JP2012010651A - Plant cultivation device, seedling raising device, and method for cultivating plant - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce the quantities of a nutrient solution and water to be fed to a plant cultivation device, and to reduce equipment cost by simplifying the equipment.SOLUTION: The plant cultivation device includes a cultivation box having a hollow part to which at least the roots of cultivated plants hang down, and a nozzle set within the hollow part of the cultivation box for directly jetting the atomized nutrient solution toward the cultivated plants arranged in the hollow part. The whole hollow part is filled with mist including the nutrient solution jetted from the nozzle, and the roots of the cultivated plants are shaken by the mist flowing within the hollow part.

Description

  The present invention relates to a plant cultivation device, a seedling raising device and a plant cultivation method, and is particularly suitable for use in plant factories and kitchen gardens. It is also suitable for plant cultivation in dry areas with little water.

Many plant cultivation apparatuses have been proposed in the past, and among them, the fog cultivation method sprays fog containing nutrient solution on the roots of cultivated plants. This fog cultivation method has advantages such as increasing the absorption rate of nutrient solution and speeding up nurturing, as well as automation and labor saving.
JP-A-2008-104377, JP-A-3-224420, JP-A-62-74228 and the like have been proposed as the fog plant cultivation method.
In addition to the fog cultivation method, there is also provided a hydroponics method in which the root of the cultivated plant is always immersed in the nutrient solution.

JP 2008-104377 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 3-224420 JP-A 62-74228

In the fog cultivation of Patent Documents 1 to 3, the spray generator for generating fog containing nutrient solution is separated from the cultivation apparatus for planting plants, and the fog is supplied from the spray generator to the cultivation apparatus through piping. . When the mist is supplied to the cultivation device through the pipe in this way, there is a problem that the humidification efficiency inside the cultivation device is low, and therefore it is necessary to supply a large amount of nutrient solution and water. And in the cultivation apparatus, it is necessary to arrange a plurality of nozzles connected to the piping together with the arrangement interval of the cultivated plants, and there is a problem that the equipment cost is high.
In addition, hydroponics also requires a large amount of nutrient solution and water to be supplied. Therefore, a liquid storage facility, a liquid flow facility, a piping facility, and a control facility are required, and there is a problem that the equipment cost is high. Furthermore, in hydroponics, since the root is always immersed in water, there is a problem that root rot is likely to occur.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and can efficiently supply a mist containing a nutrient solution generated by a spray generator to a cultivated plant so that the amount of water and nutrient solution used can be suppressed. It is an object to reduce the equipment cost as a simple equipment.

In order to solve the above problems, as a first invention,
A cultivation box having a hollow part where at least the root part of the cultivated plant hangs down;
It is installed in the hollow portion of the cultivation box, and includes a nozzle that directly injects the nutrient solution as a mist toward the cultivated plant arranged in parallel with the hollow portion,
A plant cultivation device characterized in that the mist containing the nutrient solution sprayed from the nozzle is filled in the entire hollow portion, and the root of the cultivated plant is shaken by the mist flowing through the hollow portion. Is provided.

As described above, the present invention is characterized in that a nozzle is arranged in a hollow portion where the roots of cultivated plants are suspended and arranged, and the nutrient solution is directly sprayed in the form of a mist from the nozzles toward the roots. With this configuration, the root can be swung by the wind speed of the mist sprayed from the nozzle, the entire surface of the root can be brought into contact with the mist, and nutrients can be efficiently absorbed from the root, thereby increasing the growth of the plant. Can be promoted.
Moreover, since the nutrient solution can be absorbed by the plant without waste by filling the hollow portion with the mist containing the nutrient solution, the supply amount of fertilizer and water can be reduced, and the cost can be reduced. In addition, the nutrient solution and water storage equipment and piping equipment can be simplified, and the equipment cost can be reduced.
In addition, while spraying a nutrient solution as a mist form, you may inject only a timely water as a mist form.

  It is preferable that the hollow portion is formed by closing a top opening of the cultivation box with a support material that float-supports the boundary between the root portion and the ground portion of the cultivated plant.

  As mentioned above, it is necessary to contact and absorb the fog containing the nutrient solution sprayed from the nozzle to at least the root part of the cultivated plant, but it is not limited to the root part, and the ground part is sprayed from the nozzle with nutrient solution or water. It is good also as a structure which can be made to contact and absorb also the stalk and leaf part.

That is, in the cultivation box, an upper and lower hollow part that is partitioned by a support material that floats and supports the boundary between the root part and the ground part of the cultivated plant is provided,
The nozzles are arranged in the upper and lower hollow parts, respectively, and the mist containing the nutrient solution sprayed from the nozzles installed in the lower hollow part is supplied to the root of the cultivated plant, while the nutrients sprayed from the nozzles installed in the upper hollow part It is good also as a structure which supplies a liquid and water to the stem and leaf part of the above-ground part of a cultivated plant.

The nozzle is attached along the inner surface of one side wall surrounding the hollow part where the root parts of the cultivated plants are arranged, and the mist is directed toward the root parts of the cultivated plants arranged in parallel from the one side wall toward the opposite side wall. Injecting at 0.5 m / s or more, the humidity in the hollow portion is 95% or more with the mist, and
The nozzle is a nozzle that mixes two fluids composed of a liquid containing nutrient solution and air and injects them as water droplets having an average particle size of less than 10 μm, or one fluid composed only of a liquid containing nutrient solution has an average particle size of 10 μm to 30 μm. It is preferable to use a nozzle that ejects the following water droplets.

  The mist sprayed from the nozzle includes water droplets made of a nutrient solution obtained by diluting fertilizer with water at a required magnification. The mist containing the nutrient solution is preferably ejected intermittently from the nozzle so that the inside of the hollow portion is maintained at a humidity of 95% or more.

As described above, the nozzle is a two-fluid nozzle that mixes two fluids consisting of a nutrient solution and air and injects them as dry fog containing water droplets having an average particle size of less than 10 μm, or a liquid consisting only of a nutrient solution. A one-fluid nozzle that ejects one fluid as a semi-dry fog containing water droplets having an average particle diameter of 10 μm or more and 30 μm or less is used.
The dry fog is a non-wetting mist that floats in the air and does not adhere to an object. The semi-dry fog is a mist that adheres to an object but evaporates immediately.
In this way, by using draft fog or semi-dry fog, the water droplets of the nutrient solution are floated in the hollow portion, and are difficult to drop as water droplets in the lower portion, so that the mist sprayed from the nozzle is suspended in the hollow portion. Can be easily charged.
The reason why the dry fog is ejected from the two-fluid nozzle is that droplets can be atomized by mixing the liquid with air. On the other hand, even if only liquid is ejected from one fluid nozzle, it is possible to make the droplets semi-dry fog of 10 μm or more and 30 μm or less, and by eliminating the need for air, the cost required for the pressure air source is eliminated. Cost reduction can be achieved.

It is preferable that one nozzle is attached to one side wall surrounding one hollow portion of the cultivation box.
As described above, in a conventionally proposed apparatus, a plurality of nozzles are often arranged corresponding to cultivated plants arranged at intervals. On the other hand, in this invention, one nozzle is attached to one hollow part, and the spray from this nozzle is flowed from the one side of the hollow part to the other side. Thereby, the mist containing a nutrient solution can be supplied to the several cultivated plants arranged in parallel from the one side of the hollow part to the other side. Thus, piping can be simplified by using one nozzle, and equipment costs can be reduced. In addition, maintenance can be simplified.

It is preferable that the cultivation box is installed in a plurality of upper and lower stages, an upper wall of each cultivation box is horizontally arranged, and an opening that is closed with the support material is provided on the upper wall.
The cultivation boxes installed in the upper and lower stages are spaced according to the height of the growing cultivation plant, and an illumination device or the like is arranged above each cultivation box.

As described above, an opening is provided in the upper wall surrounding the hollow portion where the root portion of the cultivated plant is arranged, and the opening is closed by the support material that supports the cultivated plant in a swingable manner.
In the hollow part where the root part is arranged at the upper part, an inclined plate inclined upward from one side of the nozzle installation side to the other side is arranged at the lower part, and both ends of the inclined plate in the inclination direction are arranged. And a gap for generating a circulation flow between the inner surface of the both side walls of the cultivation box,
A configuration in which the mist sprayed from the nozzle flows along the upper surface of the inclined plate, then flows into the lower surface side of the inclined plate through the circulating flow generation gap, and circulates in the hollow portion with the inclined plate interposed therebetween. It is preferable that

When the length of the cultivation box is as long as 6 m or longer, for example, it is difficult to uniformly supply the mist sprayed from the nozzles to the cultivated plant. Thus, the mist containing the nutrient solution is uniformly supplied to the whole cultivated plants arranged in parallel in the hollow portion, and the flow can be maintained by using the mist as a circulating flow.
The inclined plate is inclined upward from one end to the other end on the nozzle installation side because the flow rate of the sprayed mist is high on the nozzle installation side. Since the speed of fog falls when it leaves | separates from the installation side, the circulation volume is made small and the fall of the flow velocity is suppressed. Thus, the supply amount of the nutrient solution to each cultivated plant can be equalized by making the speed of the mist supplied to the cultivated plant supported by the support material arranged on the upper surface substantially constant.
In addition, when the length of a cultivation box is as short as about 1-3 m, since the fog sprayed from a nozzle can be sprayed directly on all the cultivation plants, the said inclination board does not necessarily need to be installed.

It is preferable that a fan for guiding the fog is installed on the lower surface side of the inclined plate through the clearance for generating the circulating flow on the side opposite to the nozzle installation side.
When the fan is installed, it is possible to forcibly generate a circulation flow of fog that circulates around the inclined plate. Thereby, the drooping root of the cultivated plant can be shaken by the flow of mist containing the nutrient solution, and the growth of the cultivated plant can be promoted.

  The support material for closing the opening of the cultivation box includes a support plate made of a foamed polystyrene plate having shape retention force, and a plurality of planting holes are formed at intervals in the support plate, at least of each planting hole It is preferable that the bottom surface is closed with an elastic foam sheet having continuous pores serving as water absorption holes, the elastic foam sheet is pierced by the root part of the plant cultivation, and the root part is suspended from the hollow part.

When a foamed polystyrene plate is used as the support plate, the weight can be reduced and heat insulation can be provided, overheating in the hollow portion can be prevented, and root rot can be prevented.
A sponge sheet is preferably used as the elastic foam sheet. The sponge sheet preferably has fine pores and is dense. In addition, the sponge sheet is preferably as thin as 1 mm to 5 mm in thickness and as thin as possible. When the thickness is reduced in this way, the nutrient solution easily penetrates. And a sponge sheet can be easily pierced by the root part which a cultivated plant grows, and the root part of a cultivated plant can be automatically suspended in the hollow part which fills the fog containing a nutrient solution.

  It is preferable that a heat shielding sheet is laminated on the upper surface of the polystyrene foam plate to form the support material as a laminated plate. As the heat shielding sheet, an aluminum foil, a laminated sheet of the aluminum foil and a resin sheet provided with a large number of minute protrusions, and the like are preferably used.

  An illuminating means is installed above the support material to illuminate the ground part of the cultivated plant, but if the support material is overheated by illumination light generated from the illumination means, the inside of the hollow part is also overheated, Root rot of cultivated plants may occur. Therefore, it is preferable to arrange the aluminum foil or the laminated material of aluminum foil that reflects the illumination light to prevent overheating in the hollow portion.

For the same reason, it is preferable that a heat insulating material and a light shielding material are laminated on the side wall and the bottom wall surrounding the hollow portion of the cultivation box.
Styrofoam or the like is suitably used as the heat insulating material, and a black vinyl sheet or the like is suitably used as the light shielding material, and is attached to the outer surfaces of the side wall and the bottom wall of the cultivation box.

  A pot that is detachably fitted in a planting hole provided in the support material is provided, a flange that is placed on the periphery of the planting hole is provided at an upper end of the pot, and the elastic foam sheet made of a sponge sheet is provided in the pot. It is preferable that the cultivated plant is swingably supported in each pot.

The peripheral edge of the elastic foam sheet is fixed to the peripheral edge on the upper surface side of the planting hole, the elastic foam sheet is disposed along the inner peripheral surface of the planting hole, and the bottom opening of the planting hole is closed. The pot may be unnecessary if it can be positioned.
The shape of the planting hole is not limited. However, if the hole is tapered downward, the sponge sheet can be easily fitted and held without using the pot.

  It is preferable that a plurality of the support materials are arranged in the opening of the cultivation box, and the plurality of support materials are detachably attached to the opening of the cultivation box and arranged in parallel.

  Further, as a second invention, the planting is provided with a sponge sheet that floats a support material for supporting the cultivated plant in a seedling container for storing nutrient solution, and closes a bottom opening of a planting hole provided in the support material. A seedling raising device is provided that protrudes from the hole to the nutrient solution side so that the nutrient solution penetrates into the bottom of the sponge sheet, and the bottom of the sponge sheet is used as a seed or seedling mounting surface of the cultivated plant.

The first aspect of the present invention is a plant cultivation apparatus that grows from a state in which a root comes out in a plant and the root breaks through a sponge sheet and hangs down from a support material.
On the other hand, the seedling raising apparatus of the second invention is an apparatus for holding seedlings in a state where the roots of the seeds or the sponge sheet are not pierced by a support material and raising them in a container in which a nutrient solution is stored. .
In the seedling container, seeds or seedlings are held on the upper surface of the sponge sheet disposed in the planting hole provided in the support material, and the nutrient solution penetrating from the lower surface of the sponge sheet is supplied to the seeds or seedlings to grow. Yes. Since the support material is formed of a foamed polystyrene plate, it can be floated in a shallow container storing the nutrient solution, and the support material can be easily installed and taken out. Moreover, the growth of a seed | species can be made constant by making a support material float in a nutrient solution, and making the seed | species and the liquid surface of a nutrient solution the same height, and cultivation management can be made easy.

  Furthermore, as a third invention, when the root part of the cultivated plant grown by the seedling raising apparatus of the second invention breaks through the sponge sheet, the grown plant is taken out from the seedling container while being held on the support material, The plant cultivation method which transfers and attaches to the opening of the cultivation box of the plant cultivation apparatus of 1 invention is provided.

  According to the plant cultivation method, in the container of the seedling raising device, after the root comes out from the seed and grows up to a state where the root breaks through the sponge sheet, the support material is taken out and transferred only to the cultivation box of the cultivation device. It's okay. Thus, since the cultivated plant is not taken out and moved from the support material or pot, but moved in a state supported by the support material, it can be transplanted in a short time without damaging the cultivated plant.

  Plants that can be cultivated by the cultivation apparatus and cultivation method of the present invention include leafy vegetables such as saladna, leaf lettuce, baby leaf, Mizuna, large leaves, cake cabbage, fruit vegetables such as tomatoes, strawberries, melons, mangoes, potatoes, and radishes. Root vegetables are mentioned. Furthermore, flowers can also be cultivated.

In the plant cultivation apparatus according to the first aspect of the invention, the root of the cultivated plant is suspended in the hollow portion of the cultivation box, and the mist containing the nutrient solution is directly sprayed toward the root from the nozzle installed in the hollow portion. Can absorb nutrients while shaking the roots, and can promote the growth of cultivated plants.
Moreover, since the mist containing nutrient solution is sprayed directly toward the root, nutrients can be efficiently absorbed into the root, and as a result, the amount of fertilizer and water used can be reduced. And since the nozzle is arrange | positioned in a hollow part, the installation of a nozzle can be simplified and equipment cost can also be reduced.

  In the seedling raising apparatus of the second invention, the cultivated plant can be reliably grown from the seed (or seedling) stage to the state where the roots overhang.

  And in the cultivation method of 3rd invention, when transplanting the cultivated plant grown with the seedling raising device to the cultivation device, the cultivated plant can be moved together with the support material, so that the cultivated plant is not damaged and efficient in a short time. Can be transplanted well.

(A) (B) is a perspective view which shows the unit of the cultivation apparatus of 1st Embodiment of this invention. (A) is a perspective view which shows a cultivation apparatus and a control apparatus, (B) is explanatory drawing which shows the relationship between a cultivation apparatus and a control apparatus. It is a schematic sectional drawing of the cultivation box of the said cultivation apparatus. It is the IV-IV sectional view taken on the line of FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the state which covers the cultivation box with the cover of the support material holding the cultivated plant. It is an expanded sectional view of the support material. (A) (B) is drawing which shows the 2 fluid nozzle installed in the said cultivation box. (A) (B) is drawing which shows the 1 fluid nozzle installed in the said cultivation box. (A) (B) shows 2nd Embodiment and is sectional drawing of the state which immersed the support material in the seedling raising container. It is the schematic which shows 3rd Embodiment. (A)-(D) are schematic which shows the modification of 3rd Embodiment.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of a cultivation device of the present invention is described with reference to drawings.
1st Embodiment is shown in FIG. 1 thru | or FIG.
As shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B and FIG. 2, the plant cultivation apparatus according to the first embodiment places a plurality of cultivation boxes 1 on a mounting frame 10 and arranges them in a plurality of stages. If this is one unit U, a plurality of units are installed in the plant factory.
The cultivation box 1 may be installed in a greenhouse such as a vinyl house in addition to being installed in a plant factory, or may be installed in a garden or a veranda when cultivated at home.

  Each of the cultivation boxes 1 is a horizontally long box, and in this embodiment, the length L is 6 m and the width W is 1 m. The height H is 2 m. In addition, the length, width, and height of the cultivation box 1 are not limited. The cultivation box 1 is a molded product of resin or fiber reinforced resin. However, the material is not limited to the resin molded product, and the material is not limited as long as the hollow portion is formed of a strength material that can be substantially sealed.

  Each cultivation box 1 has a size that allows a large number of cultivated plants P to be cultivated at regular intervals in the length direction L and at regular intervals in the width direction W. In this embodiment, the cultivated plant P is a crop made of vegetables.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, the cultivation box 1 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape including a bottom wall 1a, left and right side walls 1b and 1c facing each other in the length direction, and front and rear side walls 1d and 1e. A plurality of support members 2 (2A to 2E) are provided as a lid member for closing the opening 1h. As shown in FIG. 4, each support member 2 includes a locking portion 2 a protruding from both ends in the width direction W, and the locking portion 2 a is locked to the upper end surfaces of the front and rear side walls 1 d and 1 e of the cultivation box 1. And is detachably attached.

  By closing the opening 1h with each of the support materials 2, a hollow portion 3 that is substantially sealed is formed inside the cultivation box 1. The root Pr of the cultivated plant P float-supported by the support material 2 is suspended from the upper surface in the hollow portion 3. That is, the hollow portion 3 is used as a root accommodating space.

The support material 2 is a laminated plate including a support plate 20 made of a foamed polystyrene plate having shape retention force and a heat shield sheet 21 fixed to the upper surface of the support plate 20. As the heat shield sheet, an aluminum foil or a laminated sheet obtained by laminating an aluminum foil on the surface of a resin sheet provided with a large number of minute protrusions is used.
A plurality of planting holes 22 are provided in each support member 2 composed of a laminated plate of the support plate 20 and the heat shield sheet 21 with a gap in the length direction L and the width direction W. These planting holes 22 are tapered holes whose diameter decreases downward as shown in FIG. 6, but the shape of the holes is not limited.

  In each planting hole 22, a conical cylindrical pot 23 having a flange 23 a protruding from the upper end is inserted from above and fitted, and the flange 23 a is placed on the peripheral upper surface of the planting hole 22. Is attached to the support member 2 in a detachable manner. An elastic foam sheet made of a sponge sheet 24 is attached along the inner peripheral surface of the pot 23, and the bottom surface opening of the pot 23 and the planting hole 22 is closed by the sponge sheet 24.

The sponge sheet 24 is formed with minute pores densely and continuously, and has a thickness of 1 mm to 5 mm. In this embodiment, the thickness is about 2 mm.
In the space surrounded by the sponge sheet 24 of each pot 23, the boundary between the root part Pr and the above-ground part Pu of each one cultivated plant P is inserted. The root part Pr of the cultivated plant P hangs down through the closing part 24 a of the sponge sheet 24 that closes the planting hole 22 and the bottom opening of the pot 23. Thus, the cultivated plant P is float supported by the support material 2.

  When the upper surface opening 1h of the cultivation box 1 is closed with the support material 2 that float-supports the cultivated plant P, the root portion Pr of the cultivated plant P is spaced from the upper surface in the length direction and the width direction in the hollow portion 3. They are parallel in a hanging state. And since the root part Pr of each cultivated plant P which hung in the hollow part 3 is only hung in the hollow part 3, it is easy to rock | fluctuate.

One nozzle 5 is attached to a substantially central position in the width direction W of the inner surface of the left side wall 1b in the figure surrounding the hollow portion 3 of the cultivation box 1. The nozzle 5 is a two-fluid nozzle that injects a nutrient solution obtained by diluting fertilizer with water at a required magnification as dry fog having an average particle size of less than 10 μm.
As shown in FIG. 2, the nozzle 5 is supplied with nutrient solution through a pipe 7 connected to a control device arranged outside the cultivation box 1, and is supplied with compressed air from a compressor 45 (or from a blower), and the hollow portion 3. The dry fog is sprayed from the nozzle 5 arranged inside toward the opposing right side wall 1c. As a result, dry fog is sprayed directly on the root part Pr of the cultivated plant P arranged between the left and right side walls 1b and 1c of the cultivation box 1, and the root part Pr is shaken and a nutrient solution droplet is brought into contact with the root part Pr. Absorbs nutrient solution. The mist sprayed from the nozzle 5 as dry fog is not limited to mist containing water droplets of nutrient solution, and only water may be supplied as dry fog as necessary.

Moreover, the inclination board 8 which inclines upwards toward the side wall 1c side from the side wall 1b side of the installation side of the nozzle 5 is arrange | positioned in the lower part in the hollow part 3 of the cultivation box 1 as shown in FIG. Yes. The inclination angle θ of the inclined plate 8 is preferably 5 degrees or less and in the range of 2 degrees to 3 degrees.
The nozzle 5 is disposed at a position above the inclined plate 8. The length of the inclined plate 8 is slightly shorter than the length L of the cultivation box 1, and a gap for generating a circulating flow is formed between both ends of the inclined plate 8 in the length direction and the inner surfaces of the side walls 1b and 1c of the cultivation box 1. 9A and 9B are provided. As a result, the fog M of dry fog sprayed from the nozzle 5 flows along the upper surface of the inclined plate 8 and then flows to the lower surface side of the inclined plate 8 through the clearance 9 </ b> A for generating the circulating flow. It flows from the gap 9B to the upper surface side of the inclined plate 8 so that it can circulate with the inclined plate 8 interposed therebetween.

As shown in FIG. 4, the width of the inclined plate 8 is equal to the width W of the cultivation box 1 so that the mist M flowing on the upper surface side of the inclined plate 8 does not flow from the width direction to the lower surface side of the inclined plate 8. Yes.
Further, the fan 11 is installed so that the mist M can be reliably guided to the lower surface side of the inclined plate 8 through the circulating flow generating gap 9A on the side opposite to the installation side of the nozzle 5. The fan 11 sucks the mist M flowing on the upper surface side of the inclined plate 8 and discharges it on the lower surface side of the inclined plate 8 to forcibly generate the circulation flow.

  Further, a fan 12 is also attached to the nozzle 5 to increase the injection distance so that the mist M sprayed from the nozzle 5 flows along the upper surface of the inclined plate 8 and reaches the side wall 1c. A wind speed of 5 m / sec is given. In addition, when the length of the cultivation box 1 is comparatively short, the fan 12 attached to the nozzle 5 can be eliminated.

  As described above, the inclined plate 8 is arranged in the hollow portion 3 and the fans 11 and 12 are arranged to generate a circulation flow in the fog M containing the nutrient solution in the hollow portion 3, and the fog M is hollow. It is made not to stay in the part 3. In this way, the growth of the cultivated plant can be promoted by shaking the root portion Pr of the cultivated plant P suspended in the hollow portion 3 by the circulation flow of the mist M.

  Furthermore, the light shielding material 15 which consists of a black vinyl sheet, and the heat insulating material 16 which consists of a polystyrene foam are laminated | stacked on the outer surface of the bottom wall 1a of the cultivation box 1 surrounding the hollow part 3, and the side walls 1b-1e. Thereby, while preventing the overheating in the hollow part 3, it light-shields and is hold | maintained in the optimal environment for the root part Pr of the cultivated plant P.

  As described above, the two-fluid nozzle is used as the nozzle 5 installed in the hollow portion 3 to spray the mist M made of dry fog. As this type of two-fluid nozzle, a two-fluid nozzle for dry fog generation provided by the present applicant is preferably used. In the present embodiment, the nozzle 5 shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2008-306585 is used.

  The nozzle 5 is provided with a first injection nozzle 53 at the tip of the injection side on the center line (S1) of the main body 52. A second nozzle hole 54 and a third nozzle hole 55 are provided. The second nozzle hole 54 and the third nozzle hole 55 are symmetric with respect to the center line (S1).

The main body 52 is provided with a liquid flow path 57 through which liquid flows and an air flow path 58 through which compressed air flows. One end of each of the liquid flow path 57 and the air flow path 58 is an end surface 52a on the fluid supply side of the main body 52. Are opened as a liquid supply port 57a and an air supply port 58a.
The liquid channel 57 and the air channel 58 communicate with the second nozzle port 54 and the third nozzle port 55 to inject a gas-liquid mixture, and the first nozzle port 53 communicates with only the air channel 58 to supply air. The fluid ejected from these three nozzles is caused to collide at one collision point (P0) on the ejection side (X).

  As described above, the first nozzle hole 53 is provided at the tip of the projecting portion 52 c provided at the center of the ejection side end surface 52 b located on the center line (S 1) of the main body 52. The outer peripheral portion of the main body 52 is expanded toward the injection side, and branch portions 52d and 52e are provided at the central portions on both the left and right sides and further protruded while increasing the diameter toward the injection side. Refraction portions 52f and 52g that are refracted in the direction of diameter reduction in the opposite direction are provided at the front end sides of the branch portions 52d and 52e. A second nozzle hole 54 is provided at the tip of one refracting portion 52f, and a third nozzle hole 55 is provided at the tip of the other refracting portion 52g.

The liquid flow path 57 branches the inflow path 57b communicated with the liquid supply port 57a in two directions, the branch path 57c from the branch section 52d through the refracting section 52f to the second injection port 54, and the branch section 52e. A branch passage 57d that reaches the third nozzle hole 55 through the refracting portion 52g is provided.
The air flow path 58 branches an inflow path 58b communicated with the air supply port 58a in three directions, a branch passage 58c communicating with the first injection port 53, a branch passage 58d communicating with the second injection port 54, and a third injection port 55. A branch passage 58e is provided in communication with the main body.
From the second nozzle hole 54 and the third nozzle hole 55, water and air supplied from the liquid flow channel 57 and the air flow channel 58 are mixed with the air and the air mixed from the outer periphery side with the liquid as the center. Sprayed as a liquid.

The center line (S2) of the second nozzle hole 54 and the center line (S3) of the third nozzle hole 55 are inclined toward the extension line on the injection side (X) of the nozzle center line (S1) and intersect at the collision point P0. Thus, at the collision point P0, the three fluids of the air jetted from the first nozzle 53 and the gas-liquid mixed solution jetted from the second nozzle 54 and the third nozzle 55 are caused to collide with each other.
The distance L1 from the tip point of the first nozzle 53 to the collision point (P0) is shorter than the distance L1 from the tip point of the second and third nozzles 54 and 55 to the collision point (P0) ( L2 <L1).

In the nozzle 5 configured as described above, the air jetted from the first nozzle 53 and the gas-liquid mixed solution jetted from the second and third nozzles 54 and 55 are separated from the tip of the first nozzle 53 by one distance L1. Colliding at the collision point (P0) and mixing outside.
Ultrasonic waves are generated at the collision point (P0) due to the collision of the fluid from these three directions, and the fluid mixed by the ultrasonic waves can be atomized to a particle size of less than 10 μm by ultrasonic vibration. Can be generated.

  The cultivation box 1 of the plant cultivation apparatus described above is installed in a plant factory, and a control apparatus is installed in the plant factory adjacent to the cultivation box 1 as shown in FIGS. ing. A plurality of units U shown in FIG. 1 are controlled by this control device.

Further, the illumination device 40 and the CO ₂ supply header 41 is placed above each cultivation box 1 consists of a fluorescent lamp or LED, further blowing fan laterally, the detection sensor unit 43 of temperature, wind-C0 ₂ installed ing. A sensor 44 for measuring the temperature and humidity in the hollow portion 3 of the cultivation box 1 is also installed.
Further, compressor 45, air tank 46, connecting the liquid fertilizer tank 47, pump 48, C0 ₂ cylinder 49 in the control box 80 which is installed outside the cultivation box 1.
The pressure air from the compressor 45 and the nutrient solution from the liquid fertilizer tank 47 are adjusted and blended by the control box 80, fed to the nozzle 5 through the pipe 7, and sprayed with the mist M containing the nutrient solution every required time. .

The cultivation method using the said plant cultivation apparatus is demonstrated below.
As shown in FIG. 5, the opening 1 h on the upper surface of the cultivation box 1 is closed with a support material 2, and the hollow portion 3 is substantially sealed. A pot 23 containing a cultivated plant P is inserted into each planting hole 22 and attached to the support material 2. Therefore, the root part Pr of the cultivated plant P hangs down from the support material 2 disposed above in the hollow portion 3 with a certain interval in the length direction L and the width direction W in the state where the opening 1h is closed by the support material 2. It becomes a state.

A mist M containing a nutrient solution is periodically sprayed from the nozzle 5 into the hollow portion 3, and the mist M is filled so that the inside of the hollow portion 3 has a humidity of 95% or more.
Further, the mist M containing the nutrient solution is set to a wind speed of 0.5 m / sec or more by the spray pressure of the mist M sprayed from the nozzle 5 and the wind supplied from the fans 11 and 12. The mist M having the wind speed is circulated from the side wall 1b on the installation side of the nozzle 5 to the opposite side wall 1c in the hollow portion 3 and then sucked by the fan 11 to be inclined. 8 is circulated from the side wall 1c side to the side wall 1b side on the lower surface side. In this way, the fog M is brought into contact with the root part Pr while shaking the root part Pr of the cultivated plant P as a circulation flow without retaining the fog M in the hollow part 3, and the nutrient solution is absorbed by the root part Pr. In addition, the nutrient solution may be sprayed from the nozzle 5 and only water may be sprayed periodically.

In this way, the nutrient solution and water are dry-fogged in an optimal state for the root part Pr of the cultivated plant P and an optimal amount can be supplied, and an optimal environment can be given to the cultivated plant. Therefore, the yield can be increased.
Moreover, the nutrient solution required for the growth of the cultivated plant P can be dry fogged and sprayed directly into the hollow portion 3 to minimize the amount of nutrient solution or water used. Further, in order to fill the entire inside of the hollow portion 3 substantially uniformly as a dry fog, one nozzle 5 is sufficient and it is not necessary to install a plurality of nozzles. And since dry fog can be suspended in the air of the hollow part 3, it can supply a nutrient solution and water equally to all the root parts Pr hanging down in the hollow part 3, and the cultivation plant P grows equally. Can be made.
Furthermore, since the nutrient solution or water particles float in the space of the hollow portion 3 and fall to the bottom of the hollow portion 3 and do not accumulate as a liquid layer, the occurrence of root rot or the like can be suppressed or prevented.

  In the said 1st Embodiment, although the 2 fluid nozzle which generates dry fog is used as the nozzle 5 installed in the cultivation box 1, as shown to FIG. 8 (A) (B), 1 fluid nozzle 5-1 is used. May be used. In the one-fluid nozzle 5-1, only a liquid made of liquid fertilizer obtained by diluting fertilizer at a required magnification is sprayed to generate a semi-dry fog of 10 μm or more and 30 μm or less. Even if the mist sprayed from the nozzle 5-1 is a semi-dry fog, the water droplets do not fall and can be suspended in the air of the hollow portion 3, so that the same effect as the first embodiment is obtained.

The one-fluid nozzle 5-1 shown in FIG. 8 is a nozzle disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-104929, which is a prior application of the present applicant.
The nozzle 5-1 includes a cylindrical main body 62 and a nozzle tip 63 fixed to the inner surface of the injection side wall 62 b of the main body 62. In the main body 62, one end of a cylindrical peripheral wall 62a is closed by an injection side wall 62b, and an injection hole 62c is provided at the center thereof, while the other end of the peripheral wall 62a is an opening 62d, and the opening 62d communicates with a supply pipe. It flows into the hollow portion 62e.

  The nozzle tip 63 has a substantially disk shape, is molded when the main body 62 is molded, and is fixed to the inner surface of the ejection side wall 62 b of the main body 62. The nozzle tip 63 is provided with an injection hole 63a communicating with the injection port 62c at the center of the injection side wall 62b of the main body 62, and sprays nutrient solution and water as a swirling flow from the injection hole 63a through the injection port 62c. The injection hole 63a includes a tapered hole portion 63a-1 that is reduced in diameter from the inflow side and a small diameter hole portion 63a-2 that is continuous with the tapered hole portion 63a-1 and communicates with the injection port 62c. As shown in FIG. 8 (B), the inner surface of the nozzle tip 63 is provided with turning grooves 63b that are curved in an arc shape at intervals of 90 degrees, and the inner peripheral ends of these turning grooves 63b are tapered hole portions 63a−. In this configuration, the liquid flows in while being swung through the swivel groove 63b.

  In the one-fluid nozzle 5-1, the water flowing into the main body 62 from the pipe passes through the turning groove 63b of the nozzle tip 63 on the injection side and becomes a swirling flow into the tapered hole 63a-1 of the injection hole 63a. Inflow. In the tapered hole portion 63a-1, the water droplets are made finer because they collide with the inner peripheral surface of the hole portion while turning, and the water droplets are made smaller than the tapered hole portion 63a-1 on the injection side. Then, the water droplets of 10 to 30 μm are ejected as semi-dry fog from the nozzle 62 c of the main body 62 that is in communication.

The seedling raising apparatus of 2nd Embodiment is shown to FIG. 9 (A) (B).
A seedling container 30 used in the seedling raising apparatus of the second embodiment is a shallow container having an upper surface opening for floating one piece of the support material 2. Note that the seedling container 30 may be enlarged to float a plurality of support materials 2. The nutrient solution Q is stored in the seedling container 30 and the support material 2 made of a lightweight support plate made of foamed polystyrene is floated on the liquid surface.

  The closing part 24a of the sponge sheet 24 that closes the planting hole 22 and the bottom opening of the pot 23 provided in the support material 2 is protruded toward the nutrient solution Q side, and the nutrient solution Q is constantly applied to the closing part 24a of the sponge sheet 24. It penetrates. As shown in FIG. 9A, the seed Ps of the cultivated plant P is planted on the closed portion 24a of the sponge sheet 24.

  In this way, the seed Ps held by the sponge sheet 24 in the seedling container 30 is always brought into contact with the nutrient solution Q, thereby promoting the germination of the seed Ps. As shown in FIG. Can be grown. Note that the seedling Py may be held by the sponge sheet 24 and accommodated in the pot 23.

  As described above, when the seed Ps in the seedling container 30 is grown to the seedling Py and further grown to a state where the root Pr of the seedling Py breaks through the sponge sheet 24 as shown in FIG. Pulled up from 30 and taken out. In the state where the cultivated plant P is held by the support material 2, as shown in FIG. 5, the cultivating plant P is moved to the cultivation box 1 of the cultivation apparatus of the first embodiment, and is covered with the opening 1 h on the upper surface.

  After growing from the seed (or seedling) stage in the seedling container 30 as described above, there is an advantage that the cultivated plant P is not damaged because the support material 2 is moved. And since only the support material 2 is moved, the transplant from the seedling raising container 30 to the cultivation box 1 can be performed efficiently in a short time.

FIG. 10 shows a third embodiment.
3rd Embodiment is not only spraying the fog containing a nutrient solution to the root part Pr of the cultivated plant P, but directs a nutrient solution and water from a nozzle toward the stem and leaf part which are the above-ground part of the cultivated plant P. Spraying. Note that the nutrient solution may be supplied to the stems and leaves of the cultivated plant in the form of dry fog or semi-dry fog similarly to the root.

Specifically, in the cultivation box 1, a lower hollow part 3 and an upper hollow part 70 are provided by partitioning the boundary between the root part Pr and the ground part Pu of the cultivated plant P with the support material 2 that supports the float. Yes.
One nozzle 5-1, 71 is disposed in each of the upper and lower hollow portions 3, 70. The lower hollow portion 3 is the same as in the first embodiment, but no inclined plate is disposed. The Nords 71 disposed in the upper hollow portion 70 is a single fluid nozzle.
Sensors 72A and 72B for detecting humidity and temperature in the lower hollow portion 3 and the upper hollow portion 70 are installed, and detection signals from the sensors 72A and 72B are transmitted to the control box 80, and the nozzles 5-1, The injection of nutrient solution and water from 71 is controlled.

In addition, the modification of 3rd Embodiment is shown to FIG. 11 (A)-(D).
In any of the modifications, the boundary line between the root part Pr and the above-ground part Pu of the cultivated plant P is transformed into a stepped shape or an inclined shape in the cultivation box 1 so that the cultivation space can be used effectively. Since other configurations are the same as those of the third embodiment, the same reference numerals are given and description thereof is omitted.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Cultivation box 2 Support material 5, 5-1 Nozzle 8 Inclined plate 10 Mounting frame 11, 12 Fan 20 Support plate 22 Planting hole 23 Pot 24 Sponge sheet 30 Seedling container 80 Control box P Cultivation plant Pr Root Ps Seed Py Seedling Pu Above-ground part M Fog containing nutrient solution

Claims (14)

A cultivation box having a hollow part where at least the root part of the cultivated plant hangs down;
It is installed in the hollow part of the cultivation box, and includes a nozzle that directly injects the nutrient solution as a mist toward the cultivated plant arranged in the hollow part,
A plant cultivation characterized in that the mist containing the nutrient solution sprayed from the nozzle is filled in the whole of the hollow portion, and the mist flowing through the hollow portion is configured to shake the roots of the cultivated plant. apparatus.   The plant cultivation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the hollow portion is formed by closing a top opening of the cultivation box with a support material that floats and supports a boundary between a root portion and a ground portion of the cultivated plant. In the cultivation box, an upper and lower hollow portion is provided that is partitioned by a support material that float-supports the boundary between the root portion and the ground portion of the cultivated plant,
The nozzles are arranged in the upper and lower hollow parts, respectively, and the mist containing the nutrient solution sprayed from the nozzles installed in the lower hollow part is supplied to the root part of the cultivated plant, while the nutrients sprayed from the nozzles installed in the upper hollow part The plant cultivation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the liquid and water are configured to be supplied to the stalk and leaf part of the above-ground part of the cultivated plant. The nozzle is attached to the inner surface of one side wall surrounding the hollow part where the roots of the cultivated plants are arranged, and the mist is set to 0 toward the roots of the cultivated plants arranged in parallel from the one side wall toward the opposite side wall. .5 m / s or more, and the sprayed mist makes the humidity in the hollow portion 95% or more, and
The nozzle is a nozzle for injecting a liquid mixture consisting of a nutrient solution or water and two fluids consisting of air as water droplets having an average particle size of less than 10 μm, or an average particle size of one fluid consisting of a nutrient solution or water only. The plant cultivation apparatus of any one of Claim 1 thru | or 3 used as a nozzle which injects as a water droplet of 10 micrometers or more and 30 micrometers or less.   The plant cultivation device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein one nozzle is attached to one hollow portion of the cultivation box. In the lower part in the hollow part that hangs down the root part of the cultivated plant, an inclined plate that is inclined upward from one side on the installation side of the nozzle toward the other side is disposed, and both ends in the inclination direction of the inclined plate and the Open a gap for generating a circulating flow between the inner walls of both sides of the cultivation box,
A configuration in which the mist sprayed from the nozzle flows along the upper surface of the inclined plate, then flows into the lower surface side of the inclined plate through the circulating flow generation gap, and circulates in the hollow portion with the inclined plate interposed therebetween. The plant cultivation device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein   The plant cultivation apparatus according to claim 6, wherein a fan for guiding the mist is installed on the lower surface side of the inclined plate through the clearance for generating the circulating flow on the side opposite to the nozzle installation side.   The support material for closing the opening of the cultivation box includes a support plate made of a foamed polystyrene plate having shape retention force, and a plurality of planting holes are formed at intervals in the support plate, at least of each planting hole The bottom surface is closed with an elastic foam sheet having continuous pores serving as water absorption holes, and the elastic foam sheet is pierced by the root part of the plant cultivation, and the root part is suspended from the hollow part. The plant cultivation apparatus according to item 1.   The plant cultivation apparatus according to claim 8, wherein a heat shielding sheet is laminated on an upper surface of the polystyrene foam plate and the support material is used as a laminated plate.   The plant cultivation apparatus of any one of Claim 1 thru | or 9 which has laminated | stacked the heat insulating material and the light shielding material on the side wall and bottom wall which surround the said hollow part which has arrange | positioned the root part of the said cultivated plant.   A pot that is detachably fitted in a planting hole provided in the support material is provided, a flange that is placed on the periphery of the planting hole is provided at an upper end of the pot, and the elastic foam sheet made of a sponge sheet is provided in the pot. The plant cultivation apparatus according to claim 8 or 9, wherein the plant cultivation apparatus is attached along the bottom surface opening from the inner peripheral surface of the slab, and the cultivated plant is swingably supported in each pot.   The said support material arrange | positioned in the opening of the said cultivation box is made into multiple sheets, These several support materials are attached to the opening of the said cultivation box so that attachment or detachment is possible, and it arranges in parallel. The plant cultivation apparatus of description.   The support material according to claim 2 is floated in a seedling container for storing a nutrient solution, and a sponge sheet for closing a bottom opening of a planting hole provided in the support material is projected from the planting hole to the nutrient solution side. A seedling raising apparatus in which a nutrient solution is permeated into the bottom of the sponge sheet and the seed or seedling of the cultivated plant is placed on the bottom of the sponge sheet.   When the root of the cultivated plant grown in the seedling container according to claim 13 breaks through the sponge sheet, the grown plant is taken out from the seedling container while being held on the support material, and any one of claims 1 to 12 The plant cultivation method which transfers and attaches to the opening of the cultivation box of the plant cultivation apparatus of Claim 1.

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