Processing method of seedling-raising hole tray and seedling-raising hole tray

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of agricultural seedling raising, and discloses a seedling raising hole tray processing method and a seedling raising hole tray thereof. The method comprises the following steps: material selection: selecting a non-woven fabric or seedling raising paper as a flexible sheet with the thickness of 0.2-2.5 mm; a mold is designed, the mold is provided with a plurality of deep cavity vertical wall type seedling raising hole structures and flanging sections, and after an upper mold and a lower mold are closed, a distance smaller than the original thickness of a material is formed in a mold cavity; forming processing: placing the sheet in a mold, closing an upper mold, heating and pressurizing, and carrying out plastic deformation and shaping on the material under a hot-pressing condition; and cooling, demolding and trimming to obtain the seedling hole tray. The air channel structure is formed through a material body structure and surface texture or mold embossing, air root shearing of a root system is achieved, and secondary root development is promoted. The seedling raising hole tray is simple in structure, good in root control effect, high in adaptability, suitable for automatic seedling raising and transplanting operation and capable of meeting the seedling raising requirements of various crops.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of agricultural seedling raising, in particular to an air-root-control seedling raising plug and a processing method and application thereof. BACKGROUND

[0002] Seedling raising is a key pre-link in modern agricultural production, and the health degree of its root structure is directly related to the survival rate after transplanting and the growth quality in the later period. The common seedling raising plug at present is mostly made of plastic material, and the inner wall surface is smooth and has poor air permeability. In the seedling raising process, the plant roots are blocked when growing outward, and are prone to spiral growth along the wall, forming root mass winding phenomenon.

[0003] Root spiral growth not only seriously limits the natural downward growth and expansion ability of the roots, but also leads to low water and fertilizer absorption efficiency, slow root growth, prolonged slow growth period after transplanting, and easy occurrence of root rot and seedling death phenomenon, which is a technical bottleneck that has not been effectively solved in the seedling raising process for a long time.

[0004] In addition, the existing seedling raising container also has problems of root control relying on manual root pruning or chemical treatment, insufficient material air permeability, non-separable structure, single function design and the like, which also affects the seedling raising efficiency and quality to some extent. SUMMARY

[0005] In order to solve the above technical problems, the present application provides an air-root-control seedling raising plug, which adopts the following technical scheme: The processing method of the seedling raising plug provided by the present application comprises the following steps: 1. Material selection: selecting non-woven fabric or seedling raising paper as the flexible sheet material, with a thickness of 0.2mm-2.5mm, having air permeability and compression deformation ability. The air channel structure is formed by the internal gap structure and surface texture of the material body or mold embossing, so as to retain the bulkiness in the seedling hole wall area and realize the air-root-control function; In the preferred embodiment, the non-woven fabric can be non-woven fabric or non-woven felt, and the material composition can be selected from any one of the following: polypropylene (PP), polyester (PET), polyethylene (PE), polyamide (PA), viscose fiber (artificial cotton), polylactic acid (PLA), regenerated polyester (rPET) and PBAT composite fiber. These materials have good thermoplasticity, mechanical strength and forming stability, and are suitable for hot-press forming to prepare the seedling hole body structure.

[0006] 2. Mould design: design a mould structure with multiple seedling holes, each seedling hole is a deep cavity vertical wall structure, the cavity depth is determined according to the standard plug specifications and the root system characteristics of the crop variety, the cavity wall is a trapezoidal, rounded or circular structure with a near vertical or large upper and small lower shape. After the upper and lower moulds are closed, a spacing smaller than the original material thickness is reserved in the hole body area to retain a certain degree of fluffiness and form air channels; the mould edge is provided with a flanging section for improving the edge strength of the disc body and serving as a standard seedling disc cushion layer, facilitating mechanized seeding and preventing edge curling or separation.

[0007] 3. Forming processing: place the material sheet in the mould, close the upper mould and heat and pressurize to make the material plastically deform and set under the hot pressing condition. The hot pressing condition includes controlling temperature, pressure and pressing time, the parameter range of which is determined according to the material type, the temperature needs to be higher than the softening point of the fiber but lower than the complete melting point: When the material is a non-woven fabric, the hot pressing temperature is controlled to be 90-180℃, the pressure is 0.3-0.5MPa, and the pressing time is 1-5 seconds; When the material is seedling paper, the hot pressing temperature is controlled to be 90-120℃, the pressure is 0.2-0.4MPa, and the pressing time is 1-3 seconds.

[0008] Cooling demoulding and trimming: after cooling and setting, demoulding, cutting the excess part of the edge, and if necessary, regional cutting or single-hole tearing treatment can be performed according to the use requirements.

[0009] In further optimization of the structure, the mould pressing area can be provided with regular embossing structures such as plain, mesh, diamond, wave, pearl or dot patterns, which facilitate the formation of continuous or distributed root guide textures on the inner wall of the hole body, and enhance the root extension and air contact efficiency; segment-shaped protrusions can also be designed between adjacent seedling holes to form easy tearing line structures, which facilitate the separation and transplanting of the hole body in the later stage and meet the needs of automatic operation.

[0010] The seedling plug obtained according to the above processing method can be used as an independent seedling container, or can be used in cooperation with a standard seedling plug to serve as an air isolation cushion layer to improve the root control effect. The plug structure has strong adaptability, stable root control performance, and degradable or recyclable material, and is suitable for standardized seedling production of various vegetables, fruit trees and economic crops.

[0011] The beneficial effects of the present application are: 1. The present application retains the material fluffiness structure in the seedling hole wall area and forms air channels, so that the root tip of the plant is exposed to the air after penetrating the substrate, causing the root tip tissue to naturally dry out, thereby effectively preventing the root system from spiraling and winding, promoting the development of fibrous roots and lateral roots, and improving the structure and quality of the seedling body.

[0012] 2. The application avoids the problems of complex additional structure and uneven ventilation in the traditional process by selecting non-woven material with texture or using mold embossing forming process to simultaneously build root guide channel and hole structure during hot pressing, causing the root control function structure to be formed at one time, improving the root control efficiency and consistency.

[0013] 3. The application achieves the function of overall forming and local tearing of the seedling tray by setting a controllable breaking connection structure between the seedling holes, causing the tray body to be both integrally transportable and single-hole separable, facilitating transplanting operation and reducing mechanical damage to the roots and holes. 4. The processing method can be standardized in the hot pressing or embossing forming step of the pre-made textured material, meeting different market demands. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0014] Figure 1 is a sectional view of the seedling hole tray mold. Figure 2 is a top view of the seedling hole tray mold. Figure 3 is a sectional view of the seedling hole tray mold. Figure 4 is a top view of the seedling hole tray mold. Figure 5 is a sectional view of the seedling hole tray mold. Figure 6 is Figure 5 is a partial enlarged view of A.

[0015] 1, upper mold; 101, male die unit; 102, embossing; 103, flange; 2, upper mold; 201, concave structure; 202, segment-shaped protrusion; 203, flange groove. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0016] Hereinafter, the technology in the embodiments of the present application will be described clearly and completely in combination with the drawings in the embodiments of the present application; obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present application, rather than all the embodiments; based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without making creative efforts should belong to the protection scope of the present application. It should be noted that the embodiments in the present application and the features in the embodiments can be combined with each other without conflict.

[0017] The present application provides a processing method of air root control seedling hole tray, which is suitable for preparing a seedling container with air channel structure. The method comprises the following steps: The present application provides a processing method of air root control seedling hole tray, which is suitable for preparing a seedling container with air channel structure. The method comprises the following steps: 1. Material selection: Non-woven fabric or seedling paper is selected as the flexible sheet material, with a thickness of 0.2mm-2.5mm, having air permeability and compression deformation ability. The air channel structure is formed by the material's void structure and surface texture or mold embossing, to retain the porosity in the seedling hole wall area and achieve the air root control function; In the preferred embodiment, the non-woven fabric can be non-woven cloth or non-woven felt, and the material composition can be selected from any one of the following: polypropylene (PP), polyester (PET), polyethylene (PE), polyamide (PA), viscose fiber (artificial cotton), polylactic acid (PLA), regenerated polyester (rPET), and PBAT composite fiber. These materials have good thermoplasticity, mechanical strength, and forming stability, and are suitable for hot pressing to prepare the seedling hole body structure.

[0018] Mold design: a mold structure with multiple seedling holes is designed, each seedling hole is a deep cavity vertical wall structure, the cavity depth is determined according to the standard plug specifications and crop root characteristics, the cavity wall is a trapezoidal, rounded or circular structure with a near-vertical or large-up-small-down shape. After the upper and lower molds are closed, a gap smaller than the original material thickness is reserved in the hole body area to retain a certain porosity and form air channels; the mold edge is provided with a flanging segment to improve the edge strength of the disc body and serve as a standard seedling disc cushion, facilitating mechanized seeding and preventing curling or separation.

[0019] As shown in Figure 1 , 2 the upper mold structure schematic diagram, 101 is the convex mold structure corresponding to the seedling hole, 102 is the surface embossing texture structure for forming the air channel, 103 is the flanging segment structure provided on the edge of the upper mold, which is used to cooperate with the corresponding structure of the lower mold to press the edge of the seedling disc synchronously during the mold closing and hot pressing process, forming an upward or protruding flanging area, enhancing the edge rigidity of the disc body, preventing curling deformation, and improving the overall stability and operation convenience.

[0020] Figure 3 , 4 the lower mold structure schematic diagram, 201 is the concave mold cavity corresponding to the hole body shape, 202 is the shallow groove structure provided between adjacent seedling holes, which is used to form the easy-to-tear line structure with fracture guiding characteristics on the surface of the material, and 203 is the flanging segment structure provided on the edge of the lower mold, which cooperates with the flanging structure of the upper mold to jointly press the flanging part of the seedling disc edge, enhancing the structural integrity and mechanical properties of the formed boundary.

[0021] 3. Forming processing: place the material sheet in the mold, close the upper mold and heat and press, and make the material plastic deformation and setting under the hot pressing condition. The hot pressing condition includes controlling temperature, pressure and pressing time, and the parameter range is determined according to the material type: When the material is a non-woven fabric, the hot-pressing temperature is controlled at 90-180℃, the pressure is 0.3-0.5MPa, and the pressing time is 1-5 seconds. To ensure the adaptability of the present application to various non-woven materials, Table 1 shows the processing parameter ranges and adaptability effects of different non-woven fabric materials under different hot-pressing conditions: Table 1 Hot-pressing forming parameters of different non-woven fabrics / felts Material composition Thickness (mm) Hot-pressing temperature (°C) Pressure (MPa) Pressing time (sec) Polypropylene (PP) 0.5–1.0 110–140 0.3–0.4 2–4 Polyester (PET) 0.6–1.2 120–160 0.4–0.5 3–5 Polyethylene (PE) 0.5–1.0 90–110 0.3–0.4 2–3 Polyamide (PA) 0.6–1.2 130–170 0.4–0.5 3–5 Viscose fiber (artificial cotton) 1.0–2.0 100–130 0.3–0.4 3–5 Polylactic acid (PLA) 1.0–2.5 130–180 0.4–0.5 3–5 Recycled polyester (rPET) 0.8–2.0 120–160 0.4–0.5 3–5 PBAT composite fiber 1.0–2.5 130–180 0.4–0.5 3–5 When the material is a seedling paper, the hot-pressing temperature is controlled at 90-120℃, the pressure is 0.2-0.4MPa, and the pressing time is 1-3 seconds.

[0022] 4. Cooling, demolding and trimming: after cooling and setting, demold, cut off the excess part of the edge, and if necessary, perform area cutting or single-hole tearing treatment according to the use requirements.

[0023] In further optimized structures, the pressing area of the mold can be provided with regular embossing structures such as plain, mesh, diamond, wave, pearl or dot patterns, so as to form continuous or distributed root guide textures on the inner wall of the hole body, and enhance the root sliding property and air contact efficiency; segment-shaped protrusions can also be designed between adjacent seedling holes to form easy-to-tear line structures, facilitating the separation and transplanting of the hole body in the later stage, and meeting the automation operation requirements.

[0024] Specifically, referring to Figure 5 , 6 , the distance between the upper mold 1 and the lower mold 2 of the mold in the closed state is less than the thickness of the material, so as to retain the local thickness of the material during the pressing process, form an air channel structure distributed along the wall of the seedling hole, and enhance the root control effect and air permeability.

[0025] Specifically, the pressing area between the upper mold 1 and the lower mold 2 of the mold is provided with regular embossing 102, so that only part of the area is in contact with the sheet during the hot-pressing process, thereby forming regular or textured structures on the surface of the material, retaining the air passage and enhancing the air root control effect.

[0026] Specifically, the embossing 102 can adopt any one of dot, mesh or stripe.

[0027] Specifically, in some embodiments, the material in step 1 of the above method adopts a seedling paper which has good moisture absorption and certain embossing adaptability, and is suitable for forming an air channel structure by mold embossing, realizing the air root control seedling function with controllable cost and green environmental protection.

[0028] Specifically, the mold is provided with continuous and spaced segment-shaped protrusions 202 on the pressing surface of the connecting area between adjacent seedling holes, and the segment-shaped protrusions 202 press the material surface to form an intermittent thinning area during hot pressing, thereby forming an easy-to-tear line structure with a fracture guiding function in the formed seedling tray, so that the seedling tray can be conveniently torn and used in different areas without affecting the stability of the overall structure.

[0029] In another aspect, the application also provides a seedling hole tray with air root control function prepared by the above processing method.

[0030] Specifically, the seedling hole tray prepared by the above processing method can be used as an air isolation cushion layer, matched with a standard seedling tray, to enhance the root control effect during seedling and facilitate the whole tray to be taken out during transplanting; or used as an air exchange layer between the inner wall of a planting container and the substrate, to improve soil aeration and promote root development. It is suitable for use in standard seedling trays, brackets or independent cultivation containers, has good air root pruning effect, is suitable for automatic seeding and transplanting equipment, and is suitable for different seedling crop varieties.

[0031] Specifically, the seedling hole tray has sufficient structural rigidity and water and fertilizer carrying capacity, and can be used independently as a seedling container, suitable for direct seeding, seedling, watering and subsequent transplanting, and does not depend on a matched supporting structure.

[0032] The following several embodiments are listed to further illustrate the actual application mode of the processing method and the adaptation scene of the prepared product of the application: Embodiment 1 In this embodiment, polypropylene (PP) hot-rolled non-woven fabric is used as the processing material, with a thickness of 1.0 mm, having certain thermoplasticity and air permeability, and being suitable for hot forming.

[0033] Step 1: Material selection: polypropylene (PP) non-woven fabric sheet with a thickness of 1.0 mm is selected, which has a naturally formed micro-texture structure on the surface, which is beneficial to retaining local bulkiness and forming air channel structure in the inner wall of the seedling hole during hot forming, and realizing air root pruning function.

[0034] Step 2: Mold design: design and manufacture a set of upper and lower molds matching the standard seedling hole structure. The mold includes an upper mold 101 and a lower mold 201, and the inner surface of the upper mold is provided with a root guiding texture 102 for forming a longitudinal and transverse air permeable texture on the inner wall of the seedling hole during hot pressing; the mold edge is provided with a flanging section 103, 203 for pressing the flanging of the seedling tray edge to enhance the rigidity of the tray body. After the upper and lower molds are closed, a gap smaller than the original thickness of the sheet is formed in the mold cavity, so that part of the fiber bulkiness is retained and the air channel is constructed when the material is pressed.

[0035] Step 3: Forming processing: The PP non-woven fabric sheet cut to size is laid flat in the lower mold 201, and after closing the upper mold 101, the hot pressing equipment is started. The heating temperature is controlled at 140°C, the pressure is controlled at 0.4 MPa, and the holding time is 4 seconds. During the hot pressing process, the material softens and forms under the action of mold pressure. The root guide texture area forms longitudinal and transverse micro-channel structures on the surface of the sheet.

[0036] Step 4: Cooling, demolding and trimming: After cooling to room temperature while keeping the mold closed, the molded seedling plug is taken out of the mold, and the excess part of the edge is trimmed to make the overall size of the plug meet the standard size of the seedling plug.

[0037] The inner wall of the molded seedling plug has regularly distributed air channels, which allows the root tips of the plant roots to be exposed to air after penetrating the material during outward growth, naturally drying and breaking, inducing lateral root formation, and preventing root entanglement. The seedling plug can be embedded in a traditional plastic plug and used for the mid-term seedling of tomato, pepper and other fruit and vegetable crops.

[0038] Example 2 In this example, polyester (PET) needled felt material with a thickness of 1.2 mm is used, which has good three-dimensional support and air permeation porosity, and is suitable for hot forming.

[0039] Step 1: Material selection: A polyester (PET) needled felt sheet with a thickness of 1.2 mm is selected. The material structure is fluffy, and after forming, it can retain a large porosity and longitudinal and transverse air passage, which helps to improve the air permeability and root control ability of the seedling plug wall.

[0040] Step 2: Mold design: The mold structure is similar to that of Example 1. The inner surface of the upper mold is provided with a shallow groove type root guide texture for forming regular air passage grooves on the inner wall of the seedling plug during hot forming. The edge of the mold is provided with a flange structure 103, 203 to form a protruding structure on the edge of the molded plug. After closing the upper and lower molds, a gap smaller than the original thickness of the sheet is formed in the mold cavity.

[0041] Step 3: Forming processing: The felt sheet is cut and placed in the lower mold 201, and the upper mold 101 is closed and the hot pressing equipment is started. The heating temperature is controlled at 160°C, the pressure is 0.5 MPa, and the hot pressing time is 5 seconds. During the pressing process, the felt fibers are partially compacted under the action of mold pressure, but the porosity structure and elasticity are basically maintained, which is beneficial to the formation of air channel structure.

[0042] Step 4: Cooling, demolding and trimming: After cooling to room temperature, the molded seedling plug is taken out of the mold, and the excess material on the edge is trimmed.

[0043] The obtained seedling hole plate structure is rigid, has high water and fertilizer bearing capacity, and has perfect air channel structure, so that the root system is naturally exposed to air when growing outward to achieve the effect of root pruning. The plate body can be used independently, is suitable for long-period seedling of crops such as watermelons and tomatoes, and is also convenient for operation in cooperation with automatic transplanting equipment.

[0044] In this embodiment, plant fiber-based seedling paper is used as raw material, with a thickness of about 1.0 mm, having certain plasticity and biodegradability, and being suitable for hot pressing.

[0045] Step 1: Material selection: plant fiber seedling paper with a thickness of 1.0 mm is selected, which has good moisture absorption and is suitable for forming embossed structures in the hot pressing process to build air channels.

[0046] Step 2: Mold design: the mold design is similar to that of embodiment 1, but the hole body pressing area is not completely closed, so that the seedling paper forms a shallow ventilation texture on the hole wall; the upper and lower mold edges are provided with a flange structure 103, 203 for enhancing the stability of the plate body edge.

[0047] Step 3: Forming processing: place the seedling paper sheet into the lower mold 201, close the upper mold 101 and heat to 120℃, the pressing pressure is 0.4 MPa, and the hot pressing time is 3 seconds. The embossed area forms a fine corrugated root guide structure on the surface of the material, and the air channel form is retained in the area where the mold is not completely closed.

[0048] Step 4: Cooling demolding and trimming: after cooling, open the mold, take out the formed seedling hole plate, and trim the excess part of the edge and the easy-to-tear groove area.

[0049] The seedling plate is light and thin, has high forming efficiency and is biodegradable, and is suitable for automatic seedling mode of short-period crops such as Chinese cabbage, lettuce and cabbage. The root control structure effectively controls the growth direction of the root system and avoids root winding, and can realize directional transplanting with the plate and natural degradation in the soil.

[0050] In another embodiment, the seedling hole plate is prepared by using seedling paper material and cold pressing to complete the forming. Specifically, the seedling paper with a thickness of 0.5 mm to 1.0 mm is cut into a sheet, which is placed in the mold of claim 1, the upper mold is closed, and a pressure of 0.3 MPa is applied at room temperature for 3 seconds, so that the seedling paper maintains the embossed structure in the mold and completes the shaping. After cold pressing, the mold is directly demolded and the edge is trimmed to obtain the seedling hole plate. This method can form a clear air channel structure on the inner wall of the hole body, improve the air permeability and root control performance, and has the advantages of simple forming and low energy consumption.

Claims

1. A method of processing a plug tray, characterized by, The method comprises the following steps: Step 1, material selection: the material is selected from non-woven fabric or seedling paper, the material has air permeability and compression deformation capacity to retain local bulkiness and form air channel structure in the wall area of the seedling hole, the air channel structure can be constructed by internal gap structure, surface texture or die embossing, the thickness of the material is 0.2mm-2.5mm; Step 2, mold design: the mold is provided with a plurality of seedling hole structures, each seedling hole is a deep cavity vertical wall structure, the cavity depth is determined according to the number of seedling holes of the standard seedling tray and the growth characteristics of the target seedling variety, the cavity wall is nearly vertical or trapezoidal round corner or circular structure, the upper and lower molds are closed to form a gap therebetween, the gap is smaller than the original thickness of the material, and the edge of the mold is provided with a turned-up edge section; Step 3, forming processing: the material sheet is placed in the lower mold, the upper mold is closed and heated and pressed, and the material is formed in the mold under certain heat and pressure conditions, the heat and pressure conditions include control of temperature, pressure and pressing time; Step 4, cooling, demolding and trimming to obtain the seedling hole tray.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, The surface of the material in step 1 has one or more textures of flat grain, mesh, embossing, diamond, wave or pearl grain.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein, The pressing area between the upper mold and the lower mold of the mold is provided with regular embossing, and the embossing can adopt any one of flat grain, mesh, embossing, diamond, wave, pearl grain or dot-shaped grain.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein, The non-woven fabric in step 1 can adopt non-woven fabric or non-woven felt, and any one of polypropylene, polyester, polyethylene, polyamide, viscose fiber, polylactic acid, regenerated polyester and PBAT composite fiber can be selected as the material.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein, When the material in step 1 is non-woven fabric, the hot pressing temperature in step 3 is controlled to be 90-180℃, the pressure is 0.3-0.5MPa, and the duration is 1-5 seconds; when the material in step 1 is seedling paper, the hot pressing temperature in step 3 is controlled to be 90-120℃, the pressure is 0.2-0.4MPa, and the duration is 1-3 seconds.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein, The mold in step 2 is provided with a continuous and interval arranged segment-shaped protruding structure on the pressing surface of the connecting area between adjacent seedling holes.

7. A plug tray characterized in that, The seedling hole tray is prepared by the method of any one of claims 1-6.

8. The air-pruning nursery plug of claim 7, wherein, The seedling hole tray can be used with a standard seedling tray.

9. The air-pruning nursery plug of claim 7, wherein, The seedling hole tray can be used independently as a seedling container.

10. A method of processing a plug tray, characterized by, The method comprises the following steps: Step 1, material selection: cutting the seedling paper with a thickness of 0.5mm-1.0mm into a sheet; Step 2, forming processing: placing the seedling paper sheet into the mold of claim 1, closing the upper mold and applying a pressure of 0.2-0.4MPa at room temperature for 1-3 seconds to make the seedling paper maintain the embossing structure and be shaped in the mold; Step 3, demolding and trimming: opening the mold to take out the seedling hole tray and trimming the edge.

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