone. The medium was superior in mixing suitability.
In addition, overall, the standard medium (medium 21) gives high evaluation to the growth of seedlings, but it is needless to say that mediums 19, 22, and 25 using swollen crushed cedar thinning materials can also be used. .

  In the above embodiment, cedar thinning material and bark and todo pine thinning material are used as raw materials. However, the present invention is not limited to this. Timber), various waste materials generated from forest maintenance projects such as logging of miscellaneous trees such as Kunugi, millwood timber such as cedar and firewood generated at sawmills, and weeds, etc. are also available. It is also possible to use a mixture of these as appropriate.

  Incidentally, the bark has the property of being less susceptible to degradation by aerobic bacteria than wood, and therefore, the bark swelling pulverized material is preferably used in combination with the wood swelling pulverized material, not alone. This can also be understood from the fact that cedar thinning (ratio of bark to timber is 1: 9) is better at harvesting strawberries than either bark swelling pulverized material alone or wood swelling pulverized material alone. In particular, the bark contains more minerals required by plants than wood, and these minerals are added to the crop in the form of soluble compounds that are easily absorbed by the crop in the process of decomposition by aerobic fermentation. Absorbed and positively affects quality, such as improved taste. From this point of view, it can be said that the bark is preferably blended into the swelling and pulverizing material of timber as a mineral component adjusting material.

  Furthermore, in the present invention, it is possible to use only the above-mentioned swollen pulverized material as a medium, but as shown in the examples, mixing volcanic ash, pearlite or other water retention agents, It is also possible to further increase water retention. However, if these amounts are too large, there is a possibility that the light weight characteristic of the swollen pulverized material may be impaired. Therefore, it should be in the range of 10 to 30% by volume, and should be limited to about 50% at the maximum.

  Further, since the swelling and pulverizing material of the present invention contains carbon, hydrogen and oxygen as main constituent elements, it can be used as a medium by adding and mixing N, P, K and the like necessary for the growth of crops. However, it is preferable to replenish these fertilizer components by drip of liquid manure using high air permeability. In particular, because of the light weight of the swollen pulverized material, it is most preferable to use it as a medium for tall cultivation. In this case, an appropriate amount of liquid fertilizer is supplied into the medium by drip from the liquid fertilizer pipe. Is practical.

  In the above examples, the test was performed in a limited range, but the wood material swelling and pulverized material produced by the screw type swelling and pulverizing device has (1) high air permeability and (2) fibrous material. Since it has the character of organic fertilizer that is defibrated and easily decomposed by aerobic bacteria to produce the components necessary for crop growth, if you select the wood material as the raw material according to the type of crop, Applicable to a wide range of crops. Furthermore, it can be used by directly spraying on the field or replacing the topsoil of the field with the swelling pulverized material.

It is a principal part cross-sectional view of the screw-type swelling pulverization apparatus used by this invention. It is a conceptual diagram which shows the grinding | pulverization process of the to-be-processed object by the apparatus shown in FIG. It is a photograph of an example of the swelling ground material which concerns on this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Screw type swelling crusher 2 Casing 3 Screw 4 Shear blade member 6 Discharge hole 7 Top cover 9 Cutter 10 Hopper

Claims (11)

A medium for crops using wood,
Swelled and pulverized wood material crushed by a screw-type pulverization and swelling device that crushes and crushes while pumping forward by the rotation of the screw to pulverize the fiber while releasing and swells the pulverized material by pressure. Agricultural medium characterized in that it contains as a main component   The agricultural medium according to claim 1, wherein the woody material is one or more of thinned wood, pruned branches, or waste wood.   The agricultural medium according to claim 2, wherein the thinned material or pruned branch is a thinned lumber or pruned branch of cedar or birch.   The agricultural medium according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the swelling pulverized material is added and mixed with one or more water retention agents such as volcanic ash, perlite, permeculite, peat moss or black soil.   The agricultural medium according to claim 4, wherein the swelling ground material and volcanic ash are mixed in a volume ratio of 7: 3 to 9: 1.   The agricultural medium according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the medium is a medium for elevated cultivation.   The agricultural medium according to claim 6, wherein the medium is a medium for cultivating straw.   The agricultural medium according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the medium is a medium for raising seedlings.   The agricultural medium according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the medium is used while supplying liquid fertilizer after planting a crop seedling.   A method for cultivating a crop, comprising transplanting a seedling of the crop to the agricultural medium according to any one of claims 1 to 7, and then cultivating the crop while instilling liquid fertilizer on the medium. The cultivation method of the crop of Claim 10 which arrange | positions the container which accommodated the said culture medium for agriculture on a multistage shelf, and carries out height cultivation.