Seedling acclimatization and transplanting methods

Abstract

To provide a method that allows acclimatization and transplantation of in vitro seedlings with high work efficiency without the need for special device to manage acclimatization of in vitro seedlings.SOLUTION: The problem is solved by an acclimatization and transplantation method of in vitro seedlings, comprising: culturing an in vitro seedling on a net in a culture container; taking out the cultured in vitro seedling in a clump with roots together with the net; cutting the lower part of the roots protruding below the net to separate from the net and washing it; further dividing the washed in vitro seedling into several small clumps; transferring to a container filled with water and / or nutrient solution and allowing them to acclimate; growing them to young seedlings; and transplanting the seedlings into a seedling container.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for acclimatizing and transplanting seedlings, which involves acclimatizing cultured in vitro seedlings and then transplanting them into a seedling-growing container such as a pot. The method of the present invention is particularly suitable for acclimatizing and transplanting strawberry seedlings.

Background Art

[0002] Acclimatizing seedlings means growing seedlings (also referred to as "in vitro seedlings". The same applies hereinafter in this specification) cultured in a sterile culture container into seedlings that can be transplanted into a seedling-growing container such as a pot. Generally, since the culture environment of in vitro seedlings is sterile and has a higher humidity than the natural environment, the cultured in vitro seedlings have low antibacterial and weather resistance. Therefore, it is necessary to acclimatize the in vitro seedlings to give them antibacterial and weather resistance and then grow them in the natural environment. In the conventional method for acclimatizing and transplanting seedlings, in vitro seedlings are cultured on a wire mesh in a culture container. The in vitro seedlings are taken out of the culture container together with the wire mesh, the roots are cut off, and the seedlings are taken out one by one from the mass removed from the wire mesh and transplanted into an acclimatization device. After managing for a certain period to confirm the growth of the seedlings, they are further transplanted into a seedling-growing container and transferred to the seedling-growing stage. As a culture container for culturing strawberry seedlings, there is known a container having an upper opening and a wire mesh detachably set at a constricted portion in the depth direction, and capable of accommodating a culture solution below the wire mesh. In Patent Document 1, a plurality of fragments (also referred to as "shoots". The same applies hereinafter in this specification) containing the growth point of the seedlings and having no leaves or roots are prepared, and using this type of culture container, they are placed on the wire mesh and cultured. The produced in vitro seedlings are taken out of the culture container together with the wire mesh, divided into strains, transplanted into a seedling-growing container such as a cell tray or a pot, and placed in an acclimatization device adjusted to a humidity of 70% to 90% to acclimatize them. A method is disclosed. Furthermore, Patent Document 2 discloses a method in which in vitro seedlings are cultured in a culture container, the in vitro seedlings are removed from the culture container along with the wire mesh, transferred to a hydroponic cultivation device, and then acclimatized while being covered with a sheet and retaining moisture, after which the lower part of the wire mesh is cut to separate the in vitro seedlings, and the separated seedlings are transplanted into seedling containers such as pots.

[0003] However, conventional methods for acclimatizing and transplanting seedlings had the following problems. (i) In the case of a method that involves using tweezers to remove individual plants from in vitro seedlings where the plants are intertwined and transplanting them into cell trays, the work efficiency was low because it required skill and concentration to identify the growth points of underdeveloped plants, as well as patience to continue the transplanting work of more than 200 in vitro seedlings where the plants were intertwined. (ii) In order to acclimate in vitro seedlings cultured under sterile and high humidity conditions, it was necessary to create a space isolated from natural conditions and strictly control the acclimatization environment by gradually lowering the humidity with mist or the like. (iii) When the seedlings were removed from the culture container and acclimatized in vitro with the wire mesh still attached, the work efficiency increased, but the waste products and residues of the culture solution that were generated during cultivation and attached to the plant body caused mold and rot, and no improvement in yield was observed. [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 9-220022 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2004-229598 [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0005] In view of the above problems, the object of the present invention is to provide a method for acclimatizing and transplanting in vitro seedlings with high work efficiency without requiring special equipment for managing the acclimatization of in vitro seedlings. Furthermore, the method makes it possible to improve yield even without the need for work that requires concentration and patience in conventional methods. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In other words, the present invention is as follows. [1] A method for acclimatizing and transplanting in vitro seedlings, comprising culturing the in vitro seedlings on a net in a culture container, removing the cultured in vitro seedlings along with the net as a mass with roots attached, cutting off the lower part of the roots protruding below the net to separate them from the net, washing them, further dividing the washed in vitro seedlings into several smaller masses, transferring them to a container filled with water and / or nutrient solution to acclimatize them and grow them to seedling stage, and transplanting the seedling stage to a nursery container. [2] The method according to [1], wherein the small mass comprises 20 or fewer plants, or 5 to 10 plant bodies. [3] The method according to [1] or [2], wherein the small mass comprises an underdeveloped plant body. [4] The method according to any one of [1] to [3], wherein the acclimatization is carried out in a closed space in a container filled with water or nutrient solution at a humidity of 40-60% and a temperature of 20-30°C. [5] The method according to any one of [1] to [4], wherein the container holding the water or nutrient solution is a tray-shaped container or a hydroponic cultivation device. [6] The method according to any one of [1] to [5], wherein the in vitro seedling is an in vitro seedling of a strawberry. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] The method of the present invention makes it possible to acclimate and transplant in vitro seedlings with high work efficiency and high yield. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1]An explanatory diagram showing the culture state of in vitro seedlings. (a) is a partial diagram showing the state of a shoot placed in a culture container, (b) shows the state of an in vitro seedling that has grown in a culture container, and (c) shows a single plant body. [Figure 2] Diagram illustrating the separation state of in vitro seedlings. (a) shows the mass of in vitro seedlings removed from the culture container and the location of the roots to be cut, and (b) shows the washed in vitro seedlings being further divided into smaller masses for acclimatization. [Figure 3] An explanatory diagram showing the transplantation state of in vitro seedlings. (a) shows seedlings grown through acclimatization, and (b) shows the seedlings transplanted into a nursery container. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the figures. The following is an example of a method for acclimatizing and transplanting cultured strawberry seedlings.

[0010] (Preparation of in vitro seedlings) Multiple shoots (7) are cultured in a culture container (1) adjusted to a sterile environment with a relative humidity of 80-100% and a temperature of 23-25°C to produce in vitro seedlings (5). The culture state of such in vitro seedlings (5) is shown in Figure 1(b). The number of plant bodies ("plant body" means a plant unit that can independently grow into a seedling; the same applies hereinafter in this specification) obtained from these in vitro seedlings (5) varies depending on the size of the culture container, but is usually 270-280. The culture container (1) is a transparent container with a lid and a bottom, and has a constricted portion (3) in the middle of its depth, to which a wire mesh (4) can be attached and set. A culture medium (6) is formed by adding a culture solution to the culture container (1), but at this time, the liquid level of the liquid medium (6) is below the wire mesh (4), and the chute (7) is made capable of contacting both the gas and the liquid. The wire mesh (4) may be replaced with a mesh made of synthetic resin, a metal plate with numerous through holes, a plastic plate, or the like. In other words, the wire mesh (4) may be of any shape and material as long as it can support the chute (7) in the culture container (1) so that it can come into contact with both gas and liquid. The liquid culture medium (6) may also be replaced with an agar medium.

[0011] (Washing) Remove the in vitro seedling (5) from the culture container (1) along with the wire mesh (4), and cut the roots that have grown below the wire mesh (4) with scissors or the like, as shown in Figure 2(a), to remove the in vitro seedling (5) from the wire mesh (4). The in vitro seedling usually forms a clump with the plant bodies intertwined with each other, so while loosening the clump without completely removing the underdeveloped plant bodies contained in it, thoroughly wash away waste products and residues of the culture solution that have adhered to the plant bodies during cultivation with water, and remove any withered plant bodies. It is preferable to perform this work in a closed room to prevent the entry of bacteria and other contaminants.

[0012] (Acclimatization management) Next, the washed in vitro seedlings are divided into smaller clumps (5a) and acclimatized. By performing acclimatization in this manner, the underdeveloped plant bodies contained in the clumps of in vitro seedlings grow, making it easier to separate the plant bodies (5b) one by one. For this purpose, it is preferable that the in vitro seedlings consist of 20 or fewer seedlings, or that they be divided into small clumps (5a) containing about 5 to 10 plant bodies. Furthermore, since none of these tasks require a high level of skill, they can significantly improve work efficiency and yield. Specifically, the washed in vitro seedlings are divided into small clumps (5a) as shown in Figure 2(b), and then transferred to a container filled with water and / or nutrient solution (8), such as a tray-shaped container (9), for acclimatization. The nutrient solution (liquid fertilizer) used here may be one that has been used conventionally. The acclimation environment may be a closed indoor environment that suppresses the invasion of miscellaneous bacteria, etc. Although it is not limited to this, it is preferable to keep the indoor humidity in the range of 40 to 60% and the temperature in the range of 20°C to 30°C under artificial light. As shown in Fig. 3(a), the acclimation period is up to the stage of seedlings (5c) where leaf emergence and rooting are observed from the growing points of individual plants, and it usually takes 14 to 15 days depending on the plant species and the acclimation environment. Also, instead of the said container, a commercially available hydroponic cultivation device can be used.

[0013] (Transplantation) After gently loosening the in vitro seedlings that have completed acclimation, if there is a clumped part, they are transplanted into a seedling raising container (11) in the form of divided seedlings (5c). Examples of the said seedling raising container include pots and cell trays, etc., but any container that is generally used as a seedling raising container may be used, and it is not limited to this. Also, the support (10) for transplantation used here can use vermiculite, urethane, rock wool, etc., but it is not limited to this. The transplanted seedlings grow to a size that can be shipped in about 6 weeks and become completed seedlings. The method of the present invention is not limited to strawberry seedlings and can also be used for the acclimation and transplantation of seedlings of other plants.

[0014] Finally, about 250 seedlings were obtained for the in vitro seedlings produced in one culture container. This means that the product yield from the in vitro seedlings is almost close to 100%. In the conventional method, finally only about 120 to 200 seedlings can be commercialized as products, so the yield far exceeds the conventional method and can reach about twice that. Such a significant improvement in yield is considered to be due to the fact that by pre-washing and removing waste substances adhering to the plants and residues of the culture solution, etc., the occurrence of mold and rot in the in vitro seedlings during acclimation can be suppressed, and further, by dividing the in vitro seedlings into small pieces before acclimation, the growth of undeveloped plants is promoted. Furthermore, while conventional methods require approximately 12 weeks from acclimatization to the completion of seedlings, the method of the present invention completes this process in approximately 8 weeks. This significantly shortens the seedling rearing period and greatly improves production efficiency, which is a major advantage. Furthermore, while conventional methods require covering the plants with sheets to control the outside air or necessitate special hydroponic acclimatization equipment, the method of the present invention allows for the in vitro acclimatization of seedlings to be carried out in the environment in which workers normally perform their tasks. This is expected to lead not only to improved work efficiency but also to significant cost reductions. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0015] 1.Culture container 2. Lid of the culture vessel 3. The constricted part of the culture vessel 4. Wire mesh 5. In vitro seedlings 6. Liquid culture medium 7. Shoot 8. Water and / or nutrient solution 9. Bat 10.Support 11.Seedling container 5a. In vitro seedlings divided into small clumps 5b. Plant body 5c. Seedlings

Claims

1. A method for acclimatizing and transplanting in vitro seedlings, comprising culturing the in vitro seedlings on a net in a culture container, removing the cultured in vitro seedlings along with the net and roots attached, cutting off the lower part of the roots protruding below the net to separate them from the net, washing them, further dividing the washed in vitro seedlings into several smaller clumps, transferring them to a container filled with water and / or nutrient solution to acclimatize them and grow them to seedling stage, and transplanting the seedling stage to a nursery container, wherein each small clump contains 5 to 20 plant bodies.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the small mass comprises 5 to 10 plant bodies.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the small mass includes an underdeveloped plant body.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the acclimatization is carried out in a closed space in a container filled with water or nutrient solution, at a humidity of 40-60% and a temperature of 20-30°C.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the container holding the water or nutrient solution is a tray-shaped container or a hydroponic cultivation device.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the in vitro seedling is a strawberry in vitro seedling.

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