RU2151493C1 - Hydroponic growing plant - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: agriculture. SUBSTANCE: hydroponic plant has closed conveyor movable in horizontal plane, and conveyor belt with openings. Vegetative pots 19 for receiving material to be grown are arranged in one openings in belt and light-tight floating members 21 are arranged in other openings in belt. Nutrient solution is periodically supplied to plant root zone and discharged from lower part of conveyor. Each vegetative pot is made in the form of netted cell with seed receiving porous material on its bottom. EFFECT: improved growing conditions and increased efficiency. 2 cl, 4 dwg

Description

 The invention relates to agriculture, namely to hydroponics without a substrate.

A device for conveyor growing plants containing a vegetation vessel, the body of which is bounded by a circular cylindrical surface. The reflective screen has a circular cylindrical surface at the base and is formed by 360 ^° rotation of a semicircle of variable radius, concentric and larger radius than the landing surface.

 Moving along the conveyor during the growth process, plants receive an ever-increasing volume for development. Air and a nutrient solution are supplied to the device (AS USSR N 1748753, class A 01 G 31/02, publ. 23.07.92).

 This device is suitable only for growing plants in zero gravity. Its disadvantage is the inefficient use of the sown area when matching the peripheral speed of the curved landing surface with the period of plant maturation. To make room for the following plants, you need a large peripheral speed - respectively a larger volume of the device. As a result, the device is unsuitable in conditions of mass agricultural production.

The closest technical solution to the proposed one is a device for growing plants, which includes a frame, a closed conveyor, many rollers on the frame around which the conveyor moves in a horizontal plane to many processing sites. The conveyor belt has many holes, a sowing frame to limit the area of seed entering the belt, means that motionlessly carry the frame on the frame above the belt, means for introducing seed into the seed frame, the seed can move without interference below the frame along with the belt to the next plot, and drive means for one of the rollers, transmitting the movement of the tape (US patent N 3664061, CL A 01 G 31/00, publ. 23.05.72,)
This technical solution has the following disadvantages. The nutrient solution is supplied from above in the form of an irrigation system, and the holes in the tape are provided for the drainage of the nutrient fluid, and have a small diameter so that the grains of the seed to be sown do not fall through. As a result, in such a device, the tape is adapted for one type of plant with a certain seed diameter. The root system of plants is located on the front side of the tape and the plants are retained on it due to the dense interweaving of the roots, which causes mutual inhibition of the plants, in addition, the 100% humidity arising from this supply of the nutrient solution prevents the plants from breathing, causing various diseases. The developing root system of plants clogs the drainage holes of the tape and, due to the slow movement of the tape, these holes cannot be released in a timely manner for all plants and effectively, which causes flooding of the crop fragments and their death due to the cessation of respiration of the root system. In addition, the accumulation of water can cause a significant deflection of the tape.

 With such seeding of planting material in beds and a known speed of conveyor belt, simultaneously matured plants will not be harvested simultaneously, which affects the quality of the crop.

 In addition, the device, as a whole, is bulky, material-intensive, requires artificial lighting and exposes the upper part of plants at various processing stations to sometimes unnecessary and harmful effects.

 The aim of the invention is to eliminate the above disadvantages and improve the conditions for cultivated plants by ensuring the alternation of the regimes of "nutrition" and "respiration" of the root system of plants.

 Increasing productivity and improving the quality of the crop is carried out by creating the possibility of orderly planting of plants, organization of optimal distances between plants and timely harvesting for all rows of plants.

 To solve the problems, a plant for hydroponic cultivation of plants contains a frame, a closed conveyor moving in a horizontal plane, a conveyor belt with holes, means for introducing seed, means for harvesting and a conveyor drive transmitting the movement of the belt. According to the invention, vegetation vessels for the material to be grown are placed in some openings of the conveyor belt, and opaque buoyancy elements are located in others, and the nutrient solution is supplied and periodically withdrawn from the underside of the conveyor belt in the plant root zone.

 In addition, each vegetation vessel is made in the form of a mesh cell, in the lower part of which a porous material for sowing seeds is placed. With this installation design, the closed conveyor belt performs three functions: two of its main functions — used as a bearing surface for growing plants and informs them of the movement from the planting device to the harvester, and a third additional one: unlike the prototype, the belt performs the function of separating plant roots from their upper parts.

 This allows, without disturbing the upper part of the plants, to alternate in the optimal ratio the modes of “nutrition” and “respiration” of the root system when feeding and periodically draining the nutrient solution into the vegetation bath located on the underside of the conveyor belt.

 The buoyancy elements installed in the holes of the tape, on the one hand, keep the tape with the plants at a predetermined distance from the nutrient solution, and, on the other hand, obscure the root system of the plants, inhibiting the development of microalgae and ensuring normal productivity. In addition, these floating elements unload the tape from mechanical stress, lightening its weight.

 The alternation on the conveyor belt of openings with vegetation vessels with openings where buoyancy elements are located allows for an orderly method of planting, which increases yield and improves the quality of the harvested crop, as the plants develop naturally without oppressing each other. In addition, this allows you to plant on the same tape plants with different seed diameters, with different growing periods, choosing in each case the optimal distance between plants and a different planting method.

In FIG. 1 shows a General view of the installation for hydroponic cultivation of plants, side view;
in FIG. 2 - closed conveyor, top view;
in FIG. 3 - fragment of conveyor belt, top view;
in FIG. 4 is the same side view.

 Installation for hydroponic growing plants contains mounted on the frame 1 bath 2 for nutrient solution, a closed conveyor in the form of an endless belt 3 with holes, device 4 for sowing seeds, device 5 for harvesting, drive 6 conveyor, cleaning device 7 installed in the bath 2 .

 A device for preparing and supplying a nutrient solution includes a pumping station 8, a container 9 for water, a container 10 for concentrated components of the nutrient mixture, dispensers 11, a control unit 12, a container 13 for a nutrient solution, an express analyzer 14, a solution disinfector 15, a container 16 for waste solution, discharge pipe 17 and drain pipe 18.

 In one of the holes of the conveyor belt 3 there are placed vegetation vessels 19 in the form of mesh cells, at the bottom of which there is a porous material 20 for planting seeds. In other holes of the tape 3 mounted opaque floating elements 21.

 For growing plants of various species, the bath 2 in length can be divided into separate sections (not shown).

 To prevent the tape 3 from sagging along the bath 2, the strings 22 are tensioned.

 For the possibility of successive cultivation of plants with different growing periods, the possibility of changing the conveyor speed is provided.

 The installation works as follows.

 From the container 13, the prepared nutrient solution is pumped through the piping system 17 to the bath 2 by the pump station 8. A conveyor drive 6 and a seed sowing device 4 are included, which puts the seeds of the plants in the vegetation vessels 19, where they are on the porous material 20. The distances between the vegetation vessels 19 in a row and in the direction of movement of the tape 3 are selected depending on the type of plant. Given that the seeds before germination and the formation of the root system should not dry out during the low tides of the nutrient solution or be in solution, choose the appropriate distance of the bottoms of the vessels 19 above the surface of the nutrient solution.

 During the movement of the conveyor belt 3 in the bath 2, a certain level of nutrient solution is automatically maintained, which is periodically pumped into the container 16 for the spent solution to ensure air access to the roots of the plants. The duration of the solution supply to the bath and its pumping out are set depending on the type of plant by the control unit 12. Using the express analyzer 14, the composition of the spent solution is determined and, in the absence of any of the components, the control unit 12 sends a command to the corresponding dispenser 11.

 When the content of harmful substances in the solution, the control unit 12 gives a command to one of the dispensers 11 and a reagent is introduced into the solution to neutralize them.

 If harmful microorganisms and algae are detected in the solution, the solution is passed through a disinfector 15 operating on one of the physical principles (for example, thermal, radiation, etc.).

 During periods of "respiration" of plant roots in the absence of a solution in the bath, if necessary, the stripping device 7 is set in motion with the simultaneous supply of a washing-disinfecting solution (for example, a weak aqueous solution of potassium permanganate).

 Strings stretched along the bath 22 keep the conveyor and vegetation vessels 19 at a certain distance from the bottom of the bath 2, which protects the roots of the plants and the lower part of the vessels 19 from damage. To prevent flooding of the conveyor and reduce its corrosive wear and to prevent flooding of the upper part of the plants, as well as to obscure their root system, floating elements 21 are used.

 As the conveyor moves and the crop ripens, the plants arrive at the end of the bath 2, where the device for harvesting plants 5 is activated, with which they harvest, separate the "tips" from the "roots", sort them and send them for appropriate use.

 The conveyor, freed from the crop, goes under the bottom of the bath and moves to its beginning, where the cycle repeats again.

 The proposed installation can be used both in the form of separate isolated functional units, or several having a single unit for the preparation and processing of a nutrient solution. At the same time, areas unsuitable for traditional farming can be used while reducing labor costs by automating the process of growing crops and improving the ecological state of the environment.

Claims (2)

 1. Installation for hydroponic cultivation of plants, comprising a frame, a closed conveyor moving in a horizontal plane, a conveyor belt with holes, means for introducing seed, means for harvesting and the conveyor drive, transmitting the movement of the tape, characterized in that in one of the holes of the conveyor the vegetation vessels for the material being grown are placed on the tape, and light-proof floating elements are placed in others, and the supply of nutrient solution and its discharge are organized in the zone of plant roots from the bottom second side of the conveyor belt.  2. Installation according to claim 1, characterized in that the vegetation vessel is made in the form of a mesh cell, in the lower part of which a porous material for sown seeds is placed.

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