The disclosed container defines (i) an “interior” configured to interact with a fluid and/or developing plants, and (ii) an “exterior” that at least partially defines a perimeter around the interior. The disclosed container may further include stacking features/elements which allow one container to be stacked/nested one upon the other. The disclosed container may further include features/elements which enable one container to be connected adjacent to the other. The disclosed container may further include (i) features/elements for delivering fluid, (ii) features/elements for draining fluid, and (iii) features/elements for supporting developing plants that are conducive to their growing within the disclosed container.

A planting structure includes a trough and a plurality of lateral covers. The trough has a hollow space and a planting space, and a canal is formed inside of the trough; the lateral covers cover a lateral side of the trough and seals off the planting space. The inner walls on the two sides have bottom ends thereof integrally extended to form the canal therebetween. In addition, the planting structure possesses features such as being light in weight, easy to assemble and operate, and can be used to effectively lower production costs by modifying the length and the arrangement mode of the structure according to requirements.

A vertical hydroponic plant production apparatus for allowing vertical hydroponic greenhouse crop production is provided. The apparatus comprises a hollow grow tube having a front face, a back face, an open first end, and an open second end. A slot is formed in the front face of the grow tube with the slot having a width equal to only a portion of a width of the front face. A media material is insertable into the grow tube. The slot allows the front face to expand outward during insertion of the media material and biased inward against the media material once the media material is inserted. The grow tube is positionable in either a horizontal position, vertical position, or any position between the horizontal position and the vertical position allowing inclined, multi-angled crop production and multi-storied conveyor style crop production.

The present invention is an aquaponic assembly, comprising at least one tank, wherein the tank is sized to contain a predetermined quantity and species of fish; a radial flow settler connected to the at least one tank, wherein the radial flow settler receives a liquid from the at least one tank, wherein the liquid contains fish excrement and the radial flow settler sorts solid excrement from the liquid; a mineralization system is connected to the radial flow settler, wherein the liquid from the radial flow settler undergoes a mineralization process to adjust the composition of the liquid; a series of liquid beds connected to the mineralization system, wherein the liquid passes through the series of liquid beds; and a plurality of substrates positioned within the liquid beds.

Methods to analyze performance of plants, performance of roots to varying temperatures and yield potential are provided. Genetic variations that contribute or impact root growth, root development are evaluated to enable breeding of plants with improved root response to temperatures. Crop growth models supplemented with root function modeling provide better predictive power of yield and/or yield-related traits.

The presently disclosed subject matter is directed to nitrapyrin-organic acid ionic mixtures and syntheses thereof finding particular utility in agricultural uses, e.g., directly applied to soil, or in combination with fertilizers to increase nutrient uptake and to inhibit nitrification and urease hydrolysis. More particularly, the subject matter is directed to nitrapyrin-organic acid ionic mixtures and formulations thereof that exhibit reduced corrosion behavior compared to nitrapyrin-containing formulations that do not contain ionic mixtures of nitrapyrin with organic acids. Uses of such ionic mixtures of nitrapyrin and organic acids and formulations thereof are also disclosed.

Facility layouts and configurations for an automated crop production system for controlled environment agriculture. In particular implementations, the core of the facility comprises a controlled growth environment and a central processing system. The controlled growth environment includes systems for exposing crops housed in modules, such as grow towers, to controlled environmental conditions. The central processing system may include various stations and functionality both for preparing crop-bearing modules to be inserted in the controlled growth environment, for harvesting crops from the crop-bearing modules after they have been extracted from the controlled growth environment, and for cleaning or washing crop-bearing modules for re-use. The controlled growth environment may include vertical farming structure having vertical grow towers and associated conveyance mechanisms for moving the vertical grow towers along one or more grow lines. The conveyance mechanisms may include a return transfer mechanism that creates a return or u-shaped path for each grow line.

A hydroponic system which combines four hydroponic systems into one system, which may include a Deep-Water Culture (DWC), a Nutrient Film Technique (NFT), an Aeroponic, and a Drip system. A frame holds and supports a grow tube structure. The grow tube structure is a multi-tiered tubular structure comprised of horizontally arranged tubes and vertically arranged tubes, where the horizontally arranged tubes are pitched at a downward angle. A pump delivers nutrient rich liquid to an upper end of the tubular structure from a reservoir which gravity flows to a lower end and returns to the reservoir. Valves are included in the tubular structure to adjust an amount of liquid within the tubular structure and a gravity flow of the liquid through the tubular structure. An oxygenation system oxygenates the liquid directly at the roots. Further a drip system slowly disperses water over each plant early in the maturation stage.

A gardening appliance includes a liner positioned within a cabinet and defining a grow chamber, and a grow tower is positioned within the grow chamber and includes a module support frame rotatably mounted within the grow chamber and a grow module mounted to the module support frame to at least partially define a root chamber and defining an aperture for receiving a plant pod. One or more water collecting ribs extend from an inner surface of the grow module into the root chamber, the one or more water collecting ribs being oriented toward the aperture for directing collected condensation toward the aperture.

A drive unit in a controlled agricultural environment increases a distance between an alignment element and a drive element in order to receive a plant support structure that is oriented non-vertically so that the plant support structure rests on the drive element or the alignment element. The drive unit decreases the distance between the alignment element and the drive element so that the alignment element or the drive element rests on the plant support structure. The drive element conveys the plant support structure along a direction of conveyance.