Science and Innovation: Happy Red
His friends jokingly called Archimedes, some 'genius of a little' inventor.
For sure FELICE ROSSI, many years, have never been lacking creativity and
inventiveness, much to bring his company to get the prize on 5 5/18/06
TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION sponsored by the FVG region, out of 75 competitors, (the only company in the province of Udine).
Forte has always been a remarkable dexterity, trained as a craftsman and began his work as a carpenter, began to devote himself to horticulture in 1990 and invented the seed drill disc for corn, while in collaboration with the Salesian Arman designs the smallest machine plowing, sowing and transplanting.
Soon he created a battery machine for cutting of leafy vegetables and a method to wash the pots with the flowers inside.
In 1997 the meeting clashes with the Floating System gives life to a series of machines with a patent it owns that complete the cycle of crop production, meanwhile, creates a vortex of custard for a multinational and micro-gardens in a jar.
In recent years, Felice Rossi Srl is specialized in manufacturing automation for horticulture, opening up to foreign markets with turnkey solutions and unique products and technologically advanced, as the machine drill, cut the vegetables and put up the product, washes and disinfects the panels.
Today ROSSI LTD is based in the Industrial Area Sedegliano Cjalcine in a new building owned by him, the activities that take place are carpentry, horticulture automation especially for the floating system, and in part it continues to do research and for designing innovative machines on request. and the company is located in an area of 5000 square meters of which 450 square meters covered under expansion.
CROPS OUT OF GROUND
All cultivations carried out on a substrate different from the agricultural soil fall within the definition of "Culture without soil": the basic elements of the "soilless" are, therefore, the nutrient solution and the presence, at times, of a substrate having the sole function physical support.
The diffusion of the crops in the greenhouse with a subsequent increase medium, and the need to produce unacceptable in situations for the usual agronomic techniques, have resulted in the widespread use of this type of production plant: in fact largely horticulture (and floriculture ) is now performed in the greenhouse, so more and more specialized with repetition of the same crop for several years.
The inability to move the entire structure of new terrain and the difficulty of making rotation in the greenhouse same are reflected on the productivity and health of the crop, the soil disinfection (with chemicals or steam) is not always in able to solve the problem of "soil fatigue".
The soilless crops offer the ability to disengage from agricultural land and to better manage water resources, to achieve quality, intended primarily as cleaning, health and safety of the product, much higher than the crop in the ground: providing conditions of more favorable growth plants require less treatment with pesticides, and working on the nutrient solution is possible to obtain appearance, flavor and in some cases superior nutritional content.
THE FLOATING SYSTEM
The floating panels are among the hydroponic techniques, probably the simplest from the point of view and agronomic management.
Part of what are called SAT (Static Aerated Technique, in which the nutrient solution does not move but is oxygenated by different systems), and in Italy was introduced through the first studies conducted since the 70's by the University of Pisa: among the first applications, it has been and is still the nursery production of tobacco seedlings.
Years of experimentation and commercial application have confirmed him as best suited for the cultivation of leafy vegetables (lettuce and radicchio as cutting, but also by different types of salads such as bush), some root vegetables such as radishes, herbs kitchen (from the rocket to various brassicas) and herbs (which seem to give interesting results in terms of cleaning and fat content,
active).
HOW DO I
Even the most commercially used nell'accezione the production structure, located in a protected environment, it is quite simple: using sealed vats about 50 cm deep, equipped with control devices, replenishment of the solution and oxygenation, filled with nutrient solution.
The seeds are sown in polystyrene panels cracked or honeycombed substrate containing very little, and after germination are placed to float on the free surface of the solution: the roots emerge from the holes or the slots provided, and grow in water, while the leaves grow on the panel, free of any residue of the ground.
Farming without herbicides and, using the parameters of the greenhouse climate, without pesticides (fungicides and insecticides), you get healthy and clean, with no waste and quickly.
In cooler northern Italy for radicchio salad and production cycles can last 2-3 weeks (sow-harvest), the end of the cycle in the same tank is then placed another "battery" of panels sown: the brevity can be more cycles of size both greater flexibility in the offer.
Due to its characteristics, is a highly automated system for all farming operations (sowing, harvesting, cleaning materials, travel by materiai and products.), And with appropriate business decisions can amortize the equipment costs with savings significant operating cost.
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
The floating system falls in the cultures to large input technology, does not require any type of herbicides or pesticides, and water consumption in this type of crop is very low; also the nutrients can not be washed away, so there are problems of nitrate leakage into groundwater.
The polystyrene panels that are used to support the cultivation of the floating system are washed, disinfected for reuse of at least 10 cycles at the end can be recycled as a base material for the insulating panels for the building industry.
The substrates (peat-vermiculite-perlite) used minimally, are products of natural origin.
The sowing-machine-sized lava are not equipped with internal combustion engines, and all control systems and automation are powered electrically, with the real possibility of obtaining supplies of this energy through the use of solar panels.
The efficiency of cooling and heating is amplified by the presence of water, which has a high thermal inertia accentuated by the coverage of the panels of polystyrene.
The product obtained with the system of the Floating system is qualitatively and quantitatively greater (more cycles that cultivation of the ground) are thus even more efficient if they are not considered per unit area, but per kg of product.
Do not underestimate also the creation of a healthier environment for staff and a more healthy for the consumer.
Ultimately this cultivation technique proves quite profitable, and consistent with regulations designed to protect and improve the environment, well suited to water and energy savings.
ADVANTAGES
Control-rational stages of cultivation and production factors
-Optimization of irrigation resources.
-Cycles and reduced production continues.
-Reduce the environmental impact by avoiding chemical interventions.
-Seasonal adjustment of crops.
-Uniformity of growth.
-Increase in production quality.
-Reduced energy consumption.
Fertilization-limited to an absolute minimum, eliminating the use of pesticides and low levels of nitrates dissolved in water.
High-yield seeds per square meter.
Polystyrene panels-sterilized to eliminate the disease,
Product-largest, free from impurities and imperfections of growth, longer life of the harvested product.
-Ease of system management.
-Decrease the number of operators.
-Control is the largest organization of that company's presence.
MACHINERY AND EQUIPMENT USED
WASHING MACHINE AND PANELS disinfects
The machine washes and disinfects the panels is suitable for the cleaning and disinfection of high-density polystyrene panels and eliminates fungi, diseases etc.., And then
a new cycle to ensure success.
FEATURES:
- Staff needed: 02 operators who put the panels.
- Result: 200-250 polystyrene panels hour washed and disinfected.
- Machine structure in stainless steel
- Elimination of macro and micro residual remaining in the tanks on the bottom.
-Cleaning of the panel with water by means of a high pressure system.
SEEDING MACHINE
Work on high-density polystyrene panels, and sowing seeds should only occur with high calibration.
The machine is designed for processing linear of the panel, in a continuous manner and with adjustable speed, so as to have a low energy consumption.
The operator places the panel in the insertion area for the start of processing and the subsequent filling phase with an inert medium, with collection and put back in use of any excess material; in the next step the machine provides to sow in an automated manner perfectly , quickly and with less waste of seeds.
The last phase of the system is the atomization of the panel relative seeded with collection of the wastewater.
The machine is equipped with a central panel and electric next to the operator's station there are safety and general commands.
FEATURES:
-STAFF: 01 Operator
-RESULT: 400 panels per hour filled with polystyrene inert substrate, seeds
deposited into the slots, sprayed and ready to be stored in
cells of germination.
MACHINE SIZE AND VEGETABLES
SETTING FOOT IN THE PRODUCT
This is a machine suitable for cutting all the leafy vegetables.
The structure is made of stainless steel, and supports an arm in motion for the collection of the panels in the bath.
The cutting and 'adjustable in height as well as the speed, so that the operator can use the most appropriate setting for each type of vegetable and reduce consumption to a minimum.
The vegetables cut advances on tapes food, to the sides of which the modules packagers maintain the plants, already cleansed of the roots, in a vertical position.
Adjacent to the belts there are one or two operators assigned to the collection, which collect the products, and place them, always in a vertical position, in the appropriate boxes.
The machine is equipped with an electrical panel which allows the use of commands and located in the positions of the individual operators, and is mounted on wheels for easy handling.
FEATURES:
-STAFF: The machine requires 3 operators.
1 operator in the tub to accompany the panels, 2 operators in the collection.
Example of yield and number of staff:
land quantity: 1 hectare.
Cycles / year: No. 15-17 depending on the type of vegetable.
Yield / cycle per kg / m: 1.5 / 2
overall yield: kg / m 15/25
Overall yield per hectare: kg 135000-180000 (out of 10,000 square meters)
No. staff needed: 04
TYPES OF VEGETABLES
ROCKET CULTIVATED, BIRDS, CICCORINO, NOVEL SALAD, BASIL, WATERCRESS, LETTUCE, lettuce, lettuce, radicchio RED, parsley, spinach, spinach, chives, basil CLOVER, DANDELION, SILENE, BORAGE, RAVANELLO, CHINESE CABBAGE
HERBS:
Mint, peppermint, DILL, MALLOW, sorrel, ANISE, NETTLE, NANO nasturtium, chervil TOWN, CILANTRO, DANDELION, TARRAGON, star grass, wild fennel, hyssop, marjoram GENTILE, MELISSA, Monarda, Nepeta, OREGANO, NETTLE WHITE , RUTA, SAVORY, PIMPINELLA, MONTE OF CELERY, MUSTARD
BUDS:
MUSTARD WHITE, RED CABBAGE, LEEK, RAVANELLO
ROSSI LTD
Automation for the Carpentry and Horticulture Industry.
Via Diego Christmas, 30
Sedegliano UD-33039.
site: www.rossifelice.it
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Tags: economy , hydroponics , business , cultural practices
