JP6880524B2 - Underground cutting equipment and tractors for medicinal plants - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to disconnecting the apparatus and the tractor underground part of medicinal plants can be harvested underground herbs simply and efficiently.

Licorice plants belong to the family Leguminosae and are perennial plants that grow naturally in arid regions such as southern Russia, Mongolia, northern China to western China, and Europe. Dried roots and rhizomes of some licorice plants are called licorice, and are known as the most versatile crude drug ingredients prescribed in more than 70% of Chinese medicine prescriptions. It is used as a liquorice, analgesic, antitussive, expectorant, etc. In addition, glycyrrhizic acid, which is the main component thereof, has liver function strengthening action, antitumor action, anti-inflammatory action, antiviral action, antiallergic action, antiatopy action, etc., and is only extremely useful as a raw material for pharmaceuticals. However, since it has a unique sweetness of about 150 times that of sucrose, it is consumed in large quantities not only as pharmaceuticals but also as a sweetener for soy sauce and confectionery.

Currently, almost all licorice distributed in the Japanese market is covered by wild products, and the current situation is that it relies on imports from countries of origin such as China, but in recent years, in these regions. Since the depletion of resources is a problem, field cultivation of licorice plants by various methods in Japan is being studied (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

However, licorice plants have the property of spreading roots and strons deeply and widely in the soil, so there is a problem that it is extremely complicated to harvest them. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the shape of the underground portion of the Uralkan elephant. In this way, since the roots and strons of Licorice plants are intricately entwined in the soil and extend not only vertically but also horizontally, various digging machines used for ordinary root vegetable harvesting (for example, patents). in the literature references 2-4), since the tractor may Naru rather can be advanced roots and stolons of firmly stuck was Glycyrrhiza plant in the ground is tangled Hori-up machine, not able to use these (See Fig. 7). Therefore, at present, there is no choice but to dig up the soil extensively using heavy machinery such as backhoes and manually collect the roots and strons (see Fig. 8), which requires enormous time and labor for harvesting. It was.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2011-50273 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2012-139190 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2004-283057 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 8-205648

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, and an object of the present invention is a medicinal plant whose underground portion is used as a raw material for pharmaceuticals and the like, such as a plant of the genus Licorice. It is an object of the present invention to provide a cutting device and a tractor for the underground part of a medicinal plant capable of easily and efficiently harvesting the underground part although the part develops in a complicated and wide range in the ground.

The above object of the present invention is achieved by the following means.

(1) In the present invention, a cutting means composed of a cutter formed so as to make a notch in a substantially vertical direction in the soil in which a medicinal plant is growing, and an upper end portion of the cutting means are fixed at a rear end portion. The cutting is connected to the arm, a support that rotatably supports the arm, and the cutting means so that the cutting means makes a cut at a depth of 30 cm to 70 cm with respect to the soil. comprising a load applying means for applying a load to the means, and a coupling means for removably connected towards after the tractor to the support, said cutting means is provided in parallel with each other, are separated, respectively tabular It is a cutting device for the underground part of medicinal plants, which is a double cutter consisting of two cutters having a linear blade formed therein.

( 2 ) The present invention is also a device for cutting an underground part of a medicinal plant according to (1) , wherein the load applying means is a hydraulic cylinder.

( 3 ) The present invention is also the underground cutting device for medicinal plants according to (1 ) or ( 2) , wherein the load applied to the cutting means by the load applying means is 300 kg to 800 kg.

(4) Further, the present invention is a tractor comprising linked towards the rear of the cutting device of the underground part of the medicinal plant as claimed in any one of (1) to (3).

According to disconnect apparatus and tractor underground portion of the medicinal plants of the present invention, since the moat-up underground section after cutting in advance recovery easy length underground portion of the medicinal plants, as Glycyrrhiza plants Even if the underground part develops in a complicated and wide range in the ground, the underground part can be easily excavated by using a normal excavation device used for excavating root vegetables, etc. It is possible to harvest things extremely efficiently.

It is an exploded perspective view which shows an example of the cutting apparatus used in this invention. It is an exploded perspective view which shows another example of the cutting apparatus used in this invention. It is a schematic side view which shows still another example of the cutting apparatus used in this invention. It is a schematic front view of the cutting device of FIG. It is a figure which showed the state of the cutting process of the stron of Glycyrrhiza uralensis by the harvesting method of this invention. It is a figure which showed the state of the harvesting of the underground part of Uralkan elephant by the harvesting method of this invention. It is the figure which showed the state of the harvesting of the underground part of Uralkan elephant only by a digger. It is a figure which showed the state of the harvesting of the underground part of Uralkan elephant by the backhoe. It is a table which showed the harvest result of Example 1 and Comparative Examples 1 and 2. It is a figure which showed the shape of the underground part of Uralkan elephant.

Hereinafter, the method of harvesting the underground part of the medicinal plant according to the present invention and the embodiment of the cutting device and the tractor used therefor will be described in detail.

In the medicinal plants to which the harvesting method of the present invention can be applied, underground parts such as roots, strons, rhizomes and tubers are used as raw materials for pharmaceuticals and health foods. Specific examples of such medicinal plants include Kanzo, Shakuyaku, Daiou, Okera or Atractylodes lanceolata, Kuzu, Hinatainokozuchi or Toinokozuchi, Clara, Gentiana, Maou, Veradonna, Bowfu, Mokko, Itadori or Oitadori, Akane, Kibana. Examples thereof include Trichosanthes knotweed, Japanese knotweed, Japanese knotweed, Chigaya, Dandelion, Ashi, Solomon's-seal, Atractylodes lanceolata, Button, Nikkei, Kuco, Ezokogi, Tendaiuyaku, Tsurudokudami, Miyamatobera, and related plants thereof. Among these, it can be suitably used especially for varieties such as licorice or plants of the same genus in which the underground part develops in a complicated manner.

In the harvesting method of the present invention, first, a plurality of continuous cuts are made in the soil in which the medicinal plant is growing, and the underground portion of the medicinal plant related to the cut portion in the soil is cut (cutting step).

The method for forming a notch in the soil in the present invention is not particularly limited as long as it can cut the underground part of the medicinal plant, but to give a specific example, a cutting device for the rear part of a tractor, an attachment of a backhoe, or the like. A method of forming a cut by connecting the two and running a tractor or the like while cutting the cutting device into the soil to a predetermined depth can be mentioned.

A configuration example of the cutting device used in the present invention will be described below, but the configuration of the cutting device is not limited thereto.

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing an example of a cutting device used in the present invention. In FIG. 1, the cutting device 1 is composed of a support 11, an arm 21, a cutter 31, an attachment 41, and the like. An attachment 41 is provided on the front end side portion (back side of the drawing) of the support body 11, and the cutting device 1 can be detachably connected to the rear of a tractor or the like via the attachment 41. An arm 21 is rotatably supported at the rear end of the support 11 (front right in the drawing) at a substantially central portion, and a flat plate cutter 31 is rotatably supported at the rear end (front right in the drawing) of the arm 21. The upper end portion (upper side of the drawing) is fixed, and the lower end portion (lower side of the drawing) of the cutter 31 is provided with a guide 51 for adjusting and maintaining the depth of cut of the cutter 31. With such a configuration, the cutting device 1 is adapted to form a cut in the soil while the cutter 31 vibrates up and down by applying a rotational motion to the arm 21.

In the example of FIG. 1, the cutting device 1 was provided with one flat plate-shaped cutter, but a double-barreled type in which two or more flat-plate-shaped cutters are arranged side by side substantially parallel to the cutting direction. It may be configured as a cutting device for cutting two or more furrows in one run.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing another example of the cutting device used in the present invention. In FIG. 2, the cutting device 2 includes a support 12, an arm 22, a cutter 32, an attachment 42, and the like. An attachment 42 is provided on the front end side portion (left back in the drawing) of the support body 12, and the cutting device 2 can be detachably connected to the rear of a tractor or the like via the attachment 42. The upper end of the arm 22 (upper side of the drawing) is fixed to the rear end (front right of the drawing) of the support 12, and the disc-shaped (colter type) cutter 32 is fixed to the lower end (lower side of the drawing) of the arm 22. Is rotatably supported in the direction of travel, almost vertically. With such a configuration, the cutting device 2 is adapted to form a notch in the soil in a substantially vertical direction while the cutter 32 rotates.

In the example of FIG. 2, the cutting device 2 includes one disk-shaped cutter, but a double-unit type in which two or more disk-shaped cutters are arranged side by side substantially parallel to the cutting direction. It may be configured as a cutting device for cutting two or more furrows in one run.

FIG. 3 is a schematic side view showing still another example of the cutting device used in the present invention, and FIG. 4 is a schematic front view thereof. In FIGS. 3 and 4, the cutting device 3 includes a support 13, arms 231 and 232 and 233, cutters 331 and 332, an attachment 43, a hydraulic cylinder 63, and the like. An attachment 43 is provided at the rear end portion (left side in the drawing) of the support 13, so that the cutting device 3 can be detachably connected to the front of the tractor 4 via the attachment 43 and the tractor side attachment 44. .. The upper ends of the arms 231 and 232 (upper side of the drawing) are rotatably supported at the front end (right side of the drawing) of the support 13, and the arms 231 and 232 are connected to each other via the arm 233 at an intermediate portion. As a result, the arms 231 and 232 rotate in conjunction with each other around the front end portion of the support 13. Further, a hydraulic cylinder 63 is connected to a substantially central portion of the arm 233, and disk-shaped (colter type) cutters 331 and 332 are substantially vertical and substantially vertical to each other at the lower end portions of the arms 231 and 232, respectively. It is pivotally supported in parallel and rotatably in the direction of travel. With such a configuration, the cutting device 3 forms a notch in the soil 5 in a substantially vertical direction while the cutters 331 and 332 rotate as a dual cutting device so that the two furrows can be cut in one run. It has become. The diameter and thickness of the double cutter are not particularly limited, and are appropriately designed in consideration of the type of medicinal plant, soil properties, harvesting efficiency, etc., but the diameter is 70 to 120 cm. , Preferably 80 to 100 cm, and the thickness is preferably 1.5 to 5.0 mm, preferably 2.0 to 4.0 mm.

Further, in the cutting device 3, by applying a load to the cutters 331 and 332 by the hydraulic cylinder 63, the rotation (vertical movement) of the cutters 331 and 332, the depth of cutting by the cutters 331 and 332, and the underground portion of the medicinal plant Adjust the load required for cutting. The means for applying the load to the cutter is not limited to the hydraulic cylinder, and may be adjusted by using a weight of an appropriate weight instead of the hydraulic cylinder or in combination with the hydraulic cylinder, for example. The load value applied to the dual cutter is not particularly limited, and is appropriately designed in consideration of the type of medicinal plant, soil properties, harvesting efficiency, etc., but as will be described later, Uralkan elephant The load required to make a cut to a depth of cut of 30 cm, which is effective for cutting the stron, is preferably 300 to 800 kg, particularly preferably 400 to 500 kg. If the load applied to the dual cutter is less than the above range, the cutting of the underground portion will be poor, while if it exceeds the above range, the depth of cutting will be excessive and the cutting process will be delayed due to such addition, which is not preferable.

In the example of FIG. 3, the cutting device 3 includes two disk-shaped cutters, but the number of cutters may be only one or three or more.

The tractor connecting the cutting devices 1 to 3 shown in each of the above embodiments is not particularly limited, but the cutting devices 1 and 2 are particularly connected to the rear of the small / medium-sized tractor to connect the medicinal plants to medium / low speed. The cutting device 3 is particularly suitable for connecting in front of a large tractor to harvest medicinal plants at high speed.

In the cutting step of the present invention, a plurality of continuous cuts are made in the soil by the above-mentioned cutting device to cut an underground part such as a stron of a medicinal plant, but in a field of a medicinal plant, a plurality of ridges are usually formed. Since the medicinal plants are cultivated in a row on the ridges, it is typically preferable that the cuts are formed in a straight line along the ridges at substantially equal intervals and substantially parallel to each other. However, the cuts formed in the cutting step of the present invention may be unequally spaced, non-parallel to each other, or non-linear such as zigzag or curved. In addition, the cuts may be combined in the vertical, horizontal, and diagonal directions to form a grid pattern or a diagonal grid pattern. Further, the incision is usually preferably formed in a substantially vertical direction with respect to the soil, but may be formed in a non-vertical direction.

In addition, the depth of cut is not particularly limited as long as the underground part of the medicinal plant can be cut to a length suitable for harvesting, and the variety and cultivation years of the medicinal plant to be harvested, the actual development condition of the underground part, etc. It can be set as appropriate according to. To give a specific example, the effective depth of cut in the case of cutting the underground part of Uralkan elephant is 30 to 70 cm, preferably 35 to 40 cm.

Next, in the harvesting method of the present invention, the soil cut by the cutting step is dug up (drilling step), and the underground part in the dug up soil is recovered (recovery step).

The method of digging up the soil and the method of recovering the underground part in the present invention are not particularly limited, but for example, a digging device such as a slat chain conveyor type digger is connected to the rear part of the tractor to run the tractor or the like. There is a method of digging up and collecting at the same time. In the harvesting method of the present invention, the underground part of the medicinal plant is cut to a length that can be easily recovered by the cutting step. Therefore, even if the underground part of the medicinal plant is complicated and widely developed in the ground, root vegetables and the like The underground part can be easily excavated by using a normal excavation device used for excavation, and the target object can be harvested extremely efficiently. Further, since the medicinal plant which is the target of the harvesting method of the present invention is used as a raw material for pharmaceuticals and health foods by processing the underground part or performing extraction processing, a part of the harvested product is cut off. However, the commercial value does not decrease.

However, in the harvesting method of the present invention, the digging step and the collecting step do not necessarily have to be performed at the same time, and the digging step and the collecting step may be performed separately, or conversely, the above-mentioned digging. By using an apparatus in which the apparatus and the cutting apparatus are integrated, the cutting step, the digging step, and the recovery step may be processed at the same time.

Further, in the harvesting method of the present invention, the digging step and the collecting step do not necessarily have to be performed at the same time as the cutting step or within a short period from the end of the cutting step, and after a long period of time has passed from the end of the cutting step (for example, from several months). It may be done in about one year). If the underground part is left in the soil as it is without being dug up and recovered immediately after cutting, the weight of the underground part will increase and the content of the active ingredient will increase due to the addition of stress due to the cutting. This is because the yield may be improved.

The harvesting method of the present invention is typically used when harvesting medicinal plants cultivated in the field, but can also be suitably used when harvesting medicinal plants growing in the wild. Many of the medicinal plants that are the subject of the present invention grow in hard soil such as arid areas in the wild, and even if the underground is not a complex and widely developed variety, it is difficult to collect. There are many. Therefore, if the harvesting method of the present invention is adopted for wild products, the underground portion is cut by cutting into the soil and the recovery thereof becomes easy, and the cutting makes it easy to dig up the soil itself. Therefore, the collection efficiency can be significantly improved.

Next, the method of harvesting the underground part of the medicinal plant of the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to Examples, but the present invention is not limited to these Examples.

Harvesting the underground part of Uralkan elephant by the harvesting method of the present invention

The underground part of the Ural licorice (9th year of cultivation) cultivated in the field was harvested by the harvesting method of the present invention.

First, as a pretreatment, a vibrating flat plate blade type cutting device (the one having the configuration shown in FIG. 1) connected to a tractor is used to continuously linearly connect the furrows of the field where the Ural licorice is cultivated in advance. Stron was cut by making a notch with a depth of about 40 cm ( see FIG. 5 ). The cutting interval was the same as the conveyor width of the moat machine. Next, a slat chain conveyor type digger connected to a tractor was used as a digger to dig up the soil between the cuts, and at the same time, the roots and strons were collected to continuously harvest the underground part of the Uralkan elephant (). (See FIG. 6 ). The harvesting work speed was about 0.06 m / s.
[Comparative Example 1]

Harvesting the underground part of Uralkan elephant only by a digger (conventional method)

In the field of Uralkan elephant cultivated under substantially the same conditions as in Example 1, an attempt was made to harvest the underground part of Uralkan elephant with the same excavator as in Example 1 without performing pretreatment (cutting treatment of stron). However, the underground part was entangled with the digger and the tractor stopped, so it was not possible to harvest ( see Fig. 7 ).
[Comparative Example 2]

Underground harvest of Uralkan elephant by backhoe (conventional method)

In the field of Uralkan elephant cultivated under substantially the same conditions as in Example 1, the soil is dug up using a backhoe without pretreatment (cutting treatment of stron), and the underground part is manually recovered. As a result, the underground part of the Uralkan elephant was harvested ( see FIG. 8 ).

The harvest results of Example 1 and Comparative Examples 1 and 2, shown in the table of FIG. 9. As is clear from the table, according to the harvesting method (Example 1) of the present invention, compared with the conventional method using a backhoe (Comparative Example 2), even if the pretreatment (stron cutting treatment) is included, it is more than twice as much. Harvesting efficiency was obtained. Therefore, it was found that if a harvesting device that integrates a digging device and a cutting device is used, a harvesting efficiency that is four times or more that of the conventional method can be achieved. In addition, the recovery rate of the underground part by the harvesting method of the present invention was about 95% on average, and there was no problem in practical use.

As described above, according to the method for harvesting the underground part of the medicinal plant of the present invention and the cutting device and tractor used therefor, the underground part of the medicinal plant can be harvested easily and efficiently, so that the plant belongs to the genus Licorice. It is extremely useful when used for underground harvesting of medicinal plants of varieties with complex and widespread underground development.

1, 2, 3 Cutting device 4 Tractor 5 Soil 11, 12, 13 Support 21, 22, 231, 232, 233 Arm 31, 32, 331, 332 Cutter 41, 42, 43 Attachment 44 Tractor side attachment 51 Guide 63 Hydraulic Cylinder 74 tractor front wheel

Claims (4)

A cutting means consisting of a cutter formed so as to make a notch in the soil in which a medicinal plant grows in a substantially vertical direction, and a cutting means.
An arm that fixes the upper end of the cutting means at the rear end,
A support that rotatably supports the arm and
A load-applying means that is connected to the support and the arm and applies a load to the cutting means so that the cutting means makes a cut in the soil at a depth of 30 cm to 70 cm.
And connecting means for removably connecting said support towards after the tractor,
With
The cutting means is a dual cutter composed of two cutters which are provided in parallel with each other and are separated from each other and each has a flat plate shape and a linear blade is formed.
An underground cutting device for medicinal plants. The load applying means is a hydraulic cylinder.
The device for cutting an underground portion of a medicinal plant according to claim 1. The load applied to the cutting means by the load applying means is 300 kg to 800 kg.
The device for cutting an underground part of a medicinal plant according to claim 1 or 2. Claims 1 to tractor formed by connecting toward the rear of the cutting device of the underground part of the medicinal plant as claimed in any one of 3.

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