JPH08205677A - Regulation of nutrient ingredient content of plant body - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To efficiently regulate the content of nutrient ingredients in a plant body, increase a specific nutrient ingredient and remarkably improve the added value of the plant by controlling the strength of blue light, etc., contained in an artificial light source. CONSTITUTION: The content of a nutrient ingredient such as vitamin A or vitamin C of a plant body belonging to the family Compositate, Cruciferae, etc., is regulated by controlling the intensities of blue light at 400-500nm wavelength, red light at 600-700nm wavelength and far infrared light at 670-760nm wavelength contained in an artificial light source of a semiconductor device, etc.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method for controlling a specific nutritional component of a plant by controlling the wavelength distribution of light applied to the plant when the plant is grown using an artificial light source.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, in order to stably supply the harvest of plants, particularly vegetables, regardless of the weather, it has been attempted to carry out facility cultivation in which the growth environment is artificially controlled using an artificial light source. Has been put to practical use. As an artificial light source, a high pressure sodium lamp, a metal halide lamp, a fluorescent lamp, an optical semiconductor device such as a light emitting diode, a laser diode, or the like is used.

Of these light sources, a high pressure sodium lamp,
Metal halide lamps, fluorescent lamps, etc. are readily available,
Since the efficiency is low and the heat generation is large, there is a problem that the electric power cost for lighting and cooling is large. Recently, it has been proposed to be used in an optical semiconductor device (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 4-11 / 1999).
21117, JP-A-5-115219).

Further, in the cultivation in a facility using an artificial light source, studies have already been made on the relationship between the growth of plants and the wavelength of light to be radiated. Red light is mainly for photosynthesis, blue light is mainly for phototropism, and Far-red light is said to be mainly involved in photomorphogenesis. However,
Heretofore, it has not been known how the wavelength and distribution of irradiation light and the nutritional components in the body of the plant are affected, and it has not been actually practiced in institutional cultivation.

[0005]

However, in facility cultivation using an artificial light source, if the wavelength distribution of the irradiation light can be adjusted to adjust the nutrient content contained in the plant, the added value of the plant will be dramatically increased. In addition, it is expected to provide a method for biologically producing a specific component.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a method for adjusting the wavelength distribution of irradiation light to adjust the nutrient content of a plant in plant cultivation using an artificial light source. . The above-mentioned object of the present invention can be achieved by adjusting the intensities of blue light, red light, and far-red light contained in the artificial light source in a method of cultivating a plant using the artificial light source.

The wavelength range of 400 to 500 nm is suitable for the blue light contained in the irradiation light from the artificial light source. Further, as the red light, 600 to 700 nm is suitable, and as the far red light, light in the wavelength range of 670 to 760 nm is suitable. The artificial light source used in the method of the present invention is not particularly limited and may be a conventionally used light source combined with an appropriate filter, but it is preferable to use an optical semiconductor device, particularly a light emitting diode.

This is because the optical semiconductor device emits only light in a specific wavelength range, so that it can irradiate only the light necessary for plant growth, and energy efficiency (per unit energy) is higher than that of other light sources. The growth amount of) is excellent,
This is because it generates less heat, has a long life, and is compact.

As an optical semiconductor device that emits blue light of 400 to 500 nm, for example, a device using a ZnSSe-based or GaN-based material has a large optical output and is preferable. 600
Examples of the optical semiconductor device that emits reddish and far-red light of ˜700 nm and 670 to 760 nm include Zn—
It is preferable to use an O-doped GaP or GaAlAs-based material.

These optical semiconductor devices are, if necessary,
Each may be used alone or in combination of two or more.
For example, in order to increase the vitamin A efficacy, it is preferable to use a combination of blue light and red light. Red light is used to increase sugars in cruciferous plants and to increase vitamin C in asteraceae plants. The combination of red and far red light is effective in increasing total vitamin C. Wavelength range of 670-700 nm, especially 680 nm
Light may exhibit both reddish and far-red light effects.

The irradiation method is not particularly limited, but for example, an optical semiconductor lamp in which an optical semiconductor chip is resin-sealed in the light emitting portion or hermetically sealed with nitrogen or the like is used by attaching it to a plate-shaped support, or by using an optical semiconductor chip. An apparatus in which optical semiconductor panels placed directly on a transparent electrode and arranged in a plane or a row are attached to a support is arranged at a height of several centimeters to several tens of centimeters from a plant to serve as a light source.

Plants to which the present invention is preferably applied include
For example, leaf lettuce, heading lettuce, asteraceae plants such as saladana, or komatsuna, bok choy, cabbage,
Leafy vegetables such as cruciferous plants such as Chinese cabbage, fruit vegetables such as strawberries and cucumbers, and fruits such as mandarin oranges and kiwi.

The method of cultivating the plant is not particularly limited. For example, in the case of leaf vegetables and fruit vegetables, seeds are germinated on a petri dish, and after the leaves are developed, they are temporarily planted and planted in a cultivation tray filled with soil.

In the case of hydroponics, it is possible to germinate on a sponge cube and then temporarily plant or plant the whole sponge cube in a hydroponic device. In addition, planting and cultivation can be performed according to the conventional method of facility cultivation. Also,
It may be cultivated only with optical semiconductor light, or if necessary, while using sunlight, as a supplementary light, or by irradiating with a photo-semiconductor light of a specific wavelength before harvesting, it is possible to adjust the nutritional components. It is possible.

[0015]

EXAMPLES The present invention will be specifically described below with reference to examples, but the present invention is not limited to the following examples as long as the gist thereof is not exceeded. In the examples below,
The nutritional components were analyzed by the following method. (1) Vitamin C: Derivatized with hydrazine, and then quantified by high performance liquid chromatography. (2) Vitamin A: Calculated from total carotene. Total carotene was quantified by visible absorption spectrophotometry. (3) Carbohydrate: Five components (moisture, protein, lipid, fiber, ash) out of the six components were measured and subtracted from the total amount.

[0016]

Example 1 Two kinds of light emitting diodes having peak wavelengths of 660 nm and 450 nm, 600 and 4 respectively.
00 pieces are arranged alternately on a square panel with a side of 45 cm, and are arranged at a height of 40 cm in a dark box whose inner wall is covered with a reflection plate, and the electric energy per unit area is 162 W / m ²
It was installed so that Komatsuna (variety:
(Tokyo Komatsuna) was cultivated for 30 days at a temperature of 23-24C and continuously irradiated for 24 hours, and then harvested and analyzed for nutritional components.

[0017]

[Comparative Example 1 and Examples 2 to 3] Komatsuna was cultivated in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the following light sources were used. The electric energy per unit area of any light source is 162W
/ M ² . Comparative Example 1: Two 20 W white fluorescent lamps Example 2: 1000 light emitting diodes having peak wavelengths at 660 nm Example 3: Two types of light emitting diodes having peak wavelengths at 660 nm and 730 nm, 760 and 240, respectively 4 or more 4 Table 1 shows the comparison of in vivo carbohydrate, vitamin A efficacy and total vitamin C content for each group.

[0018]

[Table 1]

As is clear from Table 1, in comparison with Comparative Example 1,
In Example 1, vitamin A efficacy was obtained, and in Example 2, carbohydrates were obtained.
In Example 3, the total vitamin C content was increased respectively.

[0020]

Example 4-6, Comparative Example 2 The plant was cultivated in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the plant was changed from Komatsuna to lettuce (variety: Grand Rapid), the following light sources were used, and the cultivation period was 28 days. Table 2 shows the results of comparing the nutritional components. Example 4: Same as Example 1 Example 5: 1000 light emitting diodes having a peak wavelength at 680 nm were arranged in the same manner as in Example 1. Comparative Example 2: Same as Comparative Example 1.

[0021]

[Table 2]

As is clear from Table 2, in comparison with Comparative Example 2,
Example 4 increased vitamin A potency and Example 5 increased total vitamin C content.

[0023]

[Embodiments 6 and 7 and Comparative Example 3]
Komatsuna was cultivated for 40 days in the same manner as in. Table 3 shows the results of comparing the nutritional components. Example 6: Same as Example 2 Example 7: Same as Example 5 Comparative Example 3: Same as Comparative Example 2.

[0024]

[Table 3]

As is clear from Table 3, the carbohydrates in Example 6 and the carbohydrates and the total vitamin content increased in Example 7, as compared with Comparative Example 3.

[0026]

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY According to the present invention, a conventional plant having an increased specific nutritional component can be obtained by irradiating a plant with an optical semiconductor light having a specific peak wavelength, alone or in combination.

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Masahiro Endo 2-5-2 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo Sanryo Chemical Co., Ltd.

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A method for cultivating a plant using an artificial light source, which comprises controlling the intensity of blue light, red light, and far-red light contained in the artificial light source, the nutrient content of the plant Adjustment method. 2. The wavelength range of blue light is 400 to 500 nm,
The method for controlling the nutrient content of a plant according to claim 1, wherein the wavelength range of red light is 600 to 700 nm and the wavelength range of far red light is 670 to 760 nm. 3. The method for adjusting the nutrient content of a plant according to claim 1, wherein the artificial light source is an optical semiconductor device. 4. The method for controlling the nutrient content of a plant according to claim 1, wherein the plant is a plant of the Asteraceae or Brassicaceae family.