JPH10313718A - Plant piece culturing device and method therefor - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a plant piece culturing device simple in structure, a light in weight and low in cost and to provide a culturing method using the method. SOLUTION: This culturing device 1 is provided with a light-transmitting and elastic resin film casing 2, and a hard net body 3 provided outside of the resin film casing 2, which is provided with an air introducing part 4 at its bottom and with an opening part 5 at its top. Then water, fertilizer components and a plant piece are housed in the casing 2, light is irradiated from outside through the body 3 and air is introduced from the part 4 to culture.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a culture apparatus and a culture method suitable for culturing small plant pieces to a size that can be cultivated by ordinary cultivation methods.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art For example, wasabi as a plant cultivated in hydroponic culture produces a large number of seedlings called tillers around a rhizome which is a harvest. The rhizomes grown as commodities are shipped after removing the tillers, but many tillers removed include various shapes from relatively large to extremely small, and those that can be hydroponically grown are again Used as a seedling. However, those having a size smaller than that are usually discarded, but even such a thing has a growth point of a seedling, and can be used as a seedling if cultured by appropriate means. As a method of culturing such small plant pieces, a culture vessel is used, water and plant pieces are contained therein, and cultivation is performed by adding a carbon source as a plant constituent and a saccharide as an energy source. Method or method of using a light-permeable culture vessel, containing water and plant pieces in it, adding fertilizer for hydroponics, and irradiating with light from the outside instead of carbon sources and sugars and culturing Etc. are known.

[0003]

However, the former method has the following problems.
Bacteria and fungi are generated in large quantities by the added sugars and the like, which may cause turbidity of the nutrient solution or adversely affect plant pieces. In the latter method, a fertilizer for hydroponics is absorbed as a nutrient source, and photosynthesis is performed by light irradiation to grow. Therefore, as a light-transmitting culture container that can transmit light from the outside, a glass-made or transparent acrylic-made culture container is generally used. However, conventionally used culture vessels made of glass or transparent acrylic have a problem that they are heavy and difficult to transport and maintain, and are expensive, so that if they are damaged, they will be seriously damaged. Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a plant piece culturing apparatus and a culturing method using the same, which solve such problems.

[0004]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for culturing a plant piece, comprising: a light-transmitting soft resin film container; and a hard net having a shape capable of accommodating the resin film container. Wherein the resin film container has an air introduction portion at the bottom and an opening at the top. This culture device is formed by forming a resin film container with a light-transmitting soft film and reinforcing the outside with a hard net, so it is lightweight and inexpensive, easy to transport and maintain, Moreover, there is no risk of damage due to dropping. The plant pieces in the resin film container efficiently receive light from the outside through the mesh spaces of the hard mesh, and oxygen is supplied by air from an air inlet provided at the bottom of the resin film container. Then, the plant pieces are stirred while floating in the resin film container by an action such as stirring by air mixing, and are efficiently cultured.

[0005] A plant piece culturing apparatus according to a second aspect of the present invention is a preferred embodiment of the first aspect of the present invention, wherein the air introduction portion of the resin film container is provided at the bottom of the film. A hole, an inner packing and an outer packing disposed at inner and outer edges of the hole, an inner pressing body for holding the inner packing, and an outer pressing body that holds the outer packing and is screwed with the inner pressing body. And an air pipe is connected from the outside. With this configuration, it is possible to securely attach and seal the air introduction portion at the bottom of the resin film container with a simple structure.

A plant piece culturing apparatus according to a third aspect of the present invention is a preferred embodiment of the above invention, wherein the shape of the hard net is an enlarged cylindrical portion whose radius increases from the bottom toward the middle. An inner cylindrical portion having a constant radius, and a reduced cylindrical portion having a radius reduced from the intermediate portion to the upper portion, and the outer surface of the bag-shaped resin film container 2 is hardened by the internal pressure of the stored liquid. Characterized in that it is configured to be pressure-bonded to the inner surface of the. With this configuration, the liquid contained in the resin film container convects while being effectively stirred by the air introduced from the bottom of the resin film container. Therefore, the supply of oxygen to the plant pieces is performed more uniformly and efficiently, and the culture efficiency can be further increased.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for culturing a plant piece by using the culturing apparatus, wherein water, a fertilizer component and a plant piece to be cultured are introduced into the resin film container. The method is characterized by introducing air thereinto to stir the contents and irradiating light from the outside of the culture device to culture the plant pieces. According to this culture method, the plant pieces in the resin film container efficiently receive light from the outside through the hard mesh, and oxygen is supplied by air from the air introduction portion provided at the bottom of the resin film container. You. And by the action of agitation due to air mixing,
The plant pieces are stirred and cultivated efficiently while floating in the resin film container. In addition, since the culture device is configured to be lightweight, it is safe to handle and easy to operate and work.

[0008]

Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view schematically showing one example of the culture apparatus of the present invention. The culture apparatus 1 is composed of a light-transmitting soft resin film container 2 and a hard net 3 shaped to accommodate the resin film container 2. Openings 5 are provided respectively. The edge of the opening 5 may be provided with an appropriate edge. The resin film container 2 is formed into a bag shape by molding or welding, bonding, or the like a transparent or translucent and soft resin film such as polyvinyl chloride, polyethylene, polypropylene, or polyamide. It can be made by forming openings 5 in the upper part and the lower part, respectively.

The shape of the rigid net 3 is such that an enlarged cylindrical portion 3a whose radius increases from the bottom toward the intermediate portion, an intermediate cylindrical portion 3b whose radius is constant, and a reduction whose radius decreases from the intermediate portion toward the upper portion. It has a cylindrical portion 3c, an opening is provided at the upper end, and an insertion hole for the air pipe 6 is formed at the bottom. Here, the hard net 3 refers to a net having a form in which the formed container housing shape is not deformed by its own weight and can return to the original shape even if it is deformed by an appropriate external force. As shown in FIG. 5, in order to accommodate the resin film container 2 formed of a bag of a soft resin film in the hard net 3, the resin net 2 is inserted into the hard net 3 from the upper opening, It is only necessary to push the film container 2 into the rigid net 3 by hand.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a portion II of the rigid net 3 in FIG. 1, and FIG. 2 (a) is a front view of FIG.
(B) is the AA sectional view. The hard net 3 is formed by shaping a relatively narrow and thin strip 3d of hard plastic such as high-density polyethylene into a lattice shape. For example, the hard net 3 is commercially available from Takiron Corporation under the trade name "TRICAL NET". Can be used. The thickness and width of the band 3d and the pitch of the grating are selected from required strength and light transmittance. For example, in the case of a hard plastic, the thickness is about 3 to 5 mm and the width is 3
Preferably, the pitch is in the range of about 5 mm and the pitch is in the range of about 20 to 40 mm. When the rigid net 3 is shaped as shown in FIG. 1, it is preferable to use an appropriate holder for stably holding the posture during the culture.

FIG. 3 shows an example of a holding member 7 formed in a cubic shape, which is connected between legs 7a at four corners, pillars 7b extending above the respective legs 7a, and pillars 7b. Upper and lower frame portions 7c and 7d, and a rectangular support portion 7e connected to each intermediate portion of the lower frame portion 7d. For example, hard plastic is injection-molded or a hard plastic pipe is bonded. Can be made by Further, the metal pipe may be assembled by welding, screwing, or the like.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged perspective view showing the air introduction part 4 at the bottom of the resin film container 2 in an exploded manner. The air introduction part 4 is a film 2d constituting the resin film container 2.
A circular hole 8 provided at the bottom of the inner ring 9, a ring-shaped inner packing 9 and an outer packing 10 disposed at inner and outer edges of the hole 8, and an inner pressing body 11 for holding the inner packing 9. , The outer packing 10 and the inner pressing body 11
And an external air pipe 6 connected from the outside. The air tube 6 is preferably a simple and flexible plastic hose such as a PVC hose or a rubber hose, but may be a metal tube (metal pipe). A porous fine bubble generator 6a is fitted on the tip of the air tube 6.

The inner pressing body 11 is composed of a cylindrical main body 11a provided with an internal thread and a ring-shaped flange 11b provided at one end thereof, and the outer pressing body 12 is a cylindrical main body 12a provided with an external thread. And a flange body 12b provided at one end thereof and having a through hole for the air pipe 6 at the center.
In order to form the air introducing portion 4 at the bottom of the resin film container 2, the air tube 6 is previously passed through the through hole of the flange body 12 b of the outer pressing body 12 and fixed in a liquid-tight manner with an adhesive or the like. An inner packing 9 and an outer packing 10 are respectively arranged on the inner and outer edges of the hole 8 of the film container 2, and a flange 11 b of the inner pressing body 11 is provided on the surface of the inner packing 9, and an outer pressing body 12 is provided on the surface of the outer packing 10. The inner pressing body 11 may be screwed into the outer pressing body 12 in a state in which the flange bodies 12b are in close contact with each other.

FIG. 5 shows the culture device 1 of FIG.
FIG. 4 is an explanatory view showing a state in which a plant piece is cultured while being held at a position shown in FIG. The culture device 1 has its bottom mounted in a rectangular support portion 7e of the holder 7 from above, and if necessary, the rigid net 3 is fixed to the pillar 7b or the upper frame of the holder 7 with a fastener 13 such as a rope or a string. The posture is stably held by the holder 7 by being fastened and fixed to the portion 7c. In addition, an appropriate number of culture devices 1 are prepared according to the production amount. Next, an appropriate amount of plant pieces and fertilizer components are accommodated in the resin film container 2 together with water, and they are stirred and convected by fine bubbles of air that are introduced from the air pipe 6 and rise, thereby effectively floating. Oxygen can be supplied to the plant pieces while stirring. The resin film container 2 is irradiated with artificial light or natural light emitted from a light source such as a fluorescent lamp or a sun lamp.
The plant pieces inside are photosynthesized and cultured. The air introduced from the air pipe 6 is discharged to the outside as shown by the arrow from the opening 5 at the top of the resin film container 2.

[0015]

EXAMPLE A plant piece was cultured using an apparatus as shown in FIG. As the resin film container 2, the lower enlarged cylindrical portion 2a has a lower end diameter of 5 cm and a height of 25 cm, and the intermediate cylindrical portion 2b of the intermediate portion has a diameter of 50 cm and a height of 12 cm,
The upper reduced cylindrical portion 2c has an upper end diameter of 25 cm and a height of 13 cm.
A transparent soft resin film (soft nylon bag) having a diameter of 1 cm was used. The hard net 3 is a high-density polyethylene net (thickness 3 mm, width 4 m of the strip 3 d).
m, a pitch of 32 mm) having a size corresponding to the shape of the resin film container 2.

Small plant pieces discarded from wasabi seedlings grown in aseptic tissue culture (the size of seedlings is a maximum petiole length of 1
cm, minimum is not visible, most are 5 mm to 7
500g was used as a hydroponic fertilizer by Otsuka SA (total nitrogen 245ppm, phosphoric acid 105pp)
m, Kali 480 ppm, lime 230 ppm, etc.) dissolved in water so as to have an electric conductivity of 2.0 ms / cm and introduced into the resin film container 2 together with 50 liters. Using an external air pump, air was continuously introduced from the air introducing section 4 at a rate of 30 liters / minute, and was placed at a distance of about 50 cm from the side of the resin film container 2.
Non-sterile culture was performed while irradiating light with two 0W fluorescent lamps. As a result of culturing for 18 days, 735 seedlings of a size (with a petiole length of about 2 cm) capable of hydroponics were obtained from the initial minimal seedlings.

[0017]

According to the plant piece culturing apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention, the resin film container is formed of a light-transmitting soft film, and the outside thereof is reinforced with a hard net. With such a configuration, the resin film container is held in the shape of a rigid net to promote convection, and is lightweight and inexpensive, easy to transport and maintain, and has no risk of damage due to dropping. The plant pieces in the resin film container can efficiently receive light from the outside through the gaps of the hard mesh, and oxygen is supplied by air from an air inlet provided at the bottom of the resin film container. Then, the plant pieces are stirred while floating in the resin film container by an action such as stirring by air mixing, so that efficient culture can be performed.

In the plant piece culturing apparatus according to the second aspect, the installation and sealing of the air introduction section at the bottom of the resin film container can be reliably performed with a simple structure. In the plant piece cultivation device according to claim 3, the shape of the hard mesh 3 is such that the radius increases from the bottom toward the intermediate portion, the enlarged cylindrical portion 3a, the intermediate cylindrical portion 3b having a constant radius, and the upper portion from the intermediate portion. And the outer surface of the bag-shaped resin film container 2 is configured to be pressed against the inner surface of the hard mesh body 3 by the internal pressure of the stored liquid. The liquid contained in the container is convected while being ideally stirred by air introduced from the bottom of the resin film container. Therefore, the supply of oxygen to the plant pieces is performed more uniformly and efficiently, and the culture efficiency can be further increased.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for culturing a plant piece using the above-described culturing apparatus, wherein water, a fertilizer component and a plant piece to be cultured are introduced into a resin film container.
Air was introduced therein to stir the contents, and the plant pieces were cultured by irradiating light from the outside of the culture device. Light is efficiently received, and oxygen is supplied by air from an air inlet provided at the bottom of the resin film container. Then, the plant pieces are stirred while floating in the resin film container by an action such as stirring by air mixing, and are efficiently cultured. In addition, since the culture device is configured to be lightweight, it is safe to handle and easy to operate and work.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view schematically showing one example of a culture device of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a portion II of the rigid mesh body 3 in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing an example of a holder 7 for holding the culture device of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged perspective view showing an exploded air introducing section 4 at the bottom of the resin film container 2.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory view showing a state in which a plant piece is cultured while the culture device 1 of FIG. 1 is held by the holder 7 of FIG. 3;

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Incubation apparatus 2 Resin film container 2a Expansion cylinder part 2b Intermediate cylinder part 2c Reduction cylinder part 2d film 3 Hard net 3a Expansion cylinder part 3b Intermediate cylinder part 3c Reduction cylinder part 3d Strip 4 Air introduction part 5 Opening 6 Air tube 6a Fine bubble generator 7 Holder 7a Leg 7b Column 7c Upper frame 7d Lower frame 7e Support 8 Hole 9 Inner packing 10 Outer packing 11 Inner pressing body 11a Main body 11b Collar body 12 Outer pressing body 12a Main body 12b Collar body 13 Fastener

 ────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Yasushi Kawasaki 159 Shihoro Nishi 2 Line, Shihoro-cho, Kato-gun, Hokkaido Inside Shihoro-Agriculture Cooperative

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A light-transmitting soft resin film container 2.
And a hard net 3 shaped to accommodate the resin film container 2. The resin film container 2 has an air inlet 4 at the bottom and an opening 5 at the top. Characteristic plant culture device. 2. The air introduction section 4 of the resin film container 2
A hole 8 provided at the bottom of the film 2d; an inner packing 9 and an outer packing 10 disposed at inner and outer edges of the hole 8; and an inner pressing body 1 for holding the inner packing 9
1 and the outer packing 10 and the inner pressing body 11
The plant press cultivation apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: an outer pressing body 12 screwed with the outside, and an external air pipe 6 connected thereto. 3. The shape of the rigid net body 3 is such that an enlarged cylindrical portion 3a whose radius increases from the bottom toward the intermediate portion, an intermediate cylindrical portion 3b having a constant radius, and a reduction whose radius decreases from the intermediate portion toward the upper portion. 3. The resin film container 2 having a tubular portion 3 c, wherein the outer surface of the bag-shaped resin film container 2 is configured to be pressed against the inner surface of the hard mesh body 3 by the internal pressure of the stored liquid. 4.
2. The plant piece culturing apparatus according to claim 1. 4. A culturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein water, a fertilizer component and a plant piece to be cultivated are contained in the resin film container 2, and the resin film container 2 A method for culturing plant pieces, which comprises introducing air into the vessel, stirring the contents, and irradiating light from outside the culture apparatus 1 to culture the plant pieces.