Plant Cultivation Sheet

Abstract

To provide a plant cultivation sheet which allows easy cultivation of plants, promotes growth, and is easy to dispose of. [Solution] According to the plant cultivation sheet, by embedding the seed S1 of a plant in advance in the raised portion 14, the seed S1 is supported by the raised portion 14 and the position of the seed S1 is fixed, so sowing work is unnecessary and plant cultivation can be made easy. The raised portion 14 can tolerate the movement of the seed S1 when it germinates, so the seed S1 is easy to germinate, and the nonwoven sheet 12 contains fiber and has excellent moisture retention and fertilizer retention properties, so germination and growth can be promoted with small amounts of water and fertilizer. The plant cultivation sheet is inexpensive to manufacture and can be incinerated, so it is easy to dispose of.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a sheet for promoting plant cultivation, particularly seed germination and growth (hereinafter simply referred to as a "plant cultivation sheet"). [Background technology]

[0002] The world's population continues to grow, and with it, the demand for food. For this reason, the importance of a stable supply of crops is increasing. On the other hand, considering climate change, the decline in the agricultural population, the shortage of water resources, and the problem of pests, it is said that traditional open-field cultivation cannot ensure a stable yield. Therefore, in recent years, technologies for indoor hydroponic and film cultivation have been developed, and for example, the following have been proposed. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 60-145022 [Patent Document 2] JP 2007-312624 A [Patent Document 3] JP 2015-037386 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Patent Document 1 discloses a method of cultivating agricultural products in which a rectangular rock wool bed of a predetermined length is wrapped in a film material and arranged adjacent to each other on a polystyrene foam base, a plurality of square holes are provided at appropriate intervals in the film material on the top surface of the rock wool bed, the periphery of each hole is wrapped in film material, and a block-shaped rock wool in which seeds or seedlings of agricultural products are planted is placed on each hole, and water or nutrients such as fertilizer can be supplied to each block-shaped rock wool via dripper devices branched from irrigation pipes installed at appropriate positions. This is said to prevent root rot of agricultural products and make it difficult for diseases to spread.

[0005] Patent Document 2 discloses a medium sheet for hydroponic cultivation in which a nonwoven fabric made of pulp fibers is provided with openings spaced at intervals of 3 to 10 mm. This medium sheet for hydroponic cultivation is used for sowing seeds, and it is said that this provides a medium for hydroponic cultivation that is inexpensive, has water retention, and is made of natural materials that are easy to work with and dispose of, and that can prevent roots from growing up.

[0006] Patent Document 3 discloses a polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) film for cultivating plants on which the film has an equilibrium swelling degree in water (30°C) in the range of 125% to 250% and a loss tangent (tan δ) in the equilibrium swollen state in water (30°C) of 0.005 to 0.2, thereby preventing plant roots from penetrating the film and enabling plants to be cultivated while avoiding infection by bacteria that induce plant diseases for a long period of time.

[0007] However, hydroponic cultivation requires the use of large amounts of water and liquid fertilizer, and there is also the issue of disposing of the rock wool used as a substitute for culture soil. The materials used for plant cultivation film are expensive, and there is also the issue of disposing of used film. In addition, film cultivation and sheet cultivation using pulp fiber require seeding work, which increases the labor required.

[0008] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a plant cultivation sheet that makes it easy to cultivate plants, promotes their growth, and is easy to dispose of. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] The present invention relates to a nonwoven sheet comprising fibers, The above problem was solved by providing a plant cultivation sheet having a raised portion in which at least a portion of the fibers on at least one side of the nonwoven sheet has been subjected to a raising process. Effect of the Invention

[0010] According to the present invention, by embedding the seeds of a plant in the raised portion in advance, the seeds are supported by the raised portion and the position of the seeds is fixed. This eliminates the need for sowing work, making it easier to cultivate plants. In addition, the raised portion allows the seeds to move when they germinate, making it easier for the seeds to germinate. In addition, the nonwoven sheet of the plant cultivation sheet of the present invention contains fibers and has excellent moisture retention and fertilizer retention properties, so it is possible to promote germination and growth with a small amount of water and fertilizer. In addition, the plant cultivation sheet of the present invention is inexpensive to manufacture and can be incinerated, making it easy to dispose of.

[0011] Furthermore, if the nonwoven sheet is placed in the culture soil or aquarium so that the surface is parallel to the vertical direction, plants basically germinate and grow in the vertical direction, so that the plant sprouts can easily pass through the raised portion, making it easier to promote growth.

[0012] Furthermore, if the nonwoven sheet further contains porous powder, the moisture retention and fertilizer retention can be further improved, and germination and growth can be promoted with smaller amounts of water and fertilizer. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of one plant cultivation sheet of the present invention. [Diagram 2] Plan view of Figure 1. [Diagram 3] A plan view of the plant cultivation sheets (2 sheets) of Figure 1 in use. [Figure 4] This is a plan view of the plant cultivation sheets (3 sheets) of the present invention. [Diagram 5] A plan view of the plant cultivation sheets (3 sheets) of Figure 4 in use. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of one plant cultivation sheet of the present invention in use. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a plant cultivation sheet (one sheet) according to another embodiment of the present invention in use. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0014] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 7. However, the present invention is not limited to this embodiment.

[0015] FIG. 1 shows a plant cultivation sheet 10 of the present invention. The nonwoven sheet 12 that is the base of the plant cultivation sheet 10 contains fibers. The fibers can be natural fibers, chemical fibers, or a combination of these. The natural fibers include plant fibers, animal fibers, and unspecified fibers, and the chemical fibers include regenerated fibers, semi-synthetic fibers, and synthetic fibers. The nonwoven sheet 12 is formed by bonding or intertwining such fibers into a sheet shape. In the case of the plant cultivation sheet 10, the nonwoven sheet 12 is rectangular, but the shape is not limited to this.

[0016] One side of the nonwoven sheet 12 is provided with a raised portion 14 in which the fibers inside are raised. A known method may be used for the raised portion. The raised portion 14 may be provided on at least a portion of the nonwoven sheet 12 as long as the seeds can be embedded therein, and may be provided on both sides of the nonwoven sheet 12. The plant cultivation sheet 10 is inexpensive to manufacture and can be incinerated, making it easy to dispose of.

[0017] An adhesive portion 16 can be provided along at least one side of the surface of the nonwoven sheet 12 on which the raised portion 14 is provided. The adhesive portion 16 can be provided by applying a liquid adhesive or by attaching an adhesive sticker. With this configuration, as described below, one plant cultivation sheet 10, 10a can be rolled up into a spiral shape and fixed for use, or multiple plant cultivation sheets 10, 10a can be stacked and adhered together.

[0018] The nonwoven sheet 12 may further contain a porous powder. As the porous powder, a powder of a material known as a porous material, such as natural minerals such as diatomaceous earth or zeolite, or activated carbon, may be used. A plurality of types of porous powder may be mixed. With this configuration, the moisture retention and fertilizer retention can be further improved, and the germination and growth of seeds can be promoted with a smaller amount of water and fertilizer.

[0019] Specifically, the plant cultivation sheet 10 described above can be manufactured, for example, as follows. First, fibers such as linter pulp are stirred and dispersed in water in the range of 20 to 100%, 0 to 80% zeolite with an average particle size of 5 to 100 μm, and 0 to 40% activated carbon with an average particle size of 5 to 100 μm. Next, the mixture is dehydrated using a papermaking machine and formed into a sheet, and then pressed and dried to produce a sheet-shaped nonwoven sheet 12. One side (or both sides) of the nonwoven sheet 12 is brushed to make it fluffy, and a raised portion 14 is formed on a part of the sheet. If necessary, an adhesive portion 16 is provided along at least one side of the surface on which the raised portion 14 is provided.

[0020] Next, a method of using the plant cultivation sheet 10 will be described. First, as shown in FIG. 2, two plant cultivation sheets 10 can be used. The raised portions 14 of a pair of plant cultivation sheets 10 are placed opposite each other, plant seeds S1 are embedded in the raised portions 14, and the pair of nonwoven sheets 12 are bonded together at the adhesive portions 16 to form the state shown in FIG. 3. At this time, the raised portions 14 are compressed so as not to be crushed. Depending on the size of the nonwoven sheet 12, multiple seeds S1 may be embedded at a predetermined interval.

[0021] In this way, in the plant cultivation sheet 10, the seed S1 of the plant can be embedded in advance in the raised portion 14, and the raised portion 14 supports the seed S1, fixing the position of the seed S1. Therefore, by using the plant cultivation sheet 10, sowing work is unnecessary, and it is possible to easily cultivate plants. In addition, since the raised portion 14 can tolerate the movement of the seed S1 during germination, the seed S1 is likely to germinate. Here, the nonwoven sheet 12 contains fibers and has excellent moisture retention and fertilizer retention properties, so that it is possible to promote the germination and growth of the seed S1 with a small amount of water and fertilizer.

[0022] Also, as shown in FIG. 4, a plant cultivation sheet 10a having a nonwoven sheet 22 with a raised portion 24 and an adhesive portion 26 on both sides thereof can be interposed between a pair of plant cultivation sheets 10, and three or more plant cultivation sheets 10, 10a can be combined. In this case, seeds S1, S2 are embedded in the raised portion 14 of the pair of plant cultivation sheets 10 or the raised portion 24 of the plant cultivation sheet 10a, and the nonwoven sheets 12, 22 are bonded together at the adhesive portions 16, 26 to form a state as shown in FIG. 5. At this time, the raised portions 14, 24 are compressed so as not to be crushed. Depending on the size of the nonwoven sheets 12, 22, multiple seeds S1, S2 may be embedded at a predetermined interval.

[0023] The plant cultivation sheet 10 can also be used alone. In this case, as shown in FIG. 6, the plant cultivation sheet 10 is formed of a long and narrow rectangular nonwoven sheet 12, plant seeds S1 and S2 are embedded in the raised portion 14 at a predetermined interval, the plant cultivation sheet 10 is rolled up in a spiral shape, and the nonwoven sheets 12 are bonded together at the adhesive portion 16 for use. As in the other embodiments, the raised portion 14 is prevented from being compressed and crushed. Here, as shown in FIG. 7, the plant cultivation sheet 10a may be formed by providing the raised portion 24 on both sides of the nonwoven sheet 22.

[0024] The plant cultivation sheets 10, 10a with plant seeds S1, S2 embedded therein should be placed in culture soil or an aquarium so that the surfaces of the nonwoven sheets 12, 22 are parallel to the vertical direction. This is because most plants germinate and grow vertically, and plant sprouts can easily pass through the raised portions 14, 24 when placed in this manner.

[0025] Next, the results of an experiment to germinate and grow plant seeds using the plant cultivation sheet 10 will be described. The conditions of the experiment are as follows. First, the seeds of leaf lettuce, basil, cockscomb, green onion, cherry tomato, white turnip, morning glory, and sunflower were embedded in the raised part 14 of the plant cultivation sheet 10 in the manner shown in Figs. 3 and 6, and the surface of the nonwoven sheet 12 was placed in artificial soil to be culture soil so that it was parallel to the vertical direction. This was irradiated with light of LED illuminance 8000 Lux from 8:00 to 18:00 in an indoor environment with a temperature of 16 to 27 ° C and a humidity of 39 to 73%, and 50 ml of water was given every other day, and observation was performed for 55 days. As a result, it was possible to achieve a germination rate equal to or higher than that of soil cultivation, and the average leaf length and average root weight of leaf lettuce, basil, cockscomb, morning glory, and sunflower, the diameter and length of white turnip and green onion, and the number of fruits and sugar content of cherry tomatoes were also equal to or higher than that of soil cultivation.

[0026] As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a plant cultivation sheet that makes it easy to cultivate plants, promotes their growth, and is easy to dispose of. [Explanation of symbols]

[0027] 10,10a Plant Cultivation Sheet 12,22 Nonwoven sheet 14,24 Brushed part 16,26 Adhesive part

Claims

1. A nonwoven sheet comprising fibers, The nonwoven sheet has a raised portion in which at least a part of the fibers on at least one side of the nonwoven sheet is raised. Plant cultivation sheet.

2. The nonwoven sheet is placed in the culture soil or aquarium so that the surface of the nonwoven sheet is parallel to the vertical direction. The plant cultivation sheet according to claim 1.

3. The nonwoven sheet further contains a porous powder. The plant cultivation sheet according to claim 1 or 2.

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