JP-2026076001-A - Culture medium and cultivation device

JP2026076001AJP 2026076001 AJP2026076001 AJP 2026076001AJP-2026076001-A

Abstract

[Problem] 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. [Selection Diagram] Figure 2

Inventors

木野涼子
平瀬裕司
金相弼

Assignees

株式会社クボタ

Dates

Publication Date: 20260511
Application Date: 20241023

Claims (4)

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

Description

This invention relates to a culture medium and a cultivation apparatus. Patent Document 1 discloses a gel growing medium for plants that allows for plant cultivation without the use of soil. This gel growing medium contains water and fertilizer components for the plants. Japanese Patent Publication No. 2013-111024 This is a perspective view showing the culture medium.This is a diagram showing a cultivation apparatus.This diagram shows a cultivation apparatus where the planting area is kept in a moist state.This diagram shows a cultivation apparatus where the planting area is in a dry state.This figure shows another example of a cultivation device.This figure shows another example of a cultivation device. The culture medium and cultivation apparatus according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the following description, arrow U in the drawings will be considered "up," and arrow D will be considered "down." Figure 1 shows the culture medium 1 for cultivating crop P. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the culture medium 1 comprises a planting area 11 into which the seeds 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-shaped protective area 14 that covers the planting area 11, the membrane-like membrane 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 membrane area 12, and the supply area 13 with the protective area 14. The seeds or crop P are planted in the planting area 11 through the opening 14a formed on the upper surface of the protective part 14. The crop P is preferably a vegetable (e.g., spinach, tomato, lettuce) or fruit (e.g., strawberries) that can be cultivated indoors, has a large edible portion, and a short growing period. In this embodiment, the dimensions of the culture medium 1 are approximately 400 mm in width, 200 mm in depth, and 200 mm in height. However, the dimensions of the culture medium 1 are not limited to these dimensions and can be set according to the crop P. [Planting site] The planting site 11 is a gel-like substance that retains moisture and is composed of an aggregate of numerous high-molecular-weight polymers. Specifically, the planting site 11 is composed of natural polymers such as agar, cornmeal agar, and seaweed-derived polymers. This is preferable because the planting site 11 that comes into contact with the crop P is composed of natural polymers, making it less likely for the planting site 11 to inhibit the cultivation and growth of the crop P. However, the planting site 11 may also contain some other high-molecular-weight materials that have water-absorbing properties. Here, "the planting site 11 is a gel-like substance that retains moisture" means that it is a gel-like substance that retains moisture when the crop P is planted. The planting site 11 contains microorganisms beneficial to crop P. Specifically, these microorganisms are bacteria that mineralize organic matter. Examples of microorganisms include those of the genera Nitrosomonas (e.g., Nitrosomonas europaea), Nitrosococcus, Nitrosospira, Nitrobacter (e.g., Nitrobacter winogradskyi), Nitrospira, and Nitrococcus, which perform nitrification from ammoniacal nitrogen to nitrate nitrogen. Furthermore, the remains of the microorganisms after their activity and the gases produced from these remains become additional components of the planting site 11, providing nutrients for crop P. Therefore, the presence of microorganisms in the planting site 11 promotes the growth of crop P. [Membraneous part] The membrane-like portion 12 filters out 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 out 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 and may be made of paper, polyvinyl alcohol, or the like. 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. Furthermore, the membrane-like portion 12 is located above the supply portion 13 while in contact with it. [Supply part] The supply portion 13 is a gel