Method for cultivating plant

• US 9,392,751 B2
• Filed: 02/03/2014
• Issued: 07/19/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/04/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Showa Denko KK
• Original Assignee: Showa Denko KK
• Inventors: Suzuki, Hiroshi
• Primary Examiner(s): TSANG, LISA L
• Application Number:
  US14/170,844
• Publication Number:
  US 20140215910A1
• Time in Patent Office: 897 Days
• Field of Search: 47/10.1 R, 47/62.R, 47/62.N, 47/13, 47/581.R, 47/581.LS, 47/581.SE, 47D/IG.6, 47/14
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 humidity in a cultivation atmosphere at the step (A) is higher than that at the step (B). Preferably the humidities in a cultivation atmosphere at the step (A) and the step (B) are in the ranges of 60%-90% and 40%-60%, respectively.

Claims

1. A method of cultivating a plant comprising a step (A) of irradiating a plant with a red light and a step (B) of irradiating the plant with a blue light, wherein the red light irradiating step (A) and the blue light irradiating step (B) are independently carried out for at least one predetermined period of time under cultivation conditions such that the humidity in a cultivation atmosphere at the red light irradiating step (A) is higher than that at the blue light irradiating step (B).

2. The method of cultivating a plant according to claim 1, wherein the humidity in the cultivation atmosphere at the red light irradiating step (A) is in the range of 60% to 90% and the humidity in the cultivation atmosphere at the blue light irradiating step (B) is in a range of 40% to 60%.

3. The method of cultivating a plant according to claim 2, wherein the temperature in the cultivation atmosphere at the red light irradiating step (A) is in a range of 18°

C. to 25°

C. and the temperature in the cultivation atmosphere at the blue light irradiating step (B) is in the range of 18°

C. to 25°

C.

4. The method of cultivating a plant according to claim 1, wherein the humidity of the cultivation atmosphere at the red light irradiating step (A) is maintained higher than the humidity of the cultivation atmosphere at the blue light irradiating step (B), while an air stream is allowed to flow in the cultivation atmosphere at a flow rate in a range of 0.1 meters/second (m/sec) to 0.5 m/sec at the red light irradiating step (A) and at a flow rate in a range of 0.3 m/sec to 1 m/sec at the blue light irradiating step (B).

5. The method of cultivating a plant according to claim 1, wherein the red light irradiating step (A) and the blue light irradiating step (B) are alternately and repeatedly carried out over a period of at least one hour for each at least one predetermined period of time.

6. The method of cultivating a plant according to claim 1, wherein the red light irradiating step (A) and the blue light irradiating step (B) are carried out using an illumination lamp facility having red light emitting elements and blue light emitting elements, 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.

7. The method of cultivating a plant according to claim 1, wherein the red light irradiating step (A) and the blue light irradiating step (B) are carried out using an illumination lamp facility having red light emitting elements and blue light emitting elements, 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 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.