Prior art technology has a problem in that when a plant is cultivated for a long period of time on a PVA film having its lower surface positioned in contact with a nutrient fluid, plant roots that have formed penetrate through the film. A plant cultivation system wherein the PVA film has an equilibrium degree of swelling in the range of from 125 to 250% as measured in water at 30° C. and has a loss tangent (tan δ) in the range of from 0.005 to 0.2 as measured in an equilibrium swollen state in water at 30° C., and a method for cultivating a plant by using this plant cultivation system. Plant cultivation can be performed for a long period of time while avoiding infection by bacteria and the like causative of plant diseases. Therefore, the present invention is useful in, e.g., agriculture and the manufacture of pharmaceuticals.

A pocket structure for receiving containerized plants is sloped and hung from a wire of a wire basket. The pocket structure includes hooks, an irrigation fitting and corresponding drip channel to transmit water toward the rear of the pocket, and slots in the walls. The mesh units include braces and are sized for shipping. An earth wall is formed of the mesh units and pockets, and includes irrigation tubing.

This emitter is configured from an emitter body, a film, and a cover. The emitter has a water intake part, a discharge part, a first flow path, a second flow path, a flow reduction part, a flow path opening/closing part, a pressure-reducing flow path, and a bypass flow path. If the pressure of an irrigation liquid flowing through a tube is less than a first pressure, the opening of a first water intake through hole of the cover is sealed with the film. If the pressure of the irrigation liquid flowing through the tube is equal to or greater than the first pressure, the film is deformed so that the irrigation liquid is taken into the emitter body through the first water intake through hole, the space between the film and the cover, and a second water intake through hole.

An emitter (120) adjusts the flow rate of a liquid for irrigation to be discharged from a discharge opening (112) of a tube (110) so that, according to pressure of the liquid for irrigation within the tube (110) received by a second membrane (153), the flow rate is made smaller as the pressure becomes greater in a prescribed range of pressure. The emitter (120) is constituted by mating a first member (130) having a bottom surface with a shape that follows along the inside wall surface of the tube (110) and a second member (150) that includes the second membrane (153) and is mated to the first member (130).

The present invention relates to an emitter that can properly exhibit a flow rate adjustment function even when produced by molding a resin material having low hardness. The emitter has an emitter body and a base part stored in the emitter body. The emitter body comprises a water intake part, a reduced-pressure flow path groove, a storage part, and a diaphragm part. The base part has a base, a communication hole, and a deformation prevention part that is disposed protruding from the reverse surface to the surface of the base which the diaphragm part deformed by the pressure of a drip irrigation liquid contacts, and when the diaphragm part contacts the base by the pressure of the drip irrigation liquid, contacts the tube to prevent the base from being deformed by the pressure of the drip irrigation liquid.

A modular hydroponic tower array fixture system for the growth of organisms such as plants and fungi on arrays of hydroponic towers, allowing for the insertion and removal of individual towers from the array, is provided. Methods for the production of organisms such as plants and fungi using a modular hydroponic tower array fixture system are also provided herein.

An irrigation filter system and method is provided. The system may have a body and a filtration subsystem and may separate fluid from detritus carried by the fluid. The fluid may be released onto a crop, while the detritus is collected by the filtration subsystem. A drain fixture may be operated to release the detritus from the irrigation filter system in response to at least one of the pressure of the fluid flowing in the system and gravity. In this manner, the detritus may be released without requiring the system to be shut down and/or disassembled.

An irrigation modeling framework in precision agriculture utilizes a combination of weather data, crop data, and other agricultural inputs to create customized agronomic models for diagnosing and predicting a moisture state in a field, and a corresponding need for, and timing of, irrigation activities. Specific combinations of various agricultural inputs can be applied, together with weather information to identify or adjust water-related characteristics of crops and soils, to model optimal irrigation activities and provide advisories, recommendations, and scheduling guidance for targeted application of artificial precipitation to address specific moisture conditions in a soil system of a field.

A hydration system for an indoor gardening appliance includes a pressurized water supply including a pump assembly for pressurizing an accumulator and an auxiliary nozzle in fluid communication with the pressurized water supply. An auxiliary valve assembly is operably coupled to the auxiliary nozzle for selectively directing an auxiliary flow of water from the accumulator onto the plant pods when power is lost to the gardening appliance.

A drip emitter is provided for delivering irrigation water from a supply tube to an emitter outlet at a reduced and relatively constant flow rate. Water enters the emitter through a first inlet and proceeds into a first chamber. When the water pressure is above a predetermined level, a one-directional valve opens to allow fluid flow past the first chamber, through a tortuous path flow channel, and through an emitter outlet. A second inlet is used to compensate for water pressure fluctuations in the supply tube to maintain output flow at a relatively constant rate. Water enters the second inlet and presses a flexible diaphragm toward a water metering surface to provide pressure-dependent control of the output flow. A copper member is mounted to the emitter over the emitter outlet to prevent plant root intrusion into the emitter outlet.