JP2019180272A - Plant cultivation device, plant growth monitoring device and plant growth management device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a plant cultivation device, a plant growth monitoring device and a plant growth management device capable of measuring a growth state of a root of a plant.SOLUTION: There is provided a plant cultivation device comprising measurement means for measuring a growth state of a root in a space where a root grows, a bottom face of the cultivation bed tank 3 is formed of a transparent panel 8. An imaging apparatus is arranged in a zone 11 between the cultivation bed tank 3 and a dark box 10, a growth state of a root in a growth space 7 is imaged and measured. According to the growth state of the root measured, a cultivation condition of the plant is controlled.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to a plant cultivation device, a plant growth monitoring device, and a plant growth management device.

  A food production system using hydroponics that uses nutrient solution to cultivate plants instead of soil can stabilize the yield without being affected by the weather and climate, and produce safe fruit vegetables that do not require pesticides. It is attracting attention as a new food production system. However, capital investment such as irrigation, lighting, and air conditioning is required, and the cost is higher than that of a conventional production system. Therefore, there remains a problem for practical use.

  In Patent Document 1 (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-93010), in order to reduce the running cost of the air conditioning system, in the air conditioning system in the plant factory that air-conditions the greenhouse where the cultivated plants are grown, Cooling with cold electricity at night and storing cold, introducing cold water in the cold storage heat tank into the filling type air conditioner, on the other hand, partitioning around the cultivation shelf of cultivated plants installed in the greenhouse locally with a partition wall, A leaching duct and a return air duct are provided in the local space partitioned by the partition wall, the air in the local space is sucked from the return air duct and introduced into the filling air conditioner, and heat exchange with the cold water is performed. An air conditioning system in a plant factory is disclosed in which cooling air after heat exchange is leached and supplied to a duct to air-condition a local space.

  Patent Document 2 (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2015-142547) discloses a plant growth containing at least one aquatic plant rhizosphere microorganism having an action of increasing the amount of chlorophyll of a host plant in order to suppress power costs and fertilizer costs. A hydroponics method is disclosed in which a fortifier is applied to the roots of a cultivated plant to grow the plant.

JP 2000-93010 A Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2015-142547

  As described above, various proposals have been made in order to reduce the cost of hydroponics. The present invention is based on the knowledge that the yield can be stabilized by detecting plant abnormalities at an early stage and accurately controlling the necessary cultivation environment at an early stage. And it is based on the knowledge that the information obtained by root measurement is the most accurate in knowing the degree of plant growth. Since plant roots are usually covered with a culture medium or a cultivation container, visual observation is difficult. Moreover, there is a risk of damaging the roots by removing the medium. For this reason, it is difficult to observe roots in a large-scale plant cultivation facility at a practical level, and many cultivated plants have only been observed on the ground, such as leaves and stems.

  An object of this invention is to provide the plant cultivation apparatus which measures the growth condition of the root of a plant. The present invention also provides an alarm generating means for notifying abnormality based on plant root growth state measurement data and a control means for controlling the cultivation conditions of the plant, thereby making it possible to significantly reduce the man-hour required for cultivation. An object is to provide a device and a management device.

  The plant cultivation apparatus according to the present invention includes a measuring means for measuring the growth state of roots in the space in the plant cultivation apparatus having a space where roots grow.

  In one aspect of the present invention, a zone separated from the space via a transparent member is provided, and an imaging unit arranged in the zone is provided as the measuring unit.

  In one aspect of the present invention, the transparent member is a transparent panel constituting at least a part of the bottom surface of the space.

  In one aspect of the present invention, the transparent member is a tubular body (transparent pipe) that extends from outside the space to inside the space.

  In one aspect of the present invention, the measuring means is a means for measuring the weight of a plant root.

  In one aspect of the present invention, the plant cultivation apparatus includes a support unit that supports a plant culture medium, and the weight measuring unit is arranged to measure the weight of a root extending from the culture medium.

  In one aspect of the present invention, the measuring means includes a weight measuring means for measuring the total weight of the plant, a storage means for the weight standard value of the portion above the root of the plant, and a weight measured by the weight measuring means. Calculation means for subtracting the weight standard value of the storage means to calculate the root weight.

  In one aspect of the present invention, the measurement means performs measurement using ultrasonic waves.

  In one aspect of the present invention, the measurement means performs measurement using radio waves.

  In one aspect of the present invention, the plant cultivation apparatus arranges a fixed planting panel having a planting hole formed on a cultivation bed, and places a seedling root medium on the cultivation bed through the planting hole, It is the hydroponic cultivation apparatus which supplies the said nutrient solution to the upper surface side of the bottom face of a cultivation bed, and grows a plant.

  In one aspect of the present invention, the plant cultivation apparatus is a thin film hydroponics apparatus.

  The plant growth monitoring apparatus of the present invention comprises a plant root growth state measuring means, a plant root standard growth data storage means, a comparison means for comparing the plant growth apparatus measurement data and standard growth data. Have

  In one aspect of the present invention, there is provided alarm generating means for generating an alarm when the difference between the measurement data and the standard growth data is equal to or greater than a predetermined value as a result of the comparison by the comparison means.

  The plant growth management apparatus according to the present invention includes a measuring means for assistant plant growth of plant roots and a control means for controlling the cultivation conditions of the plant according to the measured growth status of roots.

  In one aspect of the present invention, the cultivation conditions include: nutrient solution and / or water composition, nutrient solution and / or water supply, atmosphere composition, atmosphere flow, atmosphere temperature, light, and at least one of agrochemicals. One.

  The present invention is based on the knowledge that the yield can be stabilized by detecting plant abnormalities at an early stage and accurately controlling the necessary cultivation environment at an early stage. And it is based on the knowledge that the information obtained by root measurement is the most accurate in knowing the degree of plant growth. According to the present invention, it is possible to measure or monitor the growth of plant roots. Moreover, the cultivation management which adjusts cultivation conditions according to the measured growth condition can be performed. In addition, according to the present invention, it is possible to significantly reduce the number of man-hours for cultivation by providing alarm generation means for notifying abnormality based on plant root growth state measurement data and control means for controlling plant cultivation conditions. it can.

It is a perspective view of a cultivation bed. It is sectional drawing of a cultivation bed. It is sectional drawing of a cultivation bed. It is sectional drawing of a cultivation bed. It is sectional drawing of a cultivation bed. It is sectional drawing of a cultivation bed. It is a block diagram of the cultivation management system of a plant. It is a block diagram of a cultivation management apparatus. It is sectional drawing of a cultivation bed. It is sectional drawing of a cultivation bed. It is sectional drawing of a cultivation bed.

  Hereinafter, embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a cultivation bed tank used in a thin film hydroponic cultivation apparatus using a nutrient solution, and FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view thereof.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a large number (preferably 10 or more, for example, 10 to 150) of planting holes 2 are formed in the fixed planting panel 1 molded with lightweight polystyrene foam. As an example, the size of the planting panel 1 is 600 mm wide, 1000 mm deep, and 35 mm thick. The size of the planting hole 2 is made larger than the diameter of the seedling pot 4 used. The interval between the planting holes 2 is determined as an appropriate interval for crop cultivation. For example, in the case of spinach, assuming that the size of the fixed planting panel 1 is as described above, a total of 45 diamond-shaped planting holes 2 having a diameter of 27 mm are arranged in a diamond shape at intervals of 118 mm.

  The above-mentioned fixed planting panel board 1 is mounted on the cultivation bed tank 3, and a marginal part is mounted on the step part 3a. The bottom of the cultivation bed tank 3 is constituted by a transparent panel 8.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the planting panel plate 1 is put on the cultivation bed tank 3, and the seedling pot 4 is dropped from the planting hole 2. The seedling root pot 4 is placed on the cultivation bed tank 3 facing the planting hole 2 directly below. Next, the nutrient solution L is allowed to flow from the upstream side of the cultivation bed tank 3 toward the downstream side. A root growth space 7 is formed between the lower surface of the planting panel 1 and the surface of the nutrient solution L in the groove.

  In this way, in the root growth space 7 formed between the bottom surface of the planted panel board 1 and the liquid level of the nutrient solution L in the groove, the roots in the moisture that are maintained in the moisture and have a large number of root hairs grow. It mainly absorbs oxygen. On the other hand, aquatic roots grow in the nutrient solution L below the liquid level, and mainly absorb the fertilizer and water in the nutrient solution. As a result, roots having two different forms or functions can be generated: underwater roots and wet roots. By observing or measuring the growth status of these roots, plant abnormalities can be discovered at an early stage, and the necessary cultivation environment can be accurately controlled at an early stage.

  3-100 mm is preferable and, as for the height of the inner surface 3b of the side wall of the bed tank 3, 5-20 mm is more preferable. When the lower limit value of the height of the side wall inner surface 3b is in such a range, a space L in which roots grow, that is, a space for growing roots in moisture can be sufficiently secured. Moreover, when the upper limit of the height of the side wall inner surface 3b is in such a range, the plant ground part (stem and leaf) above the seedling root pot 4 can be appropriately irradiated with light.

  In FIG. 2 and FIGS. 3, 4 and 6 described later, the bottom surface of the cultivation bed tank 3 is flat. However, as shown in FIG. The bowl 4 may be placed on the ridge 6. As shown in FIG. 10, two or more narrow ridges 6A may be provided, and the seedling pot 4 may be placed thereon. As shown in FIG. 11, the ridges 6 </ b> B may be provided between the rows of the seedling pots 4. Other configurations in FIGS. 9 to 11 are the same as those in FIGS. Also in the mode of FIG. 5 described later, a ridge 6 </ b> B similar to that of FIG. 11 may be provided between rows of the seedling root pots 4. In addition, it is preferable that the protruding item | line 6 is a protruding item | line extended in the said gradient direction, and a plant cultivation apparatus sets it as the form in which a nutrient solution flows down the recessed item | line which comprises between protruding item | lines.

  As shown in FIGS. 3, 4, 6, 10, and 11, when the seedling pot is immersed in the nutrient solution, the depth of the nutrient solution L is such that the lower part of the seedling pot 4 is immersed, that is, from the lower part of the seedling pot. It is preferable that it is about 1-50 mm.

  As shown in FIG. 10, when the seedling basin 4 is placed on the two ridges 6 </ b> A, the width of the ridge 6 </ b> A is smaller than the diameter of the seedling basin 4 to be used, On the other hand, it is more preferable to have two or more ridges.

  In FIG. 9, a plurality of ridges 6 that are continuous in the longitudinal direction are formed in the bottom portion of the cultivation bed tank 3 that is directly below the planting hole 2 of the fixed planting panel 1. The nutrient solution L flows down by rectifying the ridges 6.

  The height of the ridges 6 and 6A is determined in relation to the depth of the nutrient solution L. Desirably, the height of the ridges 6 and 6A is higher than the bottom surface of the nutrient solution L by about 2 to 5 mm. Desirably, the width of the ridges 6 and 6A (in the case of FIG. 10, the distance from the left side of the left ridge 6A to the right side of the right ridge 6A) is larger than the diameter of the seedling pot 4 to be used. Is larger than the width of 4 mm with respect to the diameter of the seedling pot 4. It is preferable that the height of the ridges 6 and 6A is in the range of the lower limit described above, because the risk of washing the seedling pot 4 placed on the ridges 6 and 6A with the nutrient solution L is reduced. On the other hand, when the height of the ridges 6 and 6A is within the above upper limit range, the distance between the seedling root pot 4 and the liquid surface of the nutrient solution L approaches, so the underwater root of the plant to be cultivated is the nutrient solution L. The water supply to the seedling root pot 4 is appropriately performed, which is preferable for growth. It is preferable that the width of the ridges 6 and 6A is sufficiently larger than the diameter of the seedling basin 4 so that the seedling basin 4 can be prevented from slipping down and tilting from the bowl-shaped ridges 6 and 6A. In addition, if the width of the ridges 6 and 6A is too large with respect to the diameter of the seedling root pot 4, the distance for the underwater roots to reach the nutrient solution L also increases, so that water supply to the seedling root pot 4 is appropriately performed. Therefore, the width of the ridges 6 and 6A is preferably within the above range.

  Preferably, a plurality of cultivation bed tanks 3 are continuously provided in the longitudinal direction and installed so as to have a gradient of about 1/50 to 1/150. In this way, by using an apparatus used for thin film hydroponics (NFT) in which a nutrient solution flows thinly on a plane having a gentle gradient, it is possible to secure a growing space for roots in moisture, and to oxygenate plants. Supply becomes easy. Moreover, since it is a flow system that circulates the nutrient solution, there is an advantage that the nutrient solution is not easily contaminated as compared with the stationary method. Moreover, compared with drowned hydroponics (DFT), there is an advantage that the amount of water used is small and the nutrient solution supply equipment can be made small.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the cultivation bed tank 3 is placed on a dark box 10 that is opened upward. Between the dark box 10 and the cultivation bed tank 3 is a zone 11 for inserting photographing equipment for photographing the growth of roots. A photographing device such as a camera is arranged in the zone 11 or the photographing device is moved in the zone 11 to photograph the root continuously or periodically. Illumination for photographing may be provided in the zone 11, or illumination may be provided on the photographing base material, and the inside of the zone 11 may be moved together with the base material.

  A guide member for guiding the movement of the base material may be provided in the zone 11.

  Note that an optical fiber may be inserted in place of the photographing equipment, and photographing may be performed via the optical fiber.

  In FIGS. 1 and 2, almost the entire bottom surface of the cultivation bed tank 3 is configured by the transparent panel 8, but a transparent portion may be partially provided on the bottom surface. In FIGS. 1 and 2, the bottom surface is transparent, but a part of the planting panel 1 may be transparent. In this case, a light shielding member is provided in the transparent portion, and the light shielding member is removed during photographing.

  FIG. 3 shows another embodiment. FIG. 3 shows a cultivation bed tank 3 </ b> A in which a transparent pipe 12 is arranged in a root growth space 7. The transparent pipe 12 extends between the seedling pots 4 in a direction parallel to the ridges 6. The end of the transparent pipe 12 extends outside the cultivation bed tank 3A. The portion extending outside the cultivation bed tank 3 </ b> A is preferably made of an opaque pipe so that light does not enter the space 7.

  The inside of the transparent pipe 12 is a photographing equipment insertion zone, and a photographing equipment having illumination or an optical fiber is inserted into the transparent pipe 12 to photograph the growth state of the roots. It may be possible to place a photographing device or the like inside without extending.

  In the case of FIG. 3, the bottom of the cultivation bed tank 3 </ b> A is also opaque, and the entire cultivation bed tank 3 </ b> A can be made of an inexpensive material such as polystyrene foam. Moreover, the dark box 10 is unnecessary.

  3 denote the same parts as those in FIGS.

  In the present invention, the growth state of the root may be measured by measuring the weight of the root.

  FIG. 4 shows an example of the cultivation bed tank for that purpose. In FIG. 4, a pressure receiving plate 15 is disposed on the bottom surface of the cultivation bed tank 3 </ b> B, and a pressure sensitive element 16 is disposed below the pressure receiving plate 15. The weight of the roots loaded on the plate 15 can be detected by the pressure detected by the pressure sensitive element 16.

  In FIG. 5, the planting hole 2 </ b> C of the fixed planting panel 1 </ b> C is tapered, the seedling pot 4 </ b> C is an inverted frustoconical shape, and the seedling pot 4 </ b> C is fitted into the planting hole 2 </ b> C and supported in a suspended manner. . The lower part of the seedling pot 4C protrudes from the fixed plant panel board 1C to the growth space 7 below. The roots extending from the seedling root pot 4C overlap the bottom surface of the cultivation bed tank 3C. That is, the planting hole 2C serves as a support portion that supports the plant culture medium.

The total weight W _{1 of the} planting panel board 1C, the part other than the root of the plant body, and the seedling root pot 4C is detected by the weight sensor 20. A culture bed vessel 3C, a planting panel plate 1C, and Naenehachi 4C, a plant comprising a root, the sum of the weight W ₂ of the nutrient solution flowing over cultivation bed tank 3 is detected by the weight sensor 21.

Since the weight of the cultivation bed tank 3 and the weight of the nutrient solution are known, the weight of the root can be obtained by W ₂ -W _1- (weight of the cultivation bed tank 3)-(nutrient weight).

  Note that some of the roots are suspended in the seedling pot 4C, and the weight is detected by the weight sensor 20 through the seedling pot 4C, but most of the roots are located on the bottom surface of the cultivation bed tank 3C. Since it is loaded, the substantial root weight is measured by this method.

  In FIG. 6, the amount of root is measured by ultrasonic echo. An ultrasonic measuring instrument 26 composed of an ultrasonic transmitter and a receiver is installed on the bottom surface of the bottom surface of the cultivation bed tank 3C. The echo reflected from the ultrasonic wave from the ultrasonic transmitter is received by the receiver. The amount of roots can be measured based on a calibration curve between the amount (weight or volume) of roots obtained in advance and the reflected echo intensity.

  Although ultrasonic waves are used in FIG. 6, electromagnetic waves may be used.

  In the present invention, cultivation can be monitored and managed based on root photographing data measured as described above, or weight or volume data.

  The plant growth monitoring device of the present invention has means for monitoring cultivation further on the plant cultivation device of the present invention. Specifically, it comprises means for measuring the growth status of plant roots, means for storing standard growth data of plant roots, and means for comparing the measurement data of the plant cultivation apparatus and the standard growth data.

  When the plant growth monitoring device has the alarm generation means, the alarm may be generated in the field to notify the cultivation operator. Further, the alarm may have a remote communication function so as to be generated at a management place that is remote from the field.

  The plant growth management apparatus of the present invention further includes a control means for controlling the cultivation conditions of the plant in the plant cultivation apparatus of the present invention. Specifically, it has a means for measuring the growth status of the roots of the plant and a control means for controlling the cultivation conditions of the plants according to the measured growth status of the roots.

  The plant growth management apparatus of the present invention may further include the comparison means and the alarm generation means.

  The plant growth management device of the present invention may be one in which the control means is manually activated by a cultivation worker or a manager in a remote place.

  In the plant growth management apparatus of the present invention, the control means may be automatically activated.

  Among the above data, the shooting data includes a wide variety of information, so an embodiment of the cultivation monitoring and management device based on the shooting data will be described below.

  In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7, the root is photographed by the photographing device 30, and the management device 31 analyzes the photographed image and controls the nutrient solution supply device (nutrient solution device) 32.

  For example, the imaging device 30 captures the root through the transparent panel 8 and generates image data. The photographing apparatus is a digital camera, for example.

  FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating functions of the management device 31. The management device 31 is a computer having a storage unit 33 including a CPU (Central Processing Unit), flash memory, ROM (Read-only Memory), RAM (Random Access Memory), a hard disk, and the like.

  The storage unit 33 stores a management program, root standard growth data, and the like.

  The functions of the image acquisition unit 34, the image analysis unit 35, and the nutrient solution supply amount calculation unit 36 are realized by the CPU of the management device 31 executing the management program.

  The image acquisition unit 34 acquires image data obtained by photographing the root from the photographing device 30.

  The image analysis unit 35 analyzes the image data acquired by the image acquisition unit 34 and obtains information such as the amount, shape, and color of the photographed root. Each image of the image data is represented by a numerical value of brightness of each of red (R), green (G), and blue (B), and information on the root color and its density can be collected from these numerical values.

  In the standard data stored in the storage unit 33, reference values such as the amount, shape, and color of roots when standard growth is performed are registered for each type of plant for each number of growing days.

  The nutrient solution supply amount calculation unit 36 compares the data specified by the image analysis unit 35 with the standard data stored in the storage unit 33 to determine the growth status and supply the nutrient solution supply amount and composition, or Control temperature, humidity, light, air volume, wind direction, carbon dioxide concentration, agricultural chemicals, etc. Moreover, you may provide the alarm generation | occurrence | production means to generate | occur | produce an alarm when the difference of measurement data and standard growth data is more than predetermined value as a result of contrast.

  An example of the above control is as follows.

  In the case of spinach, on the 7th day after sowing, the weight of the root is compared with the control, and if it is less than 95%, a nutrient is added.

  In the case of spinach, the number of days from sowing 18th to 21st days (11 days of seedling terraced seedlings, 11 days of fixed planting, root establishment becomes clear on the 7th day after planting, and on the 10th day the weight etc. If the weight is less than 90% compared to the control, the root color and leaf color should be checked visually for abnormalities. throw into.

  Regardless of the type of plant, if the difference from the previous day's temperature changes by ± 10 ° C or more, the room temperature is controlled to reduce the difference.

  If the water temperature deviates by 7 ° C compared to the control, check for a malfunction of the cooler.

  If the electrical conductivity deviates by more than ± 6 from the set value, check the conductivity meter for dirt and replace all nutrient solutions as necessary.

  If there is a large change such as snow on the previous day and fine weather on the next day, light is shielded to prevent leaf burning.

  However, these are merely examples, and the present invention is not limited to these.

  The plant cultivation device, plant growth monitoring device, and plant growth management device of the present invention can be applied to fields of any scale. In particular, the number of man-hours for cultivation can be greatly reduced, and it is possible to manage a vast field with a small number of personnel. Therefore, a field having a width of 0.2 ha or more, more preferably 1 ha or more, especially 2.0 ha or more. It is preferably applied in the field.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Planting panel 2 Planting hole 3,3A-3C Cultivation bed tank 4 Seedling pot 7 Space 8 Transparent panel 10 Dark box 11 Zone 12 Transparent pipe 20, 21 Weight sensor 26 Ultrasonic measuring instrument

Claims (15)

In a plant cultivation device having a space where roots grow,
A plant cultivation apparatus comprising a measuring means for measuring the growth of roots in the space.   The plant cultivation apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a photographing unit disposed in the zone as the measuring unit, having a zone separated from the space through a transparent member.   The plant cultivation device according to claim 2, wherein the transparent member is a transparent panel constituting at least a part of a bottom surface of the space.   The plant cultivation device according to claim 2, wherein the transparent member is a tubular body extending from the outside of the space to the inside of the space.   The plant cultivation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the measuring unit is a unit for measuring the weight of a plant root.   The plant cultivation apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the plant cultivation apparatus includes a support portion that supports a plant culture medium, and the weight measurement unit is arranged to measure the weight of a root extending from the medium.   The measuring means includes a weight measuring means for measuring the total weight of the plant, a storage means for the weight standard value of the upper part of the plant root, and a weight standard value of the storage means from the measured weight of the weight measuring means. The plant cultivation apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a calculation unit that subtracts and calculates a root weight.   The plant cultivation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the measurement unit performs measurement using ultrasonic waves.   The plant cultivation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the measurement unit performs measurement using electromagnetic waves.   The plant cultivating apparatus arranges a fixed planting panel plate having a planting hole formed on the cultivation bed, and places a seedling root medium on the cultivation bed through the planting hole, and an upper surface side of the bottom surface of the cultivation bed The plant cultivation apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9, which is a hydroponic cultivation apparatus that cultivates a plant by supplying the nutrient solution thereto.   The plant cultivation apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the plant cultivation apparatus is a thin film hydroponics apparatus. Means for measuring the growth of plant roots;
Storage means for standard growth data of plant roots;
The plant growth monitoring apparatus which has a comparison means which compares the measurement data of the said plant cultivation apparatus, and standard growth data.   The plant growth monitoring apparatus according to claim 12, further comprising alarm generation means for generating an alarm when a difference between the measurement data and the standard growth data is equal to or greater than a predetermined value as a result of the comparison by the comparison means. A measuring means for plant root growth assistant professors,
The plant growth management apparatus which has a control means which controls the cultivation conditions of a plant according to the growth condition of the measured root.   The cultivation condition is at least one of a nutrient solution and / or water composition, a nutrient solution and / or water supply amount, an atmosphere composition, an atmosphere flow, an atmosphere temperature, light, and an agrochemical. Plant growth management device.

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