JP7812066B2 - Steam protection structure for tea plants - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a steam pest control structure for tea plants for eliminating or controlling pests in tea plants.

In tea plantations and other fields, the occurrence of various pests and diseases is unavoidable, and pest control is essential for the healthy cultivation of tea plants. For this reason, appropriate timing, types, and amounts of chemicals (pesticides) have traditionally been sprayed. However, in recent years, consumers have tended to dislike the use of chemicals. In response to this demand, a tea pest control method has been proposed that uses heated water (heated mist) instead of pesticides (see, for example, Patent Document 1 by the same applicant).

The above-mentioned Patent Document 1 discloses a method for controlling tea pests using heated water (heated mist) without using pesticides, in which heated mist is generated using a commercially available boiler and sprayed onto tea plants and tea leaves using a commercially available nozzle so that the surface temperature of the tea leaves reaches 45°C to 55°C.
This method of controlling pests by spraying heated mist onto tea plants and tea leaves meets the needs of consumers who do not like the use of chemicals, and is extremely effective in increasing the commercial value of tea leaves.
However, when tea plantations are large, it may be necessary to consider pest control methods using riding management machines or the like to improve work efficiency, but the above-mentioned Patent Document 1 does not disclose any specific technology to that extent.

International Publication No. 2018/124175

The present invention was made with this background in mind, and its technical objective was to develop a new steam control structure for tea plants that would enable an efficient and effective tea pest control method that uses heated water (heated mist) without the use of pesticides.

That is, the steam protection structure for tea plants according to claim 1 is
A steam pest control structure for tea plants, in which a heated mist spraying device for contacting the tea leaves or tea plants with heated mist so that the temperature of the tea leaves is within a predetermined temperature range, is mounted on a moving body so that it can be positioned above the tea plant surface at a certain distance from the tea plant surface of the tea ridge,
The heated mist ejection device stores the heated mist generated by the heated mist generating device, and has a plurality of nozzles, which are openings for ejecting the heated mist, provided over the entire lower surface of the heated mist ejection device;
Furthermore, the heated mist ejection device is characterized in that the space between it and the tea plant surface is covered with a covering member, and the inside of this is made into a heat-retaining mist space .

The steam pest control structure for tea plants described in claim 2 has, in addition to the requirements described in claim 1 ,
The predetermined temperature is characterized by being in the range of 45°C to 55°C.

The steam pest control structure for tea plants according to claim 3 has, in addition to the requirements of claim 1 or 2 ,
The heated mist jetting device is characterized in that it is movable in a direction that allows the distance between the nozzle and the surface of the tea stalks of the tea ridges to be adjusted.

The steam protection structure for tea plants according to claim 4 has, in addition to the requirements of claim 1, 2 or 3 ,
The heating mist is characterized in that the temperature is adjusted by using an inverter-controlled blower.

The steam protection structure for tea plants according to claim 5 has, in addition to the requirements of claim 1, 2, 3 or 4 ,
The device is characterized in that a heated mist generating device for supplying steam to the spray device is mounted on the upper part of a gate-shaped frame connecting the left and right traveling devices.
The above problems are solved by taking advantage of the features of each claim.

First, according to the invention described in claim 1, by maintaining a constant distance between the heated mist spraying device that sprays heated mist-like water (heated mist) and the surface of the tea plants in the tea ridges, the temperature of the tea leaves that have been affected by the heated mist is kept within a predetermined temperature range, making it possible to carry out efficient pest control in tea fields while maintaining the control effect.
In particular, the heated mist sprayer has the function of storing the heated mist and can maintain the heated mist at a suitable temperature. In addition, the heated mist sprayer has multiple open nozzles on the entire bottom surface, so the heated mist is sprayed naturally toward the tea plant surface.
Furthermore, the space between the heated mist spraying device and the tea plant surface is covered with a covering member, and the inside of this is made into a heat-retaining mist space, so the heated mist sprayed here is fully prevented from coming into contact with or mixing with the outside air, and acts on the tea plant surface while maintaining an appropriate temperature.

Furthermore, according to the invention described in claim 2, the control effect is small at temperatures below 45°C, and heat damage to tea leaves occurs at temperatures above 55°C, so it is possible to carry out suitable control.

Furthermore, according to the invention described in claim 3 , the distance between the heated mist spraying device and the surface of the tea plants in the tea ridges can be kept constant at all times, so the temperature of the tea leaf surface remains within a predetermined range, making it possible to carry out efficient pest control in tea fields while maintaining the control effect.

Furthermore, according to the invention described in claim 4 , by mixing steam and air using an inverter-controlled blower, the temperature of the heated mist when it is sprayed is stabilized, and the temperature of the tea leaf surface affected by the heated mist can be kept within a specified temperature range.

Furthermore, according to the invention described in claim 5 , the heated mist generating device that supplies steam to the heated mist ejection device is separate from the heated mist ejection device, and by placing the heated mist generating device at the top of the portal frame, it is possible to enlarge the heat-retaining mist space and improve work efficiency.

1 is a perspective view showing the entire tea plantation pest control device equipped with the steam pest control structure for tea plants of the present invention. [0023] FIG. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a steam path in the tea field pest control device. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing, with some transparency, a steam ejection device, which is a component of the steam protection structure for tea plants of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a front view showing pest control by a tea field pest control device. FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing another embodiment.

[Outline of the steam protection structure for tea plants of the present invention]
The steam pest control structure 1 for tea trees of the present invention (hereinafter referred to as the steam pest control structure 1) is an apparatus configured so that a heated mist spraying device 4 for bringing heated mist M into contact with tea leaves L or tea trees T so that the surface temperature of the tea leaves L becomes a predetermined temperature is mounted on a movable body, and can be positioned above the tea plant surface (top surface of tea trees T) in the tea ridge at a predetermined distance from the tea plant surface.

[Tea leaves and tea plants to which the present invention is applicable]
The tea leaves L or tea plants T targeted by the steam control structure 1 of the present invention are those cultivated for the purpose of extracting components contained in the picked tea leaves L or processed products of the tea leaves L into a liquid and drinking the liquid. They may also be tea leaves L or tea plants T cultivated for the purpose of eating the picked tea leaves L, and specific examples include tea leaves L or tea plants T cultivated to produce teas for beverages such as sencha, tencha, gyokuro, oolong tea, and black tea.

[Diseases and insect damages to which the present invention is applicable]
Furthermore, examples of diseases that can be controlled by the vapor control structure 1 of the present invention include anthracnose, ring spot, red leaf blight, net blight, white spot, etc. Furthermore, examples of insect pests that can be controlled by the vapor control structure 1 of the present invention include the tea green leafhopper (hereinafter referred to as planthopper), Kanzawa spider mite, mulberry scale, tea tree thrips, the smaller tea tortrix, and the tea leaf moth, but are not limited to these.

[Heated mist]
The water used to generate the heated mist can be relatively clean water such as tap water or well water, but water from reservoirs, ponds, and marshes contains many impurities and is therefore undesirable in consideration of clogging of the nozzles 43 in the heated mist generating device 3 and heated mist spraying device 4, which will be described later. However, this does not apply if an appropriate filtering means is available.
If necessary, chemicals can be added to the water.

Heated mist can be obtained by either misting heated water or by heating misted water. Specific examples include cooling steam obtained from a boiler or spraying fine water droplets into hot air. However, methods are not limited to these.

[Contact of heated mist with tea leaves or tea plants]
It is preferable to bring the heated mist into contact with at least the surface portion of the leaf layer (the tea plant surface of the tea ridge) of the tea tree T and the tea leaves L, and it is also preferable to bring the heated mist into contact with the bud portion of the tea leaves L that will be picked.
By bringing the heated mist into contact with the surface of the tea leaves L, it is possible to control disease conidia and pests that exist around the buds and affect their growth and quality. Also, by bringing the heated mist into contact with the buds of the tea leaves L that are to be picked, it is possible to directly control the buds.
It is particularly preferable to bring the heated mist into contact with the cut surface of the stem, and also with the young leaves where hairs are present. It is also preferable to bring the heated mist into contact with the hardened tea leaves L below the plucking surface, generally called "parent leaves," and it is further preferable to bring the heated mist into contact with the branches, and it is even more preferable to bring the heated mist into contact with the trunk.
By contacting the cut surface of the stem with the heated mist, ring spot disease can be effectively controlled, and by contacting the heated mist with young tea leaves L with hairs, anthracnose disease can be effectively controlled. In addition, by contacting the heated mist with the parent leaves, branches, and trunks, conidia and pests adhering to them can be controlled.

It is preferable that the surface temperature of the tea leaves L be brought to 45°C to 55°C by bringing the heated mist into contact with the tea leaves L or tea plants T.
If the surface temperature of the tea leaves is 45°C or higher, it is effective in controlling diseases and pests, while if it is 55°C or lower, it can prevent the occurrence of heat damage.
From this viewpoint, it is preferable that the surface temperature of the tea leaves L when the heated mist is brought into contact with the tea leaves L or tea trees T is 45°C to 55°C, more preferably 46°C to 53°C, and even more preferably 50°C to 52°C.
At this time, the surface temperature of the tea leaves L can be adjusted by the temperature of the heated mist and the contact time.

[Control treatment period]
Furthermore, from the viewpoint of effectively controlling diseases such as anthracnose and ring spot, the above treatment, i.e., the treatment of bringing the heated mist water into contact with the tea leaves L, is preferably carried out within two weeks, preferably within one week, and more preferably within one day from the time of plucking or pruning the tea leaves L.

The above-mentioned plucking of tea leaves L is not particularly limited as long as it is plucking for the purpose of harvesting tea leaves L. In particular, plucking for the purpose of harvesting tea leaves L of the first or second or subsequent harvests is preferred.
Furthermore, the above-mentioned pruning of the tea leaves L refers to the work of trimming the plucking surface carried out after plucking the tea leaves L. In particular, pruning after the first plucking or the second plucking is preferred.

Among the above, it is preferable to carry out a treatment in which heated mist water is brought into contact with the tea leaves L after the first harvest and before the second harvest.
However, it may be carried out before the first harvest of tea leaves or after the second harvest of tea leaves. Among these, it is preferable to carry out the treatment between the day of picking and 14 days after the first harvest of tea leaves, and even more preferable to carry out the treatment between the day of picking and 7 days after the first harvest, and even more preferable to carry out the treatment between the day of picking and 3 days after the first harvest.
Furthermore, plucking causes wounds on the tea plants T, which can allow conidia of ring spot disease to enter through the wounds. Therefore, it is preferable to carry out pest control immediately after plucking, which can also reduce anthracnose conidia before bud break and planthoppers.

Furthermore, from the perspective of preventing the occurrence of anthracnose and planthoppers, it is particularly preferable to carry out the treatment of bringing the tea leaves L into contact with heated mist water between 10 and 25 days after the first tea picking date, when the second crop of tea buds will sprout, which is the most effective way to prevent these diseases, and especially between 15 and 20 days after picking.

On the other hand, from the perspective of preventing ring spot disease and the like, since wounds caused by the blades of the plucking machine, which are likely to be the source of infection for ring spot disease, become infected areas, it is preferable to carry out the above-mentioned treatment, i.e., the treatment of bringing heated mist water into contact with the tea leaves L, within 24 hours, preferably within 18 hours, and even more preferably within 12 hours, from the time the tea leaves L are plucked or pruned.

An example of the outline of pest control using the steam control structure 1 of the present invention on tea plants has been described above. Below, the best form of the steam control structure 1 of the present invention will be described in detail based on the following examples, but these examples can also be modified as appropriate within the scope of the technical concept of the present invention.
As examples of the moving body defined in claim 1, a running body 11 and an air vehicle 100 are given. In this embodiment, a form in which a running body 11 is used as the moving body will be described, and later, in other embodiments, a form in which an air vehicle 100 is used as the moving body will be described.

FIG. 1 shows an overall perspective view of a tea field pest control device 10 equipped with a steam pest control structure 1 of the present invention and employing a traveling body 11 as a moving body.
The tea field pest control device 10 (traveling body 11) has traveling devices 12, such as crawler belts driven by an engine 13 or an electric motor, on the left and right sides in the direction of travel.

As shown in Figure 4, these left and right traveling devices 12 are attached to the lower end of a portal frame 21 and are connected by this portal frame 21, and the heated mist generating device 3 is mounted on the upper part of the portal frame 21.

As shown in FIG. 2, the heated mist generating device 3 is a device that converts water W supplied from a water supply tank 14 into steam S (atomization) using the heat of combustion from a burner 31 or the like that burns fuel F supplied from a fuel tank 15, and mixes this steam S with atmospheric air A to generate heated mist-like water (the heated mist M).
The heated mist M that is generated is then stored in the heated mist spraying device 4 through the expandable tube P. A plurality of nozzles 43 that spray heated mist M are provided all over the underside of the heated mist spraying device 4, and the heated mist spraying device 4 is positioned between the lower part of the gate-shaped frame 21 and the surface of the tea plants, so that the heated mist M can be sprayed onto the tea leaves L or tea trees T at close range from the surface of the tea plants, and can act on the tea leaves L or tea trees L without lowering the temperature of the sprayed heated mist M.

Furthermore, as shown in Figures 2 and 3, below the nozzle 43 are multiple rollers 42 supported by a roller frame 41. As shown in Figure 4, these rollers are designed to push down long tea leaves L protruding from the tea plant surface (the upper surface of the tea tree T), and to apply heated mist M directly to insects and other pests attached to the underside of the tea leaves L, thereby providing effective pest control.

Furthermore, by covering the heated mist spraying device 4 (multiple nozzles 43 that spray heated mist M) and the tea plant surface with a sheet-like covering member 6 and forming a heat-retaining mist space 60 inside, the temperature of the heated mist M that acts on the tea leaves L or tea plants T can be more accurately controlled.
In other words, in the present invention, by forming a heated mist space 60 between the heated mist spraying device 4 and the tea stalk surface of the tea ridge, the dispersion of the heated mist M can be suppressed, and the heated mist M kept at a constant temperature can be sprayed onto the tea leaves L or tea trees T.
As shown in FIG. 4, water supply tanks 14 are located on the left and right of the heated mist ejection device 4, so that the left and right sides of the tea plants T are substantially closed by these water supply tanks 14.

In this case, the temperature of the heated mist M is adjusted by mixing atmospheric air A with the steam S generated by the heated mist generating device 3, so by controlling the rotation speed of the blower 5 with an inverter (not shown), the amount of atmospheric air A mixed with the steam S can be precisely controlled, making it possible to further reduce temperature variations within the heat-retaining mist space 60.
As mentioned above, it is preferable to adjust the temperature of the heated mist M to 45°C to 55°C when it comes into contact with the tea leaves L or tea plants T. Therefore, considering that the temperature of the heated mist M in the heated mist spraying device 4 drops in the insulated mist space 60 depending on the speed of movement of the tea plantation pest control device 10 and the density of the tea leaves L, and that there will be a range in the temperature of the tea leaves L heated by the heated mist M, it is preferable to set the temperature at a temperature equal to or slightly higher than the above temperature and manage the temperature while also taking into account the contact time with the tea leaves L.

Furthermore, it is expected that the distance between the nozzle 43 and the top of the tea plant surface of the tea ridge will not always be constant depending on the growth of the tea ridge and the tea leaves L. If heated mist M is applied to the tea leaves L or tea plants T in such a state, it is expected that variations in the temperature of the surface of the tea leaves L will occur.

In this invention, as shown in Figure 4, the heated mist spraying device 4 is designed to be movable up and down relative to the gate-shaped frame 21 via the link 22 so that the distance between the nozzle 43 and the top of the tea plant surface of the tea ridge is kept constant. This structure allows the roller frame 41, roller 42, nozzle 43, and covering member 6 provided on the heated mist spraying device 4 to move vertically relative to the tea plant surface of the tea ridge as a whole. The distance between the nozzle 43 and the top of the tea plant surface of the tea ridge is measured by an appropriate sensor, and by operating the link 22 in accordance with this measurement, it is possible to constantly adjust the distance between the nozzle 43 and the top of the tea plant surface of the tea ridge to a constant value. As a result, it is possible to more accurately maintain the temperature of the area where the heated mist M acts within a specified temperature range.

In the present invention, the heated mist generating device 3 and the heated mist spraying device 4 are connected via an expandable tube P, which is, for example, a bellows tube (so-called flexible tube), and the heated mist spraying device 4 alone is configured to be able to move towards and away from the upper part of the tea stalk surface of the tea ridges.
It is possible to install the heated mist generating device 3 at the bottom of the portal frame 21, just like the heated mist spraying device 4, but this is not preferable from the perspective of ensuring the warm mist space 60. Since ensuring a larger warm mist space 60 makes it possible to improve the efficiency of the pest control action, it is more desirable from the perspective of improving the efficiency of the pest control action to install the heated mist generating device 3 at the top of the portal frame 21 and install only the heated mist spraying device 4 at the bottom of the portal frame 21.

In addition to pest control, contact of the heated mist M with the tea plants T using the steam pest control structure 1 of the present invention also has the additional effect of promoting the growth of the tea leaves L by heating the surface of the tea leaves L to a predetermined temperature, as disclosed in WO 2019/146561.

Other Examples
The above embodiment is an example in which a traveling body 11 equipped with a traveling device 12 such as a crawler belt is used as a moving body, but the following will describe an embodiment in which an air vehicle 100 is used as the moving body. This air vehicle 100 can be, for example, an air vehicle 100 having a propeller 107, known as a drone, as shown in FIG.

In this case, a heated mist generating device 103 is placed in a part of the aircraft body 101, a heated mist spraying device 104 is placed at the bottom of the aircraft body 101, and a covering member 106 is placed between the heated mist spraying device 104 and the surface of the tea plants in the tea ridges. With this type of aircraft 100 structure, heated mist M is sprayed while maintaining a constant distance between the heated mist spraying device 104 and the surface of the tea plants in the tea ridges, enabling efficient pest control in tea fields while maintaining a constant temperature acting on the tea leaves L or tea plants T, just as in the case of using a mobile vehicle 11.

Furthermore, with the above-described structure of the flying object 100, the drive may be a motor or an engine, and components such as the heated mist generating device 103, fuel tank (not shown), water tank 114, and blower 105 may be located inside, on the side, or even on top of the flying object main body 101. Furthermore, with this type of flying object 100, the distance between the tea stalk surface and the tea furrow can be adjusted by changing the flight height without the need for the above-described variable height mechanism of the heated mist spraying device 104. Compared to the case where the running object 11 is used, a simpler structure can be used to maintain a constant temperature of the heated mist M acting on the tea leaves L or tea plants T. The flight height of the flying object 100 can be adjusted as desired by remote control, such as a remote control that controls the flying object 100, or by automatic operation. The heated mist spraying device 104 is also equipped with a roller frame 141 and rollers 142, as in the above-described embodiment.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Steam pest control structure (for tea plants) 10 Tea plantation pest control device 11 Traveling body 12 Traveling device 13 Engine 14 Water supply tank 15 Fuel tank 21 Gate-shaped frame 22 Link 3 Heated mist generating device 31 Burner 4 Heated mist ejection device 41 Roller frame 42 Roller 43 Nozzle 5 Blower 6 Covering member 60 Heat-retaining mist space 100 Aircraft 101 Aircraft body 103 Heated mist generating device 104 Heated mist ejection device 105 Blower 106 Covering member 107 Propeller 114 Water supply tank 141 Roller frame 142 Roller A Air atmosphere F Fuel L Tea leaves M Heated mist P Expansion pipe S Steam T Tea plants (tea stalks in tea ridges)
W water

Claims (5)

A steam pest control structure for tea plants, in which a heated mist spraying device for contacting the tea leaves or tea plants with heated mist so that the temperature of the tea leaves is within a predetermined temperature range, is mounted on a moving body so that it can be positioned above the tea plant surface at a certain distance from the tea plant surface of the tea ridge,
The heated mist ejection device stores the heated mist generated by the heated mist generating device, and has a plurality of nozzles, which are openings for ejecting the heated mist, provided over the entire lower surface of the heated mist ejection device;
Furthermore, the structure for preventing steam pests on tea plants is characterized in that the heated mist spraying device is covered with a covering member between it and the surface of the tea plants, and the inside of this is made into a heat-retaining mist space .
The steam pest control structure for tea plants according to claim 1, characterized in that the predetermined temperature range is between 45°C and 55°C.
3. A steam pest control structure for tea trees according to claim 1 or 2 , characterized in that the heated mist spraying device is movable in a direction that allows adjustment of the distance between the nozzle and the surface of the tea stalks in the tea furrows.
4. A steam pest control structure for tea plants according to claim 1, 2 or 3 , wherein the temperature of the heated mist is adjusted using an inverter-controlled blower.
5. A steam pest control structure for tea plants according to claim 1, 2, 3 or 4, characterized in that a heated mist generating device for supplying steam to the spraying device is mounted on the upper part of a gate-shaped frame connecting the left and right traveling devices.