Method for cultivating plant

• US 10,172,294 B2
• Filed: 02/03/2014
• Issued: 01/08/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 02/04/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Showa Denko KK
• Original Assignee: Showa Denko KK
• Inventors: Takeuchi, Ryouichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Poon, Peter M
• Assistant Examiner(s): Barlow, Morgan T
• Application Number:
  US14/171,069
• Publication Number:
  US 20140215914A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,800 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A01G 7/02 Treatment of plants with carbon dioxide
• CPC Class Codes: A01G 7/045 with electric lighting
• CPC Class Codes: A01H 3/02 by controlling duration, wavelength, intensity, or periodicity of illumination
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 60/14 Measures for saving energy, e.g. in green houses

Abstract

A plant-cultivating method is provided which comprises a red light irradiation step (A) and a blue light irradiation step (B), wherein the step (A) and the step (B) are independently carried out for a predetermined period of time under cultivation conditions such that the concentration of carbon dioxide in a cultivation atmosphere at the step (B) is higher than that at the step (A). Preferably the concentrations of carbon dioxide at the step (B) and the step (A) are 1000-2500 ppm and 700-1500 ppm, respectively. The concentration of carbon dioxide at the step (B) is preferably at least 200 ppm higher than that at the step (A).

Claims

1. A method of cultivating a plant using only artificial lights and comprising;

a step (A) of irradiating the plant with a red light and

a step (B) of irradiating the plant with a blue light, to enhance growth promotion effect,

wherein the red light-irradiation step (A) and the blue light irradiation step (B) are independently carried out for a predetermined period of time under cultivation conditions such that a concentration of carbon dioxide in a cultivation atmosphere at the blue light irradiation step (B) is higher than that at the red light irradiation step (A),

wherein the concentration of carbon dioxide in a cultivation atmosphere at the blue light irradiation step (B) is controlled by supplying carbon dioxide at a predetermined flow rate, while the concentration of carbon dioxide in the air is measured, and the flow rate of carbon dioxide is controlled so that the concentration is in the range of 1,000 ppm to 2,500 ppm and the concentration of carbon dioxide in a cultivation atmosphere at the red-light irradiation step (A) is controlled by supplying carbon dioxide at a predetermined flow rate, while the concentration of carbon dioxide in the air is measured, and the flow rate of carbon dioxide is controlled so that the concentration is in the range of 700 ppm to 1,500 ppm, and

wherein time length of each predetermined period of time for the red light irradiation step (A) and time length of each predetermined period of time for the blue light irradiation step (B) are 3 to 48 hours, respectively.

2. The method of cultivating a plant according to claim 1, wherein the concentration of carbon dioxide in a cultivation atmosphere at the blue light irradiation step (B) is at least 200 ppm higher than the concentration of carbon dioxide in a cultivation atmosphere at the red-light irradiation step (A).

3. The method of cultivating a plant according to claim 1, wherein the concentration of carbon dioxide in a cultivation atmosphere at the blue light irradiation step (B) is maintained at a higher concentration than the concentration of carbon dioxide at the red-light irradiation step (A) while a stream of carbon dioxide-containing air is supplied in the cultivation atmosphere at a flow rate in the range of 0.3 m/sec to 1 m/sec at the blue light irradiation step (B) and at a flow rate in the range of 0.1 m/sec to 0.6 m/sec at the red light irradiation step (A).

4. The method of cultivating a plant according to claim 3, wherein the flow rate of a stream of carbon dioxide-containing air at the blue light irradiation step (B) is at least 0.1 m/sec larger than the flow rate of a stream of carbon dioxide-containing air at the red light irradiation step (A).

5. The method of cultivating a plant according to claim 1, wherein the red light irradiation step (A) and the blue light irradiation step (B) are carried out using an illumination lamp facility having red light emitting elements and blue light emitting elements, both of which are capable of being independently operated, and the red light emitting elements and the blue light emitting elements exhibit a light emission intensity ratio of red light to blue light of at least 1:

1 as expressed by a ratio of photosynthetic photon flux density of red light to blue light.

6. The method of cultivating a plant according to claim 5, wherein the red light emitting elements and the blue light emitting elements exhibit a light emission intensity ratio of red light to blue light in the range of 2:

1 to 9;

1 as expressed by a ratio of photosynthetic photon flux density of red light to blue light.