Method and apparatus for plant cultivation
AssigneeAgribusiness Enterprises Limited
InventorsBruce I. C. Derrick, Jack B. Geaslin
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Plant cultivation units include several tiers of cultivation beds in open baskets supported on trays extending between endless chains which couple a pair of drive pulleys to a pair of idler pulleys. The beds are driven about a generally vertical endless path at a speed sufficient to cause artifical air movement and to maintain a low air temperature differential between the top and bottom of the endless path; this permits greater vertical separation between the top and bottom of the path and greater growth area to floor area ratios. Hollow pulley shafts supply and withdraw air. A pair of pipes supply water and steam. A method of growing mushrooms includes two phases in a common housing: a pasteurization phase and a growth phase.
Claims51
A method of plant cultivation for increasing the bed area to floor area ratio of multi-tier plant cultivation apparatus in an environment in which air stagnation ordinarily limits the normal vertical separation between the top and bottom tiers to a limiting distance at which the ambient air temperature differential between the top and bottom tiers is smaller than a limiting temperature differential inimical to plant cultivation, comprising the steps of:
- providing a plurality of said tiers, with the top and bottom tiers having a vertical separation which is greater than said limiting distance;
- and
- moving said tiers about a generally vertical endless path at a speed rapid enough to cause air movement from paddling action of said tiers sufficient to improve air circulation and reduce the ambient air temperature differential between the top and bottom tiers below said limiting temperature differential despite the greater vertical separation between said top and bottom tiers.
A method of mushroom cultivation, comprising the steps of:
- providing a closed housing;
- moving a plurality of mushroom cultivation beds within the housing about a generally vertical path, said beds being moved rapidly enough to cause air movement from paddling action of said beds sufficient to improve air circulation and reduce the ambient temperature differential within the housing;
- and
- controlling the environment within the housing to provide two phases of operation:
- a pasteurization phase and a growing phase.
A system for cultivating plants, comprising:
- a plurality of multi-tier growth units in an environment in which air stagnation ordinarily limits the vertical separation between the top and bottom tiers to a limiting distance at which the ambient air temperature differential between the top and bottom tiers is smaller than a limiting temperature differential inimical to plant cultivation, each of said multi-tier growth units including a plurality of tiers of plant cultivation beds having a vertical separation which is greater than said limiting distance;
- and
- conveying means moving said tiers about a generally vertical endless path at a speed rapid enough to cause air movement from paddling action of said tiers sufficient to improve air circulation and reduce the ambient air temperature differential between the top and bottom tiers below said limiting temperature differential despite the greater separation between said top and bottom tiers.
Plant cultivation apparatus, comprising:
- frame means for supporting a drive shaft and an idler shaft, said shafts being vertically spaced;
- a pair of spaced drive pulleys mounted on the drive shaft;
- a pair of spaced idler pulleys mounted on the driven shaft;
- a pair of endless driven elements connected between respective drive and idler pulleys;
- a plurality of tray means supported at a plurality of positions between said endless driven elements;
- cultivation bed means mounted on each tray means for containing a plant growth medium;
- and
- drive means to rotate said drive shaft to move said cultivation bed means about an endless path at a speed rapid enough to cause air movement from paddling action of said cultivation bed means sufficient to reduce the air temperature differential between the top and bottom of said endless path.
Apparatus for cultivating plants, comprising:
- a multi-tier growth unit in an environment in which air stagnation ordinarily limits the vertical separation between the top and bottom tiers to a limiting distance at which the ambient air temperature differential between the top and bottom tiers is smaller than a limiting temperature differential inimical to plant cultivation, said multi-tier growth unit including a plurality of tiers of plant cultivation beds having a vertical separation which is greater than said limting distance;
- and
- conveying means moving said tiers about a generally vertical endless path at a speed rapid enough to cause air movement from paddling action of said tiers sufficient to improve air circulation and reduce the ambient air temperature differential between the top and bottom tiers below said limiting temperature differential despite the greater separation between said top and bottom tiers.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.