Culture medium and cultivation device

Abstract

To provide a growing medium and cultivation apparatus that facilitates crop cultivation. [Solution] The culture medium 1 is a culture medium 1 for cultivating crop P, and is in a gel-like state that retains moisture, and comprises a planting area 11 into which seeds or crop P are planted, and a supply area 13 containing additional components, the supply area 13 supplying the additional components to the planting area 11.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a culture medium body and a cultivation device.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a gel culture medium for plant cultivation that enables plants to be cultivated without using soil. This gel culture medium contains water and fertilizer components for plants.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, Patent Document 1 does not disclose a configuration for supplying water and fertilizer components to the gel culture medium when there is a shortage of water and fertilizer components.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a culture medium body and a cultivation device that are easy to cultivate crops.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] A characteristic configuration of the culture medium body according to the present invention is a culture medium body for cultivating crops, which is in a gel state that retains water, and includes a planting site where seeds or crops are planted, and a supply site that contains additional components, and the supply site is configured to supply the additional components to the planting site.

[0007] This configuration allows a certain amount of moisture to be retained by the gel-like planting area. This reduces the frequency of watering. In addition, additional components such as water and nutrients are supplied to the planting area by the supply area. This prevents shortages of water and nutrients at the planting area. Therefore, it makes it easier to cultivate crops.

[0008] In the present invention, the supply portion is preferably a gel-like portion that holds a liquid containing the additional component, and further comprises a membrane-like portion that supplies the liquid to the planting portion and is positioned between the planting portion and the supply portion to filter the liquid.

[0009] In this configuration, a certain amount of liquid containing additional components is held by the gel-like supply section. Furthermore, since the liquid supplied from the supply section is filtered by the membrane-like section, the supply of degraded liquid to the planting site can be suppressed.

[0010] In the present invention, it is preferable that the planting site contains microorganisms.

[0011] According to this configuration, the planting area contains microorganisms beneficial to the crop. This promotes crop growth, making it easier to cultivate the crop.

[0012] The characteristic configuration of the cultivation apparatus according to the present invention is that it comprises the above-mentioned culture medium, a container that houses the culture medium inside, and a transpiration water recovery device that recovers transpiration water from the air inside the container and supplies the recovered transpiration water to the culture medium.

[0013] In this configuration, the transpiration water recovery device supplies transpiration water recovered from the air inside the container to the growing medium. This allows for the reuse of water transpired from the crops. Furthermore, by utilizing transpiration water, only the minimum necessary amount of water is supplied to the growing medium. This prevents excessive water supply to the growing medium. In other words, the amount of water retained in the growing medium can be kept to the minimum necessary. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0014] [Figure 1] This is a perspective view showing the culture medium. [Figure 2] This is a diagram showing a cultivation apparatus. [Figure 3] This diagram shows a cultivation apparatus where the planting area is kept in a moist state. [Figure 4] This diagram shows a cultivation apparatus where the planting area is in a dry state. [Figure 5] This figure shows another example of a cultivation device. [Figure 6] This figure shows another example of a cultivation device. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0015] The culture medium and cultivation apparatus according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the direction of arrow U in the drawings will be considered "up", and the direction of arrow D will be considered "down".

[0016] Figure 1 shows culture medium 1 for cultivating crop P.

[0017] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the culture medium 1 comprises a planting area 11 into which the seeds of crop P or crop P are planted, a membrane-like membrane area 12, a supply area 13 for supplying additional components such as water and nutrients to the planting area 11, and a bag-like protective area 14 that covers the planting area 11, the membrane-like area 12, and the supply area 13. As shown in Figure 1, the culture medium 1 is integrally constructed by enclosing the planting area 11, the membrane-like area 12, and the supply area 13 with the protective area 14.

[0018] The seeds or crop P are planted in the planting area 11 through an opening 14a formed on the upper surface of the protective part 14. The crop P is preferably vegetables (e.g., spinach, tomatoes, lettuce) or fruits (e.g., strawberries) that can be grown indoors, have a large edible portion, and a short growing period.

[0019] In this embodiment, the dimensions of the culture medium body 1 are approximately 400 mm in width, approximately 200 mm in depth, and approximately 200 mm in height. However, this is not the limit, and the dimensions of the culture medium body 1 are set according to the crop P.

[0020] 〔Planting site〕 The planting site 11 is in a gel state that retains moisture and is composed of an aggregate of a large number of polymer polymers. Specifically, the planting site 11 is composed of natural polymers such as agar, corn meal agar, and polymers derived from seaweed. Thereby, since the planting site 11 that comes into contact with the crop P is composed of a natural polymer, it is preferable because it is difficult for the planting site 11 to inhibit the cultivation and growth of the crop P. However, this is not the limit, and the planting site 11 may partially contain other polymer materials having water absorption. Here, "the planting site 11 is in a gel state that retains moisture" means that it is in a gel state that retains moisture when the crop P is planted.

[0021] The planting site 11 contains microorganisms beneficial to the crop P. Specifically, the microorganisms are bacteria that mineralize organic matter. The microorganisms are, for example, Nitrosomonas genus (for example, Nitrosomonas europaea), Nitorosococcus genus, Nitrosospira genus, Nitrobacter genus (for example, Nitrobacter winogradskyi), Nitrospira genus, Nitrococcus genus, etc. that perform nitrification from ammoniacal nitrogen to nitrate nitrogen. In addition, the corpses after the microorganisms finish their activities and the gases generated from these corpses become nutrients for the crop P as additional components of the planting site 11. Therefore, the growth of the crop P is promoted by the planting site 11 containing microorganisms.

[0022] 〔Membrane-like part〕 The membrane-like portion 12 filters the degraded liquid. The membrane-like portion 12 is made of a single sheet of nonwoven fabric. As the liquid passes through the membrane-like portion 12, bacteria (e.g., phytoplasma), fungal spores, viruses (e.g., viroids), and harmful microorganisms (e.g., nematodes) present in the liquid adhere to the fibers of the membrane-like portion 12. As a result, the degraded liquid is filtered by the membrane-like portion 12. The membrane-like portion 12 also prevents the roots of the crop P from entering the supply portion 13. On the other hand, substances beneficial to the crop P, such as nutrients in the liquid, pass through the membrane-like portion 12 without adhering to the fibers of the membrane-like portion 12. The membrane-like portion 12 is not limited to these materials; it may also be made of paper, polyvinyl alcohol, or the like.

[0023] As shown in Figure 2, the membrane-like portion 12 is positioned between the planting portion 11 and the supply portion 13. Specifically, the membrane-like portion 12 is located below the planting portion 11 while in contact with it. Also, the membrane-like portion 12 is located above the supply portion 13 while in contact with it.

[0024] [Supply part] The supply portion 13 is a gel-like substance that retains moisture and is composed of aggregates of numerous superabsorbent polymers. These superabsorbent polymers primarily consist of, for example, water-absorbing polymer materials. Examples of polymer materials include polyvinyl alcohol, carboxycellulose, methylcellulose, and acrylic polymers. These polymer materials may be used individually or in combination of two or more. Furthermore, the supply portion 13 may also contain some natural polymers.

[0025] The supply unit 13 supplies a liquid containing additional components to the planting unit 11. As shown in Figure 2, the supply unit 13 is positioned adjacent to the planting unit 11, with the membrane-like unit 12 in between. Here, the additional components are substances beneficial to crop P. These additional components include, for example, water and nutrients. The nutrients are inorganic substances beneficial to crop P. These nutrients include, for example, nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus. It is preferable that the supply unit 13 holds more liquid than the planting unit 11.

[0026] [Protected area] The protective portion 14 is configured so that liquid does not permeate areas other than the opening 14a. The protective portion 14 is made of a polyvinyl alcohol-based film, a vinyl chloride-based resin film, an olefin-based resin film, a fluorine-based film, etc. However, it is not limited to these materials, and the protective portion 14 may be made of a reflective sheet containing a light-reflective material (for example, aluminum).

[0027] As shown in Figure 2, the planting site 11 is covered from above by the protective part 14. This makes it difficult for moisture evaporated from the planting site 11 to be released outside the culture medium 1.

[0028] As shown in Figure 2, in this embodiment, the planting portion 11, the membrane portion 12, and the supply portion 13 are stacked in this order from top to bottom inside the protective portion 14. In other words, the planting portion 11, the membrane portion 12, and the supply portion 13 are arranged vertically inside the protective portion 14.

[0029] [Cultivation equipment] Figure 2 shows a cultivation apparatus 100 for growing crop P. As shown in Figure 2, the cultivation apparatus 100 comprises a culture medium 1, a container 2 that houses the culture medium 1, a transpiration water recovery device 3 that recovers transpiration water W from the air in the container 2 and supplies the recovered transpiration water W to the culture medium 1, a solution cartridge 4 that supplies a nutrient-containing liquid to the culture medium 1, and a lighting device 5. In Figures 2 to 6, the white arrows indicate the movement of air (gas) in the container 2, and the black arrows indicate the movement of moisture (including both liquid and gaseous substances).

[0030] 〔container〕 As shown in Figure 2, the container 2 is large enough to accommodate at least the culture medium 1. The container 2 is placed on an indoor display shelf or table. The top surface 2a and bottom surface 2b of the container 2 are made of metal. The container 2 also has space above the culture medium 1 where the crop P can grow. The culture medium 1 is supported by the bottom surface 2b of the container 2.

[0031] [Evaporation water recovery system] As shown in Figure 2, the evaporative water recovery device 3 includes a water storage section 31 for storing evaporative water W, a fan 32, and a cooling device 33 for cooling the air inside the water storage section 31.

[0032] The water storage section 31 is a container for storing evaporated water W. Although not shown in the diagram, the cooling device 33 includes a flow passage through which the refrigerant flows, a heat exchanger that cools the air in the water storage section 31 by heat exchange between the air in the water storage section 31 and the refrigerant, and a compressor that compresses the refrigerant that has passed through the heat exchanger. However, the cooling device 33 may also cool the air in the water storage section 31 by the cooling surface of a Peltier element.

[0033] The solution cartridge 4 is a box-shaped component that stores a liquid containing nutrients. The solution cartridge 4 is configured to be detachable from the container 2. When the liquid containing nutrients in the solution cartridge 4 becomes empty, it is removed from the container 2 and replaced.

[0034] The lighting device 5 irradiates the crop P with the light necessary for its growth. In this embodiment, the lighting device 5 is an LED (Light Emitting Diode). The lighting device 5 is attached to the ceiling surface 2a of the container 2.

[0035] [Supplying liquid from the supply site to the planting site] Next, the supply of liquid from the supply site 13 to the planting site 11 will be explained based on Figures 3 and 4. In Figure 3, one seedling of crop P is shown. Also in Figure 3, the planting site 11 is in a moist state. A moist state means that the planting site 11 holds the amount of water required by crop P. In the moist state, there is no significant difference between the osmotic pressure of the planting site 11 and the osmotic pressure of the membrane site 12 and the supply site 13, so no liquid is supplied from the supply site 13 to the planting site 11.

[0036] Furthermore, in a moist state, the osmotic pressure of the planting site 11 is approximately the same as that of the membrane-like site 12 and the supply site 13. As a result, no liquid movement occurs from the upper planting site 11 to the lower supply site 13. In a moist state, the osmotic pressure of the planting site 11 is lower than that of the roots of crop P.

[0037] In Figure 4, one crop P in its growth stage is shown. Also in Figure 4, the planting site 11 is in a dry state. A dry state means that the planting site 11 does not retain the amount of water required by crop P. Here, the water retained in the planting site 11 is absorbed by the roots of crop P, so the amount of water in the planting site 11 decreases. As a result, a difference arises between the amount of water in the planting site 11 and the amount of water in the supply site 13. This results in a large difference in osmotic pressure between the planting site 11 and the membranous site 12 and the supply site 13 in the dry state.

[0038] As shown in Figure 4, at the boundary region between the membrane-like portion 12 and the supply portion 13, water is released from the supply portion 13, and a liquid containing additional components moves from the supply portion 13 towards the planting portion 11. This liquid is filtered through the membrane-like portion 12 and then supplied to the planting portion 11. In other words, in a dry state, the osmotic pressure of the planting portion 11 is higher than that of the membrane-like portion 12 and the supply portion 13 to the extent that the aforementioned liquid is supplied. Also, in a dry state, the osmotic pressure of the planting portion 11 is lower than that of the roots of crop P.

[0039] The above explanation describes the supply of liquid from the supply site 13 to the planting site 11 as being due to osmosis, but the supply of liquid may be explained by other mechanisms. For example, liquid molecules can move freely between the planting site 11 and the supply site 13 through the membrane site 12, but when the liquid is consumed by the crop P at the planting site 11, the number of molecules moving from the supply site 13 to the planting site 11 becomes greater than the number of molecules moving from the planting site 11 to the supply site 13, and as a result, liquid is supplied from the supply site 13 to the planting site 11.

[0040] Alternatively, the supply of liquid can be explained by pressure. In Figure 4, the growing crop P is heavier than the seedling crop P in Figure 3. This means that pressure proportional to the mass of crop P is generated from the upper planting site 11 to the lower supply site 13. Due to this pressure, the amount of liquid supplied from the supply site 13 to the planting site 11 during the growing crop P is greater than the amount of liquid supplied from the supply site 13 to the planting site 11 during the seedling stage of crop P. In Figure 4, the pressure proportional to the mass of crop P is indicated by a dashed arrow.

[0041] [Recovery of evaporative water using a evaporative water recovery system] As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the air in container 2 containing moisture transpired from crop P is introduced into the water storage section 31 through the recovery channel 34a by the rotation of fan 32. In other words, one end of the recovery channel 34a is connected to the space above the culture medium 1 in container 2, and the other end of the recovery channel 34a is connected to the water storage section 31.

[0042] Air introduced into the water reservoir 31 is cooled by the cooling device 33, generating evaporative water W. The generated evaporative water W is stored in the water reservoir 31. The remaining air is returned to the container 2 through the return path 34b. In other words, one end of the return path 34b is connected to the water reservoir 31, and the other end of the return path 34b is connected to the space above the culture medium 1 in the container 2.

[0043] The transpiration water W stored in the water storage section 31 is supplied to the supply section 13 (culture medium 1) through the supply channel 34c. In other words, one end of the supply channel 34c is connected to the water storage section 31, and the other end of the supply channel 34c is connected to the supply section 13. However, the other end of the supply channel 34c may also be connected to the planting section 11.

[0044] Furthermore, the nutrient-containing liquid from the solution cartridge 4 is supplied to the supply unit 13 through the supply channel 34d. In other words, one end of the supply channel 34d is connected to the solution cartridge 4, and the other end of the supply channel 34d is connected to the supply unit 13.

[0045] Furthermore, the culture medium 1 is replaceable in container 2. Specifically, as crop P grows, the crop P is transplanted into a culture medium 1 with a larger height than the original, and then the culture medium 1 in container 2 is replaced.

[0046] [Another embodiment] The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above. For example, it may be configured as in the following alternative embodiments. In the alternative embodiments described below, components identical to those in the embodiments are denoted by the same numbers and reference numerals as in the embodiments described above.

[0047] (1) In the above embodiment, the planting portion 11, the membrane portion 12, and the supply portion 13 are arranged vertically within the protective portion 14. However, as shown in Figure 5, the planting portion 11, the membrane portion 12, and the supply portion 13 may be arranged horizontally.

[0048] (2) In the above embodiment, the membrane portion 12 is composed of a single nonwoven fabric. However, as shown in Figure 5, the membrane portion 12 may be composed of multiple nonwoven fabrics arranged in contact with each other. Specifically, multiple nonwoven fabrics with different sizes of gaps between fibers are arranged in a line from the supply portion 13 toward the planting portion 11. The size of the gaps between the fibers of the nonwoven fabrics is smaller for the nonwoven fabrics on the planting portion 11 side. This allows the deteriorated liquid to be gradually filtered by the multilayered membrane portion 12.

[0049] (3) As shown in Figure 6, the supply unit 13 may surround the area in the planting unit 11 where the crop P is planted. The planting unit 11 is located below the supply unit 13. In this embodiment, the liquid containing the additional component moves from the upper supply unit 13 to the lower planting unit 11 along the direction of gravity.

[0050] (4) In the embodiments described above, crop P is a vegetable or fruit with a large edible portion and a short growing period. However, crop P may be, for example, grains (e.g., wheat, barley, rye, rice, corn), other fruits (e.g., grapes, raspberries, apples, pears, mandarins, peaches, almonds), legumes (e.g., beans, soybeans), oils (e.g., rapeseed, mustard, olives, sunflowers, coconuts), fibrous plants (e.g., cotton, flax, hemp, jute), or other vegetables (e.g., bok choy, bell peppers, eggplants, pumpkins, cucumbers, edamame, asparagus, cabbage, carrots, onions, potatoes), etc.

[0051] (5) The configurations disclosed in the above-described embodiments (including other embodiments, the same applies hereinafter) can be applied in combination with configurations disclosed in other embodiments, insofar as they do not cause a contradiction, and the embodiments disclosed herein are illustrative, and the embodiments of the present invention are not limited thereto and can be modified as appropriate without departing from the object of the present invention. [Industrial applicability]

[0052] The present invention applies to culture media and cultivation apparatus for growing crops. [Explanation of symbols]

[0053] 1: Culture medium 11: Planting site 12: Membrane area 13: Supply part 2: Container 3: Evaporation water recovery device 13: Membrane area 100: Cultivation equipment P: Crops

Claims

1. A growing medium for cultivating crops, It is a gel-like substance that retains moisture, and is used in the planting area where seeds or crops are planted. A supply unit containing additional components, The supply unit is a culture medium that supplies the additional components to the planting unit.

2. The supply unit is a gel-like structure that holds the liquid containing the additional component, and supplies the liquid to the planting unit. The culture medium according to claim 1, further comprising a membrane-like portion disposed between the planting portion and the supply portion for filtering the liquid.

3. The culture medium according to claim 2, wherein the planting site contains microorganisms.

4. A culture medium according to any one of claims 1 to 3, A container for housing the culture medium inside, A cultivation apparatus comprising: a transpiration recovery device that recovers transpiration from the air in the container and supplies the recovered transpiration to the culture medium.

Images