NL1007449C1 - Continuous plant-cultivation and harvesting system in greenhouse - Google Patents

Abstract

The plants are accommodated in pots or troughs (2) containing substratum material and which are adjustable to the desired height. Before the beginning of the growth season, the greenhouse and pots are chemically or biologically disinfected, the pots or troughs being set at a convenient working height. New plants are then inserted between fully-grown ones still present from the previous season. Further adjustment is then made as necessary, to bring the crop from the fully-grown plants to convenient access height. During the growth season, the new plants are tied to a support, while height is adjusted so that the fully-grown plants remain at a lower level. The old plants are harvested and removed. The height of the new plants is adjusted as necessary for harvesting. This and planting are continuous and cyclical.

Description

Method for continuous propagation or harvesting crops.

The invention relates to a new method for the annual continuous propagation of seasonal crops in a greenhouse, in particular of tomato plants, which can thus also be continuously harvested. The crops are then located in a substrate medium, e.g. in the form of substrate mats surrounded by a closed plastic foil in so-called substrate troughs or holders. The substrate mats 10 are supplied with nutrients and / or moisture by means of hoses providing droplet dosing.

The invention further relates to a greenhouse which is arranged such that the new method can be applied therein and the invention also relates to the technical installation which can be installed in the greenhouse for the application of the new method for this purpose.

The hitherto generally used method of growing tomatoes in a greenhouse is based on a cycle of about one year, with a growing season of about 1 month. This is followed in the winter months by a period of approx. 1 month in which the greenhouse must be prepared again for the next cultivation period. The following actions are then generally performed. For example, the raw soil, in which parallel shallow trenches are arranged at regular intervals, is first laid e.g. a ground cover of plastic film. Elongated elongated mineral wool substrate mats wrapped in plastic film are then placed in the slots and the cultivation plants are placed at regular intervals in these mats.

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Between two rows of substrate mats thus arranged there are normally two parallel bottom heating tubes which also serve as tracks and are supported on sleepers or sleepers. The round ends of these tracks rest e.g. on a concrete floor, which is located at the head of each row of plants, and which serves as a supply and discharge track for transport, harvesting and maintenance work, etc. Four-wheeled trolleys with a track width of approx. 40 cm, equal to 1007449 - 2 - distance from both heating pipes, can be used thereon for maintenance and / or harvesting, tying up, etc.

As soon as the plants start to grow, the stem of a plant is wound around a suspension wire, which is suspended from the greenhouse construction, and the growing top of the plant must be adjusted regularly in height during cultivation. The plant stems that no longer bear fruit after harvesting are then guided parallel to the substrate mats over the soil and thus yield a thick bundle of plant stems possibly held together by 10 wire supports.

During the season, if the growth height of the plant always has to be adjusted, the workers are usually on top of a harvesting or maintenance wagon whose platform is then e.g. up to 2.5-3 meters 1 5 above the heating pipes and which is rather unstable due to its small width. Personal accidents therefore occur regularly because the car tilts sideways on the narrow track base, with the result that personal injury can occur and e.g. plants are irreparably damaged and therefore yield losses. Of course, apart from the fact that such accidents can also lead to absence from work. At the end of the growing season, the greenhouse must then be completely cleared and the new growing season will only start again after an interruption of approx. 2-4 weeks.

The object of the invention is versatile and is based on the consideration that a continuous growing season, excluding an unproductive transition period, can significantly increase productivity, i.e. the yield per greenhouse soil unit. Since the natural control agents of harmful insects and the like for the plants that were brought into the greenhouse are also completely destroyed during the clearing of the plants, this recurring seasonal disadvantage must also be obviated. The same applies to overcoming the drawbacks associated with raising and / or raising. keep resp. bringing back the plant stem suspensions and the dangers that will continue to exist when harvesting at a difficult reach height.

These drawbacks inherent in the current cultivation conditions are completely overcome by a new method according to the invention.

1007449 - 3 -

To this end, the new method according to the invention comprises the following combination of measures, which together produce a particularly surprising effect, namely: 5 A before and. at the start of a growing season: 1. if there are still fruit-bearing crops in the greenhouse, prepare the greenhouse and holders for new plantings, possibly more specifically renewing the ground cover, renewing, disinfecting or otherwise processing substrate mats , chemical or biological disinfection of the greenhouse, setting a balance for the cultivation conditions, more specifically for the use of biological pesticides; 2. setting the containers to a suitable working height before planting; 3. planting new plants above (in the greenhouse) between adult plants still present from the previous growing season; 4. adjusting the height of the holders, if necessary after planting the new planting, such that the height of the harvest of the adult planting 20 always reaches the desired working (reaching) height; B. during a growing season, if there are still fruit-bearing adult and ewe-growing plants in the greenhouse: 5. tying up the new plantings, in particular to a support organ; 6. setting the substrate troughs at such a height that adult plants stay in a lower location; 7. the height of the substrate troughs and / or the support member being raised again when the adult planting is increasing in height, after which harvested and then defoliated stems of the crop hang as loops next to the troughs; 8. (empty) harvesting of the old crop; 9. removing the harvested crop from the substrate troughs; 10. subsequently bringing the substrate troughs back to the new desired working height or cultivation height, such as when the new crop becomes fruit-bearing; 11. the height adjustment of the 1007449-4 substrate troughs and / or the support member during the new growing plantation season; 12. harvesting the new plantings; and C. at the end of a growing season: 5 13. making preparations, mentioned above under A, for planting new crops with the aim of achieving a continuous growing season by cycling the planting and continuous harvesting .

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The final result of the various measures is that

a. the productivity per greenhouse soil unit is significantly increased; b. by eliminating idle time between two 15 growing seasons, plenty of employment now remains; c. danger of industrial accidents is now greatly reduced by the use of a larger track width and a larger heating pipe diameter which, together, greatly increase the stability of the car and that of the person on the platform of the car; d. the absence of costly new input from natural insect control agents (crop protection), because the breeding ground for those insect control agents is maintained through the gradual transition of cultivated plants to mature new plants; e. accurately adjusting the desired height of substrate gutters once, while simultaneously automatically taking into account such a slope that no excess or underfeed of nutrition and / or moisture can cause damage to the plant growth; and f. extra investment costs for the greenhouse construction and the installation of the associated suspension facilities with a significantly higher yield, now over the whole year, virtually no weight.

35

By applying this new method not only great operating advantages are created, but the plant itself also no longer experiences any "stress" due to sudden changes in operating conditions as a result of the above-mentioned measures 1007449 - 5.

It goes without saying that the new method is not only suitable for tomato cultivation, but with some logical adjustments it is also suitable for e.g. strawberry cultivation and cucumber cultivation. The advantages discussed above will certainly also apply to other types of crops, such as cultivated potted plants (gerberas), etc. and also with some logical adjustments during cultivation. Such adjustments can easily be applied by a person skilled in the art.

The invention will be explained in more detail below with the aid of the drawing of an exemplary embodiment.

Fig. 1 is a schematic view of part of a greenhouse containing 15 substrate troughs located at different heights;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a substrate trough with schematically shown suspension device;

Fig. 3 is a front view of a harvesting and maintenance trolley with scissor lifting effect used in the new method and of 20 substrate troughs with plantings at various heights;

Fig. 4 is a schematic perspective view of a hoist installation drive used in the new method;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of plants in different growth stages A-B-C; and FIG. 6 is an overview of the hoisting installation.

In FIG. 1 shows a part of a greenhouse 1 with substrate gutters 2 suspended from a hoisting installation, which may be at different heights during a growing season. There are more gutters 30 2 per greenhouse; the orientation of the troughs 2 is e.g. in the longitudinal direction of the greenhouse 1 with a center-to-center distance between the gutters 2 of approximately 1.6 m. 1 schematically shows an adjustable hoisting device for substrate troughs 2, in particular suspension members 3 and hoisting shafts 4 for hoisting or lowering substrate troughs 2 with the substrate mats therein 9.

A cultivation season starts with the preparation of the greenhouse 1. This means that the ground cover of plastic film is renewed as desired, 1007449 - 6 - substrate mats 6 are renewed, disinfected or otherwise processed and that the greenhouse 1 is chemically and / or as desired. is biologically disinfected.

Before planting the new planting (which is a few tens of centimeters high), the holders 2 are set at a suitable working or 5 plant height, e.g. at about 1.6 m height. This is shown schematically in the right part of Fig. 1. Then the new plants are planted between mature plants already present in the holders, see also Fig. 5A. Thereby, e.g. the distance I between the various plants is 4-5 decimetres. The mature plantation usually produces a few bunches of fruit per 10 stems. If desired, the holders 2 are then adjusted to such a height that the new plantings are fully exposed without being obstructed by the shadow of the mature plantings. Here, the stems of the older plantings hang freely downwards along the gutters 2. The loops of the stems of the adult plants are in this situation in a lower position than the new plants, FIG. 5A.

When the new planting has sufficiently long stems, they are tied up. A suitable height of the substrate troughs 2 for the purpose of binding work is schematically shown in the left part of fig. 1. This can be done, for example, by binding a wire around the top ends of the plant stems and then attaching them to the roof construction, all arranged in such a way that the tops of the plants can optionally be set both vertically and horizontally in the greenhouse space. By adjusting the height of the gutter system 2 and / or the various tops of the older plantings, the fruit-bearing part, in particular the trusses, of the plantation can absorb sufficient daylight. An example of the latter aspect is setting the various heights so that the trusses of adult tomato plants can ripen or turn red, while the new plantings can also absorb sufficient (day) light.

Due to the possibility of adjusting the gutter system 2 in height and thereby also the various tops of fruit-bearing plantings, the effective height for harvesting the plants can be set again and again at the desired working or reaching height. The harvesting of the fruit, the defoliation and removal of the harvested crop, the planting of new crop and all other activities associated with this work can therefore always be performed at 1007449 - 7 - any desired working height. This can be done with the height-adjustable scissor position of the work trolley. Being able to follow the increasing harvest height on the plants at a desired working or reaching height (see also Fig. 5B and C) proves to be of special value, especially in the case of tomato plants that grow up to more than ten meters in length during one season. can grow. A suitable height of the substrate troughs 2 at a stage of a growing season when the plants have very long stems is schematically shown in the middle part of Fig. 1. Hereby the plants are still 10 layer (about 20 cm) above the greenhouse bottom and they therefore also experience extra radiant heat from the heating pipes.

Fig. 2 schematically shows a perspective view of a substrate trough 2 with some elements of an adjustable hoisting device. The drawn shape of the substrate trough 2 serves only as an example; any form that meets the functionalities mentioned below is eligible for application. The gutter 2 consists of one piece of coated steel sheet and in this exemplary embodiment has a length of approximately 90 m. The gutter 2 has ascending divergent walls 5 which are approximately 10 cm high. Measured at the top of the gutter 2, the bent edges 6 of the gutter walls 5 are spaced about 20-25 cm apart. The trough 2 is further provided with longitudinal localized recesses 7 in which drip tubes for the substrate feed (not shown) are placed. The trough 2 is further provided with a raised bottom 8 on which a substrate mat 9 rests. In the substrate mat 9 there are trays (not shown) in which possibly more plant stems per tray are placed. The distance from bin to bin is about 5-6 decimeters. The orientation of the soil 8 must be determined with sufficient precision in connection with the feeding of the plants. Namely, the plants may not be excessively supplied with food and / or moisture, nor be exposed to a shortage of food and / or moisture.

The required slope of the substrate trough 2 itself runs parallel to the length direction of the greenhouse 1. A usual slope of a greenhouse is about 1-3 per mil in the length direction of the greenhouse 1. Over a length of about 35 90 m, this means a slope of approx. 5-30 cm.

In or on the gutter 2 provisions are also provided for the purpose of adjustable hoisting. The example shown concerns holes 10 in which e.g. hooks can be included. The hook changes into a 1007449-8 member 11, e.g. a wire or bracket that joins one or more other wires or brackets in a node 12. Node 12 may be provided with an adjustment device for fine-tuning the grade and / or for suspending a heating system (not shown). From there 5, the adjustable hoisting system goes further up in the direction of a hoisting shaft 4 for hoisting or lowering the gutters 2. It will be clear that in the adjustable hoisting system also other elements can be included, such as pulleys, etc., which hoist or lower further facilitating the gutters and / or of suspension elements on the plants themselves.

Fig. 3 shows a view of a harvesting and maintenance trolley 13 (with scissor lifting effect) used in the new method and of substrate troughs 2 with plantings at different heights. The carriage 13 15 runs on a pipe / rail system 14 with a (double) track width of approx.

80 cm. This widening of the track width compared to the conventional track width of approx. 40 cm is possible because substrate gutters 2 can be lifted, which creates more working space at the bottom of greenhouse 1. In FIG. 3 shows the platform 15 on which the worker will stand. The (electric) propulsion device of the car is not drawn; controls can be seen, in particular a foot brake 16 and a control panel 17.

Fig. 4 shows a perspective view of a hoisting installation in the greenhouse 1. A preferred electric drive motor 18 is shown, mounted on the hood construction (not shown) of the greenhouse 1, but optionally to be mounted on a separate construction. The drive motor 18 has a drive shaft 19, which leads to a worm gearbox 20, which drives different lifting shafts 4. The drive motor 18 can otherwise supply sufficient power for more, e.g. 4, worm gearboxes 20. The lifting shafts 4 actuate cables 3 for the substrate troughs 2 as described above with respect to FIG. 2. With such a hoisting installation, a number of gutters 2, optionally per greenhouse section, can be hoisted or lowered synchronously in order to achieve the purpose of the new method. The 35 displacement speed is adjustable; it can take several hours to move over a height of 2-2.5 m, but also several days if desired.

1007449 - 9 -

In FIG. 5 (A-B-C) schematically shows plants in different growth stages during the growing season. Fig. 5A shows the new planting located at the top of the greenhouse 1 between the fruit-bearing older plantings. A wire 23 hangs from the top of the greenhouse 1 with each tomato plant 21, 22. 5 During growth, the plant 21 is 'twisted' into this wire 23 so that the tomato plant 21 grows upwards at regular distances. After some time, plant 21 begins to bear fruit from below, FIG. 5B; any fruit-bearing older plantings are not shown here. After the old planting 22 has been harvested, this plant 22 is lowered by lowering the wire 23 10 above the plant 22. Hereby the harvested and defoliated stem 24 of the plant 22 will hang as a loose loop next to the substrate trough 2 or possibly even to lie on the ground (Fig. 5C).

Fig. 1 6 shows an overview of the hoisting installation from which substrate troughs 2 are suspended, which can be installed for this purpose in the greenhouse 1 for the application of the new method.

With the method according to the invention a continuous cultivation season is thus achieved by cyclizing the planting and continuous harvesting.

Furthermore, it is possible to empirically set the moment of new planting in order to achieve a constant harvest volume during the continuous growing season.

1007449

Claims (16)

1. A method for the annual continuous propagation of plants, in particular fruit-bearing plants such as tomato plants, in a greenhouse, wherein the plants are located and / or are planted in containers or substrate troughs, provided with a substrate medium, the substrate trough system on a certain height can be set, and which method successively includes: 10 A. before reso. at the start of a growing season: 1. if there are still fruit-bearing crops in the greenhouse, prepare the greenhouse and holders for new plantings, possibly more specifically renewing the ground cover, renewing, disinfecting or otherwise processing 1 5 substrate mats, chemical or biological disinfection of the greenhouse, setting a balance for the cultivation conditions, more specifically for the use of biological pesticides; 2. setting the containers to a suitable working height before piing; 3. planting new plants between adult plants still present from the previous growing season; 4. adjusting the height of the holders, if necessary after planting the new planting, such that the height of the harvest of the adult planting is always brought to the desired working (reach) height; B. during a growing season, if there are still fruit-bearing mature and growing plantings in the greenhouse: 5. tying up the new plantings, in particular to a support organ; 6. setting the substrate troughs at such a height that adult plants stay in a lower location; 7. the height of the substrate troughs and / or the support member re-adjusted when the adult planting is increasing in height, after which harvested and then defoliated stems of the crop hang as loops next to the troughs; 8. (empty) harvesting of the old crop; 9. removing the harvested crop from the substrate troughs; 10. Subsequently bringing the 1007449 - 11 - substrate troughs back to the new desired working height or cultivation height, such as when the new crop becomes fruit-bearing; 11. during the continuing growing season of the new planting, repeatedly adjusting the height of the substrate troughs and / or the supporting member; 12. harvesting the new plantings; and C. at the end of a growing season: 13. making preparations, mentioned above under 10 A, for planting new crop with the aim of achieving a continuous growing season by cycling the planting and continuous harvesting . A method according to claim 1, wherein in step 4 the action is such that the new plantings protrude above the already present adult plantings. 3. A method according to any one of claims 1-2, wherein the moment of new planting is set empirically with the aim of achieving a virtually constant harvest volume during the continuous cultivation season. 4. A method according to any one of claims 1-3, wherein the working (reach -) height is adjusted in each case such that safer working conditions are thereby achieved during harvesting. 5. A method according to any one of claims 1-4, wherein during the continuous growing season the biological pesticides already present are always used. A method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the crop consists of strawberry plants. A method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the crop consists of cucumber plants. 1007449 - 12 - A method according to any one of claims 1-5, wherein the crop consists of potted plants. 9. Method according to claim 8, wherein the potted plants are formed by gerberas. 10. Apparatus for applying the method in a greenhouse according to any one of claims 1-9, wherein provisions (Fig. 4) are provided for adjusting the substrate gutter system (2), in particular by the holders (2) to be hung on a liftable system (4, 18, 19, 20). 11. Device as claimed in claim 10, wherein provisions are provided for mounting the liftable system on the greenhouse construction. Device as claimed in any of the claims 10-11, wherein provisions are provided for a possibly liftable secondary heating and / or cooling system. 20 Liftable container suspension system using the method according to any one of claims 1-9. 14. Greenhouse provided with a device according to any one of claims 10-12, wherein the greenhouse is also provided with parallel heating pipes for use as track with a track width of at least about 80 cm. Maintenance and harvesting trolley for use in the method and device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the track width is at least about 80 cm. 1007449