• Journal of Bio-Environment Control
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.217-225
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• 2015

Local heating system providing hot air locally to growing parts including shoot apex and flower cluster which were temperature-sensitive organs of cherry tomato was developed to reduce energy consumption for greenhouse heating without decline of crop growth. Growing part following local heating system was composed of double duct distributer which connected inner and outer ducts with hot air heater and winder which moved ducts up and down following growing parts with plant growth. Growing part local heating system was compared with conventional bottom duct heating system with respect to distributions of air and leaf surface temperatures according to height, growth characteristics and energy consumption. By growing part local heating, air temperature around growing part was maintained $0.9{\sim}2.0^{\circ}C$ higher than that of lower part of crop and leaf surface temperature was also stratified according to height. Investigations on crop growth characteristics and crop yield showed no statistically significant difference except for plant height between bottom duct heating and growing part local heating. As a result, the growing part local heating system consumed 23.7% less heating energy than the bottom duct heating system without decrease of crop yield.

• Journal of agriculture & life science
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• v.53 no.2
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• pp.121-129
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• 2019

This study carried out to determine control factors for the improvement of productivity of laying hens suffering heat stress during hot weather. A total of 48,451 ISA Brown layers were housed in a farm located in Gyeongsangnam-do, Republic of Korea. Five thermo-hydrometer loggers were installed inside the house to collect data of dry-bulb temperature and relative humidity. The experiment continued for 81 days when the summer season begins from 19th June to 7th September, 2018. This study analyzed the correlations among layers' production index and daily average, highest, and lowest temperature; daily average, highest, and lowest relative humidity; and daily average, minimum, and maximum THI. The result indicated that feed consumption, hen-day egg production, egg weight, and FCR decreased as the daily average, highest and lowest dry-bulb temperature and THI rise (p<0.01). On the other hand, water intake increased as the daily average, highest and lowest dry-bulb temperature and THI rise (p<0.001). The relative humidity was not considered to have direct correlations to the layers' production index (p>0.05). However, it was noticeable that the mortality did not have significant relations with daily average and highest temperature; THI; or daily average, highest and lowest relative humidity while it was relevant to the daily lowest temperature and THI (p<0.05). In conclusion, to enhance the productivity of laying hens in a hot climate, it is recommended that daily average, highest, and lowest dry-bulb temperature and THI are maintained as low as possible. Especially, the daily lowest temperature is needed to lower to 20℃, which is the lowest critical temperature for layers.