Planter for planting plants using air pruning and kit for making planter

Abstract

The present disclosure generally relates to a planter (100) for planting a plant (200) using air pruning and a kit for making a planter (100). The planter (100) comprises: an outer container (110) for planting a material (210) to plant the plant (200); and an inner container (120) for reducing the volume of the outer container (110). The inner container (120) includes an inner space (130) and apertures (132 / 134) to expose the plant root (202) to air in the inner space (130) to air trim the exposed root (202).

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This disclosure claims the benefit of Singapore Patent Application No. 10202112128V filed on November 1, 2021, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] The present disclosure generally relates to a planter for growing plants using air pruning and a kit for making the planter. Background Art

[0004] Existing planters for growing plants are usually in the form of rigid containers or pots made of plastic or ceramic. For example, planters are used for nursery production of woody species, but these usually cause the roots of plants to be severely deformed and circling at the base, especially if the plants are kept in the containers for a long time. The quality of root morphology and function after transplantation may be impaired over time. Root morphology is affected by various environmental conditions (such as water availability, nutrient status, physical barriers and biological damage), and is crucial for plants to adapt to unexpected environmental changes. In order to address the shortcomings of existing planters, technologies such as root pruning, chemical pruning and air pruning have been used to improve plant quality. These technologies can improve plant growth and yield, and they have been generally proven in a wide range of woody plant species.

[0005] Root pruning by undercutting is a common agricultural technique for woody plants, and stimulates the emergence of new roots with more lateral roots. Root pruning has been shown to be an effective means to promote lateral root formation, create high root density and improve the growth rate of new branches. Various reports have confirmed the efficacy of root pruning in various plant species. For example, root pruning improves root regeneration in the aerial roots of tropical grapes. For example, the root pruning of wheat increases the number of lateral roots and the amount of auxin content. For example, root cutting induces the production of cyclin B1 protein in the lateral root primordium of potato, and this occurs by activating auxin signaling. However, a disadvantage of root pruning by undercutting is that it is both time-intensive and labor-intensive due to the need to cut the roots individually. Another disadvantage is that the cut roots are exposed to the environment, making the roots and other parts of the plant vulnerable to environmental pathogens.

[0006] Chemical pruning can be performed using specially designed chemical pruning garden nursery containers. Chemical pruning is achieved by coating the inner walls of the container with various materials. These materials contain copper because copper can inhibit root tip growth, increase secondary root branching, reduce root circling, reduce root-to-shoot ratio, and promote root regeneration after transplanting. Containers coated with copper hydroxide on their inner walls are common commercial products that prevent root elongation by chemical pruning methods.

[0007] Air pruning of roots is a natural phenomenon in which the growing root tips dry out and stop growing when exposed to air. Air pruning is different from aeroponics, which is a technique for growing plants in a soilless environment in which the roots are always exposed to the air and sprayed with nutrient-rich mist. Air pruning of roots has been shown to effectively improve root vitality and root proportions, as well as the growth of aboveground parts of woody plants. Specifically, plants respond to air pruning of roots by producing more lateral roots and root hairs, resulting in healthier plants with younger and denser root systems. Air pruning of roots has now been developed into an effective method for reducing root deformities and regulating root growth. Commercial air pruning containers are designed to have holes on the sides of the container. Air pruning can also be performed by wrapping perforated plates around the soil instead of using containers. The roots will be exposed to the air via holes on the sides of the container or perforations on the plate. When the roots are exposed to the air through these holes and perforations, root tip elongation is inhibited. However, holes and perforations also expose a large area of ​​soil to the air, causing the soil to dry out and increasing water consumption.

[0008] Therefore, in order to solve or improve at least one of the above problems and / or disadvantages, it is necessary to provide an improved planter and method for growing plants using air pruning. Summary of the invention

[0009] According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a planter for planting plants using air pruning, the planter comprising: an outer container for containing planting material for planting the plant; and an inner container arranged in the outer container to reduce the volume of the outer container for containing the planting material, the inner container comprising an inner space, wherein the inner container comprises holes to expose the roots of the plant planted in the planting material to the air in the inner space, and thereby air prune the exposed roots. In the first aspect, the bottom region of the outer container comprises a lifting feature and / or holes to facilitate airflow into the inner space, the inner container comprises a closed bottom region facing the bottom region of the outer container, the closed bottom region of the inner container comprises holes, and the holes are optionally fluidly connected to the holes in the bottom region of the outer container.

[0010] According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, a method for planting plants using air pruning is provided, the method comprising: providing a planter, the planter comprising an outer container and an inner container, the inner container being arranged in the outer container to reduce the volume of the outer container for accommodating the planting material, the inner container comprising an internal space; filling the outer container with planting material, the internal space being free of the planting material; planting the plant in the planting material until the roots of the plant reach the inner container; and exposing the roots of the plant planted in the planting material to the air in the internal space via holes in the inner container, thereby air pruning the exposed roots.

[0011] According to a third aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a kit for making a planter for planting plants using air pruning, the kit comprising: an outer container for containing planting material for planting the plants; and an inner container for being assembled into the outer container, the inner container comprising an internal space, wherein when the inner container is assembled into the outer container, the inner container reduces the volume of the outer container for containing the planting material; and wherein the inner container comprises holes to expose the roots of the plants planted in the planting material to the air in the internal space, and thereby air prune the exposed roots.

[0012] According to a fourth aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided use of one or more of the planter, the method and the kit for growing plants in an indoor farm system.

[0013] Therefore, a planter and method for growing plants using air pruning according to the present disclosure are disclosed herein. Various features, aspects and advantages of the present disclosure will become more apparent from the following detailed description of embodiments of the present disclosure, which are provided by way of non-limiting example only, in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014] Figures 1A to 1E is an illustration of a planter for growing plants using air pruning.

[0015] FIG. 2A to FIG. 2C is an illustration of a planter used to grow plants without air pruning.

[0016] FIG. 3A to FIG. 3D Schematic representation of an experiment studying the root morphology of Arabidopsis thaliana plants and arf7 / arf19 double mutant plants grown using a planter with and without air pruning.

[0017] FIG. 4A to FIG. 4Cis a graphic representation of an experiment studying the root morphology of choy sum plants grown using a planter with and without air pruning.

[0018] FIG. 5A to FIG. 5C is a graphic representation of an experiment studying the root morphology of pakchoi plants grown using a planter with and without air pruning.

[0019] FIG. 6A to FIG. 6G is a graphic representation of an experiment studying plant growth and nutrient content of choy sum plants grown using a planter with and without air pruning.

[0020] 7A to 7E is a graphic representation of an experiment studying plant growth and nutrient content of pakchoi plants grown using a planter with and without air pruning.

[0021] Fig. 8A and Figure 8B is a graphic representation of an experiment to study the total chlorophyll content of choy sum plants and pakchoi plants grown using a planter with and without air pruning.

[0022] Fig. 9 is a graphic representation of an experiment studying postharvest leaf senescence of Chinese cabbage plants grown using planters with and without air pruning. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] For the purpose of brevity and clarity, according to the accompanying drawings, the description of the embodiments of the present disclosure is directed to planters and methods for growing plants using air pruning. Although the various aspects of the present disclosure will be described in conjunction with the embodiments provided herein, it will be understood that they are not intended to limit the present disclosure to these embodiments. On the contrary, the present disclosure is intended to cover alternatives, modifications and equivalents of the embodiments described herein, which are included in the scope of the present invention defined by the appended claims. In addition, in the detailed description below, specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present disclosure. However, those of ordinary skill in the art (i.e., technicians) will recognize that the present disclosure can be implemented without specific details, and / or have multiple details resulting from a combination of aspects of a particular embodiment. In many cases, well-known systems, methods, processes and components are not described in detail to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the various aspects of the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0024] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the description of a given element or consideration or use of a particular element number in a particular figure or reference to it in the corresponding descriptive material may include the same, equivalent or similar element or element number identified in another figure or descriptive material associated therewith. References to "embodiment / example", "another embodiment / example", "some embodiments / examples", etc. indicate that the (multiple) embodiments / (multiple) examples as described may include specific features, structures, characteristics, attributes, elements or limitations, but not every embodiment / example must include the specific features, structures, characteristics, attributes, elements or limitations. In addition, repeated use of the phrase "in an embodiment / example" or "in another embodiment / example" does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment / example.

[0025] The terms "comprise", "include", "have", etc. do not exclude the presence of other features / elements / steps than the features / elements / steps listed in the embodiments. The description of certain features / elements / steps in different embodiments does not indicate that the combination of these features / elements / steps cannot be used in the embodiments. The terms "one / a" ("a" and "an") are defined as one / kind or more than one / kind. Unless otherwise stated, the use of " / " in the drawings or related text should be understood as "and / or". The description of specific numerical values ​​or numerical ranges herein should be understood to include or be a description of approximate numerical values ​​or numerical ranges. The terms "first", "second", etc. are used only as labels or identifications, and are not intended to impose numerical requirements on the terms associated therewith.

[0026] Planter

[0027] In a representative or exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, Figures 1A to 1C As shown, a planter 100 for planting plants 200 using air pruning is provided. The planter 100 includes an outer container 110 and an inner container 120. The outer container 110 is used to hold planting material 210 to plant the plants 200. The planting material is preferably soil (such as potting soil or garden soil), but it should be understood that it can be other suitable materials, such as potting mixtures including ingredients such as compost and fertilizer. The outer container 110 includes a side area 112 and a bottom area 114. The inner container 120 is arranged in the outer container 110 to reduce the volume of the outer container 110 for accommodating the planting material 210. For example, the inner container 120 reduces the volume of the space in the outer container 110 by about 10% to 90%, but is not limited to this range. For example, the inner container 120 occupies an area of ​​about 10% to 90% (but not limited to this range) of the bottom area 114 of the outer container 110. For example, the height of the inner container 120 is about 10% to 90% of the height of the outer container 110 , but is not limited to this range.

[0028] In some embodiments, the inner container 120 is removably joined to or assembled with the outer container 110 so that the two containers 110, 120 are combined together in a functional relationship. The joining between the containers 110, 120 can be permanent or temporary, which will enable the inner container 120 to be removed or disassembled from the outer container 110. For example, the inner container 120 is removably joined to the outer container 110 using suitable fastening elements (such as strings, straps, cable ties, snap-fit ​​fasteners, and / or threaded fasteners). In some other embodiments, the inner container 120 is integrally formed or joined to the outer container 110 as a single unit or integral unit, such as by welding or molding.

[0029] The inner container 120 includes an inner space 130 in the inner container 120. The inner container 120 is arranged in the outer container 110 so that the volume of the outer container 110 is reduced by the occupation of the inner container 120, and this reduces the amount of planting material required to fill the planter 100. More specifically, when the outer container 110 is filled with the planting material 210, the inner space 130 creates an air volume or air pocket without the planting material 210. The inner container 120 includes holes to expose the roots 202 (particularly the primary roots) of the plants 200 planted in the planting material 210 to the air in the inner space 130, and thereby air prune the exposed roots 202.

[0030] In some embodiments, the inner container 120 includes a side region 122 and a top region 124 that define an interior space 130. In one embodiment, at least one of the side region 122 and the top region 124 includes holes to expose the roots 202 of the plant 200 to the air in the interior space 130. For example, the side region 122 includes holes 132 and / or the top region 124 includes holes 134. In another embodiment, all regions or surfaces of the inner container 120 include holes to expose the roots 202 of the plant 200 to the air in the interior space 130.

[0031] In such Figure 1A In some of the illustrated embodiments, the inner container 120 is integrally formed or joined with the bottom region 114 of the outer container 110, wherein the top region 124 of the inner container 120 is opposite the bottom region 114 of the outer container 110. In some other embodiments, the inner container 120 is integrally formed or joined with the side regions 112 of the outer container 110, wherein the top region 124 of the inner container 120 is opposite the side regions 112 of the outer container 110. The side regions 112 of the outer container 110 are preferably closed and do not have holes or perforations like the inner container 120.

[0032] Figure 1E Suitable dimensions of the outer container 110 and the inner container 120 are shown for an exemplary embodiment of the planter 100. Depending on the plant species and plant root type (such as taproot and fibrous root), the dimensions of the outer container 110 and the inner container 120 and the holes 132 / 134 may be adjusted accordingly.

[0033] method:

[0034] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, a method for planting a plant 200 using air pruning is provided. The method can be performed using various planters, containers or pots including the planter 100 as described herein. The method includes the step of providing a planter 100 as described herein. The method further includes the step of filling the outer container 110 with a planting material 210, and the inner space 130 is free of the planting material 210. The method further includes the step of planting the plant 200 in the planting material 210 until the root 202 of the plant 200 reaches the inner container 120. The method further includes the step of exposing the root 202 of the plant 200 planted in the planting material 210 to the air in the inner space 130, such as via the hole 132 / 134, thereby air pruning the exposed root 202.

[0035] For example, the side region 122 includes the holes 132, and the top region 124 includes the holes 134. The roots 202 will first grow and reach the top region 124, and continue to grow into the interior space 130 via the holes 134. Outside the interior container 120, the roots 202 will also keep growing and reach the side regions 122, and continue to grow into the interior space 130 via the holes 132. Roots 202 that are exposed to air pockets in the interior space 130 via the holes 132 / 134 will be air pruned.

[0036] Kits

[0037] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, there is a kit for making a planter 100, which is used to plant plants 200 using air pruning. For example, a home user can purchase the kit and make a planter 100 for their home gardening hobby. The kit includes an outer container 110 and an inner container 120 for assembling into the outer container 110. In particular, the inner container 120 can engage or be attached to a bottom area 114 or a side area 112 of the outer container 110. Suitable attachment elements or fastening elements can be provided at the outer container 110 and the inner container 120 so that they can be assembled together. These fastening elements can include string, band, cable tie, snap-fit ​​fastener and / or threaded fastener. The inner container 120 can be removed from the outer container 110, such as to clean the holes 132 / 134 and remove the roots 202 that have fallen.

[0038] In such Figure 2A and Figure 2B In one embodiment shown, the bottom region 114 of the outer container 120 covered by the inner container 110 may include holes 116 to secure the inner container 120 to the bottom region 114 of the outer container 110, such as by a string or band 140. The bottom region 114 of the outer container 110 may be elevated or include elevated features (such as elevated ridges 142) to facilitate airflow into the interior space 130. In one embodiment, the bottom region 126 of the inner container 120 is open, such that the periphery of the bottom region 126 is joined or integrally formed with the bottom region 114 of the outer container 110. The bottom region 114 of the outer container 110 may further include holes 118 to facilitate airflow into the interior space 130. More specifically, the periphery of the bottom region 126 is joined or integrally formed with the elevated ridges 142 at the bottom region 114, such that the periphery is not completely sealed and is exposed to the gaps 144 between the elevated ridges 142. Air can flow from the external environment into the interior space 130 through the holes 118 and the gap 144. In another embodiment, the bottom region 126 of the inner container 120 is closed and includes holes that can be in fluid communication with the holes 118 at the bottom region 114 of the outer container 110.

[0039] In some embodiments, the inner container 120 is integrally formed or joined to the outer container 110, such as by welding at the bottom region 114 of the outer container 110. The outer container 110 may include an opening for accessing the interior space 130. For example, the opening is disposed at the bottom region 114 for accessing the interior space 130 using suitable instruments to remove pruned roots and clean the interior space 130. The opening may also facilitate airflow into the interior space 130 and may optionally be closed by a lid.

[0040] The side regions 122 of the inner container 120 may be straight, truncated cone-shaped or curved. Figure 1C In one embodiment shown in FIG. 1 , the side region 122 of the inner container 120 gradually becomes a truncated cone from the top region 124 outward, so that the bottom region 126 is larger than the top region 124. Various examples of inner containers 120 having straight and truncated cone-shaped side regions 122 are shown in FIG. Figure 1D For example, the side area 122 is vertically upright or perpendicular to the bottom area 114 of the outer container 110. Alternatively, the side area 122 may be inclined to the bottom area 114 of the outer container 110. Further, the top area 124 of the inner container 120 may be horizontally flat (parallel to the bottom area 114 of the outer container 110) or curved, such as concave or convex.

[0041] experiment

[0042] Various experiments were performed to investigate the efficacy of planter 100 in growing plants 200 using air pruning as compared to growing plants 200 without air pruning. Plants 200 were grown using planter 100 including outer container 110 and inner container 120 using air pruning (i.e., under air pruning (AP) conditions), wherein inner space 130 formed an air pocket, such as Figures 1A to 1C The outer container 110 alone (ie, without any air pockets) is used to grow plants 200 without air pruning (ie, under non-air pruning (NAP) conditions), such as FIG. 2A to FIG. 2C For the sake of distinction, the outer container 110 for NAP conditions is referred to as a NAP planter 300 to distinguish it from the AP planter 100 (having an outer container 110 and an inner container 120). It should be understood that the NAP planter 300 can be any conventional pot or container.

[0043] Under the NAP condition, the roots 202 of the plants 200 planted in the NAP planter 300 grow continuously and form a circle at the bottom area 114, as shown in FIG. Figure 2C For a plant 200 grown in an AP planter 100 under AP conditions, when the root reaches the inner container 120, the tip of the primary lateral root 202 is exposed to the air in the inner space 130 via the holes 132 / 134. The root 202 dries out when exposed to the air, and this results in the formation of more lateral roots 202, such as Figure 1C As shown in .

[0044] An experiment was conducted to investigate the root morphology of some plants 200 grown under NAP conditions and under AP conditions. Two plants 200 were tested - Arabidopsis wild type (WT) (Col-0) (plant 200A) and the lateral root defective arf7 / arf19 double mutant (plant 200B). Seeds of Arabidopsis plant 200A and arf7 / arf19 plant 200B were germinated on 0.8% agar medium containing Murashige and Skoog basal salt mixture (MS), 0.5% MES (free acid) and 10 g / L sucrose. As Figure 3A and Figure 3B As shown in FIG. 1 , to generate NAP conditions, 5-day-old seedlings of Arabidopsis thaliana plants 200A and 5-day-old seedlings of arf7 / arf19 plants 200B are transferred to NAP planters 300. To generate AP conditions, 5-day-old seedlings of Arabidopsis thaliana plants 200A and 5-day-old seedlings of arf7 / arf19 plants 200B are transferred to AP planters 100 and 2 / 3 of the agar medium is cut off. Figure 3A and Figure 3B The arrow in the figure indicates the cutting plane of the agar medium. Arabidopsis thaliana plant 200A and arf7 / arf19 plant 200B were grown at 22°C and 100 μmol·m -2 ·s -1 The plants were grown in a growth chamber under long day conditions (16 hours light and 8 hours dark) at 60% white light and 60% relative humidity. The growth of Arabidopsis plants 200A and arf7 / arf19 plants 200B was tested under NAP conditions and under AP conditions to test the importance of lateral roots 202 in response to air pruning.

[0045] exist Figure 3C and Figure 3D The results of growth comparison of Arabidopsis plant 200A under NAP conditions and under AP conditions are shown in . The number of primary lateral roots 202 and root hairs 204 was higher under AP conditions than under NAP conditions, indicating that air pruning induced the formation of lateral roots 202 and root hairs 204 . Figure 3C The measurements of plant growth parameters in the 200A Arabidopsis plant were generated based on the mean ± SD (standard deviation) of 12 biological replicates. The statistical significance of the measurements was determined by a two-tailed Student's t-test and p-values ​​were calculated as Figure 3C The p value of 0.0128 is less than 0.05 which is statistically significant. It indicates strong evidence corresponding to 95% confidence level.

[0046] exist Figure 3B The results of the growth comparison of arf7 / arf19 plant 200B under NAP conditions and under AP conditions are shown in FIG. Although arf7 / arf19 plant 200B appears slightly smaller than Arabidopsis plant 200A under NAP conditions, the growth of arf7 / arf19 plant 200B is significantly affected under AP conditions, thereby showing the importance of lateral roots in response to air pruning. Therefore, this experiment shows that lateral roots 202 and root hairs 204 play an important role in the root 202 of plant 200 in response to air pruning.

[0047] An experiment was conducted to study the root morphology of some other plants 200 under NAP conditions and under AP conditions. Two leafy vegetable plants 200 were tested—Brassica rapa var. Parachinensis (plant 200C) and Brassica rapa var. chinensis (plant 200D). Seeds of the broccoli plant 200C and the Brassica rapa var. chinensis plant 200D were germinated on 0.8% agar medium containing Murashige and Skoog basal salt mixture (MS), 0.5% MES (free acid) and 10 g / L sucrose. One-week-old seedlings of the broccoli plant 200C and the Brassica rapa plant 200D were transferred to a NAP planter 300 and an AP planter 100 filled with planting material 210 (soil). The broccoli plant 200C and the Brassica rapa var. chinensis plant 200D were grown at 22°C, 100 μmol·m -2 ·s -1 The cells were grown in a growth chamber under long-day conditions (16 h light and 8 h dark) at 40% white light and 60% relative humidity.

[0048] exist FIG. 4A to FIG. 4C A comparison of roots 202 of 5-week-old Chinese flowering cabbage plants 200C grown under NAP conditions and under AP conditions is shown in FIG. Figure 4A Root phenotype or root appearance was compared (scale bar represents 5 cm dimension). Figure 4B Root lengths were compared, and Figure 4C Root fresh weights were compared. It was noteworthy that root length was significantly shorter under AP than under NAP, but root fresh weight was much higher under AP than under NAP. Figure 4B and Figure 4C The measurements of plant growth parameters in the 200C were generated based on the mean ± SD of 18 biological replicates of Chinese cabbage plants. The statistical significance of the measurements was determined by a two-tailed Student's t-test and p values ​​were calculated as corresponding to Figure 4B and Figure 4C As shown in . Figure 4B and Figure 4C P values ​​less than 0.001 and 0.05, respectively, are shown and are statistically significant. They indicate strong evidence corresponding to 99.9% confidence and 95% confidence, respectively.

[0049] exist FIG. 5A to FIG. 5C A comparison of roots 202 of 5-week-old Pakchoi plants 200D grown under NAP conditions and under AP conditions is shown in FIG. Figure 5A Root phenotype or root appearance was compared (scale bar represents 5 cm dimension). Figure 5B Root lengths were compared, and Figure 5CRoot fresh weight was compared. As with Chinese cabbage plant 200C, root length was shorter under AP than under NAP, but root fresh weight was higher under AP than under NAP. Figure 5B and Figure 5C The measurements of plant growth parameters in the 200D were generated based on the mean ± SD of 18 biological replicates of the 200D plants of the small cabbage bag. The statistical significance of the measurements was determined by a two-tailed Student's t-test, and the p-value was calculated as the corresponding Figure 5B and Figure 5C As shown in . Figure 5B and Figure 5C Both showed p-values ​​less than 0.05 and were statistically significant. They indicate strong evidence corresponding to a 95% confidence level.

[0050] An experiment was conducted to investigate plant growth and nutrient content, particularly vegetable yield and macronutrient and micronutrient levels, of 5-week-old Chinese flowering cabbage plants 200C grown under NAP conditions and under AP conditions. Fig. 6A and Figure 6B Shown are the whole plant and leaf arrangement of 5-week-old Chinese cabbage plant 200C grown under NAP conditions and under AP conditions. The scale bar represents 5 cm size. Figure 6C and Fig.6D As shown in , Chinese cabbage plants 200C grown under AP conditions were significantly larger, had 29.2% higher shoot fresh weight or biomass, and 46.3% more leaves than those grown under NAP conditions. The statistical significance of the measurements was determined by a two-tailed Student's t-test, and p-values ​​were calculated as corresponding to Figure 6C and Fig.6D As shown in . Figure 6C and Fig.6D Both showed p-values ​​less than 0.001 and were statistically significant. They indicate strong evidence corresponding to a 99.9% confidence level.

[0051] Quantitative analysis of 10 macronutrients and micronutrients was performed on 150 g of freshly harvested leaves of 200C of Chinese flowering cabbage plants. Macronutrients included nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), calcium (Ca), and magnesium (Mg). Micronutrients included copper (Cu), manganese (Mn), iron (Fe), zinc (Zn), and boron (B). All macronutrients and micronutrients except nitrogen were analyzed using inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES), and nitrogen was analyzed using a CHNS analyzer. Fig. 6E As shown in , quantitative analysis showed that the levels of macronutrients nitrogen, potassium, calcium, and magnesium were lower in leaves grown under AP conditions than under NAP conditions. Fig. 6EThe total nitrogen content shown in shows a p-value of less than 0.05 and is statistically significant. It shows strong evidence corresponding to 95% confidence level. Fig. 6F As shown in , quantitative analysis showed that the levels of micronutrients manganese, iron, and zinc in leaves grown under AP conditions were higher than those under NAP conditions. Fig. 6F The total iron content shown in shows a p-value of less than 0.001 and is statistically significant. It indicates strong evidence corresponding to a confidence level of 99.9%.

[0052] The Chinese cabbage plants 200C were divided into two groups—the first group was plants 200C having 1 to 5 leaves, and the second group was plants 200C having 6 or more leaves (numbered from the bottom)—and the antioxidant activities of the two groups of plants 200C were measured. Figure 6G As shown in , the antioxidant activity of 200C of Chinese cabbage plants grown under AP conditions was significantly higher than that under NAP conditions. The antioxidant activity was determined based on DPPH (organic compound 2,2-diphenyl-1-trinitrophenylhydrazine) inhibitory activity. Leaf discs were extracted using 80% acetone in a dark environment at 4°C for 24 hours. 20 μL of acetone extract was mixed with 180 μL of 0.3 mM DPPH in acetone and incubated at room temperature for 2 hours. The absorbance at 517 nm was then measured using a spectrophotometer and the DPPH inhibitory activity was calculated using the following equation. Abs 对照 Represents the absorbance of DPPH free radical and acetone, Abs 样品 Represents the absorbance of DPPH free radical and sample extract. Figure 6G P values ​​less than 0.05 (1 to 5 leaves) and 0.01 (6 or more leaves) and statistically significant are shown. They indicate strong evidence corresponding to 95% confidence and 99% confidence, respectively.

[0053]

[0054] Figure 6C and Fig.6D The measurements of plant growth parameters were generated based on the mean ± SD of 18 biological replicates of Chinese cabbage plants at 200C. FIG. 6E to FIG. 6G The measurements of plant growth parameters in the 200C were generated based on the mean ± SD of 3 biological replicates of Chinese cabbage plants. The statistical significance of the measurements was determined by a two-tailed Student's t-test and p values ​​were calculated as corresponding to FIG. 6C to FIG. 6G As shown in .

[0055] A similar experiment was conducted to compare plant growth and nutrient content of 5-week-old Pakchoi plants grown under NAP conditions and under AP conditions at 200D. Fig. 7A and Figure 7BShown are the whole plant and leaf arrangements of 200D 5-week-old Pakchoi plants grown under NAP conditions and under AP conditions. The scale bar represents 5 cm dimensions. Figure 7C and Fig.7D As shown in , the Pakchoi plants grown under AP conditions were significantly larger at 200D than those grown under NAP conditions, with a significant increase of 86.7% in new shoot fresh weight or biomass, and 14.2% in leaf number. Fig. 7E As shown in , the leaf area measurement showed that leaf No. 5 and leaf No. 7 (counted from the bottom) of the Pakchoi plant 200D grown under AP conditions were significantly larger than those under NAP conditions.

[0056] FIG. 7C to FIG. 7E The measurements of plant growth parameters in the were generated based on the mean ± SD of 18 biological replicates of Pakchoi plants at 200D. The statistical significance of the measurements was determined by a two-tailed Student's t-test, and p-values ​​were calculated as corresponding to FIG. 7C to FIG. 7E As shown in . Figure 7C and Fig.7D P values ​​less than 0.05 and statistically significant are shown. They indicate strong evidence corresponding to a 95% confidence level. Fig. 7E P values ​​less than 0.01 (leaf number 5) and 0.001 (leaf number 7) and statistically significant are shown. They indicate strong evidence corresponding to 99% confidence and 99.9% confidence, respectively.

[0057] An experiment was conducted to compare the total chlorophyll content of 5-week-old Chinese flowering cabbage plants 200C grown under NAP conditions and under AP conditions. The total chlorophyll content was measured by spectrophotometry and the measured values ​​were expressed as mg / g fresh weight. The Chinese flowering cabbage plants 200C were divided into 2 groups—the first group was older plants 200C with 1 to 5 leaves (because the leaves were aging and falling off), and the second group was younger plants 200C with 6 or more leaves. Fig. 8A As shown in , the older Chinese cabbage plants 200C in the first group grown under AP conditions had slightly higher total chlorophyll content than those under NAP conditions. The total chlorophyll content of the younger Chinese cabbage plants 200C in the second group was similar for both AP and NAP conditions. The measurements were generated based on the mean ± SD of 3 biological replicates and 3 technical replicates of Chinese cabbage plants 200C. The statistical significance of the measurements was determined by a two-tailed Student's t-test, and the p-value was calculated as Fig. 8A As shown in . Fig. 8A P values ​​greater than 0.05 and not statistically significant are shown. They indicate weak evidence corresponding to less than 95% confidence.

[0058] A similar experiment was conducted to compare the total chlorophyll content of 5-week-old pakchoi plants 200D grown under NAP conditions and under AP conditions. The pakchoi plants 200D were divided into 3 groups—the first group was the oldest plants 200D with 1 to 6 leaves, the second group was the plants 200D with 7 to 12 leaves, and the third group was the youngest plants 200D with 13 or more leaves. Figure 8B As shown in Figure 1 and like Chinese cabbage plant 200C, the older Chinese cabbage plants 200D in the first group and in the second group grown under AP conditions had slightly higher total chlorophyll content than those under NAP conditions. The measurements were generated based on the mean ± SD of 3 biological replicates of Chinese cabbage plants 200D. The statistical significance of the measurements was determined by a two-tailed Student's t-test, and the p-value was calculated as Figure 8B For the group with 13 leaves or more, the p-value is less than 0.01 and is statistically significant. It indicates strong evidence corresponding to 99% confidence level.

[0059] An experiment was conducted to study postharvest leaf senescence of 5-week-old Chinese flowering cabbage plants 200C grown under NAP conditions and under AP conditions. Six biological replicates of Chinese flowering cabbage plants 200C were stored in a dark environment at 22°C in plastic boxes for 2 weeks. Fig. 9 The visual appearance of Chinese cabbage plants 200C in selected days from day 0 (D0) to day 14 (D14) is shown. The scale bar represents a 5 cm dimension. Initially, before storage in a dark environment (at D0), Chinese cabbage plants 200C grown under NAP conditions had yellow leaves, while no visible senescence phenotype was observed for Chinese cabbage plants 200C grown under AP conditions. After 6 days of storage in a dark environment (at D6), the oldest leaves began to turn yellow for Chinese cabbage plants 200C grown under AP conditions. Therefore, Chinese cabbage plants 200C grown under AP conditions showed delayed post-harvest leaf senescence or leaf yellowing compared to those grown under NAP conditions.

[0060] The embodiments herein describe an AP planter 100 and a method for growing plants 200 using air pruning using air pockets (internal space 130) in the AP planter 100. The AP planter 100 can be used in a variety of environments, such as indoor agriculture for growing leafy vegetables. More specifically, one or more of the disclosed AP planter 100, the method for growing plants 200 using air pruning, and the kit for making the AP planter 100 can be used in an indoor farm system for growing plants 200, wherein the indoor farm system can be soil-based. When the AP planter 100 is used to grow plants 200, the plant roots 202 exposed to the air pockets and growing within the air pockets dry out and gradually die, thereby promoting lateral root formation, resulting in higher root density and higher new branch growth.

[0061] Thus, the AP planter 100 provides advantages such as improved new shoot growth through a denser and healthier root system, higher antioxidant activity, and better shelf life compared to growing plants 200 without air pruning. The roots 202 are naturally air pruned in the air pockets without the need for manual intervention. In addition, because the inner container 120 occupies a volume of space in the outer container 110, the overall volume of the outer volume 110 is reduced, and less planting material 210 will be required to fill the AP planter 100. Because the side areas 112 of the outer container 110 are closed (i.e., do not have holes or perforations like current air pruning methods that use perforated plates wrapped around the soil), less area of ​​the soil is exposed to the air. This reduces drying of the soil, helps retain moisture within the soil, and reduces water consumption. Because there is less soil area exposed to the environment, the roots 202 are less susceptible to attack by environmental pathogens.

[0062] The experiments described above have evaluated the advantages of using the AP planter 100 for air pruning to grow plants 200 compared to no air pruning. For example, air pruning of plant roots 202 has been shown to produce higher shoot biomass and root biomass in plants 200. The lateral roots 202 and root hairs 204 produced in response to air pruning increase the surface area of ​​the roots and aid in nutrient uptake. Because root morphology is highly correlated with root functions (such as anchoring, nutrient uptake, and water uptake), and in response to environmental cues. Plants 200 with well-developed, denser, and healthier root systems are more efficient in nutrient and water uptake, and have higher photosynthetic rates.

[0063] In experiments conducted on leafy vegetables (Chinese cabbage plant 200C and pakchoi plant 200D), it was found that when they were grown under AP conditions, root density increased. The results also confirmed that new shoot growth and nutrient uptake activity can be improved with a healthier root system. In addition, higher nutrient uptake activity led to increased micronutrient content, which regulated antioxidant activity, and showed that plants 200 grown under AP conditions had higher antioxidant activity than those under NAP conditions.

[0064] Plants 200 grown under AP conditions also exhibited a late senescence phenotype, which has been found in previous studies to be accompanied by an increase in yield and improved quality. Previous studies have also found that plants 200 with a delayed onset of postharvest senescence have shown higher nitrogen use efficiency than conventional plants 200 with a normal onset of senescence. Therefore, for plants 200 grown under AP conditions, delayed postharvest senescence of plant leaves can not only extend the life of the leaves, but also improve nutrient use efficiency.

[0065] The morphological phenotype of postharvest senescence appears to be dependent on the prevalent nutrient content in plant tissues. Nutrient limitation is one of the factors that induce the onset of senescence in older leaves, which disrupts the functional structure of the leaves and generates nutrients that are remobilized to develop young leaves in the apical meristem. Moreover, since delayed senescence phenotypes are indicative of plant health, plants grown under AP conditions 200 may have increased tolerance to abiotic and biotic stresses.

[0066] The AP planter 100 and experiments conducted to evaluate its performance provide new insights into achieving air pruning of plant roots 202. It should be understood that the growth of plants 200 under AP conditions may be affected by factors such as the design of the AP planter 100, plant species, root growth pattern, developmental stage of the plant 200, and environmental conditions. For example, the size and / or shape of the air pockets may be related to nutrient usage by the plant 200, and the configuration of the air pockets may be designed to optimize plant growth, particularly for growing vegetable crops.

[0067] Additive Manufacturing

[0068] The implanter 100 and its components can be manufactured by various manufacturing methods (such as casting, injection molding, laser cutting and CNC machining). In some embodiments, the implanter 100 or its components or a product including the implanter 100 or its components can be formed by a manufacturing process including an additive manufacturing process. A common example of additive manufacturing is three-dimensional (3D) printing; however, other additive manufacturing methods are also available. Rapid prototyping or rapid manufacturing are also terms that can be used to describe additive manufacturing processes.

[0069] As used herein, "additive manufacturing" generally refers to a manufacturing process in which successive (multiple) layers of material are provided on top of each other to "build" or "additively manufacture" a 3D component layer by layer. This is in contrast to some subtractive manufacturing methods (such as milling or drilling) in which material is removed successively to make a component. Successive layers are generally fused together to form an integral component that may have various integral sub-components. In particular, the manufacturing process may allow examples of the present disclosure to be formed integrally and include various features that are not possible when using existing manufacturing methods.

[0070] The additive manufacturing methods described herein enable fabrication of any suitable size and shape with a variety of features that may not be achievable using existing manufacturing methods. Additive manufacturing can create complex geometric configurations without the use of any kind of tools, molds, or fixtures, and with little or no waste. The only material used in additive manufacturing is that required to form the part, rather than machining a component from a solid billet of plastic or metal, much of which is cut away and discarded.

[0071] Suitable additive manufacturing techniques according to the present disclosure include, for example, fused deposition modeling (FDM), selective laser sintering (SLS), 3D printing (such as by jetting and laser jetting), stereolithography (SLA), direct selective laser sintering (DSLS), electron beam sintering (EBS), electron beam melting (EBM), laser engineered net shaping (LENS), electron beam additive manufacturing (EBAM), laser net shaping (LNS), direct metal deposition (DMD), digital light processing (DLP), continuous digital light processing (CDLP), direct selective laser melting (DSLM), selective laser melting (SLM), direct metal laser melting (DMLM), direct metal laser sintering (DMLS), material spraying (MJ), nanoparticle spraying (NPJ), drop on demand (DOD), binder spraying (BJ), multi jet fusion (MJF), layered object manufacturing (LOM) and other known processes.

[0072] The additive manufacturing processes described herein can be used to form components using any suitable material. For example, the material can be a metal, a plastic, a polymer, a composite material, or any other suitable material, which can be a solid, a liquid, a powder, a sheet, a wire, or any other suitable form or combination thereof. More specifically, according to exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, the additive manufacturing components described herein can be formed partially, in whole, or in some combination of materials suitable for additive manufacturing processes and suitable for the manufacture of the examples described herein.

[0073] As described above, the additive manufacturing process disclosed herein allows a single component to be formed from a single or multiple materials. Therefore, the examples described herein may be formed from any suitable mixture of the above materials. For example, a component may include multiple layers, segments, or parts formed using different materials, processes, and / or on different additive manufacturing machines. In this way, components with different materials and material properties can be constructed to meet the needs of any particular application. In addition, although the components described herein are constructed entirely by additive manufacturing processes, it should be understood that in alternative embodiments, all or a portion of these components may be formed via casting, machining, and / or any other suitable manufacturing process. In fact, any suitable combination of materials and manufacturing methods may be used to form these components.

[0074] Additive manufacturing processes typically manufacture components based on 3D information of the component, such as a 3D computer model (or design file). Therefore, the examples described herein include not only products or components as described herein, but also methods of manufacturing such products or components via additive manufacturing and computer software, firmware or hardware for controlling the manufacture of such products via additive manufacturing.

[0075] The structure of a product can be digitally represented in the form of a design file. A design file or computer-aided design (CAD) file is a configuration file that encodes one or more surface or volume configurations of the shape of a product. In other words, a design file represents the geometric arrangement or shape of a product.

[0076] The design file may be in any known or later developed file format. For example, the design file may be in a stereolithography or "Standard Tessellation Language" (.stl) format created for 3D Systems' stereolithography CAD program, or in an Additive Manufacturing File (.amf) format, which is an American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) standard based on the Extensible Markup Language (XML) format and is designed to allow any CAD software to describe the shape and composition of any 3D object manufactured on any additive manufacturing printer. Additional examples of design file formats include AutoCAD (.dwg) files, Blender (.blend) files, Parasolid (.x_t) files, 3D Manufacturing Format (.3mf) files, Autodesk (3ds) files, Collada (.dae) files, and Wavefront (.obj) files, but many other file formats exist.

[0077] The design file can be generated using modeling (e.g., CAD modeling) software and / or by scanning the surface of the product to measure the surface configuration of the product. Once obtained, the design file can be converted into a set of computer executable instructions, which, once executed by a processor, causes the processor to control the additive manufacturing device to produce the product according to the geometric arrangement specified in the design file. The conversion can convert the design file into slices or layers to be sequentially formed by the additive manufacturing device. The instructions (otherwise referred to as geometric codes or "G-codes") can be calibrated to a specific additive manufacturing device and can specify the precise location and amount of material to be formed at each stage in the manufacturing process. As discussed above, the formation can be by deposition, by sintering, or by any other form of additive manufacturing method.

[0078] The code or instructions may be translated between different formats, converted to a set of data signals, and transmitted, received, converted to code, stored, etc. as a set of data signals as needed. The instructions may be input to the additive manufacturing system and may come from a part designer, an intellectual property (IP) provider, a design company, an operator or owner of the additive manufacturing system, or from other sources. The additive manufacturing system may execute the instructions to manufacture a product using any of the techniques or methods disclosed herein.

[0079] The design file or computer executable instructions may be stored in a (transient or non-transient) computer readable storage medium (e.g., a memory, a storage device system, etc.) that stores code or computer readable instructions representing the product to be produced. As noted, when the code or computer readable instructions defining the product are executed by the additive manufacturing system, the code or instructions may be used to physically generate the object. For example, the instructions may include a precisely defined 3D model of the product and may be obtained from, for example, a computer system such as a computer system. The 3D information of the product can be generated by any of a variety of well-known CAD software systems such as DesignCAD 3D Max, etc. Alternatively, a model or prototype of the product can be scanned to determine the 3D information of the product. Therefore, by controlling the additive manufacturing device according to the computer executable instructions, the additive manufacturing device can be instructed to print out the product.

[0080] In view of the above, an embodiment includes a manufacturing method via additive manufacturing. This includes the following steps: obtaining a design file representing a product and instructing an additive manufacturing device to manufacture the product according to the design file. The additive manufacturing device may include a processor configured to automatically convert the design file into computer executable instructions for controlling the manufacture of the product. In these embodiments, once the design file is input into the additive manufacturing device, it itself can automatically cause the production of the product. Therefore, in this embodiment, the design file itself can be considered as a computer executable instruction that enables the additive manufacturing device to manufacture the product. Alternatively, the design file can be converted into instructions by an external computing system, and the generated computer executable instructions are provided to the additive manufacturing device.

[0081] In view of the above, the design and manufacture of the implementation of the subject matter and operations described in this specification can be implemented using digital electronic circuit systems, or in computer software, firmware or hardware (including the structures disclosed in this specification and their structural equivalents), or a combination of one or more of them. For example, the hardware may include a processor, a microprocessor, an electronic circuit system, an electronic component, an integrated circuit, etc. The implementation of the subject matter described in this specification can be implemented using one or more computer programs, that is, one or more modules of computer program instructions, which are encoded on a computer storage medium for execution by a data processing device or for controlling the operation of the data processing device. Alternatively or in addition, the program instructions can be encoded on an artificially generated propagation signal (e.g., a machine-generated electrical, optical or electromagnetic signal), which is generated to encode information for transmission to a suitable receiver device for execution by a data processing device. The computer storage medium can be or be included in a computer-readable storage device, a computer-readable storage substrate, a random or serial access memory array or device, or a combination of one or more of them. In addition, when the computer storage medium is not a propagation signal, the computer storage medium can be the source or destination of the computer program instructions encoded in the artificially generated propagation signal. The computer storage medium may also be or be included in one or more separate physical components or media (eg, multiple CDs, disks, or other storage devices).

[0082] Although additive manufacturing techniques are described herein as enabling the manufacture of complex objects by building objects point by point, layer by layer (usually in a vertical direction), other manufacturing methods are possible and within the scope of the present subject matter. For example, although the discussion herein relates to adding materials to form successive layers, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the methods and structures disclosed herein can be practiced with any additive manufacturing technique or other manufacturing technique.

[0083] In the foregoing detailed description, embodiments of the present disclosure relating to planters and methods for growing plants using air pruning are described with reference to the accompanying drawings provided. The descriptions of various embodiments herein are not intended to elicit or be limited to specific or particular representations of the present disclosure, but are merely non-limiting examples for purposes of illustrating the present disclosure. The present disclosure is intended to address at least one of the above-mentioned problems and issues associated with the prior art. Although only some embodiments of the present disclosure are disclosed herein, it is clear to a person of ordinary skill in the art in view of the present disclosure that various changes and / or modifications may be made to the disclosed embodiments without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, the scope of the present disclosure, as well as the scope of the appended claims, is not limited to the embodiments described herein.

Claims

1. A planter for planting plants using air pruning, the planter comprising: an outer container for containing planting material for growing the plants; as well as an inner container, the inner container being arranged in the outer container to reduce the volume of the outer container for accommodating the planting material, the inner container comprising an inner space, wherein the inner container includes holes to expose the roots of the plants planted in the planting material to the air in the inner space and thereby air prune the exposed roots, Its characteristic is that the height of the inner container is 10% to 90% of the height of the outer container.

2. The planter according to claim 1, wherein: The inner container is integrally formed with the outer container.

3. The planter according to claim 1, wherein: The inner container is removable from the outer container.

4. The planter according to claim 3, wherein: The inner container is removably coupled to the outer container by a string, a strap, a cable tie, a snap-fit ​​fastener, and / or a threaded fastener.

5. The planter according to claim 1, wherein: The inner container is integrally formed with or joined to a bottom region of the outer container, the inner container including a top region and side regions defining the inner space, the top region of the inner container being opposite to the bottom region of the outer container.

6. The planter according to claim 5, wherein: The side regions of the inner container gradually become truncated cone-shaped outwardly from the top region.

7. The planter according to claim 5, wherein: The side regions of the inner container are perpendicular to the bottom region of the outer container.

8. The planter according to claim 5, wherein: The top region and / or the side region of the inner container includes the holes to expose the roots of the plants to the inner space.

9. The planter according to claim 1, wherein: All surfaces of the inner container include the holes to expose the roots of the plant to the inner space.

10. The planter according to claim 1, wherein: The bottom region of the outer container includes raised features and / or holes to facilitate airflow into the interior space.

11. The planter according to claim 10, wherein: The inner container comprises a closed bottom region facing the bottom region of the outer container, the closed bottom region of the inner container comprising an aperture, optionally in fluid communication with an aperture in the bottom region of the outer container.

12. The planter according to claim 1, wherein: The inner container is integrally formed with or joined to a side region of the outer container, the inner container including a top region and a side region defining the inner space, the top region of the inner container being opposite to the side region of the outer container.

13. The planter according to claim 1, wherein: The inner container is integrally formed with the outer container, and the outer container comprises an opening for accessing the inner space, wherein the opening is optionally closed by a lid.

14. A kit for making a planter for growing plants using air pruning, the kit comprising: an outer container for containing planting material for growing the plants; as well as an inner container, the inner container being used to be assembled into the outer container, the inner container comprising an inner space, wherein, when the inner container is assembled into the outer container, the inner container reduces the volume of the outer container for accommodating the planting material; and wherein the inner container includes holes to expose the roots of the plants planted in the planting material to the air in the inner space and thereby air prune the exposed roots, Its characteristic is that the height of the inner container is 10% to 90% of the height of the outer container.

15. The kit of claim 14, wherein: The inner container may be removably engageable to the outer container via a string, a strap, a cable tie, a snap-fit ​​fastener, and / or a threaded fastener.

16. The kit of claim 14, wherein: The inner container is removably engageable to a bottom region of the outer container, the inner container including a top region and side regions defining the interior space, the top region of the inner container being opposite to the bottom region of the outer container.

17. The kit of claim 16, wherein: The side regions of the inner container gradually become truncated cone-shaped outwardly from the top region.

18. The kit of claim 16, wherein: When the inner container is assembled into the outer container, a top region of the inner container is opposite to a bottom region of the outer container, and a side region of the inner container is perpendicular to the bottom region of the outer container.

19. The kit of claim 16, wherein: The top region and / or the side region of the inner container includes the holes to expose the roots of the plants to the inner space.

20. The kit of claim 14, wherein: All surfaces of the inner container include the holes to expose the roots of the plant to the inner space.

21. The kit of claim 14, wherein: The bottom region of the outer container includes raised features and / or holes to facilitate airflow into the interior space.

22. The kit of claim 21, wherein: The inner container comprises a closed bottom region comprising an aperture for optional fluid communication with an aperture in the bottom region of the outer container.

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