Seedling box and transplantation apparatus

Abstract

To provide a technique for suppressing entanglement among leaves and suppressing conveyance defect in a seedling box used in a transplantation apparatus.SOLUTION: A seedling box 9 for raising a plurality of pot seedlings, has a plurality of seedling chambers 91 and gripping parts 92. The seedling chambers 91 are arranged in a conveyance direction and a width direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction, and are recessed downward in a cup-shape. The gripping parts 92 are arranged along end sides on both sides in a width direction of the seedling box 9. A gap D1 between the seedling chambers 91 in a width direction is larger than a gap D2 between the seedling chambers 91 in a conveyance direction. Thus, spreading of pot seedlings N in a lateral direction is suppressed, and entanglement of stems and leaves of a plurality of pot seedlings arrayed in a width direction is suppressed. This makes it possible to suppress conveyance defect.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a seedling tray and a transplanting device. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, as a transplanter for transplanting seedlings of rice, vegetables, etc., into a farm field, a transplanter for transplanting potted seedlings grown in a seedling box into a farm field has been known. A transplanter for transplanting potted vegetable seedlings grown in a seedling box into a farm field is described in, for example, Patent Document 1. FIG. 8 is a top view of a seedling box (9) used in Patent Document 1. FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a transplanting section (20) of the transplanter in Patent Document 1.

[0003] As shown in Fig. 8, seedling chambers (91) for growing pot seedlings are aligned in the transport direction and width direction in each seedling box (9) described in Patent Document 1. As shown in Fig. 9, the transplanter described in Patent Document 1 is provided with a push rod (421) for pushing out pot seedlings at once from ten seedling chambers (91) aligned in the width direction of the seedling box (9) transported by the seedling box transport section (41).

[0004] The ten pot seedlings pushed out at the same time are turned over by the seedling turning section (43), transported horizontally by the lateral feed belt (51) of the seedling transport section (32), and then sent one by one to the vertical feed belt (52) and planted in the field by the planting section (3). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2023-37687 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] In this way, when pot seedlings are removed from a seedling tray and planted using a transplanter, if the leaves of adjacent pot seedlings become tangled, the tangled seedlings may not be properly handed over to the subsequent seedling transport path when removed from the seedling tray, or multiple pot seedlings removed at the same time may not be able to be separated one by one, resulting in the planting of two or more plants.

[0007] For this reason, in the past, for vegetables whose leaves tend to spread, measures were taken such as transplanting them while the leaves were still young. However, when it is desired to extend the growing period in the seedling tray, or when transplanting vegetables whose leaves tend to spread, there was still a need for a method to prevent the leaves from getting tangled.

[0008] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and aims to provide a technology that prevents leaves from becoming entangled and prevents transportation problems in seedling trays used in transplanting devices. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] In order to solve the above problems, the first invention of the present application is a seedling box for growing a plurality of pot seedlings, which has a plurality of downwardly concave cup-shaped seedling chambers arranged at intervals from each other in a transport direction and a width direction perpendicular to the transport direction, and a gripping portion arranged along both end edges in the width direction, and the widthwise spacing between the seedling chambers is greater than the transport direction spacing between the seedling chambers.

[0010] A second aspect of the present invention is the seedling tray of the first aspect, wherein the widthwise interval between the seedling chambers is 1.3 times or more the diameter of the upper end of the seedling chamber.

[0011] A third invention of the present application is the seedling tray of the second invention, wherein the widthwise interval between the seedling chambers is 1.4 times or more the diameter of the upper end of the seedling chamber.

[0012] The fourth invention of the present application is a seedling tray of any one of the first to third inventions, wherein the gripping portion has a plurality of gripping holes arranged at intervals in the transport direction, and the spacing between the gripping holes in the transport direction is the same as the spacing between the seedling chambers in the transport direction.

[0013] The fifth invention of the present application is a transplanting device for transplanting a plurality of pot seedlings held in seedling boxes into a farm field, comprising a seedling box transporting section which transports the seedling boxes of any one of the first to fourth inventions in the transport direction at a predetermined pitch, a seedling removal section which removes the pot seedlings from the seedling boxes, and a planting section which plants the pot seedlings handed over from the seedling removal section into the farm field, wherein the seedling removal section has a plurality of extrusion rods which are arranged at intervals in the width direction relative to the seedling boxes transported by the seedling box transporting section and which are inserted into the interior of the seedling chamber through through holes or notches provided in the bottom of the seedling chamber, and the widthwise spacing between the extrusion rods is greater than the transport pitch of the seedling box transporting section. Effect of the Invention

[0014] According to the first to fifth aspects of the present invention, the lateral spread of the potted seedlings is suppressed, and the stems and leaves of multiple potted seedlings arranged in the width direction are prevented from becoming entangled with each other. This makes it possible to suppress transport defects.

[0015] In particular, according to the second aspect of the present invention, the transport accuracy can be improved.

[0016] In particular, according to the third aspect of the present invention, the conveying accuracy can be further improved.

[0017] In particular, according to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the transport pitch of the seedling boxes in the transplanting device can be easily matched with the spacing in the transport direction of the seedling chambers. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0018] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a seedling tray according to one embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a top view of a seedling tray according to one embodiment. [Diagram 3]FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a seedling box and a pot seedling according to one embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a side view of an implant device according to one embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a side view of the seedling removal section according to one embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a side view of the seedling removal section according to one embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 13 shows experimental results. [Figure 8] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a conventional seedling tray. [Figure 9] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an implant portion of a conventional implant device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0019] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In this application, the direction in which the seedling tray moves in the transplanting device is referred to as the "transport direction," and the direction perpendicular to the transport direction is referred to as the "width direction." In addition, the up-down direction is defined as the front side relative to the back side of the seedling tray being the "upper" side, and the back side relative to the front side being the "lower" side.

[0020] In this application, the moving direction of the transplantation device is referred to as the “forward direction”, and the opposite direction to the moving direction of the transplantation device is referred to as the “rear direction”. In this application, the up-down direction is defined according to the posture of the transplantation device when in use, and the direction perpendicular to the front-back direction and the up-down direction is referred to as the left-right direction.

[0021] <1.About seedling trays> Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a seedling box 9 according to one embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a top view of the seedling box 9. Fig. 3 is a conceptual cross-sectional view of the seedling box 9 and a pot seedling N grown in the seedling box 9. The seedling box 9 of this embodiment is a seedling box for growing seedlings such as Chinese cabbage and broccoli.

[0022] The seedling box 9 has a rectangular shape when viewed from above. The longitudinal direction of the seedling box 9 corresponds to the direction in which the seedlings are transported in the transplanting device. The lateral direction of the seedling box 9 corresponds to the width direction perpendicular to the transport direction.

[0023] The seedling box 9 has a plurality of seedling chambers 91 arranged two-dimensionally at intervals in the transport direction and the width direction. The seedling chamber 91 is cup-shaped and recessed downward from the front side to the back side. That is, the seedling chamber 91 has an opening on the front side (upper side) of the seedling box 9 and a bottom on the back side (lower side) of the seedling box 9.

[0024] 1 and 2, the seedling chamber 91 is circular in top view, and as shown in Fig. 3, the seedling chamber 91 gradually narrows in diameter from the upper end toward the bottom.

[0025] A bottom hole 911 is provided at the bottom of the seedling chamber 91. In this embodiment, the bottom hole 911 is Y-shaped. The bottom hole 911 may be a simple circular or rectangular through-hole, or may be a Y-shaped or cross-shaped notch.

[0026] As shown in Fig. 2, the widthwise distance D1 between the seedling chambers 91 is greater than the transport direction distance D2 between the seedling chambers 91. Here, the widthwise distance D1 between the seedling chambers 91 is the distance between the widthwise centers of adjacent seedling chambers 91 as shown in Fig. 3. Similarly, the transport direction distance D2 between the seedling chambers 91 is the distance between the transport direction centers of adjacent seedling chambers 91.

[0027] In this embodiment, the diameter R of the seedling chamber 91 is approximately 23 mm. The diameter R of the seedling chamber 91 is the diameter of the upper end of the seedling chamber 91. The widthwise spacing D1 of the seedling chamber 91 is approximately 37 mm. That is, the widthwise spacing D1 of the seedling chamber 91 is approximately 1.6 times the diameter R of the seedling chamber 91. The transport direction spacing D2 of the seedling chamber 91 is approximately 28 mm. That is, the transport direction spacing D2 of the seedling chamber 91 is approximately 1.2 times the diameter R of the seedling chamber 91.

[0028] The seedling box 9 also has gripping parts 92 arranged along both ends of the width direction of the seedling box 9. The gripping parts 92 have a plurality of gripping holes 920 arranged at intervals in the transport direction. The interval between the gripping holes 920 in the transport direction is the same as the interval between the seedling chambers 91 in the transport direction. When the pot seedlings N in the seedling box 9 are transplanted to a field using the transplanting device 1 described later, a part of the transplanting device 1 engages with the gripping holes 920 and moves in the transport direction, thereby transporting the seedling box 9 in the transport direction. Therefore, since the interval between the gripping holes 920 in the transport direction is the same as the interval between the seedling chambers 91 in the transport direction, it is easy to match the transport pitch of the seedling box 9 with the interval between the seedling chambers 91 in the transport direction in the transplanting device 1.

[0029] After putting soil into each seedling chamber 91, seeds are sown in each seedling chamber 91 and grown, to obtain a plurality of pot seedlings N as shown in Fig. 3. The pot seedlings N are composed of a root portion N1 formed of soil and roots in the seedling chamber 91, and a stem and leaf portion N2 extending from the root portion N1. The grown pot seedlings N are placed in the seedling boxes 9 together with the seedling boxes 9 on the transplanting device 1 while still contained therein.

[0030] <2. Configuration of the implantation device> 4 is a side view of the transplanting device 1. This transplanting device 1 is a device that transplants pot seedlings N of multiple vegetables grown in seedling boxes 9 into a farm field. The transplanting device 1 of this embodiment is a so-called riding type transplanting device. This transplanting device 1 transplants the pot seedlings N one by one into the farm field while self-propelled by the driving force of an installed engine 111. An operator takes out an empty seedling box 9, supplies a new seedling box 9, and operates the transplanting device 1 while sitting in the seat 13 of the transplanting device 1.

[0031] As shown in FIG. 4, the transplanting device 1 has a main body portion 11, wheels 12, a seat 13, an operating portion 14, a seedling tray placing stand 15, and a transplanting portion 20.

[0032] The main body 11 has an engine 111 and a power transmission mechanism that transmits the power output from the engine 111 to the transplanting unit 20 via a PTO shaft. The wheels 12 support the main body 11, the seat 13, the operation unit 14, the seedling box mounting table 15, and the transplanting unit 20 so that they can move freely. The wheels 12 rotate by the power output from the engine 111, causing the transplanting device 1 to move.

[0033] The seat 13, operation unit 14, and seedling box placement platform 15 are provided at the rear of the main body 11. The operation unit 14 is located in front of the seat and is operated by an operator sitting in the seat 13. The operation unit 14 has a handle 141 that is held by the operator when using the transplanting device 1, and an operation lever 142 for operating each part of the transplanting device 1. The seedling box placement platform 15 is capable of placing seedling boxes before or after transplanting.

[0034] The transplanting section 20 takes out the pot seedlings N from the seedling box 9 and transplants them into the field. As shown in FIG. 4, the transplanting section 20 has a seedling take-out section 21, a seedling transport section 22, and two seedling planting sections 23 on the left and right. The seedling take-out section 21 transports the seedling box 9 while taking out the pot seedlings N from the seedling box 9 and transfers them to the seedling transport section 22. The seedling transport section 22 transports the pot seedlings N received from the seedling take-out section 21 separately to the left and right, and transfers them to the seedling planting sections 23 on the left and right. The seedling planting section 23 has a planting cup 230 that moves up and down. The planting cup 230 receives the pot seedlings N from the seedling transport section 22 at the top and plants the pot seedlings N in the field at the bottom. The two seedling planting sections 23 on the left and right allow two rows of pot seedlings N to be planted at the same time.

[0035] 5 and 6 are side views of the seedling removal section 21 of the transplanting section 20. FIG. 5 shows the push rod 320 in a standby state, and FIG. 6 shows the push rod 320 in a pushed state. In FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, the transport path of the seedling boxes 9 is indicated by dashed arrows. As shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, the seedling removal section 21 has a seedling box transport section 31, a seedling push-out section 32, and a seedling inversion section 33.

[0036] The seedling box transport section 31 has a seedling box placement surface 311 and a seedling box sending section 312. The seedling box placement surface 311 is arranged along the transport path of the seedling box 9. When performing transplantation processing, the seedling box 9 in which the pot seedlings N are grown is arranged so that the bottom of the seedling room 91 is along the seedling box placement surface 311. The seedling box sending section 312 sends out the seedling box 9 by hooking a transport claw (not shown) on the gripping hole 920 of the seedling box 9. As a result, the seedling box 9 is transported in the transport direction along the transport path at a predetermined transport pitch. At this time, since the seedling box sending section 312 sends out the seedling box 9 using the gripping hole 920, the transport pitch in the seedling box transport section 31 is the same as the interval between the gripping holes 920. In other words, the transport pitch in the seedling box transport section 31 is the same as the interval between the seedling rooms 91 of the seedling box 9 in the transport direction.

[0037] The seedling pushing-out unit 32 pushes out the roots N1 of the pot seedlings N accommodated in the seedling box 9 from the seedling chamber 91 in the middle of the transport path of the seedling box 9, and takes out the pot seedlings N. The seedling pushing-out unit 32 has a plurality of pushing rods 320 arranged approximately horizontally. The widthwise (left-right) spacing between the pushing rods 320 is the same as the widthwise spacing between the seedling chambers 91 of the seedling box 9. Here, in the seedling box 9, the widthwise spacing between the seedling chambers 91 is greater than the spacing between the seedling chambers 91 in the transport direction. In other words, the widthwise spacing between the pushing rods 320 is greater than the transport pitch in the seedling box transport unit 31.

[0038] The push rods 320 are inserted from the back side into the bottom holes 911 of the seedling chambers 91 arranged in the seedling box 9, thereby pushing out the roots N1 of the pot seedlings N held in the seedling box 9 transported on the transport path from the seedling chamber 91 to the front side. As a result, multiple pot seedlings N lined up in the width direction of the seedling box 9 are simultaneously pushed out by the multiple push rods 320 and taken out of the seedling box 9.

[0039] The seedling box 9 is conveyed while curving along the conveying path. As shown in Figs. 5 and 6, the seedling box 9 is positioned substantially vertically near the push-out position where the pot seedling N is pushed out by the seedling push-out unit 32. At this time, the pot seedling N is oriented such that the root portion N1 is positioned at the rear and the stem and leaf portion N2 is positioned at the front. The push-out rod 320 is inserted forward from the bottom hole 911 into the seedling chamber 91, whereby the pot seedling N is pushed forward from the seedling box 9.

[0040] The seedling inversion unit 33 receives a plurality of pot seedlings N pushed out from the seedling box 9 by the seedling pushing out unit 32, inverts the front-to-back direction of the pot seedlings N, and delivers them to the seedling transport unit 22. In this embodiment, the seedling pushing out unit 32 simultaneously pushes out eight pot seedlings N, which is one row of the seedling box 9, and the seedling inversion unit 33 simultaneously inverts the eight pot seedlings N and delivers them to the seedling transport unit 22. Thereafter, the pot seedlings N are transported one by one separately in the seedling transport unit 22, and delivered to the two seedling planting units 23 on the left and right.

[0041] When the pot seedlings N taken out of the seedling box 9 are planted in a field using such a transplanting device 1, the stems and leaves N2 of the pot seedlings N grown in adjacent seedling rooms 91 of the seedling box 9 may become entangled. In particular, the stems and leaves N2 of certain plants such as Chinese cabbage tend to spread out more easily than other seedlings, and therefore the stems and leaves N2 of adjacent pot seedlings N tend to become entangled.

[0042] In this way, even if the stems and leaves N2 are entangled with each other, the transplanter 1 extrudes the pot seedlings N in each row arranged in the width direction at the same time with the extrusion rod 320, so that the entanglement is easily forcibly eliminated between the pot seedlings N adjacent to each other in the transport direction when the pot seedlings N are extruded. On the other hand, after the pot seedlings N are extruded and turned over by the seedling extrusion unit 32, it is difficult to eliminate the entanglement between the stems and leaves N2 of the pot seedlings N adjacent to each other in the width direction when the pot seedlings are transported one by one separately in the seedling transport unit 22. Therefore, if the stems and leaves N2 of the pot seedlings N adjacent to each other in the width direction are entangled, there is a risk that the entanglement will not be eliminated and two pot seedlings N will be planted at the same time in the seedling planting unit 23.

[0043] When the conventional seedling box shown in FIG. 8 is planted in a field using the conventional transplanting device shown in FIG. 9, such a problem is likely to occur when the leaves of the pot seedlings become old. In order to eliminate such entanglement of the stems and leaves, it is possible to simply increase the distance between the seedling chambers of the seedling box in both the transport direction and the width direction. However, this method has the problem that the number of pot seedlings that can be cultivated per area of ​​the seedling box is greatly reduced. Furthermore, it was found that when the distance between the seedling chambers is increased in both the transport direction and the width direction, the pot seedlings tend to spread out not only upward but also horizontally and grow, and as a result, entanglement of adjacent pot seedlings occurs despite the increase in the distance between the seedling chambers.

[0044] In contrast, if the spacing between seedling chambers 91 in the width direction is made larger than the spacing between seedling chambers 91 in the transport direction, as in the seedling box 9 of this embodiment, when the stem and leaf parts N2 grow during cultivation of the pot seedlings N, they come into contact with the stem and leaf parts N2 of the pot seedlings N adjacent in the transport direction between the seedling chambers 91 that have a narrower spacing between them. As a result, the stem and leaf parts N2 grow laterally based on the spacing in the transport direction, and entanglement of the stem and leaf parts N2 between the pot seedlings N adjacent in the width direction is suppressed.

[0045] In this way, when the transplanting device 1 is used to plant in a farm field, the multiple pot seedlings N pushed out simultaneously in the seedling pushing-out section 32 have less entanglement of the stems and leaves N2 of adjacent pot seedlings N. Therefore, transportation failures caused by entanglement of the stems and leaves N2 of the pot seedlings N during transportation in the seedling transport section 22 are suppressed.

[0046] <3. Experimental Results> Next, the results of an experiment on the spacing between seedling chambers 91 of the seedling box 9 will be described with reference to Fig. 7. In this experiment, the diameter R of the upper end of the seedling chamber 91 and the spacing D2 between the seedling chambers 91 in the transport direction were fixed, and the leaf age of the pot seedlings N and the spacing D1 between the seedling chambers 91 in the width direction were changed to investigate the transport accuracy of the pot seedlings N through the entire transplanting section 20 (the seedling removal section 21, the seedling transport section 22 and the seedling planting section 23). The experimental conditions were as follows:

[0047] (Experimental conditions) Symmetrical seedling: Chinese cabbage Leaf age: 2-3 leaves, 3-4 leaves, 4-5 leaves Diameter R: approx. 23mm Width direction distance D1: 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5, 1.6 times the diameter R (approx. 28mm, approx. 30mm, approx. 32mm, approx. 34.5mm, approx. 37mm) Distance D2 in the conveying direction: 1.2 times the diameter R (approx. 28 mm)

[0048] As shown in Figure 7, when the widthwise spacing D1 between seedling chambers 91 and the spacing D2 in the conveying direction are both 1.2 times the diameter R of the seedling chambers 91, the conveying accuracy is 85% or more and less than 95% for leaves at an age of 2 to 3 leaves, and less than 85% for leaves at an age of 3 to 4 leaves and 4 to 5 leaves, indicating that the conveying accuracy is not good.

[0049] Furthermore, when the widthwise spacing D1 between the seedling chambers 91 was set to 1.3 times the diameter R of the seedling chambers 91, slightly larger than the spacing D2 in the transport direction, the transport accuracy was 85% or more and less than 95% for all leaf ages, and an improvement in transport accuracy was observed. For this reason, it was found that it is preferable that the widthwise spacing D1 between the seedling chambers 91 be larger than the spacing D2 in the transport direction between the seedling chambers 91 and be larger than 1.3 times the diameter R of the seedling chambers 91.

[0050] Furthermore, when the widthwise spacing D1 between the seedling chambers 91 was set to 1.4, 1.5, and 1.6 times the diameter R of the seedling chambers 91, which was larger than the spacing D2 in the transport direction, the transport accuracy was 95% or higher for all leaf ages, and the transport accuracy was greatly improved. For this reason, it was found that it is more preferable that the widthwise spacing D1 between the seedling chambers 91 be larger than the spacing D2 in the transport direction between the seedling chambers 91 and larger than 1.4 times the diameter R of the seedling chambers 91.

[0051] As described above, in this embodiment, the diameter R of the seedling chamber 91 is about 23 mm. The widthwise spacing D1 of the seedling chamber 91 is about 37 mm. That is, the widthwise spacing D1 of the seedling chamber 91 is about 1.6 times the diameter R of the seedling chamber 91. The transport direction spacing D2 of the seedling chamber 91 is about 28 mm. That is, the transport direction spacing D2 of the seedling chamber 91 is about 1.2 times the diameter R of the seedling chamber 91. For this reason, by using the seedling box 9 of this embodiment, the pot seedlings N can be planted with good transport accuracy.

[0052] <4. Modifications> Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment.

[0053] In the above embodiment, the seedling chamber 91 is circular when viewed from above, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the seedling chamber 91 may be of other shapes, such as a rectangle or other polygonal shapes, when viewed from above.

[0054] In the above embodiment, the gripping portion 92 of the seedling box 9 has a plurality of gripping holes 920, but the present invention is not limited to this. The gripping portion 92 may have other shapes, such as recesses or notches, instead of the gripping holes 920, as long as the gripping portion 92 can be engaged with the transplanting device 1 and used to transport the seedling box 9.

[0055] Further, although the seedling box 9 in the above embodiment is a seedling box for growing vegetable seedlings, the present invention is not limited to this. The seedling box of the present invention may be a seedling box for growing rice seedlings.

[0056] In addition, the transplanting device 1 in the above embodiment is a so-called two-row planting transplanting device capable of simultaneously transplanting two rows of potted seedlings, but the transplanting device of the present invention is not limited to two-row planting. For example, the present invention may be applied to one-row, four-row, six-row, and eight-row transplanting transplanting devices.

[0057] Furthermore, the seedling boxes used in the transplanting device of the above embodiment have seedling chambers arranged in 8 rows horizontally and 22 rows vertically, but the number of seedling chambers of the seedling boxes used in the present invention is not limited to this.

[0058] In addition, although the transplanting device in the above embodiment is a riding type transplanting device, the present invention is not limited to this. The transplanting device of the present invention may be a walk-behind type transplanting device in which an operator operates the self-propelled transplanting device while walking in a farm field.

[0059] In addition, the detailed configuration of the transplant device may be different from the shapes shown in the drawings of the present application. Furthermore, the elements appearing in the above-mentioned embodiments and modifications may be appropriately combined within the scope of not causing any contradiction. [Explanation of symbols]

[0060] 1 :Transplantation device 9: Seedling box 20:Transplant part 21: Seedling removal section 22: Seedling transport section 23: Seedling planting section 31: Seedling tray transport section 32: Seedling pushing section 33: Seedling inversion section 91: Naemuro 92: Grip part 320: Extrusion rod 911:Bottom hole 920: Grip hole N: Potted seedlings N1: Root N2: Stem and leaf part

Claims

1. A seedling box for growing a plurality of potted seedlings, A plurality of seedling chambers each having a cup shape and recessed downward, the seedling chambers being arranged at intervals in a conveying direction and in a width direction perpendicular to the conveying direction; A gripping portion disposed along both ends in the width direction; having A seedling box, wherein the spacing between the seedling chambers in the width direction is greater than the spacing between the seedling chambers in the transport direction.

2. The seedling box according to claim 1, A seedling box, wherein the widthwise distance between the seedling chambers is 1.3 times or more the diameter of the upper end of the seedling chamber.

3. The seedling box according to claim 2, A seedling box, wherein the widthwise distance between the seedling chambers is 1.4 times or more the diameter of the upper end of the seedling chamber.

4. A seedling box according to any one of claims 1 to 3, The gripping portion is A plurality of gripping holes arranged at intervals in the conveying direction having A seedling box, wherein the distance between the gripping holes in the conveying direction is the same as the distance between the seedling chambers in the conveying direction.

5. A transplanting device for transplanting a plurality of pot seedlings held in a seedling box into a field, a seedling box transport section that transports the seedling box according to any one of claims 1 to 3 in the transport direction at a predetermined pitch; A seedling removal unit that removes the pot seedlings from the seedling box; A planting section that plants the potted seedlings transferred from the seedling removal section in the field; having The seedling removal unit includes: A plurality of extrusion rods are arranged at intervals in the width direction with respect to the seedling boxes transported by the seedling box transport unit, and are inserted into the seedling room through through holes or cuts provided in the bottom of the seedling room. having A transfer device, wherein the widthwise distance between the push rods is greater than the transport pitch of the seedling box transport section.

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