KR20230130457A - Hydroponics bed for saving nutrient solution - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention includes a bed body having a receiving space therein; an upper layer disposed within the receiving space and including a horticultural medium that supports crops and supplies nutrients; and a lower layer accommodated in the lower space of the upper layer and having a superabsorbent polymer disposed in a water-permeable pocket.

Description

Hydroponics bed for saving nutrient solution}

The present invention relates to a nutrient solution cultivation bed used for nutrient solution cultivation of horticultural crops.

Cultivation of horticultural crops such as vegetables and flowers in facilities such as plastic houses, glass greenhouses, and plant factories (hereinafter referred to as 'greenhouses') is called facility cultivation. Facility cultivation is the artificial cultivation of the most suitable environment for the growth of horticultural crops. By making it possible to produce and sell crops that are superior to those in the open field in a short period of time, and to make cultivation possible all year round, maximum profits can be obtained.

One of the important technical elements of facility cultivation in a greenhouse is the smooth supply of nutrient solution. Plants absorb water through their roots, move it to their leaves, and use the sunlight absorbed by the leaves to photodecompose the water. At this time, photosynthesis is performed using the electrons generated, and as a result, sugar is created, and plants use this together with the absorbed inorganic nutrients to grow.

Nutrient solution cultivation involves planting horticultural crops in horticultural media (rockwool, coco peat, peat moss, mixed horticultural soil, biochar, etc.) and then supplying the nutrients needed for growth into an aqueous solution by adjusting electrical conductivity (EC) and acidity (pH). It is a cultivation method that supplies plants in their original form.

For nutrient solution cultivation, a larger amount of water must be supplied to the medium than horticultural crops require. This is because the medium used for nutrient solution cultivation does not absorb water and drains water out of the medium.

In this way, nutrient solution cultivation, which uses a lot of water, has difficulty securing water in areas where water is scarce due to recent abnormal weather phenomena, causing the problem of lowering crop productivity.

In addition, circulating nutrient solution cultivation has been proposed to solve the problem of water not being able to stay in the growth medium of the rhizosphere of horticultural crops and a large amount of water draining out of the medium. However, this method requires water purification in order to reuse the water, but has the problem of incurring a lot of costs in facilities and equipment to purify the water. Additionally, if reused water is not properly sterilized and purified, plant diseases occur when the water is re-supplied to crops, which reduces productivity.

Public Patent Publication No. 10-2014-0078654 (2014.09.01.)

The present invention is intended to solve the above problems, and its technical task is to provide a nutrient solution cultivation bed that can save water by maintaining moisture in the medium supporting the root zone of horticultural crops while minimizing water drainage.

The technical problems to be achieved by the present invention are not limited to the technical problems mentioned above, and other technical problems not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the description below. You will be able to.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, a bed body having a receiving space therein; an upper layer disposed within the receiving space and including a horticultural medium that supports crops and supplies nutrients; and a lower layer accommodated in the lower space of the upper layer and having a superabsorbent polymer disposed in a water-permeable pocket.

Additionally, the horticultural soil may include one or more of perlite, rockwool, coco peat, peat moss, and biochar.

Additionally, the horticultural soil and the superabsorbent resin may be disposed at a weight ratio of 70%:30%.

Additionally, the bed body may be composed of a multi-layer woven film filled with insulation material therein.

Additionally, a coating layer may be formed on the outer surface of the multi-ply woven film to prevent moisture penetration.

Additionally, a drain may be formed in the lower part of the bed body.

Additionally, the water permeable pocket may be made of a water permeable woven film that allows only moisture to pass through without allowing the super absorbent polymer to leak to the outside.

Additionally, the permeable pocket may have an internal space large enough to allow the superabsorbent polymer to absorb water equivalent to 50 times its own weight.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, by stacking an upper layer composed of a horticultural medium in the bed main body and a lower layer in which a superabsorbent polymer is placed in a permeable pocket, it is possible to maintain moisture in the medium and minimize water drainage. This has the effect of saving water.

According to this, in the upper layer composed of the horticultural medium, water can easily flow downward and oxygen can be abundant, allowing the root system to develop through root respiration and effectively absorb nutrients. In addition, in the lower layer, the superabsorbent polymer absorbs water that has moved downward from the upper layer and retains moisture. By preventing water from draining outside the bed, sufficient water can be provided to plants without having to supply a lot of water. You can save.

In addition, by using a woven film as a permeable pocket, leakage of the superabsorbent polymer can be prevented and water can move freely, which has the advantage of effectively supplying water to crops.

Furthermore, there is an advantage in preventing rapid temperature changes in the medium by constructing the bed body with a multi-layer woven film filled with insulation.

Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view of a nutrient solution cultivation bed according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a view showing a state in which a superabsorbent polymer is disposed and water is absorbed within the permeable pocket shown in FIG. 1.
Figure 3 is a photograph of a woven film that can be used as the bed body and permeable pocket shown in Figure 1
Figure 4 is a photograph of nutrient solution cultivation using the nutrient solution cultivation bed shown in Figure 1.
Figure 5 is a photograph comparing an example using a bed for cultivating western medicine according to the present invention and a comparative example using an existing bed.

Since the present invention can be modified in various ways and can have various embodiments, specific embodiments will be illustrated in the drawings and described in detail in the detailed description. However, this is not intended to limit the present invention to specific embodiments, and should be understood to include all transformations, equivalents, and substitutes included in the spirit and technical scope of the present invention. In describing the present invention, if it is determined that a detailed description of related known technologies may obscure the gist of the present invention, the detailed description will be omitted.

Terms such as first, second, etc. may be used to describe various components, but the components should not be limited by the terms. The above terms are used only for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another.

The terms used in this application are only used to describe specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the invention. Singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. In this application, terms such as "comprise" or "have" are intended to designate the presence of features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof described in the specification, but are not intended to indicate the presence of one or more other features. It should be understood that this does not exclude in advance the possibility of the existence or addition of elements, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the nutrient solution cultivation bed capable of saving nutrient solution according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the description with reference to the accompanying drawings, identical or corresponding components are assigned the same drawing numbers. Redundant explanations regarding this will be omitted.

Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view of a nutrient solution cultivation bed according to an embodiment of the present invention, and Figure 2 is a diagram showing a state in which a superabsorbent polymer is disposed and water is absorbed in the permeable pocket shown in Figure 1.

Referring to Figures 1 and 2, the bed for cultivating western medicine according to this embodiment includes a bed main body 10, an upper layer 20, and a lower layer 40.

The bed body 10 forms the exterior of a nutrient solution cultivation bed, and has an accommodating space therein for accommodating and supporting the upper layer 20 and the lower layer 40. The bed body 10 may have a box shape with an open top, and one or more drain holes 50 may be provided at its lower portion. The exterior of the bed body 10 may be supported by a steel frame.

The bed body 10 may be composed of a multi-layer woven film filled with an insulating material inside, and a coating layer may be formed on the outer surface of the multi-layer woven film to prevent moisture penetration. Figure 3 (a) shows the front side of the multi-ply woven film constituting the bed body 10, (b) shows the cross-section of the multi-ply woven film, and (c) shows the back side of the multi-ply woven film. In this way, the coating layer can be formed on the front and back surfaces of the bed body 10, and the insulation material can be filled inside the film.

The upper layer 20 is disposed within the receiving space of the bed main body 10 and includes a horticultural medium that supports crops, particularly the root portion of the crops, and supplies nutrients. The horticultural medium that makes up the medium may include one or more of perlite, rockwool, coco peat, peat moss, and biochar.

The lower layer 40 is accommodated in the lower space of the upper layer 20, and has a configuration in which a super absorbent polymer (31. Super Absorbent Polyment: SAP) is disposed within the water permeable pocket 30. The superabsorbent polymer 31 is a composite polymer made by mixing polyacrylamide, polyacrylate, polyvinyl, starch, etc., and has the property of absorbing a lot of water.

The water-permeable pocket 30 may be made of a water-permeable woven film that allows only moisture to pass through without allowing the superabsorbent polymer 31 to leak to the outside. Figure 3(d) shows an example of a water-permeable woven film constituting the water-permeable pocket 30. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the superabsorbent polymer 31 from leaking to the outside while allowing water to freely move.

The permeable pocket 30 may have an internal space sized to allow the superabsorbent polymer 31 to absorb water and increase in volume. Figure 2 (a) shows the state before absorbing water with the super-absorbent polymer 31 disposed in the water-permeable pocket 30, and (b) shows the super-absorbent polymer 31 in the upper layer 20. It is showing an increase in its volume by absorbing the water flowing out from it. In this way, the permeable pocket 30 has a size that allows the superabsorbent polymer 31 to absorb water and increase its volume.

Figure 4 is a photograph of nutrient solution cultivation using the nutrient solution cultivation bed shown in Figure 1.

Figure 4 (a) shows the nutrient solution cultivation bed of strawberries by filling the nutrient solution cultivation bed of the present invention with the upper layer 20 and the lower layer 40, and (b) shows the upper layer 20 composed of horticultural topsoil. ) and the lower layer 40 (below) of the water permeable pocket 30 containing the superabsorbent polymer 31 therein. And (c) shows the upper layer (20, top) composed of horticultural topsoil and the superabsorbent resin (31, bottom) that has absorbed 50 times its own weight of water.

In this regard, the horticultural topsoil of the upper layer 20 and the superabsorbent resin 31 of the lower layer 40 may be disposed at a weight ratio of 70%:30%. Additionally, the permeable pocket 30 may have an internal space large enough to allow the superabsorbent polymer 31 to absorb water equivalent to 50 times its own weight. This weight ratio and size of the permeable pocket 30 provide the electrical conductivity (EC) and acidity (pH) of the nutrient solution optimized for nutrient solution cultivation, while also minimizing water drainage, which has the advantage of saving water. provides.

Ratio of horticultural soil and super absorbent resin
(Horticulture subsoil: super absorbent resin) State of superabsorbent polymer (water absorption state) 50 times 100 times 150 times 200 times 30:70 73.7 75.8 76.8 76.8 40:60 61.8 66.1 63.0 68.3 50:50 67.3 61.1 57.5 51.3 60:40 39.0 47.8 42.3 37.6 70:30 39.0 44.3 39.3 39.9

Table 1 above analyzes the moisture content in the medium according to the mixing ratio of the superabsorbent polymer 31 and the horticultural medium and the water absorption content of the superabsorbent polymer 31.

When the moisture content in the medium was measured using a moisture sensor, there was no significant difference in the change in water absorption of the superabsorbent polymer (31), but when horticultural soil and superabsorbent resin (31) were mixed, the mixing ratio There was a large difference, and in general, as the proportion of superabsorbent resin (31) increased compared to the proportion of horticultural medium, the water content in the medium increased. The moisture content range (30 to 70%) of the medium required for nutrient solution cultivation was met in all treatments combining superabsorbent resin and horticultural medium.

Ratio of horticultural soil and superabsorbent resin
(Horticultural soil: super absorbent resin) Water content of superabsorbent polymer 50 times 100 times 150 times 200 times 30:70 2.7 1.9 1.6 1.4 40:60 2.6 1.5 1.3 1.2 50:50 2.0 1.6 1.2 0.9 60:40 1.0 0.9 0.7 0.6 70:30 0.5 0.6 0.6 0.6

Table 2 above shows the change in EC concentration in the medium according to the mixing ratio of the superabsorbent polymer (31) and horticultural medium and the water absorption content of the superabsorbent polymer (31).

In general, the optimal EC concentration at the beginning of crop cultivation is about 0.5 dS/m, but the ratio of horticultural medium to superabsorbent resin (31) is 70 to 30 regardless of the water content, which is generally used for nutrient solution cultivation. When used as a medium, it was analyzed as 0.6dS/m, which is close to the optimal value.

Ratio of horticultural soil and superabsorbent resin
(Horticultural soil: super absorbent resin) Water content of superabsorbent polymer (g) 50 times 100 times 150 times 200 times 30:70 410 390 340 230 40:60 410 380 350 260 50:50 410 380 350 270 60:40 410 400 350 290 70:30 410 400 380 340

Table 3 above shows the change in weight of the bed according to the mixing ratio of the superabsorbent polymer 31 and horticultural soil and the water absorption content of the superabsorbent polymer 31.

In the treatment according to the mixing ratio, the weight of all beds was set to 410g and the weight of each bed was measured 24 hours later. In the case of the superabsorbent resin (31), which absorbed 50 times more water, the mixing ratio of the horticultural soil Regardless, there was no change in the weight of the bed, but the weight decreased from the superabsorbent polymer (31), which absorbed 100 times more water. This is believed to be because when the superabsorbent polymer 31 contains too much water compared to its own weight, the moisture naturally drains out of the bed due to the weight pressure of the horticultural soil present in the upper layer 20.

As above, considering the experimental results in Tables 1 to 3 comprehensively, the moisture content of the medium is more than 30%, the EC concentration in the batch is close to the optimal EC concentration (0.5 dS/m), and in order to minimize the drainage amount, It can be confirmed that it is most effective to set the moisture absorption state of the superabsorbent polymer 31 to 50 times its own weight and arrange the horticultural medium and superabsorbent polymer 31 at a weight ratio of 70%:30%.

process output
(g/plnat) seedling survival rate
(%) Comparative example 31 14 Example 53 88

Table 4 above shows the results of nutrient solution cultivation of strawberries in a general horticultural medium (comparative example) and the nutrient solution cultivation bed of this example for 60 days, respectively. The same moisture content was supplied to the comparative examples and examples for cultivation, and the productivity of strawberries grown in this example was found to be about 70% higher than that of the comparative examples. In addition, the survival rate of strawberry seedlings planted in the western medicine cultivation bed according to this example was confirmed to be 88%, which is more than 14% higher than the comparative example.

process Temperature (℃) Mar. 12 Mar. 19 Mar. 26 Apr. 2 Apr. 9 Apr. 16 Apr. 23 Apr. 30 May 7 Comparative example 24.6 23.1 23.4 26.6 26.2 17.4 25.2 25.5 25.1 Example 26.2 24.9 24.3 26.5 26.6 20.0 25.4 25.9 25.9

Table 5 above shows the results of examining the temperature change in the medium during 60 days of nutrient solution cultivation of strawberries in the general horticultural medium (comparative example) and the nutrient solution cultivation bed of this example. In the case of this embodiment in which a multi-ply woven film with a heat-insulating filler as an intermediate layer was used as the bed body 10, it can be confirmed that the temperature change is not large and is maintained stably compared to general horticultural soil (comparative example).

process pH liquid
(L) drainage
(L) morning temperature
(℃) afternoon temperature
(℃) output
(g/plnat) anthocyanin
(mg/kg) Comparative example 6.5 6 4.01 9.8 18.2 10.8 4.4 Example 6.0 One 0.00 11.3 17.4 10.4 11.0

Table 6 above shows the results of nutrient solution cultivation of red lettuce for 10 days in a general horticultural medium (comparative example) and the nutrient solution cultivation bed of this example. Figure 5 is a photograph comparing an example using a bed for cultivating Western medicine according to the present invention and a comparative example using an existing bed. (a) is a photograph of lettuce on the day of planting on a medium using only horticultural topsoil, and (b) is a photograph of horticulture. A photo of lettuce 10 days after planting in a medium using only the top soil, (c) a photo of lettuce on the day it was planted in a nutrient solution cultivation bed according to this example, (d) a photo of lettuce 10 days after planting in a nutrient solution cultivation bed according to this example. It's a picture of lettuce.

According to this experiment, the nutrient solution was supplied in a range that did not dry the upper layer of the medium. In the comparative example, 6L of nutrient solution was supplied and the amount of nutrient solution drained was 4.01L. On the other hand, in this example, the nutrient solution cultivation bed supplied only 1L of nutrient solution and the amount drained was 0L. In addition, the temperature change of the medium according to this example was generally smaller than that of the comparative example, and the anthocyanin content was significantly higher in the treatment group.

process output
(g/plnat) Crude protein content
(%) Comparative example 494 33.14 Example 689 28.09

Table 7 above shows the results of nutrient solution cultivation of alfalfa for 90 days in a general horticultural medium (comparative example) and the nutrient solution cultivation bed of this example. The production of alfalfa produced in the horticultural medium used as a comparative example in this experiment was 494 g, which was about 29% lower than the alfalfa production of 689 g in the nutrient solution cultivation bed according to this example.

Considering the experimental results of Tables 4 to 7 above, it can be confirmed that the nutrient solution cultivation bed according to this embodiment has a sufficient warming effect, saves water, and sufficiently increases production. there is.

Although the present invention has been described above with reference to specific embodiments, those skilled in the art can vary the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as set forth in the claims below. You will understand that it can be modified and changed.

10: Bed body 20: Upper layer
30: Permeable pocket 31: Highly absorbent polymer
40: lower layer 50: drain

Claims (8)

A bed body having an accommodating space therein;
an upper layer disposed within the receiving space and including a horticultural medium that supports crops and supplies nutrients; and
A nutrient solution cultivation bed comprising a lower layer accommodated in the lower space of the upper layer and having a superabsorbent polymer disposed in a permeable pocket.
According to paragraph 1,
A nutrient solution cultivation bed, characterized in that the horticultural topsoil includes one or more of perlite, rockwool, coco peat, peat moss, and biochar.
According to paragraph 1,
A nutrient solution cultivation bed, characterized in that the horticultural topsoil and the superabsorbent resin are disposed at a weight ratio of 70%:30%.
According to paragraph 1,
A bed for nutrient solution cultivation, characterized in that the bed body is composed of a multi-layer woven film filled with insulation material inside.
According to clause 5,
A nutrient solution cultivation bed, characterized in that a coating layer is formed on the outer surface of the multi-layer woven film to prevent moisture penetration.
According to paragraph 1,
A bed for nutrient solution cultivation, characterized in that a drain is formed in the lower part of the bed main body.
According to paragraph 1,
A nutrient solution cultivation bed, wherein the water-permeable pocket is made of a water-permeable woven film that allows only moisture to pass through without leaking the superabsorbent polymer to the outside.
In clause 7,
The permeable pocket is a nutrient solution cultivation bed, characterized in that the superabsorbent polymer has an internal space of a volume capable of absorbing water equivalent to 50 times its own weight.

Images