JPH10327693A - Plant-growing particle to be used as cultivation bed for water culture - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain the subject plant-culturing particles that can be simply cast and is excellent in growth properties, culture efficiency and maintenance by sintering a specific inorganic solid with an inorganic binder fired in a furnace, to porous particles. SOLUTION: An inorganic binder that can be sintered by firing, an inorganic material containing 6-30 wt.% of iron oxide, alumina and silicic acid are formed so that the mixture may be sintered to a porous solid thereby preparing the inorganic starting solid. The resultant inorganic starting solid is sintered with an inorganic binder fired in a firing furnace to porous particles. In a preferred embodiment, the inorganic material to be used as plant-culturing particles 4 comprises 30-65 wt.% of silicic acid, 10-35 wt.% of alumina, 6-30 wt.% of iron oxide, 2-7 wt.% of magnesium oxide and 0.1-10 wt.% of sodium oxide.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a plant cultivation grain used for a hydroponic cultivation bed.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art At present, rock wool is used as a cultivation bed for hydroponics. Rock wool needs to be replaced after a certain period of use. At this time, used rock wool cannot be easily discarded. Rock wool is mainly discarded in fields and mixed with soil. However, this method has a drawback that when the soil is dried, rock wool fragments are scattered in the air with the glitter, resulting in pollution.

[0003]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A first object of the present invention has been developed to solve the drawbacks of rock wool conventionally used as a cultivation bed for hydroponics. An object of the present invention is to provide a plant cultivation grain used for a hydroponic cultivation floor that can be easily discarded by discarding it in a field or the like.

[0004] Furthermore, hydroponic cultivation using rock wool on the cultivation floor has the disadvantage that it is difficult to efficiently grow plants at low temperatures. For example, in the Tokushima region, when rock wool is used for a cultivation floor and rose seedlings are grown in a room that is not heated in November, the roses fall down and cannot grow. For this reason, in order to grow a plant at a low temperature, it is necessary to heat the cultivation room.

[0005] A second object of the present invention is to provide plant cultivation grains for use in a hydroponic cultivation bed capable of efficiently growing plants at low temperatures.

Another important object of the present invention is to provide plant cultivated grains capable of promoting the growth of plants at low temperatures by irradiating the roots of the plants with far infrared rays.

[0007] By the way, it is known that a cultivation bed used for hydroponic cultivation can promote the growth of plants by slowly releasing iron ions over time over a long period of time. A technique of using zeolite in hydroponics to replenish plants with iron ions is described in Japanese Patent Publication No. 7-8185. This publication describes a composition for promoting the growth of cultivated plants, in which a powder containing an appropriate amount of zeolite is sintered into granules. The growth promoting composition is obtained by sintering tourmaline, a mineral-containing substance such as diatomaceous earth, and zeolite powder in a cylindrical or spherical shape.

[0008] The growth promoting composition described in this publication is
Although not used for the cultivation floor of hydroponics, as shown in FIG. 1, it is provided in the circulation path 3 of the cultivation liquid 2 for hydroponics to improve the cultivation environment of the plant 8. However, since the growth promoting composition 1 described in this publication is not used for a cultivation bed where the roots of the plant 8 are brought into direct contact, the condition of the circulating water can be adjusted, but the growth promoting composition 1 directly acts on the plant 8. However, it is not possible to grow in an ideal state.

[0009] A third object of the present invention has been developed in order to further solve such disadvantages. An important object of the present invention is to provide a method for hydroponically cultivating plants in an extremely ideal environment. An object of the present invention is to provide plant cultivation grains used for a hydroponic cultivation floor that can be cultivated.

[0010] Still another important object of the present invention is that
Provides plant cultivation grains for use in hydroponic cultivation beds that have high buffering capacity for cultivation liquid, can reduce fluctuations in pH and nutrient composition, and can quickly adsorb and remove harmful wastes released from roots Is to do.

[0011]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a plant cultivation grain used for a hydroponic cultivation bed, comprising an inorganic binder which can be fired and sintered, and an oxidized 6 to 30% by weight. Iron, alumina, and an inorganic material containing silicic acid are formed into an inorganic raw material solid by sintering it into a porous solid,
This inorganic raw material solid is fired in a firing furnace and sintered in a porous state with an inorganic binder.

When the iron oxide content is specified in the above-mentioned range, the radiation intensity of far-infrared rays decreases when the iron oxide content is lower than this range, and when the iron oxide content is higher than this range, the inorganic material to be used is specified or Since iron is added and calcined, the raw material cost increases. Further, when the added amount of iron oxide is further increased, there is a disadvantage that the sintering strength of the plant cultivated grains is reduced.

Further, the plant cultivation grains used for the hydroponic cultivation bed according to the second aspect of the present invention are those having the following composition as the inorganic material. 30-65 wt% silicic acid 10-35 wt% alumina 6-30 wt% iron oxide 2-7 wt% magnesium oxide 2-6 wt% calcium oxide 0.1-10 wt% sodium oxide

The cultivated plant grain of the present invention having the above constitution has a high radiation efficiency of far infrared rays. Far-infrared rays emitted from plant cultivation grains enhance the external growth environment of plants in a low-temperature environment. In order to test how excellent the cultivated plant grain of the present invention exhibits a far-infrared radiation efficiency, a sintered sample having the same composition as the cultivated plant grain was made under the following conditions.
The sintered sample was sintered into a square plate shape having a side of 4 cm and a thickness of 5 mm. The sintered sample was formed by molding an inorganic raw material solid having the following composition into a porous plate and
Produced by sintering for hours.

SiO ₂ … 52.4 wt% Al ₂ O ₃ … 20.3 wt% Fe ₂ O ₃ … 12.4 wt% CaO… 4.11 wt% MgO 3.48 wt% Na ₂ O 0.31 wt% K ₂ O 0.08 wt%

The far-infrared radiation was measured with the sintered sample and a standard black body heated to 100 ° C. in order to increase the radiant energy. The intensity at which the sintered sample emits far-infrared light is shown by curve A in FIG. FIG. 3 shows the relative intensity with respect to the standard black body. As shown in these figures, a sintered sample having the same composition as the plant cultivated grains of the present invention emits far-infrared rays comparable to a standard black body. In particular, the radiation efficiency of far-infrared rays whose wavelength important for plant cultivation is 4 to 14 μm is 80 to 95% or more.

For comparison, the radiation characteristics of far-infrared radiation of barley stone showing physical properties suitable for plant cultivation under the same conditions were measured. However, the barley stone used had the following composition. SiO ₂ 69.8 wt% Al ₂ O ₃ 14.0 wt% Fe ₂ O ₃ 2.69 wt% CaO 2.00 wt% MgO MgO 3.55 wt% Na ₂ O 3.16 wt% K ₂ O 3.19 wt%

Barley stone has an emissivity of about 60% near 4 μm.
And about 20% lower than the 80% of the plant cultivated grains of the present invention. Furthermore, the sintered sample of the plant cultivated grains of the present invention showed an extremely excellent radiation characteristic of almost 100% at a wavelength of 8 μm or more, while barite has an emissivity of about 90% and 10% in this wavelength region. Got lower. The difference between the far infrared radiation increases as the temperature of the sample decreases. Therefore, when actually used, the plant cultivated grains of the present invention exhibit physical properties that are superior to barley stone that exhibits excellent properties.

[0019]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. However, the following examples are intended to exemplify plant cultivated grains used for hydroponic cultivation floors to embody the technical idea of the present invention, and the present invention relates to the following plant cultivated grains. Not specific.

The plant cultivation grains used in the hydroponic cultivation floor of the present invention are used in a hydroponic cultivation apparatus shown in FIG. The apparatus shown in the figure includes a cultivation gutter 5 for storing plant cultivation grains 4 as a cultivation floor, a circulation pump 6 for circulating the cultivation liquid 2 through the cultivation gutter 5, and a tank 7 for temporarily storing the cultivation liquid 2. Have. The cultivation gutter 5 is arranged horizontally, and supplies the cultivation liquid 2 by a circulation pump 6 to the left end in the figure. Cultivation gutter 5
The cultivation liquid 2 that has passed through the cultivation gutter 5 flows into the tank 7 from the right end of the cultivation gutter 5. Fertilizer is added to the tank 7 to keep the cultivation liquid 2 in a certain concentration of fertilizer. The cultivation gutter 5 is filled with the plant cultivation grains 4 to a predetermined thickness.
The plant 8 is planted directly at.

The plant cultivation grains filled as a cultivation bed at the bottom of the cultivation gutter are produced as follows. [Step of Converting Inorganic Material into Inorganic Material Solid] Water is added to an inorganic material having the following composition to form a porous spherical inorganic material solid. As for the inorganic material, a 100 mesh sieve is used.
A powder having a particle size that allows 7% by weight of particles to pass, 3.48% by weight of particles to pass through a 150 mesh screen, and 16.11% by weight to pass through a 200 mesh screen. The formed inorganic raw material solid has an average particle size of about 1 to 10 mm. The inorganic material of the following composition is about 600-1000 ° C
Contains an inorganic binder that can be sintered. For this reason,
No special inorganic binder needs to be added.

SiO ₂ ······ 52.4 wt% Al ₂ O ₃ ······· 20.3 wt% Fe ₂ O ₃ ··· 12.4 wt% CaO ··· 4.11 wt% MgO ··· 3.48 wt% Na ₂ O 0.31 wt% K ₂ O 0.08 wt%

The average particle size of the inorganic raw material solid in which the inorganic material is formed into a spherical shape is determined to be an optimum size for the plant to be cultivated.
Plant cultivation grains used for cultivation floors for small seedlings and cuttings,
The average particle size is 1 to 3 mm. The plant cultivation grains used for the cultivation floor of large plants have an average particle size of 5 to 10 mm.
The cultivated plant grains can be formed into a granule having the above-mentioned size in the step of forming the inorganic material into a solid state, but can also be formed into a large size, sintered, and then divided into the above-described size. In addition, it is also possible to sinter by dividing into small pieces before sintering.

Instead of the above-mentioned inorganic material, 3 to 2 parts by weight of 100 parts by weight of an artificial zeolite which is an inorganic material having the following composition:
A material obtained by adding 5 parts by weight of iron oxide can be formed into a solid state to obtain an inorganic raw material solid. SiO ₂ … 48.25 wt% Al ₂ O ₃ … 21.25 wt% Fe ₂ O ₃ … 3.25 wt% CaO 5.22 wt% MgO 2.85 wt% Na ₂ O 7.52 wt% K ₂ O 1.06 wt%

The solid inorganic raw material is formed into a solid state in a state where countless voids are formed, or is mixed with a binder which is burned off in a firing step to form a solid state. In order to form the inorganic material into a spherical shape with numerous voids, the inorganic material is rolled with a trommel while spraying water. The trommel is a cylinder in which a cylinder is inclined in a downward gradient according to a transfer method, and supplies an inorganic material to one end while rotating. The inorganic material supplied to the trommel grows gradually like a snowman while rolling on the inner surface of the trommel and is formed into a spherical shape. The spherical inorganic raw material solid is discharged from one end of the trommel. According to this method, an inorganic material can be continuously formed into a porous spherical shape to obtain an inorganic raw material solid.

However, the inorganic material can be formed into a solid state by bonding with an emulsion type organic binder. In this method, an organic material such as a vinyl acetate adhesive is mixed with an inorganic material, and the mixture is press-molded to form a predetermined shape. This inorganic raw material solid becomes porous by burning off the organic binder in the firing step. For this reason, in the state where it is formed into a solid inorganic raw material, it is not always necessary to make it a porous state.

[Step of Sintering Inorganic Raw Material Solid] The inorganic raw material solid formed into a predetermined size is placed in an electric furnace and placed in an electric furnace.
Sinter at 00 ° C for 3 hours. Iron oxide contained in the inorganic raw material solid hardly disappears in the firing step. Therefore, the sintered plant cultivated grains become ceramic porous grains containing iron oxide substantially equivalent to that contained in the raw material inorganic material.

The plant cultivated grains fired at 700 ° C. are sintered in a porous state. However, the inorganic raw material solid is 400
It can also be fired at from 1200C to 1200C. If the sintering temperature of the inorganic raw material solid is too low, it is difficult to strongly sinter the inorganic material, and in the sintered plant cultivation grains, the inorganic material on the surface tends to fall into powder. Conversely, if the firing temperature is too high, the amount of the inorganic material melted increases, and the number of porous voids decreases. For this reason, the inorganic raw material solid is preferably 50
Sinter at 0-1000 ° C. More preferably, 600
Sinter at ８００800 ° C. Also, the firing time can be shorter or longer than 3 hours. The firing time is set to an optimal time according to the firing temperature and the particle size.

Instead of the electric furnace, the inorganic raw material solid can be fired in a firing furnace that blocks a combustion gas such as gas or petroleum from the firing chamber. An electric furnace or a firing furnace for firing while shutting off combustion gas can sinter inorganic raw material solids without adsorbing components such as heavy metals contained in the combustion gas. For this reason, the sintered plant cultivated grains have an excellent adsorption capacity and are ideal as cultivation beds.

Example 1 The content of Fe ₂ O ₃ was 12.4.
Using an inorganic material having the following composition as wt%, and forming this into a 3 mm porous inorganic raw material solid by trommel,
It was fired at 700 ° C. to obtain inorganic particles. SiO ₂ … 52.4 wt% Al ₂ O ₃ … 20.3 wt% Fe ₂ O ₃ … 12.4 wt% CaO… 4.11 wt% MgO 3.48 wt% Na ₂ O 0.31 wt% K ₂ O 0.08 wt%

The firing time was 3 hours. The inorganic granules produced by this method were filled in the cultivation bed of the apparatus shown in FIG. 4, and the rooting state of rose cuttings was observed. However, this experiment was conducted in an unheated room in the Tokushima district in November. As a result of the experiment, the cuttings of roses rooted in 3 weeks.

Furthermore, the plant cultivated grains produced as described above exhibited the ability to adjust the pH of water to near neutrality. In the experiment, 100 g of plant cultivated grains were
It was immersed in milliliters of water and the change in pH was measured.
As a result, the pH of the ion-exchanged water having a pH of 5.35 became 6.49 after 24 hours. Further, the tap water having a pH of 8.08 had a pH of 7.19 after 90 minutes. From the above, the cultivated plant grain produced as described above corrects the pH in the neutral direction for both acidic and alkaline.

Example 2 Instead of the above-mentioned inorganic material,
Inorganic granules were produced in the same manner except that 100 parts by weight of the artificial zeolite having the following composition was mixed with 10 parts by weight of iron oxide and calcined. SiO ₂ … 48.25 wt% Al ₂ O ₃ … 21.25 wt% Fe ₂ O ₃ … 3.25 wt% CaO 5.22 wt% MgO 2.85 wt% Na ₂ O 7.52 wt% K ₂ O 1.06 wt%

The apparatus using the plant cultivated grains on the cultivation floor was able to root rose cuttings in three weeks in an unheated room.

Comparative Example 1 For comparison, the roots of roses were observed under the same conditions, except that the inorganic granules on the cultivation floor were changed to rock wool. When rock wool was used for the cultivation floor, rose cuttings did not root. In this state, in order to root the cuttings of roses, it was necessary to heat the cultivation solution to 20 ° C.

[Comparative Example 2] Further, a powder of 15 wt% of tourmaline, 45 wt% of diatomaceous earth, 15 wt% of zeolite and 25 wt% of alumina was pressed into a solid having the same size. The roots of roses were observed under the same conditions by changing to a growth promoting composition which was molded and sintered. When the growth-promoting composition was used on the cultivation floor, rose cuttings did not root. In this state, in order to root the cuttings of roses, it was necessary to heat the cultivation solution to 15 ° C. Furthermore, it took eight weeks for the cultivation liquid to be heated to 15 ° C. and for the rose to take root.

The cultivated grains produced in Examples 1 and 2 were put on a cultivation floor, and cucumber was cultivated in a non-heated house in March. The cultivation liquid contains nitrogen, phosphate, potassium, calcium,
What added a small amount of minerals, such as magnesium, boron, copper, and zinc, was circulated and used. The cucumber cultivated using the inorganic granules of the present invention had dark green leaves, and the cucumber could be harvested 35 days after planting. On the other hand, when the cultivation floor was made of rock wool, almost all of the leaves turned yellow-green, and the cucumber was first harvested in June. Furthermore, cucumber could be harvested first in May when the cultivation bed was filled with the growth promoting composition.

Further, the cultivation beds containing the plant cultivation grains produced in Examples 1 and 2 are arranged in one row in a row of peppers, eggplants,
I was able to grow tomatoes, strawberries and cucumber. In addition, the cultivation liquid circulates a mixture of nitrogen, phosphoric acid, potassium, and a small amount of minerals such as calcium, magnesium, boron, copper, and zinc, and circulates peppers, eggplants, tomatoes, strawberries, and cucumbers. Each was harvested. Further, when observing the growth state of the roots, the roots of the peppers, eggplants, cucumber, and tomatoes extended only about 30 cm to the left and right. In this cultivation bed, the balance of the trace elements is improved by the plant cultivation grains. Furthermore, since a plant cultivation grain adjusts pH to an ideal state, a pH adjuster is not required.

On the other hand, when the inorganic granules on the cultivation bed were changed to rock wool, the roots extended about 1 m to the left and right, and when the growth promoting composition was used, the roots increased to about 80 c.
m. When plants grow in an ideal environment, they grow less fruits and stems with less root growth. This is because nutrients can be sufficiently absorbed with a small number of roots. Therefore, the ability to reduce the number of roots can increase the yield of fruits.

Further, in the case of using rock wool and a growth promoting composition on the cultivation floor, if the disease causes the rhizome or the like to be rotted by a bacterium belonging to the genus Pysium, all the plants planted in the same apparatus are completely destroyed. . However, the cultivation beds filled with the inorganic granules of Examples 1 and 2 of the present invention were extremely unlikely to become plague, and did not transmit to other plants even if they became plague.

When cultivating petit tomatoes, the cultivation bed filled with the plant cultivation grains of Examples 1 and 2 of the present invention is composed of one seedling,
About three times as much as rock wool and about twice as much as the growth promoting composition could be harvested. The cultivation floor filling the plant cultivation grains of the present invention,
The number of leaves of petit tomato has decreased. This is because photosynthesis can be achieved with a small number of leaves. Leaves and roots became smaller and more fruits. Fruits increase as roots become smaller.
Furthermore, since the roots were small, many plants could be planted, and eight tomatoes could be planted per meter. Therefore, the yield per unit area can be extremely increased.

The cultivated plant grains of the above examples had an iron oxide content of about 12% by weight. The cultivated plant grain of the present invention does not specify the iron oxide content to the above-mentioned amount. Plant cultivated grains having a higher iron oxide content have an increased radiation intensity of far-infrared rays, so that the growth environment at low temperatures can be further improved. Furthermore, even if the content of iron oxide is 12% by weight or less, far infrared rays are emitted, so that the cultivation environment of the plant can be improved. However, when the content of iron oxide is less than 6% by weight, the radiation intensity of far-infrared rays is reduced, and the growth environment of the plant at a low temperature cannot be set in an ideal state. Therefore, the cultivated plant grain of the present invention has an iron oxide content of 6 to 3 times.
It can be 0% by weight.

Further, the shape of the plant cultivated grains does not necessarily need to be formed into a spherical shape.
It can also be a shape crushed into an amorphous shape.

[0044]

The plant cultivation grains used in the hydroponic cultivation floor of the present invention can realize the following excellent features by using a unique composition of an inorganic material. There is a feature that used plant cultivation grains can be easily discarded by discarding them in a field or the like. Rock wool used as a cultivation bed in conventional hydroponics could not be easily disposed of if it was discarded by mixing with soil, because when the soil dried, rock wool fragments would scatter in the air and cause pollution. . On the other hand, the plant cultivated grains of the present invention do not have such adverse effects even when discarded by a method of mixing with soil. Therefore, it can be disposed of in a field or the like with ease and can be disposed of very easily.

There is a feature that plants can grow efficiently even at low temperatures. This is because the cultivated plant grains of the present invention contain a large amount of iron oxide, and the radiation intensity of far infrared rays increases. The cultivated plant grain of the present invention, in which the radiation intensity of far-infrared rays is increased, irradiates the roots of the plant with far-infrared rays to promote plant growth at low temperatures. Therefore, there is a feature that a cutting or the like can be rooted in a room without heating without heating the cultivation room. Thus, the plant cultivation grains of the present invention, which can grow plants without heating, eliminate the cost of equipment for heating the cultivation room and the cost of maintenance of this equipment, and further eliminate the utility costs such as electricity bills, There is a feature that plants can be efficiently cultivated at low cost.

There is a feature that the pH of the cultivation liquid is adjusted to an ideal state. The cultivated plant grain of the present invention corrects the pH of water so that both acidic and alkaline properties are close to neutrality. Therefore, there is a feature that the efficiency of plant cultivation can be improved by setting the cultivation environment of the plant to an ideal state without requiring a device such as a pH adjuster.

There is a feature that harmful wastes released from roots can be quickly adsorbed and eliminated. This is because the plant cultivation grains of the present invention are formed into an inorganic raw material solid by firing an inorganic material into a porous solid, and the inorganic raw material solid is sintered in a porous state. The sintered porous plant cultivated grains have excellent adsorption capacity, and can quickly adsorb and remove harmful wastes and the like released from the roots and unnecessary substances in the cultivation liquid. For this reason, the plant cultivated grains of the present invention are:
There is a feature that can be used in an ideal state as a plant cultivation floor.

There is a feature that plants can be effectively prevented from getting plague. This is because the plant cultivation grains of the present invention can reduce the fluctuation of the pH and the nutrient composition of the cultivation liquid and can quickly adsorb and remove harmful waste products released from the roots. Plants cultivated under an extremely ideal environment in hydroponics are extremely unlikely to become plague and will not be transmitted to other plants even if they become plague. For this reason, there is a feature that the total annihilation of plants due to plague can be effectively prevented.

There is a feature that fruits and stems can be grown by reducing the growth of leaves and roots. This is because the nutrient composition of the cultivation liquid is stabilized by the plant cultivation grains, the balance of the trace elements is improved, and the nutrients can be sufficiently absorbed with a small number of roots by growing in an ideal environment. In this way, plant cultivation grains that can increase the fruits by reducing the roots and leaves enable many plants to be planted, greatly increase the yield per unit area, and further improve the plant cultivation efficiency There is.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of using a conventional growth promoting composition for hydroponics.

FIG. 2 is a graph showing the characteristics of far-infrared radiation intensity of the plant cultivated grains and the standard black body of the example of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a graph showing the relative far-infrared radiation efficiency of a plant cultivated grain according to an example of the present invention with respect to a standard black body.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of a hydroponic cultivation apparatus using the plant cultivated grains of the embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Growth promotion composition 2 ... Cultivation liquid 3 ... Circulation path 4 ... Plant cultivation grain 5 ... Cultivation gutter 6 ... Circulation pump 7 ... Tank 8 ... Plant

Claims (2)

[Claims] An inorganic binder which can be fired and sintered;
An inorganic material containing 6 to 30% by weight of iron oxide, alumina, and silicic acid is formed into an inorganic raw material solid by sintering it into a porous solid, and the inorganic raw material solid is fired in a firing furnace. Plant cultivation grains used for hydroponic cultivation floors which are sintered in a porous state with an inorganic binder. 2. The cultivated plant grain used for the hydroponic cultivation floor according to claim 1, wherein the inorganic material has the following composition. 30-65 wt% silicic acid 10-35 wt% alumina 6-30 wt% iron oxide 2-7 wt% magnesium oxide 2-6 wt% calcium oxide 0.1-10 wt% sodium oxide