A pepper seedling cultivation pot and a pepper seedling cultivation method

Abstract

This invention discloses a chili seedling cultivation tray and a method for cultivating chili seedlings that facilitate transplanting. The chili seedling cultivation tray includes multiple rows of tray components. Each tray component includes a first part and a second part that can switch between an unfolded state and a folded state. Each part has a first half-pot unit and a second half-pot unit, and each part has a corresponding embedding groove and a fitting protrusion. When the tray components are in the folded state, the first half-pot units and the second half-pot units are combined one-to-one to form a seedling pot, and the fitting protrusion is embedded in the corresponding embedding groove. Both the first part and the second part have a first edge portion and a second edge portion. The first edge portion and the second edge portion of two adjacent rows of tray components are in close contact with each other, and the two close-contacting edge portions are clamped and fixed by hollow rods. The outer edge portions of the two rows of tray components on both sides are clamped and fixed by individual rods. The ends of all rods are fixed by retainers.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of pepper seedling cultivation technology for transplanting, and in particular to a pepper seedling cultivation pot tray that facilitates transplanting and a method for cultivating pepper seedlings. Background Technology

[0002] Chili seedlings have fragile stems and underdeveloped root systems. In automated transplanting operations, the traditional method of directly grasping the seedling stems with robotic arms can easily lead to stem breakage or separation of the seedling from the substrate block. To achieve damage-free transplanting, existing technologies typically employ deformable or modular seedling tools, but these still have many shortcomings.

[0003] In the prior art, patent CN105613106A discloses a seedling tray with variable pot volume, which increases the pot volume by setting through-holes in the left and right side walls and bending the tray to open the through-holes in the transplanting area. Although this solution can reduce the adhesion between the nutrient substrate and the wall, the pot wall consists of two parts and the through-holes are always open. During the early stages of substrate filling, seed cultivation, and later overall transportation, the lack of active locking restraint on the through-holes makes the pot body prone to unexpected cracking or deformation under external force or substrate expansion, which in turn leads to deformation, falling off, or detachment of the internal substrate blocks, failing to guarantee the structural stability of the seedling process. Similarly, patent CN109328744A also discloses a bottomless pot seedling tray with front and rear pot walls, which also utilizes the bending of the main body of the pot body when reaching the seedling placement position to increase the gap between the front and rear pot walls to achieve seedling placement. The gap between the front and rear bowl walls of this design also exists for a long time. During the mechanized conveying, substrate block filling and transfer stages, the lack of a stable limiting and locking structure makes it difficult to avoid accidental cracking in non-operational states, and there is also a risk of substrate block deformation and scattering.

[0004] Furthermore, patent CN107494041A discloses a novel seedling pot for cultivating camphor tree seedlings, which includes two semi-circular cylindrical pot walls. A "7"-shaped connecting lug is provided on the outer edge, and a square cylindrical connecting buckle slides down from the top to lock the two pot walls. However, this design is relatively independent and discrete. Each seedling pot requires a separate, cumbersome modular structure consisting of a base, two pot walls, and two connecting buckles, resulting in lengthy assembly and disassembly processes. This structure leads to high manufacturing costs and overly fragmented components, making it fundamentally unsuitable for large-scale, integrated cultivation and automated transport operations in modern agriculture. Summary of the Invention

[0005] Purpose of the invention: In order to overcome the shortcomings of the existing technology, the present invention provides a chili seedling cultivation tray that can provide highly reliable locking constraints during the seedling raising and transportation stages to prevent the substrate block from deforming and falling off due to the deformation of the seedling tray, and can also achieve reliable, batch, continuous and non-destructive removal of the seedlings from the pots during the transplanting stage. The invention also provides a chili seedling cultivation method.

[0006] Technical solution: To achieve the above objective, the present invention provides a chili seedling cultivation pot tray for easy transplanting and removal from pots, which includes multiple rows of pot row components arranged in rows. Each pot row component includes a first part and a second part that are connected to each other. The first part has a first half pot unit arranged in rows, and the second part has a second half pot unit arranged in rows.

[0007] The first and second parts of the pot rack component can switch between an unfolded state and a merged state; the first and second parts are respectively formed with corresponding embedding grooves and fitting protrusions; when the pot rack component is in the merged state, the first half pot unit on the first part and the second half pot unit on the second part are combined one-to-one to form a complete seedling pot body, and the fitting protrusions are embedded in the corresponding embedding grooves. The inside of the seedling pot body is used to fill substrate blocks for cultivating seedlings.

[0008] A first edge portion is formed at the outer edge of the first part, and a second edge portion is formed at the outer edge of the second part; the first edge portion and the second edge portion of two adjacent rows of bowl-shaped components are in close contact with each other, and the two in close contact edge portions are clamped and fixed by hollow rods, so that the first edge portion and the second edge portion are placed inside the rods; the outer edge portions of the two rows of bowl-shaped components on both sides are clamped and fixed by individual rods, so that the two edge portions of each bowl-shaped component are clamped and fixed by rods;

[0009] During the seedling stage, the ends of all the poles are secured by retainers.

[0010] Furthermore, a first edge protrusion is formed on the first edge portion, and a second edge protrusion is formed on the second edge portion; when the two adjacent edge portions are clamped and fixed by the rod, the first edge protrusion and the second edge protrusion protrude to both sides and are placed inside the rod to prevent the edge portions from falling out of the rod. For an edge portion clamped alone by the rod, its corresponding edge protrusion is also located inside the rod. In this invention, the rod is a hollow circular tube, and the outer wall of the rod has a slit extending along its axial direction.

[0011] Furthermore, the first part and the second part each have a first planar portion and a second planar portion; the embedding groove and the fitting protrusion are respectively formed on the first planar portion and the second planar portion. The first planar portion and the second planar portion are connected by a connecting portion that is thinner than both of them. In the unfolded state, the first planar portion, the second planar portion, and the connecting portion are flush. During the folding process to the combined state, the connecting portion deforms, while the first planar portion and the second planar portion do not deform. In the combined state, an open-top seedling pot is formed, with the first edge portion and the second edge portion located on both sides of the opening of the seedling pot, and the connecting portion located at the bottom of the seedling pot.

[0012] Furthermore, in the first part, an embedding groove is formed between every two first half-bowl units, and the embedding groove is also formed at both ends of the first part; in the second part, at least one fitting protrusion is formed between every two second half-bowl units, and the fitting protrusion is also formed at both ends of the second part, thereby forming a locking array with multiple points evenly distributed.

[0013] Furthermore, the retainer is provided with multiple retaining parts at equal intervals, and the retaining parts are through holes or slots; the ends of all the bars are respectively embedded in the retaining parts at corresponding positions and fixed to the retainer.

[0014] Furthermore, at least one of the first half-pot unit and the second half-pot unit has permeable holes at its bottom for draining excess water during the seedling stage.

[0015] A method for raising chili seedlings, based on the chili seedling cultivation trays described above that facilitate transplanting and removal from the pots, includes the following steps:

[0016] Step S1: Fold each of the pot row components from the unfolded state to the merged state to form a row of seedling pots; since the pot row components are formed by mold opening, their initial state is the unfolded state, and they need to be folded to make them the merged state.

[0017] Step S2: The folded bowl rack components are connected and fixed using the rods to form an array of bowls, and the rods are fixed using the retainer.

[0018] Step S3: Fill each seedling pot in the formed potting tray with substrate blocks and put in chili seeds to cultivate chili seedlings until the chili seedlings are cultivated.

[0019] Step S4: When transplanting is required, transfer the chili seedling cultivation pot to the transplanting assembly and remove the retainers on both sides.

[0020] Beneficial effects: The chili seedling cultivation tray and chili seedling cultivation method of the present invention, which facilitate transplanting and removal from the pot, have the following beneficial effects:

[0021] (1) The chili seedling cultivation pot of the present invention is composed of an openable pot rack component. The pot rack component is a component that is convenient for mass production by mold making. During the seedling removal stage, the substrate block containing the roots and the young chili seedling can be taken out as a whole by opening the first part and the second part. With the above structure, the substrate block can be directly grasped during transplanting, avoiding grasping the fragile stem of the seedling, effectively preventing stem breakage or root detachment from the substrate block, and ensuring the transplanting success rate and seedling survival rate.

[0022] (2) The setting of the rods can connect adjacent pot rack components, so that the pot rack components form a pot tray, and with the help of the retainer, the pot rack components are kept in a stable combined state, preventing the pot rack components from being accidentally opened during the seedling stage; on the other hand, during the seedling transplanting stage, the retainer is removed, and by applying opposite forces to the rods at the two edges of the pot rack components, the two are moved away, which can make the pot rack components open quickly, making it convenient to take out the potted seedlings along with the substrate block.

[0023] (3) By providing mutually cooperating embedding grooves and fitting protrusions on the first and second planar portions, a reliable locking force can be provided in the merged state. Through the above structure, it is ensured that the seedling pot will not crack due to the expansion of the substrate block during the seedling stage and during the seedling growth process, thus ensuring the integrity of the substrate block and the quality of seedling cultivation.

[0024] (4) During the transplanting process, the pot assembly is opened by acting on the pole, which is more reliable and stable than the existing method of opening the pot by bending. Attached Figure Description

[0025] Figure 1 A top view of the cultivation trays for transplanting chili seedlings from their pots;

[0026] Figure 2 Side view of the cultivation tray for easy transplanting of chili seedlings;

[0027] Figure 3 This is a structural diagram of the combined structure of the bowl-shaped rack components and the rods;

[0028] Figure 4 This is a structural diagram of the unfolded state of the bowl-shaped structure.

[0029] Figure 5 This is a structural diagram showing the closed state of the bowl-shaped components;

[0030] Figure 6 This is a diagram showing the combined structure of the conveyor chain and the seedling cultivation trays for chili peppers.

[0031] In the diagram: 1-pot assembly; 11-first part; 111-first half-pot unit; 112-first edge; 113-first edge protrusion; 114-first flat part; 115-embedding groove; 12-second part; 121-second half-pot unit; 122-second edge; 123-second edge protrusion; 124-second flat part; 125-fitting protrusion; 13-connecting part; 2-seedling pot body; 21-water permeable hole; 3-rod; 4-cage; 41-cage; 5-conveyor chain; 51-positioning component; 52-straight chain segment; 53-corner position. Detailed Implementation

[0032] The invention will now be further described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0033] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 The chili seedling cultivation pot tray shown is easy to transplant and remove from the pot. It includes multiple rows of pot row components 1 arranged in rows. The pot row component 1 includes a first part 11 and a second part 12 connected to each other. The first part 11 has first half pot units 111 arranged in rows, and the second part 12 has second half pot units 121 arranged in rows.

[0034] The first part 11 and the second part 12 of the bowl-shaped component 1 can be in an unfolded state (e.g. Figure 4 (as shown) and merged status (as shown) Figure 5 The first part 11 and the second part 12 are respectively formed with corresponding embedding grooves 115 and fitting protrusions 125; when the pot row component 1 is in the combined state, the first half pot unit 111 on the first part 11 and the second half pot unit 121 on the second part 12 are combined one-to-one to form a complete seedling pot body 2, and the fitting protrusions 125 are embedded in the corresponding embedding grooves 115, so that the first part 11 and the second part 12 remain relatively fixed to avoid opening due to elasticity or small external force. The inside of the seedling pot body 2 is used to fill substrate blocks for cultivating seedlings.

[0035] A first edge portion 112 is formed at the outer edge of the first part 11, and a second edge portion 122 is formed at the outer edge of the second part 12; the first edge portion 112 and the second edge portion 122 of two adjacent rows of bowl rack members 1 are closely attached to each other, and the two closely attached edge portions are clamped and fixed by hollow rods 3, so that the first edge portion 112 and the second edge portion 122 are placed inside the rods 3; the outer edge portions of the two rows of bowl rack members 1 located on both sides are clamped and fixed by individual rods 3, so that the two edge portions of each bowl rack member 1 are clamped and fixed by rods 3;

[0036] During the seedling stage, the ends of all the rods 3 are fixed by retainers 4.

[0037] The chili seedling cultivation pot of the present invention is composed of an openable pot rack component 1. The pot rack component 1 is a component that facilitates mass production by molding. During the seedling removal stage, the substrate block containing the roots and the young chili seedling can be removed as a whole by opening the first part 11 and the second part 12. With the above structure, the substrate block can be grasped directly during transplanting, avoiding grasping the fragile stems of the seedlings, effectively preventing stem breakage or roots from separating from the substrate block, and ensuring the transplanting success rate and seedling survival rate.

[0038] The rods 3 connect adjacent pot rack components 1, forming a pot tray, and work with the retainer 4 to keep the pot rack components 1 stably in a combined state, preventing the pot rack components 1 from being accidentally opened during the seedling stage. On the other hand, during the seedling transplanting stage, the retainer 4 is removed, and by applying opposing forces to the rods 3 at the two edges of the pot rack components 1, the two are moved away from each other, which allows the pot rack components 1 to be opened quickly, making it convenient to remove the seedlings along with the substrate block.

[0039] Preferably, a first edge protrusion 113 is formed on the first edge portion 112, and a second edge protrusion 123 is formed on the second edge portion 122; for example Figure 3 As shown, when the two adjacent edge portions are clamped and fixed by the rod 3, the first edge protrusion 113 and the second edge protrusion 123 protrude to both sides and are placed inside the rod 3 to prevent the edge portions from falling out of the rod 3. For edge portions clamped alone by the rod 3, the corresponding edge protrusion is also located inside the rod 3. In this invention, the rod 3 is a hollow circular tube, and the outer wall of the rod 3 has a slit extending along its axial direction.

[0040] Through the structural cooperation of the first edge protrusion 113 and the second edge protrusion 123, the bar 3 can form a physical anti-detachment buckle by using the protrusions when clamping the first edge portion 112 and the second edge portion 122. This structural design effectively prevents the bowl rack component 1 from falling off during transportation and increases the stability of the overall assembly structure.

[0041] Preferably, the first part 11 and the second part 12 each have a first flat portion 114 and a second flat portion 124; the embedding groove 115 and the fitting protrusion 125 are respectively formed on the first flat portion 114 and the second flat portion 124. The first flat portion 114 and the second flat portion 124 are connected by a connecting portion 13 that is thinner than both of them. In the unfolded state, the first flat portion 114, the second flat portion 124, and the connecting portion 13 are flush. During the folding process to the combined state, the connecting portion 13 deforms, while the first flat portion 114 and the second flat portion 124 do not deform. In the combined state, an open-top seedling pot is formed, with the first edge portion 112 and the second edge portion 122 located on both sides of the opening of the seedling pot, and the connecting portion located at the bottom of the seedling pot.

[0042] By providing mutually cooperating embedding grooves 115 and fitting protrusions 125 on the first flat portion 114 and the second flat portion 124, a reliable locking force can be provided in the combined state. This structure ensures that the seedling pot 2 will not crack due to the expansion of the substrate block during the seedling stage and during seedling growth, thus guaranteeing the integrity of the substrate block and the quality of seedling cultivation.

[0043] Preferably, in the first part 11, an embedding groove 115 is formed between every two first half-bowl units 111, and the embedding groove 115 is also formed at both ends of the first part 11; in the second part 12, at least one fitting protrusion 125 is formed between every two second half-bowl units 121, and the fitting protrusion 125 is also formed at both ends of the second part 12, thereby forming a locking array with multiple points evenly distributed.

[0044] By setting distributed embedding grooves 115 and fitting protrusions 125, the locking force can be evenly distributed across the entire pot assembly 1. This not only improves the overall structure's resistance to deformation but also further enhances the wrapping stability of each group of seedling pots 2.

[0045] Preferably, the retainer 4 has multiple retaining parts 41 arranged at equal intervals, and the retaining parts 41 are through holes or slots; the ends of all the rods 3 are respectively embedded in the retaining parts 41 at corresponding positions and fixed to the retainer 4. By providing retaining parts 41 at equal intervals on the retainer 4, all the rods 3 can be precisely positioned and assembled. Through the above structure, it is ensured that the potting unit 1 can form a regular array arrangement, preventing the seedlings from falling off due to accidental opening of the seedling stage unit, and at the same time facilitating the disassembly of the retainer 4 during transplanting.

[0046] Preferably, at least one of the first half-pot unit 111 and the second half-pot unit 121 has a water-permeable hole 21 at its bottom, which is used to drain excess water during the seedling stage. This can maintain air permeability and prevent the seedling roots from rotting due to water accumulation, which helps the healthy growth of plants with fragile root systems such as pepper seedlings and improves the quality of seedling cultivation.

[0047] The present invention also provides a method for raising chili seedlings, based on the chili seedling cultivation trays described above that facilitate transplanting and removal from the pots, the method comprising the following steps:

[0048] Step S1: Fold each of the pot-row components 1 from the unfolded state to the folded state to form a row of seedling pots; since the pot-row components 1 are formed by molding, their initial state is as follows. Figure 4 The unfolded state shown needs to be folded to become like this. Figure 5 The merged state is shown.

[0049] Step S2: Use the rod 3 to connect and fix the folded bowl-shaped component 1, as shown in the figure. Figure 3 As shown, the bowls are arranged in an array, and the rods 3 are fixed by the retainer 4. Figure 1 The above;

[0050] Step S3: Fill each seedling pot 2 in the formed pot tray with substrate blocks and put in chili seeds to cultivate chili seedlings until the chili seedlings are cultivated.

[0051] Step S4: When transplanting is required, transfer the chili seedling cultivation pot to the transplanting assembly and remove the retainers 4 on both sides.

[0052] The transplanting assembly includes a conveyor chain 5, such as Figure 6 As shown, the conveyor chain 5 has a positioning component 51 for positioning the rods 3. In this embodiment, the positioning component 51 is a support rod with a positioning groove at the top. The end of the rod 3 is placed in the positioning groove, and the conveyor chain 5 has a corner position 53 and a straight chain segment 52. When the rod 3 is located on the straight chain segment 52, the distance between the positioning components 51 remains unchanged, and all the pot-pack components 1 remain in a stable conveying state. When the pot-pack component 1 reaches the corner position 53, the distance between adjacent positioning components 51 increases, and a reverse force is applied to the rods 3 on both sides of the pot-pack component 1, causing the first part 11 and the second part 12 to open, making it easier for the robot to remove the substrate block along with the pepper seedlings. Opening the pot-pack component 1 by acting on the rods 3 is more reliable and stable than the method of opening the seedling pot by bending in the prior art.

[0053] The above method utilizes the geometric angle generated by the conveyor chain 5 at the corner position 53. By extending the adjacent positioning component 51, it automatically expands the rod 3, thereby opening the first part 11 and the second part 12. Through this method, continuous, row-by-row, non-destructive removal of seedlings from their pots is achieved, stem breakage is avoided, and the success rate of automated transplanting is improved.

[0054] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention. It should be noted that for those skilled in the art, several improvements and modifications can be made without departing from the principle of the present invention, and these improvements and modifications should also be considered within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A seedling cultivation tray for easy transplanting of chili seedlings, comprising multiple rows of pot-row components (1) arranged in rows, wherein each pot-row component (1) comprises a first part (11) and a second part (12) connected to each other, wherein the first part (11) has first half-pot units (111) arranged in rows, and the second part (12) has second half-pot units (121) arranged in rows; characterized in that: The first part (11) and the second part (12) of the pot rack component (1) can switch between an unfolded state and a merged state; the first part (11) and the second part (12) are respectively formed with a one-to-one corresponding embedding groove (115) and a fitting protrusion (125); when the pot rack component (1) is in the merged state, the first half pot unit (111) on the first part (11) and the second half pot unit (121) on the second part (12) are combined one-to-one to form a complete seedling pot body (2), and the fitting protrusion (125) is embedded in the corresponding embedding groove (115). A first edge portion (112) is formed at the outer edge of the first part (11), and a second edge portion (122) is formed at the outer edge of the second part (12); the first edge portion (112) and the second edge portion (122) of two adjacent rows of bowl-shaped components (1) are closely attached to each other, and the two closely attached edge portions are clamped and fixed by hollow rods (3); the outer edge portions of the two rows of bowl-shaped components (1) located on both sides are clamped and fixed by individual rods (3); The ends of all the bars (3) are secured by retainers (4).

2. The chili seedling cultivation tray for easy transplanting and removal from pots as described in claim 1, characterized in that, A first edge protrusion (113) is formed on the first edge portion (112), and a second edge protrusion (123) is formed on the second edge portion (122); when the two adjacent edge portions are clamped and fixed by the rod (3), the first edge protrusion (113) and the second edge protrusion (123) protrude to both sides and are placed inside the rod (3).

3. The chili seedling cultivation tray for easy transplanting and removal from the pot as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The first part (11) and the second part (12) have a first planar portion (114) and a second planar portion (124), respectively; the embedding groove (115) and the fitting protrusion (125) are formed on the first planar portion (114) and the second planar portion (124), respectively.

4. The chili seedling cultivation tray for easy transplanting and removal from the pot as described in claim 3, characterized in that, In the first part (11), an embedding groove (115) is formed between every two first half-bowl units (111), and the embedding groove (115) is also formed at both ends of the first part (11); in the second part (12), at least one fitting protrusion (125) is formed between every two second half-bowl units (121), and the fitting protrusion (125) is also formed at both ends of the second part (12).

5. The chili seedling cultivation tray for easy transplanting and removal from pots as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The retainer (4) is provided with multiple retaining parts (41) at equal intervals; the ends of all the bars (3) are respectively embedded in the retaining parts (41) at corresponding positions and fixed to the retainer (4).

6. The chili seedling cultivation tray for easy transplanting and removal from pots as described in claim 1, characterized in that, At least one of the first half-bowl unit (111) and the second half-bowl unit (121) has a water-permeable hole (21) formed at its bottom.

7. A method for raising chili seedlings, based on the chili seedling cultivation trays for easy transplanting and removal from pots as described in any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that, The method includes the following steps: Step S1: Fold each of the pot-row components (1) from the unfolded state to the merged state to form a row of seedling pots; Step S2: The folded bowl rack component (1) is connected and fixed using the rod (3) to form an array of bowls, and the rod (3) is fixed by the retainer (4); Step S3: Fill each seedling pot (2) in the formed pot tray with substrate blocks and put in chili seeds to cultivate chili seedlings until the chili seedlings are cultivated. Step S4: When transplanting is required, transfer the chili seedling cultivation pot to the transplanting assembly (5) and remove the retainers (4) on both sides.

Images