JP7508094B2 - Attractant - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an attractant for attracting stems and fruit clusters of tomatoes and other plants.

The stems of plants such as tomatoes, eggplants, cucumbers, melons, and peppers grow upward as they grow. Traditionally, plants were trained by tying a string suspended from above to the base of the plant and wrapping the stem around the string, but when cultivating tomatoes and other plants over a long period of time, it requires a lot of work to lower and move the plants as the stems grow. Depending on how the fruit clusters grow, the impact of lowering them or the weight of the clusters can cause the cluster stalks to break or split.

As tomatoes grow, especially in the clusters that bear fruit early after planting, the fruits tend to swell. The weight of these swollen fruits can cause the cluster stalk 31 of the cluster 30 to break 40, as shown in Figure 9, which inhibits proper growth of the fruit. In some cases, the cluster stalk 31 can split from the base, as shown in Figure 10. When a split 41 occurs, the cluster 30 itself often falls off.

As a result, the bunches 30 are hung with a string 42 as shown in Figure 11, or with a hook 43 made of wire as shown in Figure 12. However, when hanging the bunches 30 with a string 42, it is time-consuming to cut and prepare the string 42 and to tie it. In addition, when removing the tied string 42, the string 42 must be cut, so after harvesting the fruits of the bunches 30, the cultivation is carried out without recovering the string 42, and it is then recovered after the cultivation is completed. In this case, since it is difficult to check the string 42, it is easy to forget to recover it. Furthermore, depending on the type of string 42, if it gets mixed in with the post-harvest residue, it may remain in the soil for a long time.

In addition, when using hooks 43 made from wire, it is time-consuming to cut the wire and bend it by hand every season. Furthermore, if the hooks 43 are collected and stored after harvesting, they can become tangled and deform when taken out for the next season, meaning that new hooks 43 must be made every season. In addition, rust occurs, so they can only be used for one season from the perspective of disease prevention, etc. Furthermore, the cut edges are sharp, which can cause injuries during work or damage to crops.

Also, an arch-shaped product 44 that is attached to the cluster shaft as shown in FIG. 13(A) is known. When attaching this product 44 to the cluster 30, in the case of early season, the product 44 must be bent and stretched as shown in FIG. 13(B) and (C), and then attached as shown in FIG. 13(D), which is time-consuming. When attached early, it is necessary to insert the product without scattering the flowers of the cluster 30 or breaking or damaging the cluster shaft 31, which is thin and easily broken due to the early season, which is time-consuming. Furthermore, with this product 44, even if it is attached carefully as described above, the breakage of the cluster shaft 31 can be reduced, but it is not effective against cracks 45 in the cluster shaft 31 as shown in FIG. 14.

As shown in Figure 15, a tuft hanger 47 is known that is attached to an attracting string 46 to suspend the tufts 30. However, this tuft hanger 47 cannot be attached without the attracting string 46. In addition, in attracting methods that use clips or the like to transfer the string from one string to another, or in attracting methods that involve shifting the stems from the attracting string and lowering them, the tuft hanger must be removed, the stems lowered, and then reattached after moving, otherwise the tuft hanger may break or the fruit may fall off. In this case, the tufts may be damaged when attaching and removing them, which is very time-consuming.

As described in Patent Document 1, for example, a fixing support for agricultural crop branches is known, which is made up of a plurality of upper hook parts formed at different heights vertically and a plurality of lower hook parts formed at different heights vertically, and in which the upper hook parts and the lower hook parts are rotatably meshed with each other and fastened. With this fixing support, by appropriately selecting from a plurality of upper hook parts and a plurality of lower hook parts, it is possible to fix the branches to each other at a span that matches the distance between the upper and lower branches of the agricultural crop.

Patent No. 5934740

However, the fixed support described in Patent Document 1 has a complex structure and is expensive because the upper and lower hook parts are allowed to rotate freely relative to each other. Also, although the upper and lower hook parts can rotate freely relative to each other, this rotation alone may not allow for easy handling when attaching or removing them. Also, because they rotate freely, they may rotate when the stem grows, causing the stem to come off the upper and lower hook parts.

Therefore, the objective of the present invention is to provide a attractant that is easy to attach and remove, and does not easily come off even when the stems or fruit clusters grow.

The attractant of the present invention has flexibility and elasticity and has a first shaft portion extending in a first direction, a first hook portion having a generally J shape extending from a base end of the first shaft portion in the first direction, a second hook portion having a generally J shape extending from a tip end of the first shaft portion in the first direction, a second shaft portion extending from the tip end of the first shaft portion in the first direction, and a third hook portion having a generally J shape extending from the tip end of the second shaft portion in the opposite direction to the second hook portion, with the second shaft portion as the center.

In the attractant of the present invention, the first hook part is hooked at an appropriate position on the bunch stalk, and the flexible and elastic first stalk is twisted to selectively hook either the second or third hook part onto the upper stem or branch. This fixes the first hook part and the second or third hook part to the bunch stalk and the stem or branch due to the force (elastic force) that is generated by twisting the first stalk, which tends to return to its original shape, and makes it difficult to come off even as the stem or bunch grows.

It is desirable that the second shaft also be flexible and elastic. This allows the second shaft to be twisted in addition to the first shaft as described above, and the first hook and the second or third hook are fixed to the cluster shaft and the stem or branch by the force (elastic force) of the second shaft trying to return to its original shape, making them less likely to come off even as the stem or cluster grows.

The attractant of the present invention preferably has a protrusion at the tip of the first hook that protrudes inward in a roughly J-shape. This means that even if the bunch stalk hooked on the first hook tries to come off the first hook, it will be blocked by the protrusion, making it less likely to come off even as the stem or bunch grows.

In the attractant of the present invention, it is desirable that the center of curvature of the first hook portion is on the extension of the central axis of the first shaft portion, the second hook portion is on the same side of the first shaft portion as the first hook portion, and the second shaft portion is offset from the first shaft portion toward the second hook portion. As a result, the center of curvature of the second hook portion, which is on the same side of the first shaft portion as the first hook portion, and the center of curvature of the third hook portion, which is extended from the tip of the second shaft portion in the opposite direction to the second hook portion, centered on the second shaft portion, are located close to the central axis of the first shaft portion, and regardless of whether the second hook portion or the third hook portion is selected, the force applied to the first shaft portion by the bunch shaft held by the first hook portion, whose center of curvature is on the extension of the central axis of the first shaft portion, can be supported by the second hook portion or the third hook portion, which is located close to the central axis of the first shaft portion.

(1) The device can be attached by simply hooking the first hook part at an appropriate position on the cluster axis, twisting the flexible and elastic first axis, and then selecting and hooking either the second or third hook part onto the upper stem or branch. It is also easy to remove.

(2) In addition, the first hook portion and the second hook portion or the third hook portion are fixed to the cluster axis and the stem or branch by the force (elastic force) that is generated by twisting the first axis and causes the first axis to return to its original shape, making them less likely to come off even as the stem or cluster grows. In addition, due to the flexibility of the first axis, the impact on the cluster, cluster axis, stem and branch is extremely small, making it possible to guide the plant with minimal impact on plant growth.

1A is a plan view of an attractant according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 1B is a front view, FIG. 1C is a bottom view, FIG. 1D is a left side view, and FIG. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the attractant of FIG. 1 . FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of how the attractant of FIG. 1 is used; FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of how the attractant of FIG. 1 is used; FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of how the attractant of FIG. 1 is used; FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of how the attractant of FIG. 1 is used; FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of how the attractant of FIG. 1 is used; FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of how the attractant of FIG. 1 is used; FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a broken fruit cluster axis. FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a crack occurring in a bunch stalk. FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of hanging fruit bunches with string. This is an explanatory diagram showing an example of hanging fruit bunches using hooks made of wire. FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of an arch-shaped product to be attached to a bunch stem. FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of using the arch-shaped product shown in FIG. 13 to prevent splitting of the bunch stem. This is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a bunch of fruit hanging device that is attached to a pull string and hangs bunches of fruit.

Figure 1 shows an attractant in an embodiment of the present invention, where (A) is a plan view, (B) is a front view, (C) is a bottom view, (D) is a left side view, (E) is a right side view, and Figure 2 is a perspective view.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the attractant 1 in the embodiment of the present invention is made of polypropylene and is integrally molded with a first shaft portion 11 extending in the first direction X, a first hook portion 21 having a generally J-shape extending from a base end portion 11A in the first direction X of the first shaft portion 11, a second hook portion 22 having a generally J-shape extending from a tip end portion 11B in the first direction X of the first shaft portion 11, a second shaft portion 12 extending from a tip end portion 11B in the first direction X of the first shaft portion 11, and a third hook portion 23 having a generally J-shape extending from a tip end portion 12B of the second shaft portion 12 in the opposite direction to the second hook portion 22 with the second shaft portion 12 as the center.

The direction perpendicular to the first direction X of the first shaft portion 11 within the plane (the plane shown in FIG. 1(B)) in which the second hook portion 22 and the third hook portion 23 are aligned is defined as the second direction Y. The direction perpendicular to the first direction X and the second direction Y of the first shaft portion 11 is defined as the third direction Z (see FIG. 1(A)).

The first shaft portion 11 has a width in the second direction Y of 2.0 to 4.0 mm (3.0 mm in this embodiment) and a thickness in the third direction Z of 0.5 to 1.5 mm (1.0 mm in this embodiment) so as to have appropriate flexibility and elasticity. Similarly, the second shaft portion 12 has a width in the second direction Y of 2.0 to 4.0 mm (3.0 mm in this embodiment) and a thickness in the third direction Z of 0.5 to 1.5 mm (1.0 mm in this embodiment) so as to have appropriate flexibility and elasticity.

The width and thickness of the first hook portion 21, the second hook portion 22, and the third hook portion 23 are 2.0 to 4.0 mm (3.0 mm in this embodiment), making them less susceptible to elastic deformation than the first shaft portion 11 and the second shaft portion 12. A reinforcing rib 13 is provided on the outside of the second hook portion 22 to connect the first shaft portion 11 and the second shaft portion 12. The thickness of the reinforcing rib 13 in the third direction Z is the same as the thickness of the first shaft portion 11 and the second shaft portion 12. A reinforcing rib 14 is provided on the outside of the third hook portion 23, extending from the second shaft portion 12. The thickness of the reinforcing rib 14 in the third direction Z is the same as the thickness of the second shaft portion 12.

The first hook portion 21 extends obliquely from the base end portion 11A of the first shaft portion 11 toward the Y direction, and is curved in an approximately J shape with its center on an extension of the central axis of the first shaft portion 11. In this embodiment, the radius of curvature R1 of the inner bottom portion 21A of the first hook portion 21 is 3.5 mm. In addition, the tip portion of the first hook portion 21 has a protrusion 24 that protrudes toward the inside of the approximately J shape.

The second hook portion 22 is curved in a generally J-shape from the tip 11B of the first shaft portion 11 to the same side as the first hook portion 21 with respect to the first shaft portion 11. The radius of curvature R2 of the inner bottom portion 22A of the second hook portion 22 is larger than the radius of curvature R1 of the first hook portion 21. In this embodiment, the radius of curvature R2 is 10 mm.

The second shaft portion 12 extends in the first direction X from the middle of the second hook portion 22 at the tip end 11B of the first shaft portion 11 in the first direction X. In other words, the second shaft portion 12 is offset from the first shaft portion 11 toward the second hook portion 22. In this embodiment, the second shaft portion 12 is offset from the first shaft portion 11 by 5.0 mm.

The third hook portion 23 is curved in a generally J-shape from the tip 12B of the second shaft portion 12 toward the opposite side to the second hook portion 22. The radius of curvature R3 of the inner bottom portion 23A of the third hook portion 23 is larger than the radius of curvature R1 of the first hook portion 21. In this embodiment, the radius of curvature R3 is 10 mm, the same as the radius of curvature R2.

Next, a method for attracting tomatoes and other plants using the attractant 1 configured as described above will be described with reference to Figures 3 to 8.

In this embodiment, at least the first shaft portion 11 of the attractant 1 is flexible and elastic, so it can be attached to the bunches of crops such as tomatoes at an early stage. As shown in FIG. 3, the attractant 1 has the first hook portion 21 hooked to an appropriate position on the bunch shaft 31 of the bunch 30, and the first shaft portion 11 is twisted to hook the third hook portion 23 from the back of the stem 32 to the branch 33B at the top of the bunch.

At this time, the force (elastic force) of the twisted first shaft portion 11 trying to return to its original shape fixes the first hook portion 21 and the third hook portion 23 to the bunch shaft 31 and the branch 33B, making the attractant 1 less likely to come off and easier to attach. In particular, the attractant 1 has a protrusion 24 at the tip of the first hook portion 21, which also makes it difficult for the bunch shaft 31 to come off.

The attractant 1 attached in this manner has a width of 2.0 to 4.0 mm in the second direction Y and a thickness of 0.5 to 1.5 mm in the third direction Z, giving it moderate flexibility and elasticity, so that the force of return (elastic force) has very little effect on the bunches 30, stems 32 and branches 33B, making it possible to attract plants with minimal impact on their growth.

For a more secure attachment, the third hook portion 23, which is shallowly hooked onto the upper branch 33B of the bunch, is pushed down as shown in Figure 4. At this time, the first and second shaft portions 11 and 12 of the attractant 1 are bent due to the flexibility of the first and second shaft portions 11 and 12 before the first hook portion 21 comes off the bunch shaft 31.

In the case of tomatoes, as shown in FIG. 5, branches 33A, 33B, and 33C are arranged alternately above the bunch 30. Therefore, in the attractant 1 of this embodiment, in order to attach the first shaft 11 by twisting, the second hook portion 22 close to the first hook portion 21 is curved on the same side as the first hook portion 21, and the third hook portion 23 is curved on the opposite side to the second hook portion 22. In other words, when the first shaft 11 is twisted, the attractant 1 is arranged so that the second hook portion 22 is positioned on the opposite side to the first hook portion 21 that is hooked on the bunch shaft 31, and the third hook portion 23 is positioned on the same side as the first hook portion 21.

Therefore, when attaching to the branch 33A above the bunch 30, the second hook portion 22 is used to hang it on the branch 33A as shown in FIG. 5, and when attaching to the branch 33B above that, the third hook portion 23 is used to hang it on the branch 33B as shown in FIG. 6. In this way, the attractant 1 in this embodiment can be efficiently attached to the branches 33A and 33B by selectively using the second hook portion 22 or the third hook portion 23.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 7, the attractant 1 in this embodiment can also be used as an auxiliary when using clips 35 on the horizontal strings 34 to attract plants diagonally. When using clips 35 on the horizontal strings 34 to attract plants diagonally, depending on the number of clips 35 used and the installation distance, the stems 36 may become loose and stick together. If the branches 37 and leaves 38 become crowded at this time, ventilation is hindered, which can easily lead to diseases. In such a situation, a better cultivation environment can be created by using the attractant 1 as an auxiliary to attract the stems 36 to the horizontal strings 34.

As shown in Figure 8, by hanging the stem 36 on the second hook portion 22 or the third hook portion 23 and twisting it to hang the first hook portion 21 on the horizontal string 34, the force (elastic force) of the first shaft portion 11 trying to return to its original position and the protrusion portion 24 prevent the horizontal string 34 and stem 36 from coming off due to shaking during the luring operation, and it is possible to adjust the stems 36 so that they do not slacken or stick together. Also, the flexibility of the attractant 1 allows the stems 36 to be held gently.

As described above, the attractant 1 of this embodiment can be attached by simply hooking the first hook portion 21 at an appropriate position on the bunch axis 31, and then twisting the flexible and elastic first axis portion 11 to selectively hook either the second hook portion 22 or the third hook portion 23 onto the upper branches 33A, 33B or the stem 32, etc., and can also be easily removed.

In addition, the first hook portion 21 and the second hook portion 22 or the third hook portion 23 are fixed to the bunch axis 31 and the branches 33A, 33B and the stem 32 by the force (elastic force) that occurs when the first axis portion 11 is twisted, making it difficult for them to come off even when the stem 32 and bunch 30 grow. In addition, due to the flexibility of the first axis portion 11, the impact on the bunch 30, bunch axis 31, branches 33A, 33B and the stem 32 is extremely small, making it possible to guide the plant with minimal impact on its growth.

In addition, in the attractant 1 of this embodiment, the second shaft 12 is also flexible and elastic, so that the second shaft 12 can be twisted in addition to the first shaft 11, and the first hook 21 and the second hook 22 or third hook 23 are fixed to the bunch shaft 31 and the branches 33A, 33B or the stem 32 by the force (elastic force) of the second shaft 12 trying to return to its original shape, so that they are unlikely to come off even as the stem 32 or bunch 30 grows.

In addition, in the attractant 1 of this embodiment, the center of curvature of the first hook portion 21 is on an extension of the central axis of the first shaft portion 11, the second hook portion 22 is on the same side of the first shaft portion 11 as the first hook portion 21, and the second shaft portion 12 is offset from the first shaft portion 11 toward the second hook portion 22. Therefore, the center of curvature of the second hook portion 22, which is on the same side of the first shaft portion 11 as the first hook portion 21, and the center of curvature of the third hook portion 23, which extends from the tip portion 12B of the second shaft portion 12 in the opposite direction to the second hook portion 22, centered on the second shaft portion 12, are located close to the central axis of the first shaft portion 11. Therefore, regardless of whether the second hook portion 22 or the third hook portion 23 is selected, the force applied to the first shaft portion 11 by the bunch shaft 31 held by the first hook portion 21, whose center of curvature is on an extension of the central axis of the first shaft portion 11, can be supported by the second hook portion 22 or the third hook portion 23, which is located close to the central axis of the first shaft portion 11.

In addition, in the attractant 1 of this embodiment, the tip of the first hook portion 21 has a protrusion 24 that protrudes inward in a roughly J-shape, so even if the fruit bunch stalk 31 hooked on the first hook portion 21 tries to come off the first hook portion 21, it is prevented from coming off by this protrusion 24, making it difficult for the stem 32 and fruit bunch 30 to come off even as they grow.

The attractant of the present invention is useful as an attractant for the stems and fruit clusters of tomatoes and other plants, and is particularly suitable as an attractant that is easy to attach and remove, does not easily come off even when the stems and fruit clusters grow, and can prevent the fruit cluster stalks from breaking or cracking due to the enlargement of the fruit clusters.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Attractor 11 First shaft portion 11A Base end portion 11B Tip portion 12 Second shaft portion 12B Tip portion 13, 14 Reinforcing rib 21 First hook portion 22 Second hook portion 23 Third hook portion 24 Projection portion 30 Fruit bunch 31 Fruit bunch stalk 32, 36 Stem 33A, 33B, 33C, 37 Branch 34 Horizontal string 38 Leaf

Claims (4)

A first shaft portion having flexibility and elasticity and extending in a first direction;
a first hook portion having a substantially J-shape and extending from a base end portion of the first shaft portion in the first direction;
a second hook portion having a substantially J-shape and extending from a tip end portion of the first shaft portion in the first direction;
A second shaft portion extending from a tip end portion of the first shaft portion in the first direction;
a third hook portion having a substantially J-shape and extending from a tip end of the second shaft portion in a direction opposite to the second hook portion with the second shaft portion as a center ;
a protrusion protruding inwardly in a substantially J-shape at the tip of the first hook;
An attractant having the above structure. It is made of polypropylene,
A first shaft portion having flexibility and elasticity and extending in a first direction;
a first hook portion having a substantially J-shape and extending from a base end portion of the first shaft portion in the first direction;
a second hook portion having a substantially J-shape and extending from a tip end portion of the first shaft portion in the first direction;
A second shaft portion extending from a tip end portion of the first shaft portion in the first direction;
a third hook portion having a substantially J-shape and extending from a tip end of the second shaft portion in a direction opposite to the second hook portion with the second shaft portion as a center;
In a plane in which the second hook portion and the third hook portion are arranged, a width of the first shaft portion in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction is 2 to 4 mm;
The thickness of the first shaft portion in a third direction perpendicular to the first direction and the second direction is 0.5 to 1.5 mm . A first shaft portion having flexibility and elasticity and extending in a first direction;
a first hook portion having a substantially J-shape and extending from a base end portion of the first shaft portion in the first direction;
a second hook portion having a substantially J-shape and extending from a tip end portion of the first shaft portion in the first direction;
A second shaft portion extending from a tip end portion of the first shaft portion in the first direction;
a third hook portion having a substantially J-shape extending from a tip end of the second shaft portion in a direction opposite to the second hook portion with the second shaft portion as a center;
The center of curvature of the first hook portion is on an extension of the central axis of the first shaft portion,
the second hook portion is on the same side as the first hook portion with respect to the first shaft portion;
The second shaft portion is offset from the first shaft portion toward the second hook portion . The attractant according to claim 1 , wherein the second shaft portion has flexibility and elasticity.

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