RU2288579C1 - Apparatus for determining of optimal conditions for cultivation of vermiculite culture - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: cultivation of vermiculite culture, in particular, equipment for determining optimal conditions for cultivation of annelides.

SUBSTANCE: apparatus has reservoir for locating various substrates therein and sample with worms. Reservoir is made in the form of rectangular tank with front glass wall and is divided into sections by means of netted partitions having height smaller than height of reservoir. Sample with worms is positioned above netted partitions, between which partitions substrates are placed.

EFFECT: simplified construction of devices for determining of worm feeding preferences.

1 dwg

Description

The invention relates to vermicultivation, in particular to devices for determining optimal conditions for the cultivation of annelids.

Despite the widespread use of annelid worms and primarily the “California hybrid” for processing organic waste into a valuable biological fertilizer - vermicompost, the issue of determining substrate preference (preference) for them remains an urgent issue. This is largely due to the fact that a wide range of substrates requiring processing is very variable in their chemical composition, and, in addition, the preparation of various mixtures for worms based on various wastes from both animal husbandry and crop production and the processing industry requires the systematic determination of this indicator . Moreover, at present, the “California hybrid” is used in large-scale waste processing and is a commercially significant object, which requires strict technological accounting, which is impossible without defining a substrate preference.

Traditionally, containers for vermicultivation were used as a device for determining substrate preference, and the so-called “sample of 50 worms” was used directly in them. In which 50 worms were planted in a ready-made substrate, placed in containers or piles, serving directly for the cultivation of worms, and after some time (5-7 days), their viability and the possibility of using the substrate to feed the worms were determined, and then all were added to the same substrate the number of worms (Gorodniy N.M., Melnik I.A., Povkhan M.F. et al. Bioconversion of organic waste in a biodynamic economy. Kiev: Urazhai, 1990. P.123).

However, the use of devices at the same time to determine the substrate referendum, and to conduct the main vermiculture is unprofitable both from a technological and economic point of view. Firstly, this type of device does not allow to determine the referendum in a short time. Secondly, this device does not allow simultaneous evaluation of the worm preference for several substrates, which under industrial conditions makes it inefficient and requires replacement. When using this device, there is no way to increase the cycles of evaluation of substrates and reduce the time for one experiment. In addition, a large amount of substrate is required to complete one cycle of determining the referendum.

A technical solution is known where the determination of the substrate preference for earthworms is carried out using a device that consists of a cylindrical vessel in which substrates with radial symmetry in mesh bags are placed in a tight circle around one of the samples with worms (US Pat. RF No. 21115314, class A 01 To 67/033. Publish. 07.20.1998 - prototype).

In a known technical solution, the studied substrates must be placed in mesh bags, which requires a large number of mesh bags, identical in size and with a certain pore size. Moreover, the size should allow the worms to freely move along the substrate between the bags, which is difficult to adjust, since when the bags touch, the pores will overlap, which means that their size will be difficult to adjust. In addition, the radial symmetry of the arrangement of the bags around the Central vessel geometrically complicates the location of a large number of samples at the same time. Another disadvantage of this device is the length of the process of determining the referendum and low-tech form to accommodate a large number of devices due to their cylindrical shape in small areas.

Known devices do not allow in a short time and with a large number of samples to determine the substrate preference for annelids because of the complexity of the methods used or the large amount of preparatory work.

The technical solution to the problem is to simplify the design of the device to determine the optimal composition of the substrates for the cultivation of worms, increase the number of tested for one cycle of substrates and reduce the time spent on the experiment.

The problem is achieved in that in the device for determining the optimal cultivation conditions of vermiculture, consisting of a vessel for placing various substrates in it and a sample with worms, separated by nets, the vessel is made in the form of a rectangular container with a front glass wall and divided into sections by mesh partitions having a height less than the height of the container, while the sample with worms is located above the mesh partitions, between which the substrates are placed.

The claimed device for determining the optimal cultivation conditions of vermiculture differs from the prototype in other design parameters, providing the opportunity to reduce the time taken to conduct one determination cycle, and the number of simultaneously determined substrates.

These differences allow us to conclude that the claimed technical solutions meet the criterion of "novelty."

The features that distinguish the claimed technical solution from the prototype are aimed at achieving the task and have not been identified in the study of patent and scientific and technical literature in this and related fields of science and technology and, therefore, meet the criterion of "inventive step".

The invention is illustrated by the drawing, which shows a device for determining the optimal cultivation conditions of vermiculture.

The device is a container made of plastic, and its cross section is 8-10 times smaller than the longitudinal one, and the height is half of the cross section. The top of the container is open. The front wall of the container 1 is removable, and the rear 2 and side 3 walls are stationary. Under the front wall there is a stationary glass plate 4, which allows you to track the location of the worms in the substrate throughout the entire detection cycle without opening the container. The presence of a removable front wall is determined by the need to protect the worms from light (passing through transparent glass), since they are characterized by a negative light taxis (moving the worms away from the light source). Mesh partitions 5 are placed inside, providing free movement of worms, which are fixed on the bottom 6 of the container, forming separate compartments 7-12 for the investigated substrates.

A device for determining the optimal cultivation conditions of vermiculture is implemented as follows.

Separately prepared substrates are placed in the compartments of the device, and the volumes of the samples of the substrates must be equal and completely fill them, ending at the level of the mesh partitions. The investigated substrates should be of the same humidity. A substrate containing worms and most of them processed is applied evenly on top of it. The size of the worm population depends on the number of compartments and should be 20 individuals per compartment. After filling the upper substrate, it is moistened.

The optimal temperature at which the device provides an express determination of the food attractiveness of substrates for annelids is 20 ° C, and the cycle time is 1.5 days. After the end of the aging cycle of the worms in the substrate, the front removable wall is removed and the number of worms and the degree of damage to the substrate are determined through transparent glass. The counting of live worms is carried out in each compartment separately and the degree of suitability of the substrate is calculated. It is calculated as the ratio of the total number of individuals placed in the device to the number of individuals in a separate compartment and expressed as a percentage.

Claims (1)

A device for determining the optimal conditions for the cultivation of vermiculture, consisting of a vessel for placing various substrates in it and a sample with worms, divided by nets, characterized in that the vessel is made in the form of a rectangular container with a front glass wall and divided into sections by mesh partitions having a height less than the height of the tank, while the sample with worms is located above the mesh walls, between which the substrates are placed.