RU2752427C1 - Aeroponic in vitro plant cultivation unit - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: agriculture.

SUBSTANCE: invention relates to the field of agriculture and biotechnology, particularly, to equipment for non-substractive plant cultivation using the method of aeroponics, and can be used for year-round plant cultivation and production of mini-tubers under controlled conditions and within limited areas. The aeroponic unit for plant cultivation and production og mini-tubers is comprised of a cultivation area with an artificial lighting system, an irrigation unit with a tank and a high-pressure pump, plastic pipelines connected with the irrigation unit, and vegetation containers located therein. The latter are installed symmetrically in two tiers on the supporting structure. Technological holes for introduction of plastic pipes into the vegetation container are made in the upper part of a vegetation container. A drain collector for collection and drainage of the nutrient solution into the tank of the irrigation unit is installed on the lower surface of each vegetation container. The aeroponic unit is equipped with an automatic unit control module connected to the irrigation unit and the artificial lighting system. The control module is based on the Arduino board and configured to activate artificial lighting for 16 hours and deactivate artificial lighting for 8 hours, to ensure irrigation of the root system of plants due to finely dispersed spraying of the nutrient solution in the root area of plants using nozzles. Each nozzle is configured to provide the size of droplets within the range from 5-30 to 10-50 microns depending on the growth phase of the plants and to periodically supply the sprayed nutrient solution at a rate of supply from 0.25 to 0.75 l/sec over the entire volume of each vegetation vessel for determined time periods: 30 seconds spraying, 20 minutes no spraying - aeration. The plastic pipes therein have disassemblable nozzles made configured to adjust the size of the sprayed nutrient solution. The surfaces of each nozzle are coated with an anti-corrosive titanium nitride coating to exclude corrosive effect of the nutrient solution on the structure elements of the nozzle. Each vegetation container is equipped with a cover - a planting plane provided with a hole for planting a plant with elastic inserts and configured to open and allow to remove ripe mini-tubers from the container.

EFFECT: invention allows to achieve the technical result consisting in increasing yield by means of improving mineral nutrition of plants while providing high maintainability due to automation of operation of the aeroponic unit.

2 cl

Description

The invention relates to the field of agriculture and biotechnology, in particular, to equipment for non-extractable plant cultivation using the aeroponics method, and can be used for year-round cultivation of plants and production of mini-tubers under controlled conditions and in limited areas.

Known installation for aeroponic growing plants, including a growing tank with a connected irrigation unit. The growing tank is made in the form of two identical pipes with a landing surface on which supports for plants are made. To create a nutrient mist, an ultrasonic generator was used, placed in a nutrient solution [RF patent for invention No. 135229, IPC A 01 G31 / 02, published on July 26, 2013].

The closest in design and technical essence to the claimed invention is an aeroponic installation for the production of mini-tubers, including a cultivation room with opaque panels with holes for plants installed symmetrically on both sides of a supporting structure equipped with a ladder, dividing the cultivation volume into two independent volumes, a feeding system and drainage of the nutrient solution, and irrigation of the root system of plants occurs due to finely dispersed spraying of the nutrient solution in the root zone of plants, limited by U-shaped tunnels made in the form of an air-permeable membrane, the ends of which are fixed on the lower surface of the opaque panels with the possibility of lowering and raising them [patent RF for invention No. 2625180, IPC A 01 G 31/02, published on November 17, 2014].

The disadvantages of these methods of growing plants and producing mini-tubers using the aeroponics method are:

- the absence of an electric generator with an automatic start of the operation of the installation units for cases of general power failure and interruption of the supply of nutrient solution, the operation of automation and lighting units. In the event of a general power outage, wilting and death of plants is observed for several hours;

- the absence of fine dispersion of nutrient solution of different droplet sizes corresponding to the growth phase of plants, in particular for in vitro plants and the formation of mini-tubers;

- in the process of moistening the root system with ultrasound, the activation of negative processes of the formation of free hydroxyl radicals and atomic hydrogen in plant cells is observed.

The technical result of the claimed invention is technical simplicity and increased productivity, improved mineral nutrition of plants, automation of the operation of the aeroponic installation.

The specified technical result is achieved by the fact that in the installation for aeroponic growing of plants and obtaining mini-tubers containing growing tanks, an irrigation unit represented by a tank for a nutrient solution, a constant pressure pump, a fine filter, plastic pipes with nozzles installed on them. The design of the nozzles allows you to irrigate plants with a nutrient solution of different droplet sizes: from 5-30 microns to 10-50 microns, depending on the phase of plant growth. The nozzles are coated with an anticorrosive coating - titanium nitride, to exclude the corrosive effect of the nutrient solution and increase the operating time. The claimed invention is aimed at solving the problem of increasing yields and reducing labor costs.

The experiments were carried out in the conditions of the production laboratory "Technology of mechanical engineering" of the Federal State Budgetary Educational Institution of Higher Education "Omsk State Technical University" and in the laboratory "Cell Biotechnology" LLC "Elita" with the construction of an installation for aeroponic growing of plants and obtaining mini-tubers.

In the proposed installation for growing plants and producing mini-tubers, the nutrient solution from the tank using a constant pressure pump is periodically sprayed at a feed rate of 0.25-0.75 l / sec., With the help of nozzles, drops of different sizes are supplied to the root zone of plants in depending on the phase of plant growth. The cyclicity of the nutrient solution supply is ensured by the automatic control unit of the installation.

Aeroponic plant for growing plants and producing mini-tubers contains polypropylene opaque growing tanks, located symmetrically in two tiers on the supporting structure of the plant. The growing tanks rest on the racks of the supporting structure; a drain collector is installed on the lower surface of the growing tank for collecting and draining the nutrient solution into the tank. In the upper surface of the growing tank, plastic pipes with nozzles are installed with the possibility of adjusting the size of sprayed drops by changing the size of the flow area of the nozzle outlet. The surfaces of the nozzles are coated with a titanium nitride anticorrosive coating to exclude the corrosive effect of the nutrient solution on the elements of the nozzle structure, thereby eliminating clogging and increasing the service life. The nozzles have a collapsible design, which allows them to be cleaned if necessary.

Vegetation containers are equipped with lids - planting planes that have holes for planting plants (10x10 cm) with elastic inserts and the ability to open and remove ripe mini-tubers from containers. In the upper part of the growing tank there are technological holes for the introduction of plastic pipes inside the growing tank. The growing tank is connected to the tank of the irrigation unit, and the frequency and time of feeding the nutrient solution is regulated by an automatic control unit based on Arduino, which includes: lighting for 16 hours, no lighting for 8 hours; spray solution: 30 seconds spray, 20 minutes - no spray - aeration. The installation for aeroponic growing of plants and the production of mini-tubers is equipped with an electric generator (uninterruptible power supply, battery) with automatic start of the operation of the installation units in the event of a general power failure.

The declared design of the growing tank with an automatic control unit allows to reliably deliver mineral nutrition to plants in the form of a finely dispersed solution created using nozzles and software for automating the operation of the lighting and irrigation system, providing intensive penetration of the nutrient medium into the plant root system. Labor costs are reduced and plant nutrition is improved and their yield increases. The claimed installation for aeroponic plant cultivation is industrially applicable. A prototype of the installation has been made, which will allow year-round growing of plants and obtaining mini-tubers under controlled conditions and in limited areas.

The installation works as follows.

The tank is filled with a nutrient solution. The operator fixes the plants with elastic inserts in the holes of the planting plane of the growing tank. After filling the holes with plants, the planting plane is attached to the growing tank. Similarly, fill all the planting planes of the growing tanks with plants. They include an automatic control system for the lighting unit and constant pressure pump, which ensures the specified cycle and time of their operation. During the periods of operation of the lighting unit, fluorescent lamps and LED strips of blue and red spectra of light light up at specified time intervals. During the periods of operation of the constant pressure pump, the nutrient solution from the tank through the pipeline enters the fine filter, then enters the pressure manifold, then into the plastic pipes and through the nozzles, droplets with sizes from 5-30 microns to 10-50 microns are supplied to the root zone of plants depending on the phase of plant growth. The nutrient solution is periodically sprayed at a feed rate of 0.25-0.75 l / sec. in the entire volume of vegetation tanks. Fine particles of the nutrient solution irrigate the root system of plants in growing tanks at specified time periods - spraying for 30 seconds, no spraying for 20 minutes - aeration process. Condensing on the walls, the nutrient solution then flows into the drain collector, and then returns through the pipeline to the tank with the nutrient solution. During periods of non-spraying, plant roots have access to oxygen. The plant for aeroponic growing of plants and production of mini-tubers is equipped with an automatic control unit for lighting and nutrient solution supply cycles, an electric generator with automatic start-up of lighting and nutrient solution supply units in the event of a general power failure.

In the process of growth, mini-tubers are formed on the roots of plants. For the convenience of collecting mini-tubers, a planting plane with clamps is provided in the installation. The collection of mini-tubers is carried out in the following sequence: the installation program is stopped, the operator opens the planting plane of the growing tanks, and collects the mini-tubers. In the process of cultivating plants and obtaining mini-tubers, the operator has the ability to automatically control the main units and units of the installation.

Compared to the prototype, the proposed device will reduce labor costs, will evenly irrigate plant roots with the required particle size of the nutrient solution, depending on the phase of plant growth, which will provide favorable conditions for plant growth and obtaining mini-tubers. At the same time, the operator has access to the root system of plants by opening the planting plane of the growing tank, which practically does not require significant physical costs. Spraying the nutrient solution using a constant pressure pump and a nozzle system provides droplets of different sizes, creating favorable conditions for aeration of the root system and without negatively affecting oxidative processes in plant cells. The Arduino-based automatic control unit allows you to automate the cycles of feeding the nutrient solution and lighting, thereby minimizing the operator's work and eliminating the human factor. An electric generator with automatic start-up of the installation units allows the aeroponic installation to operate in an autonomous mode during a power outage.

Claims (2)

1. Aeroponic installation for growing plants and obtaining mini-tubers, including a cultivation room, an artificial lighting system, an irrigation unit with a tank and a high-pressure pump, plastic pipelines connected to the irrigation unit, vegetation tanks installed symmetrically in two tiers on a supporting structure, in the upper part of the growing tank there are technological holes for the introduction of plastic pipes inside the growing tank, on the lower surface of each growing tank there is a drain collector for collecting and draining the nutrient solution into the tank of the irrigation unit, characterized in that it is equipped with a connected to the irrigation unit and an artificial lighting system automatic control unit of the installation, made on the basis of the Arduino board with the ability to turn on artificial lighting for 16 hours and turn off artificial lighting for 8 hours, to ensure irrigation of the plant root system due to finely dispersed spraying. solution in the root zone of plants using nozzles providing droplet size from 5-30 to 10-50 microns, depending on the growth phase of plants and providing a periodic supply of a sprayed nutrient solution at a feed rate of 0.25-0.75 l / s throughout the volume of each growing tank at specified time periods: 30 seconds spraying, 20 minutes no spraying - aeration, plastic pipes have collapsible nozzles made with the ability to adjust the size of the sprayed nutrient solution, and the surfaces of each nozzle are coated with a titanium nitride anticorrosive coating to exclude the corrosive effect of the nutrient solution on the design elements of the nozzle, and each growing tank is equipped with a lid - a planting plane with an opening for planting a plant with elastic inserts and with the possibility of opening it and removing ripe mini-tubers from the container. 2. Aeroponic installation for growing plants and obtaining mini-tubers according to claim 1, characterized in that it is equipped with an electric generator with an uninterruptible power supply unit, a battery with automatic start-up of the installation units in the event of a general power failure.