Development of Year-round Cultivation System Utilizing Hot Spring Drain Water and Mountain Stream Water as a Heat Source in Idle Facilities

Abstract

In order to revitalize agricultural production activities in an inter-mountainous area, we built a cultivation facility utilizing regional resources with a view to developing ‘sixth industrialization’, and evaluated the effectiveness of the system.

For this research, idle facilities were used as horticultural facilities to cultivate sweet potatoes. Heat pumps were introduced to the cultivation environment with hot spring drain water and mountain stream water used as a heat source. In addition, a multi-stage cultivation system incorporating a subsurface heating device, also utilizing hot spring drain water heat, was constructed to promote tuberous root enlargement and increase yield. In conclusion, we examined how to efficiently utilize hot spring drain water as a heat source and confirmed the effectiveness of a system based on the use of regional resources on increasing yield.