JP2019054733A - Plant factory with eye cultivation and harvesting method, cultivation harvesting device and eye cultivation and harvesting device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a cultivation/harvest method in which a total amount of Indican which is harvested throughout the year, is large.SOLUTION: A cultivation/harvest method of indigo plant comprises: a first step for growing an indigo plant to an initial height, and reaping the indigo plant at a harvest start point which is provided at a decapitation height from an edge of a ground; a second step for growing a predetermined number of active lateral branches which come out from a joint lower than the harvest start point as a stem; a third step for reaping the active lateral branch at a harvest point provided above the stem by one joint or more joints; a fourth step for making active lateral branches which come out from a joint lower than the harvest point as a new stem, new active lateral branches, and growing the predetermined number of the new active lateral branches; and a fifth step for repeating the third step and fourth step by a predetermined number of times.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to an eye leaf cultivating and harvesting method and a cultivating and harvesting apparatus and an eye cultivating and harvesting apparatus capable of increasing the indican yield.

  Indigo (CAS number: 482-89) synthesized from indican (CAS number: 1328-73-0) contained in the raw leaves of the eye (an annual herbaceous plant of the genus Indidae, also known as Tadeai, scientific name is “Persicaria tinctoria”) -3) has long been used as a blue-indigo pigment. In recent years, applications have been expanded as chemical products such as cosmetic soaps and foods such as indigo tea, and demand for products other than pigments is increasing. Furthermore, a new effect of alleviating inflammation of ulcerative colitis has been found, and demand is expected to expand further in the future.

  Several plants that produce indican are known, but in Honshu, Japan, eye has been cultivated for a long time because of its suitability for climatic conditions. However, since the Meiji period, the cultivation of eye gradually decreased due to the import of cheap Indian eye (an annual herbaceous plant of the genus Leguminosae, also known as Nanban Komatsugi, scientific name "Indigofera suffrituticosa") and the spread of chemically synthesized synthetic indigo, Currently, it is only grown in a part of Tokushima Prefecture. Due to such a decrease in the acreage, the amount of indigo demand cannot be secured.

  In the conventional cultivation method of the eye (open field cultivation), seeds are sown around March, and cutting is most carried out around July when the plant height grows to 50-60 cm. This is cut at 5-10 cm from the edge of the eye. After harvesting, if organic fertilizer is applied, the eye will grow again, and the plant height will be over 50 cm in August. Here, similarly, the second cutting is carried out at 5-10 cm from the ground. In addition, the third cutting may be done in September or October, but since the eye blooms from this time, the concentration of indican contained in the fresh leaves of the eye decreases from 70% to half. There is often no cutting.

  As described above, in the conventional cultivation method (open field cultivation), the eye leaf can be harvested only from July to October. When using eye as a raw material for chemical products, it is necessary to process the harvested eye leaf to obtain indigo. However, if the harvest time is limited in this way, the machine used for processing and refining will operate. The rate drops. For this reason, development of the cultivation harvest technique which can harvest many fresh leaves for the whole year without reducing the indican density | concentration in the fresh leaves of eye is desired. The best way to achieve this is to consider the application of plant factories in eye production.

  By the way, in patent document 1, the harvesting method which repeats the cutting of the tip part 20cm of the stem which grew to about 80cm several times about the rose of shrubs is disclosed. However, there is no mention of such a harvesting method in herbs including eye.

  Moreover, in nonpatent literature 3, in artificial light type hydroponic cultivation of eye, it is better to carry out a plurality of times (three times or more) of pruning similar to the present invention by back-pruning pruning or pruning pruning. Are considering. It has been reported that the yield of eye leaves is higher with cut-back pruning than with pruned pruning. Old leaves create a dense state, and vigorous side branches do not come out. As a result, it is assumed that the productivity of the raw leaves of the eye and the indican concentration in the raw leaves will decrease, which is insufficient to obtain raw leaves with a high indican concentration throughout the year.

JP 2010-022247 A

Yoshiko Minami “Indican Metabolism of Tadeiaceae Plants” Chemistry and Biology 39 (3): 93-97 (2001) Tsuneharu Murai and Hitoshi Yoshiwara “Efforts for Variety and Labor Saving in Todeshima Prefecture's Tide Indigo Cultivation” Special Seedlings 21: 93-97. (2015) Masaru Sakamoto et al. , ‘Comparison of Two Harvesting Methods for the Continuous Production of Indigo Plant, 7 Regenerative in the Cultivation of Religion in the Cultivation of the Continuum Production of the Continuum Production of the Continuum Production Kerry G. Stoker et al. , ‘Influence of light on natural indigen production production (Isitis tinctoria)’, Plant Growth Regulation 25: 181-185, 1998

  In order to meet the increasing demand for indigo, it is necessary to establish Ai's anniversary production technology that achieves high indican yield. Therefore, there are the following three problems to be solved by the present invention.

  The first issue is the establishment of a cultivation and harvesting method in which the total amount of indican that can be harvested throughout the year is large.

  The second problem is the development of a means for suppressing the flowering of the eye in order to realize the annual production of the eye, an annual herbaceous plant.

  The third challenge is to reduce the labor load in harvesting operations.

  For the first issue, the total amount of indican that can be harvested is calculated by the product of the weight of the harvested raw eye leaf and the concentration of indican in the raw eye leaf. Therefore, high indican yields must be achieved by improving either or both.

  As described above, the conventional cultivation method of eye harvests twice or three times a year, and the yield of fresh leaves of eye is about 500 kg per 10 ares, and the indy in the fresh leaves of eye at this time The can concentration is 6 mg / g FW to 13 mg / g FW. In the present invention, the target is to exceed this value. “GFW” means 1 g of fresh weight (Fresh Weight).

  Regarding the second issue, the annual herbaceous plant is flowering and dies after fruiting. In addition, the eye which is a short-day plant blooms from September to October under open field cultivation conditions, but when it blooms, the indican concentration in fresh leaves decreases from 70% to about half. Establishing a means to prevent flowering is required for the annual production of Ai.

  Regarding the third issue, the conventional cultivation method cultivates eyes directly on the field, so the position of harvesting work is low and the labor load is large. In order to solve this, it is required to raise the position of the harvesting operation by using a high-floor cultivation facility, and further to mechanize the cultivation operation and the harvesting operation by using a plant factory.

  The cultivation and harvesting method for eye according to the present invention has been conceived in view of the above-mentioned problems, and on the premise of the annual production of eye by a plant factory or the like, cultivation that obtains a significantly higher indican yield compared to conventional cultivation methods It provides a harvesting method.

  About a 1st subject, only the tip part of a stalk with a high indican density | concentration is periodically and repeatedly harvested, and the light supplement by UV-B (ultraviolet rays) is performed.

  In Non-Patent Document 1, the indican concentration is as high as 45-50 μmol / g (13-15 mg / g FW) at the tip of the eye stalk, about 30 μmol / g (9 mg / g FW) at the center, and 25 μmol at the base. / G (7 mg / g FW), it has been reported that the indican concentration gradually decreases from the tip to the base. In the conventional cultivation method, the eye grown to 50 cm or more is cut and harvested at a position of 5 to 10 cm from the ground, so the average indican concentration of the harvested eye leaf is less than 9 mg / g FW.

  In this regard, in the eye cultivation and harvesting method according to the present invention, since only the 5th to 6th nodes at the tip of the stem are targeted for harvesting, the indican concentration of the harvested eye leaf can always be kept high. It is. On the other hand, when only the tip part is harvested, the yield of fresh leaves per time is naturally reduced. For this reason, in the present invention, the annual yield of fresh leaves of the eye is secured by performing harvesting at a frequency of about once every two weeks. By using such a cultivation and harvesting method, it becomes possible to harvest many fresh leaves throughout the year while maintaining a high indican concentration of fresh eye leaves.

In Non-Patent Document 4, as for the sun squirrel that produces indican as in the eye (annual herbaceous plant of the genus Brassicaceae, scientific name is “Isatis tinctoria”), the amount of light in the daytime (photosynthetic effective radiant flux density, μmol / ( It is reported that the indigo yield increases depending on m ² · s)). In addition, under the condition that the amount of light in artificial light cultivation is 600 μmol / (m ² · s), the indigo content is reduced to about half of that in outdoor cultivation (the amount of light is 1700 μmol / (m ² · s)). It has been reported that it is recovered to the same level as outdoor cultivation by supplementing light.

In the eye, like Hamataisei, high light intensity is necessary for biosynthesis of indican. The amount of light at noon during the daytime in the outdoors ranges from 1000 μmol / (m ² · s) (around winter solstice) to 2000 μmol / (m ² · s) (around summer solstice) during sunny weather, and 300 μmol / (m ² · s) (winter solstice during cloudy weather). around) ~600μmol / ^(whereas a ^m 2 · s) (around the summer solstice), the amount of light in a typical total artificial light type plant factory is only ^{100~300μmol / (m 2 · s)} .

For this reason, when the artificial light type plant factory is applied to eye cultivation, a high indican concentration in the fresh leaves that can be harvested is maintained by using a complementary technique corresponding to a low light quantity such as supplementary light by UV-B. For the induction of indican biosynthesis, supplementation with UV-B is the most desirable, but a certain effect is expected with mixed light of red light and blue light or white light generally used in plant factories. it can. The amount of irradiation light is at least 300 μmol / (m ² · s), ideally 2000 μmol / (m ² · s).

Specifically, the eye cultivation and harvesting method according to the present invention includes:
A first step in which the eye is grown to an initial height and is harvested from the ground at the harvest start point provided at the pinching height;
A second step of growing a predetermined number of nodes on the active side branch that grows from a node below the harvest start point as a base;
A third step of harvesting at a harvest point provided at least one node above the base;
A fourth step of growing an active side branch that grows with a node below the harvest point as a new base as a new active side branch, and growing the predetermined number of nodes;
A fifth step of repeating the third step and the fourth step a predetermined number of times;
It is characterized by having.

  The first step is pinching. When the plant height grows to 10 to 20 cm, the tip is harvested by cutting at a position 7 to 9 cm from the ground. By this step, side branches are generated from the nodes 1 and 2 below the cut position.

  The second step is a step of growing the produced side branch 6 to 8 nodes. During this period, grow for 2 weeks while managing water and lighting.

  The third step is a step of harvesting by harvesting the tip of the side branch leaving one or two nodes at the base of the side branch. The harvesting period is when the side branch extends 6 nodes or more (in the example, 2 weeks). By leaving one or more nodes of the base of the side branch, a new side branch is generated from the remaining node.

  In the fourth step, new side branches are grown again for 6 to 8 nodes. Usually, the third and fourth steps are repeated (fifth step) to continue harvesting fresh eye leaves.

  The sixth step is a step of harvesting by cutback pruning. When the third and fourth steps are repeated, the eye strain gradually grows. In multi-stage cultivation such as a plant factory, since the interval between shelves is determined, it is necessary to control the size of the eye stock to be about 50 cm or less. Therefore, when the eye strain grows excessively, the tip of the stem is harvested by cutting back to a position one or two nodes below the position cut in the first step (or the previous sixth step). By adding this step, as in Non-Patent Document 3, it is possible to prevent a dense state of old branches and old leaves from being formed around the cutting position, and to maintain high productivity of the eye strain.

  When the sixth step is repeated, the eye stock gradually becomes smaller. When the size of the stock becomes too small, the yield of fresh leaves decreases. Therefore, when the eye stock does not reach a predetermined size at a predetermined harvesting time, the tip of the side branch may be cut and harvested, leaving 2 to 3 nodes at the base of the side branch. By repeating this operation, the eye strain returns to a size suitable for continuation of cultivation, and at the same time, a node that causes a side branch in the future is left at the base of the strain.

About a 2nd subject, it is solved by performing illumination (long-day process) to the eye grown. Eyes that are short-day plants bloom when the length of the light period in a day is 12 hours or less (the length of the dark period is 12 hours or more). In order to prevent this, the eye is irradiated with artificial light so that the light period is 14 to 16 hours (in the embodiment, from 18:00 to 22:00). The light source used for the illumination only needs to include a blue (460 to 470 nm) or red (620 to 630 nm) wavelength range, and the type of the light source such as a fluorescent lamp or an LED is not limited. The irradiation light quantity required to show the flowering suppression effect is 10 μmol / (m ² · s) or more.

  The third problem is solved by applying a plant factory capable of automating harvesting operations, or using a high-floor cultivation facility.

  By using the above means, it is possible to stably obtain fresh eye leaves having a high indican concentration throughout the year.

  As an effect of the invention relating to the first problem, it is possible to stably harvest the fresh leaves of the eye over the whole year more than conventional cultivation while maintaining a high indican concentration. At the same time, if the eye cultivation and harvesting method according to the present invention is used, the size of the eye strain can be maintained in a range of 15 cm to 50 cm suitable for a plant factory, and the stability and efficiency of production are improved. In the Examples, the indican yield was 8.7 to 11.7 times that of the conventional cultivation method.

  As an effect of the invention relating to the second problem, the flowering of the eye can be completely prevented by illumination (long-day treatment) using red, blue or white light.

  As an effect of the invention relating to the third problem, by using a plant factory equipped with an apparatus for automating harvesting, the labor load during harvesting can be reduced.

It is a figure which shows the principle of the cultivation harvest method of the eye which concerns on this invention. It is a figure shown about the light environment in the cultivation harvest method of the eye which concerns on this invention. It is a figure which shows the structure of the cultivation cultivation apparatus of the eye which concerns on this invention. It is a figure which shows the other deformation | transformation of a height adjustment means. It is a figure which shows the indican content per 1g of fresh leaves at the time of the harvest in "1000" and "small flour". It is a figure which shows the yield (fresh weight) of the fresh leaf of "1000" and "small flour". It is a figure which shows the indican yield per unit area in "1000" and "small flour".

  The eye cultivation cultivation method related to the solution of the first problem will be described with reference to drawings and examples. The following description exemplifies an embodiment and an example of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to the following description. The following description can be modified without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

  The eye to which the present invention can be applied is not particularly limited as long as it is a species having indican. There are known types of eyes such as “Kojoko”, “Senbon”, and “Hyukkan”, but any of them may be used. “Small flour” or “1000” is general and can be suitably applied.

  The principle of the eye cultivation and harvesting method according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 shows the main branch of the eye. In practice, there may be a side branch closer to the root, but it is omitted for simplicity. First, in the first step, the seedling is grown for a certain period (about 60 days in the embodiment) after sowing (FIG. 1 (a)). It is preferable to grow to at least about 10 to 20 cm. This height is called the “initial height”. It should be noted that the sowing place and the harvesting place need not be the same place. In other words, the germinated plant may be planted in another place such as a cultivation device and cultivated and harvested.

  Next, a “harvest start point” is set at a point 7 to 9 cm from the ground. The height from the ground to the harvest start point is called the “pinch height”. Then, harvesting is performed at the harvest start point (trapping: FIG. 1 (b)). The height of pinching is provided because the cultivation and harvesting method according to the present invention performs cutback pruning a plurality of times, so that room is required.

  Reference is made to FIG. A double line shows a cutting part. The bud at the tip of the stem suppresses the growth of the bud of the node below it. For this reason, when the bud at the tip of the stem is removed by pinching, the side branch extends from the lower one or two nodes of the cut position. The side branch extends from the node (the point where the leaf comes out from the stem). The node where the side branch extends is called the “base”. In other words, the side branch grows from the base. A side branch growing from the base is called an “active side branch”. In the cultivation and harvesting method of the present invention, side branches that do not grow are left as the harvest progresses, so that the distinction is made. Note that pinching may be the first harvest. The position where pinching is performed is the harvest start point (FIG. 1 (b)).

  Reference is made to FIG. When pinching is performed, the side branch extends from the lower one or two nodes (base) and leaves. FIG. 1 (c) shows a state in which the side branch has already grown and leaves are attached. The second step is to grow the side branch as shown in FIG. Actually, there are many cases where side branches come out from the lower second section of the harvest start point. The side branch born from the lowest node may be the active side branch. Moreover, the side branch extended here is called a 1st side branch. The first side branch is an active side branch in the stage of FIG.

  FIG. 1D shows the third step. The tip is cut away, leaving the first node of the grown first side branch. This point is called the first harvest point. That is, the first harvest point was set between the first and second nodes of the first side branch. The reason why the first harvest point is set between the first node and the second node of the first side branch is to increase the harvest efficiency. Therefore, the first harvest point may be higher than the first section. The reason for leaving the first node of the first side branch is to extend the side branch from here. If the first node is also cut, the side branch will no longer extend from the first side branch.

  FIG. 1E shows a state in which the side branch extending from the base has grown with the first node of the first side branch as the new base. This is called the second side branch. The fourth step is to extend the second side branch. In FIG. 1E, the second side branch is an active side branch, and the first side branch is a side branch that no longer grows. Here, similarly to the above, the second harvest point is set higher than the first node of the second side branch, and the upper harvest point is cut away from the second harvest point (FIG. 1 (f)). This is the same process as the third process.

  In this way, the third step and the fourth step are repeated (fifth step). That is, while the active side branch is stretched, the first side of the active side branch (more than that may be left) is always pruned, so that the active side branch formed below the harvest start point is maintained and the growing and harvesting is maintained. Can continue. In other words, using the above description, it is possible to continue harvesting while growing the eye without generating a side branch below the first side branch.

  If harvesting is always performed at a certain height from the root, side branches are born one after the other on the first side branch, the old side branch and the new side branch are disturbed, and the lower leaves are not exposed to light and the ventilation is poor. Eventually, new side branches will not be born.

  By performing the cultivation and harvesting method of the present invention, it is possible to harvest more than ten times without causing such a harmful effect. Moreover, the leaf of the tip of the side branch always newly born can be cut. Since the indican concentration is high in the leaf of the tip of the side branch as described above, it is desirable from the viewpoint of indican yield.

  On the other hand, if the harvest point is moved up while leaving the first node of the active side branch, the eye strain itself becomes large. In plant factories and the like, they are often cultivated on shelves that are restricted in the height direction. Therefore, the size of the eye strain is controlled to a size (15 to 50 cm) suitable for the plant factory by performing the sixth step. That is, when harvesting is performed while setting the harvesting point upward a certain number of times, the harvesting is performed from below the harvesting start point of the main branch. This is called “switchback”. That is, a new harvest start point is set below the harvest start point. The new harvest start point is set in the lower node of the first side branch. In other words, a new harvest start point is provided further below the base part below the harvest start point of the main branch (FIG. 1 (g)).

  Side branches also grow from 1 to 2 nodes below the newly set harvest start point. Further, harvesting is performed while setting the harvest point above the first node of the side branch in the same manner as described above. The period for growing the active side branch is preferably about 1 to 3 weeks. The number of nodes is preferably 6 to 8. This corresponds to the “predetermined number of clauses” in claim 1 of the present application.

  When the growing period is short, the amount of side branch growth is insufficient, and the yield of fresh eye leaves is reduced. On the other hand, if the growing period is long, the size of the stock becomes too large, and the proportion of lower leaves with low indican concentration increases relatively, so the average indican concentration of the harvested raw leaves decreases. To do.

  Further, the number of times to set the harvest point for one side branch is preferably 3 to 5 times. This corresponds to the number of times (predetermined number) of how many times the harvest is performed before the cutback is performed. In the eye cultivation and harvesting method according to the present invention, the harvest point moves upward each time it is harvested. Therefore, if the number of times of harvesting until cutback is increased, the stock grows accordingly. However, this is not the case when the strain may grow depending on the cultivation place.

  When the sixth step is repeated, the harvest start point gradually moves to the lower nodes, and the eye stock becomes smaller. In order to maintain an appropriate stock size in a plant factory, it is necessary to restore the stock size. That is, the tip of the active side branch is harvested in the same manner as in the third step, but at this time, the second side to the third node of the active side branch are left and trimmed. This step leaves a node that will produce a side branch in the future by switching back.

Next, supplementary light in an artificial light type plant factory will be described. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of an optical environment assuming an artificial light plant factory. The horizontal axis represents the time of the day (from 0 o'clock to 24:00), and the vertical axis represents the amount of irradiation light (photosynthesis effective radiant flux density (μmol / (m ² · s))). Note that the horizontal axis may deviate from the actual time. Usually, an artificial light plant factory has a “light period” in which light is irradiated and a “dark period” in which light is not irradiated during one day. In the graph, for reference, the time change of “outdoor light quantity in the fine weather at the summer solstice” and “outdoor light quantity in the fine weather at the winter solstice” are shown by a solid line curve and a broken line curve.

In a general artificial light type plant factory, even if a light amount necessary for plant growth (photosynthesis effective radiant flux density, 100 to 300 μmol / (m ² · s)) is given, a high indican concentration is maintained. It does not reach a sufficient light quantity (1000 μmol / (m ² · s) or more). Referring to Non-Patent Document 4, the amount of light in the light period needs to be at least 600 μmol / (m ² · s), ideally 2000 μmol / (m ² · s). In FIG. 2, it is the part of the area | region A between 6 o'clock and 18 o'clock. In other words, the amount of light in region A is the amount of light necessary for the light period (daytime) in eye production. The higher the amount of light, the higher the indican concentration in fresh leaves.

The light source used for this irradiation should just contain blue light (wavelength 460-470 nm) and red light (wavelength 620-630 nm), and may be white light including these wavelength ranges. There is no limitation on the type of light source such as a fluorescent lamp or LED. In Non-Patent Document 4, it is reported that supplementation with UV-B induces biosynthesis of indican for the sea bream cultivated in a light environment of 600 μmol / (m ² · s).

  Therefore, the indican concentration in fresh leaves is improved by supplementarily irradiating light containing UV-B with respect to the eye. As a light source used for this irradiation, UV-B (wavelength 280 to 315 nm) is preferable, but similarly, short wavelength UV-A (wavelength 315 to 380 nm), purple light to blue light (wavelength 380 to 495 nm), Alternatively, similar effects can be expected with white light including these wavelength ranges. Moreover, the kind of light sources, such as a fluorescent lamp and LED, does not ask | require. In the examples, supplementary light from 18:00 to 6 o'clock was performed using a black light containing UV-B.

  That is, supplementary light was performed not only in the light period but also in the dark period. In FIG. 2, the region B is represented by a hatched block. Note that the region B may be included during illumination in the light period.

  A method of lighting (long-day processing) related to the solution of the second problem will be described. Since the eye blooms from September to October, the length of the light period necessary to suppress the flowering is estimated to be 14 to 16 hours. The light used for the illumination only needs to include the wavelength range of blue light (wavelength 460 to 470 nm) or red light (wavelength 620 to 630 nm) related to the photoperiodicity of the plant, and includes these wavelength ranges from the cost aspect. White light may be used.

Moreover, the kind of light sources, such as a fluorescent lamp and LED, does not ask | require. The amount of irradiation light necessary to show the flowering suppression effect is at least 10 μmol / (m ² · s), but in order to obtain a more reliable effect, it is desirable to set it to 50 μmol / (m ² · s). In the examples, irradiation was performed from 18:00 to 22:00 using a white fluorescent lamp. In FIG. 2, it is a portion of region C.

  A plant factory cultivation apparatus and harvesting apparatus related to the solution of the third problem will be described. In addition, in a simple cultivation facility such as a greenhouse, a high-floor cultivation apparatus as in the embodiment may be used.

  FIG. 3 shows the structure of the eye cultivation and harvesting apparatus. The eye cultivation apparatus 1 includes a cultivation shelf 10, a fertilizer supply means 12 for supplying fertilizer to the eye, a reaper 14 for reaping the eye, and a cutting blade of the reaper 14 for the eye to change the harvest point. A height adjusting means 16 for changing the position of the light and an electric lamp 30 for giving light to the eye.

  Further, a water supply means 18 for supplying water to the eye, a height adjusting means 16, a reaper 14, a fertilizer supply means 12, and a control device 20 for controlling the operation of the electric lamp 30 may be provided. Further, a camera 22 may be provided to determine the eye growth and the harvest point. The output of the camera 22 is transmitted to the control device 20.

  The cultivation shelf 10 is a shelf on which the eye is cultivated. Soil directly serving as a medium may be placed on the shelf, or hydroponics may be used. It is preferable that the eyes are cultivated regularly along the width direction of the shelf. This is because harvesting can be performed at once.

  The fertilizer supply means 12 should just be the structure which can supply fertilizer to eyes. For example, the fertilizer supply means 12 can be comprised with the fertilizer tank 12a, the pump 12b, and the fertilizer piping 12c. Liquid fertilizer is stored in the fertilizer tank 12a. The pump 12b sends the fertilizer in the fertilizer tank 12a into the fertilizer piping 12c. The fertilizer piping 12c is arranged so that fertilizer can be supplied to each strain of eye. As will be described later, each harvest is fertilized each time it is harvested. In addition, as long as it can fertilize for every strain | stump | stock, a structure other than this may be sufficient.

  The reaper 14 has a cutting blade 14a and a motor 14b. The motor 14b drives the cutting blade 14a to cut and harvest a predetermined portion of the eye. In addition, the reaper 14 is arrange | positioned so that a movement along the cultivation shelf 10 is possible. For example, the moving rail 15 is arranged along the cultivation shelf 10, and the reaper 14 moves along the cultivation shelf 10 by traveling on it.

  The height adjusting means 16 changes the position of the harvest point. The configuration is not particularly limited. Here, several methods are exemplified. FIG. 3 shows a mechanism for lifting the reaper 14 with a lift 16a. By moving the reaper 14 itself up and down relative to the cultivation shelf 10, the position of the cutting blade 14a is changed, and the harvest point is changed. In addition, the reaper 14 is suspended above the cultivation shelf 10 and may be moved up and down from the suspended portion.

  FIG. 4 shows the configuration of the height adjusting means 16b having the reaper 14 that changes the inclination of the cultivation shelf 10 and harvests the eye at that time. A collection tray 16d for collecting harvested eyes is disposed below the cultivation shelf 10. In FIG. 4, the cultivation shelf 10 is inclined 90 degrees. The reaper 14 is configured to be able to move back and forth with respect to the cultivation shelf 10. The height adjusting means 16 may have such a configuration.

  That is, the height adjusting means 16 only needs to be able to arrange the cutting blade 14a at a predetermined height (distance) h from the cultivation shelf 10.

  Please refer to FIG. 3 again. The water supply means 18 supplies water to each stock. The configuration is not particularly limited. Here, a water supply means 18 realized by a combination of a water tank 18a, a water distribution pump 18b, and a water distribution pipe 18c is shown. Of course, it is only necessary that water can be supplied at a predetermined time even in other configurations.

  The control device 20 controls at least the fertilizer supply means 12, the height adjustment means 16, the reaper 14, and the electric lamp 30. Other water supply means 18 may be connected. Moreover, you may connect with the camera 22 mentioned later. The control device 20 includes an MPU (Micro Processor Unit) and a memory. The control device 20 has a timer inside and can know the current date.

  The camera 22 monitors the eye growth state. Moreover, you may use in order to determine the harvest point in the case of a harvest.

  Operation | movement of the eye cultivation apparatus 1 which has the above structure is demonstrated. A culture medium for cultivation is arranged on the cultivation shelf 10. The medium may be liquid, earthy or sandy. The germinated eye is planted at least on the cultivation shelf 10. The arrangement of the eyes is planted so as to be substantially linear in the length direction of the cultivation shelf 10 and the intervals between the strains are appropriately opened. This is to make it easier to harvest. The lighting device 30 is controlled to be turned on and off by the control device 20 so as to irradiate the eye with light in the cycle of FIG.

  Note that the germination of the eye may not be on the cultivation shelf 10. That is, the eye may be germinated in another place and then planted on the cultivation shelf 10.

  The planted eye is supplied with water, fertilizer and light. There is no particular limitation on the timing of supply. In such an environment, the eye is raised until it reaches a predetermined height. Here, the predetermined height is preferably about 10 to 20 cm.

  The presence / absence of growth up to a predetermined height may be determined by determining the time or may be determined by observing with the camera 22.

  When the eye growth image is confirmed, perform pinching. The position of pinching is the starting point for harvesting. As described above, the harvesting start point is cut with a reaper 14 at a position about 8 cm from the base. First, the reaper 14 is positioned at the end of the cultivation shelf 10. Next, the height adjusting means 16 moves the cutting blade 14a of the reaper 14 from the root of the eye to a position that is the harvest start point. Then, the reaper 14 is moved along the cultivation shelf 10 while the cutting blade 14a is in contact with the eye. In this way, the mowing machine 14 performs mowing at once. This pinching may be the first harvest.

  After harvesting, be sure to fertilize. Here, fertilization is executed by the control device 20 instructing the pump 12b of the fertilizer supply means 12. However, the pump 12b may be operated by a human hand.

  Continue to train eye as it is. As already explained, the side branches extend from the first and second nodes below the harvest start point. The rearing is continued until the side branch has a predetermined length. Here, the predetermined length is preferably about 6 to 8 nodes.

  This growth may be determined by time, or may be determined by the eye growth state (height from the base) obtained from the camera 22.

  When the eye grows up to a predetermined height, harvest from the harvest point. The harvest point is set to a location that has moved upward in a certain distance eye from the harvest start point. Ideally, the second node in the side branch of each strain should be cut. However, each strain of eye placed on the cultivation shelf 10 can have individual differences in growth. Therefore, when deciding the points for harvesting (the harvest start point and the harvest point), a standard stock is determined, and the position for harvesting is determined according to the height of the standard stock.

  The standard strain may be determined in the cultivation shelf 10 or may be determined in the plurality of cultivation shelves 10. Moreover, you may determine a standard stock by the average, the maximum value, etc. of the stock in the cultivation shelf 10 of the range which determines a standard stock. That is, the standard stock is not a specific one but may be virtually determined. Fertilizer is applied after harvesting.

  The harvest at the next harvest point is grown until the side branch extends, and then harvested while moving the harvest point to the top. Thus, the whole eye stock grows with every harvest. Therefore, switch back is performed.

  Cutback is performed from the lower side of the side branch extending from the lower part of the harvest start point. By this cutting, the side branch that has been extended so far is cut off, and another side branch extends from the node below. Then, harvesting is performed again while moving the harvest point to the upper position.

  In this way, the eye cultivation apparatus 1 performs the harvesting from the harvest start point of the eye grown on the cultivation shelf 10 and performs the harvesting while moving the harvest point to the upper level. Then, when the eye becomes a certain size, it cuts back under the harvest start point. And it can fertilize at the time of harvest and can harvest an eye for every fixed period.

  The eye cultivation apparatus 1 having the above configuration can be installed alone or in a plurality of buildings in a building surrounded by a roof and a vertical wall surrounding the four sides. The building may be a so-called greenhouse in which the roof and vertical walls are formed based on glass. Further, the building may be shielded from sunlight, and may be configured such that artificial light is applied to the eye. The building where the eye cultivation apparatus 1 is installed can be called a plant factory.

  The cultivation method itself is not particularly limited. It may be house cultivation or outdoor cultivation. In the eye cultivation and harvesting method according to the present invention, it is possible to obtain a high indican yield with a different digit compared to the conventional cultivation method, so cultivation in a place where the planting area is limited such as house cultivation may be used. . In particular, in house cultivation, it is preferable to use a raised floor because the work height at the time of harvesting can be increased and the labor load can be reduced.

  Examples of the eye cultivation and harvesting method according to the present invention will be described below.

  As the varieties of eye, “small powder” and “1000” were used.

<Cultivation test>
The cultivation test was conducted from 20xx years to the following year. Hereafter, this year is called the “current year” and the next year is called the “next year”.

  On December 10th of the year, 4 seeds per cell were sown in 600 sponge cells (2.5 cm × 2.5 cm × 2.5 cm) each containing water. The seeded sponge cell was placed in a plastic tray and placed in a Biotron (Nippon Medical Instruments Co., Ltd.) set to a dark condition at 20 ° C. for germination. The seeds germinated and on December 18th of that year, the environmental conditions in the Biotron were changed to 20 ° C., light period 16 hours—dark period 8 hours.

  One stage of the cultivation shelf was 1800 mm in length and 150 mm in width. In the first stage of the cultivation shelf, a hose to which fertilizer and water are supplied is arranged in the center of the width, and five strains of the same type of eye (10 total) are planted across the hose. Planted small flour and a thousand plants. That is, when looking at the longer side of the cultivation shelf as left and right, 5 strains of small flour from the center to the right side (left side) (5 strains on the back side with the hose in between) and 5 strains on the left side (right side) 5 shares on the back side) Three such cultivation shelves were prepared.

  Each shelf was filled with culture soil mixed with commercially available culture soil, and an automatic irrigation device was installed thereon. The automatic irrigation device is irrigated twice at 6 and 18 o'clock every day, 6L for the period from December 28 of the current year to March 31 of the following year, and 9L for the period from April 1 of the following year to September 29 of the following year. Was set to be performed.

  On December 28 of the year, eye seedlings grown to about 3 cm in Biotron were transplanted to the above cultivation apparatus. A cell in which 2 to 4 seeds germinated from 4 seeds sown in one sponge cell was transplanted as one strain.

In order to prevent the flowering of the transplanted eye seedlings, from the time immediately after transplanting until March 23 of the following year, two 40 W white fluorescent lamps were used to illuminate from 18:00 to 22:00 (long day treatment, 100 μmol / (m ² · s)). By this illumination, a light period of 14 to 16 hours for suppressing flowering of the eye was secured. In the period up to April 19 of the following year, the greenhouse was heated so that the minimum temperature did not fall below 15 ° C.

  On January 4th of the following year when the seedlings of the eye were observed, as the first fertilization, Happy Yuki (N: P: K: Mg = 7: 7: 7: 1, Komeri Co., Ltd.), one shelf 70 g was applied. For the second and subsequent fertilization, 140 g to 210 g were appropriately applied per cultivation shelf at every harvest.

  The first step, pinching, was performed on February 8, the following year, 60 days after sowing, when the eye strain grew to about 15 cm, at a position 8 cm from the origin. At this time, the weight of the harvest was not measured because the strain was still small and the eye leaf yield was also small.

  Harvesting by the second process, the third process or the fourth process is the following year (same thereafter) March 2, March 16, March 29, April 7, April 21, May 6th, 20th May, 3rd June, 17th June, 8th July, 22nd July, 5th August, 19th August, 1st September, 15th September and 9th September The test was performed 16 times in total on 29th (fifth step). Basically, it was repeated at the interval of 2 weeks in which the side branch was extended by about 6 nodes, which was the third step, with the base portion of the side branch remaining one or two nodes. When the third step is repeated, the eye stock gradually grows, so once every 3 to 4 times, the cut was cut back to a node lower than the harvest start point in the sixth step. In addition, after August, when the size of the eye strain became too small by repeating the sixth step, in order to recover the size of the stock, the upper part of the first step should be trimmed. went.

  Prior to harvesting, in order to measure the indican concentration, for each variety, five third leaves from the tip of the stem were collected, weighed and immediately frozen in liquid nitrogen and stored at −80 ° C. The fresh weight of the stems and leaves cut by harvesting was measured for each experimental group, and the fresh weight was measured by dividing the leaves into stems. Then, it put in the dryer of 80 degreeC, it was made to dry sufficiently, and the dry weight was measured according to the site | parts.

<Quantitative determination of indican>
About 0.2 g of a freshly preserved fresh eye leaf sample was weighed and ground under liquid nitrogen temperature. After grinding, 1.0 mL of MeOH (methanol) was added and suspended, and the suspension was transferred to a 2.0 mL microtube and allowed to stand at room temperature for about 5 minutes. The suspension was centrifuged at 12,000 rpm for 5 minutes to obtain a supernatant. To the residue after centrifugation, 1.0 mL of MeOH was added and suspended, and the mixture was allowed to stand for about 5 minutes, and then centrifuged to obtain a supernatant again. MeOH was added to the supernatant obtained by the extraction operation twice, and it was prepared to be exactly 2.0 mL to obtain an indican MeOH extraction sample.

  High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was used for the measurement of the indican concentration. A DGU-20A3R pump (SHIMADZU), a reverse phase system column Inertsil ODS-3 (4.6 × 150 mmGL Sciences), a UV-VIS detector (SPD-10AV SHIMADZU) and a column oven (CTO-10AC SHIMADZU) at 40 ° C. The analysis was performed with the setting of As a mobile phase, 0.1% trifluoroacetic acid aqueous solution and MeOH were used, and the analysis was performed under a gradient condition in which MeOH was increased to 15 to 30% in 15 minutes at a flow rate of 0.8 mL / min. Indicans were quantified using absorbance at a wavelength of 280 nm.

<Experiment on the effect of UV light irradiation on indican concentration>
Separately from the above experiments, indican concentration of fresh leaves obtained by supplementing the eyes cultivated with a white fluorescent light as a light source in a hydroponic cultivation apparatus installed indoors with black light containing UV-B at night Was measured and compared with the indican concentration of fresh leaves obtained by the conventional cultivation method. In this experiment, the amount of light in the light period (12 hours) is 100 to 200 μmol / (m ² · s), and at this amount of light, the indican concentration in the fresh leaves of the eye decreases. Therefore, during the dark period (12 hours), UV-B irradiation was performed by replacing the light source from white fluorescent lamp to black light. The black light used has a wavelength of 290 to 410 nm and includes UV-B, UV-A and violet light.

<Result>
As a result of the first problem, by carrying out the cultivation and harvesting method of the present invention, the yield of eye leaves per unit acreage increased significantly, while the indican concentration was more than “thousand” in the conventional cultivation method, “Small flour” did not change from the conventional cultivation method. Therefore, the indican yield per unit acreage calculated by the product of the eye leaf yield and the indican concentration is 11.7 times for “1,000” and 8.7 for “small flour” compared to the conventional cultivation method. Doubled. It can be said that the cultivation and harvesting method of the present invention significantly increases the yield of indican per unit acreage.

  As a result of the second problem, the flowering of the eye was completely suppressed by the illumination performed immediately after transplanting until March 23 of the following year. Since the lighting was stopped on March 23 of the following year, flowering was recognized on September 29 of the following year after the 17th harvest. It is thought that if the illumination was continued or resumed from the end of August of the following year, flowering in September of the following year could be suppressed.

  As a result of the third issue, the use of high-floor cultivation equipment has reduced the labor load in harvesting.

Details of the results regarding the first problem are shown below.
<Regarding the concentration of indican in harvested fresh leaves>
FIG. 5 shows the indican content (i.e., indican concentration) per gram of fresh leaves measured at each harvest time. The horizontal axis is the number of cuttings (date and time), and the vertical axis is the amount of indican (g / g FW) per gram of fresh leaves. According to Non-Patent Document 2, the amount of indican per 1 g of fresh leaves in the conventional cultivation method is about 7 mg / g FW for “1000” and about 6 mg / g FW for “small flour”. Indicated by a broken line.

  Although the variation in indican content due to harvesting is seen, the average value of indican amount per gram of fresh leaves in 16 harvests is 9.85 mg / g FW for “1000” and 6.67 mg for “small flour”. / GFW. Compared with the conventional cultivation method, “1000” was significantly higher, and “small flour” was almost the same.

  In both “1000” and “small flour”, the indican content at the second, third, ninth, tenth, sixteenth and seventeenth harvests was low. In the second and third rounds, it was thought that indican could not be synthesized sufficiently because the eye was in its youth. In the 9th and 10th time, it was considered that the biosynthesis of indican was suppressed by the sucking damage of white lice. In the 16th and 17th times, a decrease in the amount of sunlight was considered to be the main cause.

<Regarding the yield of harvested fresh leaves>
FIG. 6 shows the yield (fresh weight) of fresh leaves of “1000” and “small flour” measured at each harvest. The horizontal axis represents the number of cuttings (date and time), and the vertical axis represents the yield (gFW / m ² ). In both “1000” and “small flour”, the yield of fresh leaves for each harvesting changed from 400 g to 800 g. The reason why the yield of the 11th round is outstanding is that the harvest interval is only 3 weeks.

The total yield of fresh leaves in 16 harvests, the "Thousand" 8966gFW / ^{m 2,} was the 9768gFW / ^{m 2} in "small upper flour". In the conventional cultivation method, the second or third cutting is performed, and the total yield per 10a at that time is about 500 kg. In comparing the present embodiment with the conventional cultivation method, it is necessary to consider a work space such as a passage normally included in the conventional cultivation method. Accordingly, assuming that 20% of the planted area was required for the passage and the like, the yield of fresh leaves per 10a of this example was estimated, and it was 7172 kg for “Thousands” and 7814 kg for “Small flour”. This value corresponded to 14 to 16 times the conventional cultivation method.

  In this example, the harvest interval was set to about 2 weeks. Eye growth is fast, and if the interval is too long, the stock grows, and the proportion of leaves in the lower nodes of the harvest is relatively high, and the indican concentration of the harvested leaves is thought to decrease. On the other hand, when the harvest interval is one week, the amount of growth necessary for harvesting cannot be obtained. Therefore, the harvest interval is preferably 2 weeks ± 3 days.

<Indican yield>
FIG. 7 shows the transition of indican yield per unit area calculated as the product of the indican content per gram of fresh leaves shown in FIG. 5 and the fresh weight of fresh leaves per unit area shown in FIG. ing. The horizontal axis is the number of cuttings (date and time), and the vertical axis is the indican yield (g / m ² ) per unit area.

Although the indican yield per unit area varies depending on the harvesting time, the total indican yield (g / m ² ) in 16 harvests is 95 g / m ² for “1000” and “small powder”. It was 71 g / m ² . Assuming that 20% of the planted area was required for the aisle etc., the indican yield per 10a of this example was estimated, and it was 76.0 kg for “1000” and 56.8 kg for “small powder”. . As described above, the yield of fresh leaves per 10a in the conventional cultivation method is about 500 kg, and the indican concentration at that time is 6 to 7 mg / g FW on average, and 13 mg / g FW at the maximum. Therefore, the indican yield per 10a in the conventional cultivation method is calculated as 6.5 kg at the maximum. The indican yield per 10a in this example was equivalent to 11.7 times for “1000” and 8.7 times for “small flour” compared to the conventional cultivation method.

<Regarding the effect of UV light irradiation on indican concentration>
When the eye grown in the hydroponics apparatus installed indoors was supplemented with black light containing UV-B for 12 hours at night, the indican concentration of the harvested eye fresh leaves (dried eye leaves) 64 mg / g DW) was similar to that in open field cultivation (61-63 mg / g DW in dry eye leaves). It was shown that supplementation with black light restores the indican concentration of fresh leaves of the eye to the extent of outdoor cultivation. “GDW” means 1 g of dry weight.

  The present invention can be suitably used for cultivating and harvesting eye.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Eye cultivation apparatus 10 Cultivation shelf 12 Fertilizer supply means 12a Fertilizer tank 12b Pump 12c Fertilizer piping 14 Mower 14a Cutting blade 14b Motor 16 Height adjustment means 18 Water supply means 20 Control apparatus 22 Camera 30 Electric light

Claims (7)

A first step in which the eye is grown to an initial height and is harvested from the ground at the harvest start point provided at the pinching height;
A second step of growing a predetermined number of nodes on the active side branch that grows from a node below the harvest start point as a base;
A third step of harvesting at a harvest point provided at least one node above the base;
A fourth step of growing an active side branch that grows with a node below the harvest point as a new base as a new active side branch, and growing the predetermined number of nodes;
A fifth step of repeating the third step and the fourth step a predetermined number of times;
A method for cultivating and harvesting eye. A sixth step of providing a new harvest start point below the base below the harvest start point in the main branch, and reaping at the new harvest start point;
The eye cultivation and harvesting method according to claim 1, further comprising a seventh step in which the second step to the sixth step are repeated a plurality of times. The initial height is 10 to 20 cm from the ground,
The pinch height is 7-9 cm from the ground,
The eye cultivation and harvesting method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the predetermined number of nodes is 6 to 8.   4. The eye cultivation and harvesting method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the eye is irradiated with light for 14 to 16 hours per day as a light period.   The eye cultivation and harvesting method according to claim 4, wherein the light includes ultraviolet rays as supplementary light. A cultivation shelf for growing eyes,
Fertilizer supply means for sending fertilizer to the eye;
A reaper having a cutting blade to shave the eye;
An eye cultivation and harvesting apparatus comprising height adjusting means for arranging the cutting blades at a predetermined height from the cultivation shelf. The roof,
A vertical wall arranged under the roof;
A plant factory in which the eye cultivation and harvesting apparatus according to claim 6 is arranged.