LIGHTING ENVIRONMENT CONTROL FACILITY FOR CULTIVATION OF CROPS, PEST CONTROL METHOD, AND INTENSIVE CULTIVATION METHOD

• US 20120210637A1
• Filed: 07/16/2010
• Published: 08/23/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/24/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Masataka Kamahara
• Original Assignee: Masataka Kamahara
• Inventors: Kamahara, Masataka
• Application Number:
  US13/386,136
• Publication Number:
  US 20120210637A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 47/17
• CPC Class Codes: A01G 22/05 Fruit crops, e.g. strawberries, tomatoes or cucumbers
• CPC Class Codes: A01G 22/15 Leaf crops, e.g. lettuce or spinach
• CPC Class Codes: A01G 7/045 with electric lighting
• CPC Class Codes: A01G 7/06 Treatment of growing trees or plants, e.g. for preventing decay of wood, for tingeing flowers or wood, for prolonging the life of plants
• CPC Class Codes: A01G 9/20 Forcing-frames; Lights , i.e. glass panels covering the forcing-frames
• CPC Class Codes: A01G 9/249 Lighting means with special arrangements for promoting growth A01G7/045
• CPC Class Codes: A01M 1/226 by using waves, fields or rays, e.g. sound waves, microwaves, electric waves, magnetic fields, light rays
• CPC Class Codes: A01M 29/10 using light sources, e.g. lasers or flashing lights
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 60/14 Measures for saving energy, e.g. in green houses

Abstract

Disclosed are: a lighting environment control facility capable of controlling light to be irradiated on cultivated crops to an optimum condition for the growth of the crops, thereby activating a natural defense of the crops against pests; a pest control method capable of determining whether or not to control pests of cultivated crops and controlling the pests on the basis of the determination; and an intensive cultivation method. The facility is used for pesticide-free cultivation, and includes a crop cultivation house which is formed of a light transmissive material and in which crops are cultivated, and a lighting control unit that controls the light to be irradiated upon the crops in the crop cultivation house. The lighting control unit is adapted to control spectral radiance (B₁) of a wavelength range of blue light, spectral radiance (R₁) of a wavelength range of red light, and spectral radiance (FR₁) of a wavelength range of far-red light among the light to be irradiated on the crops that are cultivated in the crop cultivation house so as to be a predetermined condition.

Claims

1. A lighting environment control facility for cultivation of crops, which is used for pesticide-free cultivation, the lighting environment control facility comprising:

a crop cultivation house which is formed of a light transmissive material and in which crops are cultivated; and

a lighting control means for adjusting light to be irradiated on the crops in the crop cultivation house, wherein

when spectral radiance of a wavelength range of blue light is denoted by B₀, spectral radiance of a wavelength range of red light is denoted by R₀, and spectral radiance of a wavelength range of far-red light is denoted by FR₀ among the light to be irradiated on the crop cultivation house

the lighting control means adjusts spectral radiance (B₁) of a wavelength range of blue light, spectral radiance (R₁) of a wavelength range of red light, and spectral radiance (FR₁) of a wavelength range of far-red light among the light to be irradiated on the crops in the crop cultivation house so that

a ratio of R₁/B₁ becomes greater than a ratio of R₀/B₀, and a value (RBaV) obtained by subtracting the ratio of R₀/B₀ from the ratio of R₁/B₁ is greater than RBaV when the lighting control means is not installed, and

a ratio of R₀/FR₀ is greater than a ratio of R₁/FR₁, and a value (RFRaV) obtained by subtracting the ratio of R₁/FR₁ from the ratio of R₀/FR₀ is greater than RFRaV when the lighting control means is not installed.

2. The lighting environment control facility according to claim 1, wherein the lighting control means adjusts the light to be irradiated on the crops in the crop cultivation house so that the spectral radiance (B₁) of the wavelength range of the blue light has a shorter wavelength than the spectral radiance of the wavelength range of the blue light when the lighting control means is not installed.

3. The lighting environment control facility according to claim 1 or 2, wherein:

the lighting control means includes a reflective material that is installed in the crop cultivation house, reflects transmitted light transmitted into the crop cultivation house, and irradiates the reflected light on the crops; and

the reflective material causes;

the spectral radiance of the wavelength range of the blue light included in the reflected light to become lower than the spectral radiance of the wavelength range of the blue light of the transmitted light transmitted into the crop cultivation house; and

the spectral radiance of the wavelength range of the far-red light included in the reflected light to become relatively higher than the spectral radiance of the wavelength range of the red light included in the reflected light.

4. The lighting environment control facility according to one of claims 1 to 3, wherein:

the lighting control means includes a net installed to cover the crops to be cultivated; and

the net causes;

the spectral radiance of the wavelength range of the blue light included in the light to be irradiated on the crops to become lower than the spectral radiance of the wavelength range of the blue light when the net is not installed; and

the spectral radiance of the wavelength range of the far-red light included in the light to be irradiated on the crops to become relatively higher than the spectral radiance of the wavelength range of the red light included in the light to be irradiated on the crops.

5. The lighting environment control facility according to one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a light transmissive material of which the crop cultivation house is formed

attenuates the spectral radiance of the wavelength range of the blue light among the light to be irradiated on the crop cultivation house and transmits the resultant light, and

causes the spectral radiance of the wavelength range of the far-red light included in the transmitted light to become relatively higher than the spectral radiance of the wavelength range of the red light included in the transmitted light.

6. The lighting environment control facility according to one of claims 1 to 5, wherein:

the crops in the crop cultivation house are fruit vegetables; and

the lighting control means adjusts light to be irradiated on the fruit vegetables so that the RBaV is equal to or more than 0.319 and the RFRaV is equal to or more than 0.098.

7. The lighting environment control facility according to one of claims 1 to 6, wherein:

the crops in the crop cultivation house are leaf vegetables; and

the lighting control means adjusts light to be irradiated on the leaf vegetables so that the RBaV is equal to or more than 0.367 and the RFRaV is equal to or more than 0.149.

8. The lighting environment control facility according to claim 7, wherein the lighting control means includes a light source that adjusts a lighting environment to be irradiated on the leaf vegetables.

9. The lighting environment control facility according to claim 8, wherein:

the light source is installed to irradiate light from outside to inside the crop cultivation house, and includes a control means that controls operation of the light source; and

the control means includes;

a house irradiation wavelength measuring apparatus that measures the spectral radiance (B₀) of the wavelength range of the blue light, the spectral radiance (R₀) of the wavelength range of the red light, and the spectral radiance (FR₀) of the wavelength range of the far-red light among the light to be irradiated on the crop cultivation house;

a crop irradiation wavelength measuring apparatus that measures the spectral radiance (B₁) of the wavelength range of the blue light, the spectral radiance (R₁) of the wavelength range of the red light, and the spectral radiance (FR₁) of the wavelength range of the far-red light among the light to be irradiated on the crops to be cultivated in the crop cultivation house; and

a controller that controls the operation of the light source so that a value (RBaV) obtained by subtracting a ratio of R₀/B₀ from a ratio of R₁/B₁ both of which are calculated on the basis of intensities of wavelengths measured by the house irradiation wavelength measuring apparatus and the crop irradiation wavelength measuring apparatus, becomes greater than RBaV when the lighting control means is not installed, and so that a value (RFRaV) obtained by subtracting a ratio of R₁/FR₁ from a ratio of R₀/FR₀ becomes greater than RFRaV when the lighting control means is not installed.

10. The lighting environment control facility according to claims 1 to 9, wherein:

the crops in the crop cultivation house are fruit vegetables;

the crop cultivation house is equipped therein with a light source that irradiates light to shady spots where the leaves are shaded due to overlapping of the leaves of neighboring crops according to growth of the cultivated crops; and

the light source adjusts a state of light so that, among the light to be irradiated to the shady spots,

the ratio of R₁/B₁ is greater than the ratio of R₀/B₀, and the value (RBaV) obtained by subtracting the ratio of R₀/B₀ from the ratio of R₁/B₁ is equal to or more than 0.319, and

the ratio of R₀/FR₀ is greater than the ratio of R₁/FR₁, and the value (RFRaV) obtained by subtracting the ratio of R₁/FR₁ from the ratio of R₀/FR₀ is equal to or more than 0.098.

11. The lighting environment control facility according to claim 10, wherein the light source irradiates light of the wavelength range of the red light on the cultivated crops.

13. The pest control method according to claim 12, wherein, in the crop cultivation house having the lighting environment control facility according to claims 1 to 11, the house is set to a predetermined artificial lighting environment by at least one of a process of reflecting sunlight to a reflective material and a process of transmitting the sunlight to a light transmissive material.

14. The pest control method according to claim 13, wherein the reflective material and the light transmissive material have a spectrum of color in which spectral radiance of visible light other than a color reflecting the red light (R) and a color reflecting the far-red light (FR) is lower than each of the red light (R) and the far-red light (FR).

15. The pest control method according to claim 12, wherein, in the crop cultivation house having the lighting environment control facility according to claims 1 to 11,

the house is set to a predetermined artificial lighting environment by mixing the red light (R) and the far-red light (FR) using artificial lighting and by irradiating the mixed light on the crops, and

for the mixed light that is irradiated, the spectral radiance of the red light (R) is lower than that of the far-red light (FR), and spectral radiance of visible light other than the red light (R) and the far-red light (FR) is lower than each of the red light (R) and the far-red light (FR).

16. The pest control method according to claim 15, wherein the mixed light is produced by irradiating at least one of lighting that a combination of lightings of the red light (R) and the far-red light (FR) that are mixed in a cultivation space, and mixed lighting having spectra of the red light (R) and the far-red light (FR).

17. The pest control method according to claim 12, wherein, in the crop cultivation house having the lighting environment control facility according to claims 1 to 11,

the crops are cultivated under an artificial lighting environment in which the ratio of the red light (R) to the blue light (B) in the cultivation environment is changed be at least 0.319 more than the bare field, and in which the ratio of the red light (R) to the far-red light (FR) in the cultivation environment is changed to be at least 0.098 less than in the bare field, and

for vegetables vulnerable to the pests, the ratio of the red light (R) to the blue light (B) in the cultivation environment is changed to be at least 0.367 more than the bare field, and the ratio of the red light (R) to the far-red light (FR) in the cultivation environment is changed to be at least 0.149 less than in the bare field.

18. The pest control method according to claim 15, wherein, in the crop cultivation house having the lighting environment control facility according to claims 1 to 11,

for vegetables vulnerable to the pests, the ratio of the red light (R) to the blue light (B) in the cultivation environment is changed to be at least 0.367 more than the bare field, and the ratio of the red light (R) to the far-red light (FR) in the cultivation environment is changed to be at least 0.149 less than in the bare field, and

vegetables other than the vegetables vulnerable to the pests are cultivated under an artificial lighting environment in which the ratio of the red light (R) to the blue light (B) in the cultivation environment is changed to be at least 0.319 more than the bare field, and in which the ratio of the red light (R) to the far-red light (FR) in the cultivation environment is changed to be at least 0.098 less than in the bare field.

19. The pest control method according to claim 16, wherein, in the crop cultivation house having the lighting environment control facility according to claims 1 to 11,

for vegetables vulnerable to the pests, the ratio of the red light (R) to the blue light (B) in the cultivation environment is changed to be at least 0.367 more than the bare field, and the ratio of the red light (R) to the far-red light (FR) in the cultivation environment is changed to be at least 0.149 less than in the bare field, and

vegetables other than the vegetables vulnerable to the pests are cultivated under an artificial lighting environment in which the ratio of the red light (R) to the blue light (B) in the cultivation environment is changed to be at least 0.319 more than the bare field, and in which the ratio of the red light (R) to the far-red light (FR) in the cultivation environment is changed to be at least 0.098 less than in the bare field.

20. The pest control method according to claim 13, wherein, in the crop cultivation house having the lighting environment control facility according to claims 1 to 11,

for vegetables vulnerable to the pests, the ratio of the red light (R) to the blue light (B) in the cultivation environment is changed to be at least 0.367 more than the bare field, and the ratio of the red light (R) to the far-red light (FR) in the cultivation environment is changed to be at least 0.149 less than in the bare field, and

vegetables other than the vegetables vulnerable to the pests are cultivated under an artificial lighting environment in which the ratio of the red light (R) to the blue light (B) in the cultivation environment is changed to be at least 0.319 more than the bare field, and in which the ratio of the red light (R) to the far-red light (FR) in the cultivation environment is changed to be at least 0.098 less than in the bare field.

21. The pest control method according to claim 14, wherein, in the crop cultivation house having the lighting environment control facility according to claims 1 to 11,

for vegetables vulnerable to the pests, the ratio of the red light (R) to the blue light (B) in the cultivation environment is changed to be at least 0.367 more than in the bare field, and the ratio of the red light (R) to the far-red light (FR) in the cultivation environment is changed to be at least 0.149 less than in the bare field, and

vegetables other than the vegetables vulnerable to the pests are cultivated under an artificial lighting environment in which the ratio of the red light (R) to the blue light (B) in the cultivation environment is changed to be at least 0.319 more than in the bare field, and in which the ratio of the red light (R) to the far-red light (FR) in the cultivation environment is changed to be at least 0.098 less than in the bare field.

23. The pest control method according to claim 22, wherein, in the crop cultivation house having the lighting environment control facility according to claims 1 to 11,

for vegetables vulnerable to the pests, the ratio of the red light (R) to the blue light (B) in the cultivation environment is changed to be at least 0.367 more than in the bare field, and the ratio of the red light (R) to the far-red light (FR) in the cultivation environment is changed to be at least 0.149 less than in the bare field, and

vegetables other than the vegetables vulnerable to the pests are cultivated under an artificial lighting environment in which the ratio of the red light (R) to the blue light (B) in the cultivation environment is changed to be at least 0.319 more than in the bare field, and in which the ratio of the red light (R) to the far-red light (FR) in the cultivation environment is changed to be at least 0.098 less than in the bare field.

24. The pest control method according to claim 12, wherein, in the crop cultivation house having the lighting environment control facility according to claims 1 to 11,

greater brightness than or equal to an intensity of light at which a rate of photosynthesis of vegetables that are cultivated in the house is saturated is secured by at least one of a transmittance property of a light transmissive material and a reflectance property of a reflective material, and

for the cultivation environment inside the house, the ratio of the red light (R) to the blue light (B) is greater than that of the bare field, and the ratio of the red light (R) to the far-red light (FR) is less than that of the bare field.

25. The pest control method according to claim 24, wherein:

for the cultivation environment inside the crop cultivation house having the lighting environment control facility according to claims 1 to 11, the ratio of the red light (R) to the blue light (B) becomes at least 0.319 more than that of the bare field, and the ratio of the red light (R) to the far-red light (FR) becomes at least 0.098 less than that of the bare field, and

for vegetables vulnerable to the pests, the ratio of the red light (R) to the blue light (B) is changed to be at least 0.367 more than that of the bare field, and the ratio of the red light (R) to the far-red light (FR) is changed to be at least 0.149 less than that of the bare field.

26. The pest control method according to claim 24, wherein:

an artificial lighting for irradiation in cultivating the vegetables is used, and

as irradiated light of the artificial lighting, the red light (R) has a lower spectral radiance than the far-red light (FR), and spectral radiance of visible light other than the red light (R) and the far-red light (FR) is lower than each of the red light (R) and the far-red light (FR).

27. The pest control method according to claim 26, wherein the irradiated light of the artificial lighting is configured so that the spectral radiance of visible light other than the red light (R) and the far-red light (FR) is zero.

28. The pest control method according to claim 24, wherein:

the light transmissive material is a material used to cultivate the vegetables; and

a material which has a property of transmitting visible light of a wavelength range of 380 to 780 nm among sunlight, which holds a color whose spectrum reflects the red light (R) and a color whose spectrum reflects the far-red light (FR), and in which spectral radiance of a color reflecting the visible light other than the color reflecting the red light (R) and the color reflecting the far-red light (FR) is lower than spectral radiances of the color reflecting the red light (R) and the color reflecting the far-red light (FR) is used as the light transmissive material.

29. The pest control method according to claim 28, wherein the light transmissive material is configured so that the spectral radiance of the color reflecting the visible light other than the color reflecting the red light (R) and the color reflecting the far-red light (FR) is zero.

31. The pest control method according to claim 12, wherein, in the crop cultivation house having the lighting environment control facility according to claims 1 to 11,

cultivation light of vegetables in the crop cultivation house is adjusted to a spectrum of light of a sunny spot among sunlight filtering through foliage by changing a spectrum balance of sunlight so that the ratio of the red light (R) to the blue light (B) becomes more than that of the bare field, and so that the ratio of the red light (R) to the far-red light (FR) becomes less than that of the bare field by at least one of reflection and transmission of sunlight without using artificial lighting.

12. A pest control method comprising:

a process of measuring spectral radiance of a wavelength range of red light (R), spectral radiance of a wavelength range of blue light (B), and spectral radiance of a wavelength range of far-red light (FR) in a cultivation environment of target crops as the red light (R), the blue light (B), and the far-red light (FR), respectively;

a process of measuring the spectral radiance of the wavelength range of the red light, the spectral radiance of the wavelength range of the blue light, and the spectral radiance of the wavelength range of the far-red light in a bare field as bare-field red light (R₀), bare-field blue light (B₀), and bare-field far-red light (FR₀), respectively;

a process of calculating a difference between a ratio of the bare-field red light (R₀) to the bare-field blue light (B₀) and a ratio of the red light (R) to the blue light (B) as an R/B difference (RBaV); and

a process of calculating a difference of a ratio of the bare-field red light (R₀) to the bare-field far-red light (FR₀) from a ratio of the red light (R) to the far-red light (FR) as an R/FR difference (RFRaV),

wherein respective values of the R/B difference and the R/FR difference are calculated using the bare field as a criterion, thereby determining whether or not to control pests of the target crops, and the crops are cultivated on a condition that the R/B difference and the R/FR difference become predetermined values.

22. The pest control method according to claim 12, wherein, in addition to the irradiation based on at least one of the reflection and transmission of the sunlight,

a predetermined artificial lighting environment is set by using irradiation of artificial light in which the red light (R) and the far-red light (FR) are mixed, and

the artificial lighting is constructed so that the spectral radiance of the red light (R) is lower than that of the far-red light (FR), and spectral radiance of visible light other than the red light (R) and the far-red light (FR) is lower than that of each of the red light (R) and the far-red light (FR).

30. The pest control method according to claim 12, wherein the crops are C₃ plants rather than shade plants or semi-shade plants, the ratio of the red light (R) to the blue light (B) in the cultivation environment is caused to be greater than in the bare field, and the ratio of the red light (R) to the far-red light (FR) in the cultivation environment is caused to be less than the bare field.

32. An intensive cultivation method, which is a method of cultivating crops using the pest control method according to claims 12 to 31, the method including

irradiating artificial lighting on shady spots of dense plant vegetation,

wherein the light of the artificial lighting is light which has red light (R) and in which spectral radiance of visible light other than the red light (R) is lower than that of the red light (R).

33. The intensive cultivation method according to claim 32, wherein the light of the artificial lighting is configured to have the red light (R) and so that the spectral radiance of the visible light other than the red light (R) is zero.

34. The intensive cultivation method according to claim 32 or 33, wherein:

the artificial lighting is irradiated on some of plant leaves of the shady spots of dense plant vegetation; and

the light of the artificial lighting is configured to have the red light (R) and so that the spectral radiance of the visible light other than the red light (R) is lower than that of the red light (R).

35. A cultivation method, which is a method of cultivating crops using the pest control method according to claims 12 to 31, the method including:

sealing a cultivation house in which eggplants are cultivated among fruit vegetables;

arranging a time zone in the daytime in which carbon dioxide is made insufficient;

arranging a time zone at night in which oxygen is made insufficient; and

setting a day in which a peak temperature is equal to or higher than a temperature at which the eggplants wither when cultivated in the cultivation house to be equal to or more than one day in a week.