Plant husbandry – Water culture – apparatus or method
Patent
1983-05-17
1984-12-18
Bagwill, Robert E
Plant husbandry
Water culture, apparatus or method
47 14, A01G 3100
Patent
active
044883773
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The invention relates to a method of cultivating plants without soil, wherein the nutrient solution is supplied to the root system of the plants.
In all cultivation, whether it takes place in earth or soil in the conventional manner or in a nutrient solution which is supplied to the root system of the plants, the taking up of negative ions (anions) by the plants takes place primarily by means of the energy which is released on respiration by the roots. Since oxygen is used for normal root respiration, a high oxygen content in the soil water or nutrient solution is of great importance for supplying the plant with the necessary nutrients. In this connection reference may be made to an article by H. Marschner: Einfluss der Sauerstoff-Versorgung der Wurzeln auf Mineralstoffaufnahme und Pflanzenwachstum, KALI-BRIEFE, Fachgebiet 2,2. Folge: 1-17, 1976.
The connection between the root respiration and the absorption of negative ions can often be observed in the practical cultivation of plants. For example, if the roots of young tomato plants suffer from a lack of oxygen because of too low an oxygen content in the soil water or nutrient solution, the root respiration becomes more difficult and hence the ion absorption in general and particularly the absorption of nitrate ions. The plants turn yellow and show distinct symptoms of a nitrogen shortage.
In the cultivation of plants without soil, more attention has been paid to the importance of root respiration for the production of the plants. At the beginning of the culture there is sufficient oxygen for the young roots, and the root respiration then works well but gradually, as the plants become older, a certain amount of root death occurs as the plants renew their roots and the old ones die off. These dead roots then use up some of the oxygen which is available in the nutrient solution, since oxygen is used in the decomposition of these dead roots so that the oxygen content in the nutrient solution which is available for the active roots, is reduced. The reduced supply of oxygen in the nutrient solution can lead to the fact that the root respiration becomes inadequate and a certain tendency towards root death can then be observed, with the result that further dead roots now come to use up further oxygen in one nutrient solution.
It is also known that the absorption of ammonium ions NH.sub.4.sup.+ by the roots leads to a lowering of the pH value of the nutrient solution because the roots then give off hydrogen ions H.sup.+. Bacteria in the nutrient solution (nitrification bacteria) also reduce the ammonium to nitrate using up oxygen in accordance with the following: ##EQU1##
The physiological mechanisms described mean that the cultivation enters a vicious circle in which the oxygen which is supplied to the root system of the plants through the nutrient solution is used otherwise than to the advantage of absorption of nutrient by the plants.
In the cultivation of plants without soil, in order to introduce oxygen into the nutrient solution, air was previously blown into this through a perforated pipeline or hose in a supply tank for the nutrient solution, using compressors. This is described, for example, in the Swedish laid-open specification No. 7510385-3. The oxygen content of the nutrient solution which is brought about in this manner is not sufficient, however, to supply the oxygen which is needed.
With knowledge of the circumstances related above, the object of the invention is to provide optimum conditions for the plants during cultivation without soil with the supply of nutrient solution regarding root respiration and nutrient absorption by the plants and so to increase the production of the plants.
With this object in view, according to the invention the method defined in claim 1 is proposed and in order to explain the invention an embodiment thereof will be described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings in which
FIG 1 is a diagrammatic representation of an installation for the cultivation of plants without soil, adapted to use the
REFERENCES:
patent: 3103763 (1963-09-01), Malchair
patent: 4302906 (1981-12-01), Kawabe et al.
Soilless Growth of Plants, Ellis et al., 1947, Reinhold Publ. Corp., N.Y, pp. 47-48.
Studies on the . . . , Allison et al., 1923, Amer. Journ. of Botany, Dec., pp. 554-566, 47-62.
The Grower, Nov. 4, 1976, pp. 971-975.
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