• Korean Journal of Organic Agriculture
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.731-742
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• 2014

In the current study, we investigated effects of a combination of earthworm casting, environment-friendly by-product fertilizer, and cultivation soil of Gymnocalycium mihanovichii in a heavy fertilizing culture on diameter, height, numbers of tubercles, and chemical properties of soil thereby elucidating optimal mixture ratio for securing production as well as providing nutrients throughout cultivation period. The Gymnocalycium mihanovichii var 'Ihong', one of grafted cactus for export (Rootstock: 9 cm, Scion: $1.5{\times}1.3cm$ grafted cactus) was cultured in plastic houses of Agricultural Technology Center located in Naegok-dong, Seocho-gu, Seoul from June, 2013 through December, 2013. For the control group, a mixture of sand and fertilizer (50:50) was used as this ratio is widely utilized in farmhouses. In contrast, a variety mixtures of sand and earthworm casting that was produced with food wastes was compared; the mixture ratios were 80:20, 60:40, 40:60, 20:80, and 0:100 and pH for these mixtures were found to be similar each other (ranging between 7.1 and 7.4) which is in an appropriate range (pH 6.5-7.5) for cultivation of G. mihanovichii. The organic content was increasing along with increasing contents of earthworm casting ratio while it was lower than the treatment practice group (32-43 mg/kg vs. 55 mg/kg). The content of exchangeable cation was also increasing as the ratio of earthworm casting was elevated; although levels of $K^+$, $Na^+$, and $Mg^{2+}$ were lower than the treatment practice group, the level of $Ca^{2+}$ was higher ($9.1cmol^+/kg$ and $11.5-33.7cmol^+/kg$ in the treatment practice group and the earthworm casting group, respectively). Three months after grafting, diameters of G. mihanovichii were compared with the control group; consequently, there was a significant difference noted in between the earthworm casting group and the control group (31.39 mm vs. 32.46-37.59 mm). After 5 months, growth characteristics of G. mihanovichii were evaluated. Similarly, the diameter of G. mihanovichii was significantly increasing in the group with higher ratio of earthworm casting treatment (32.63 mm vs. 32.49-37.59 mm). The height of tubercles was 2.63 mm in the control group while it was significantly elevating along with the ratio of earthworm casting mixture. The more numbers of tubercles, the more incomes for farm-houses; as results, higher mixture ration of earthworm casting resulted more numbers of tubercles compared to the control group (2.7 vs. 3.2-8.3 ea). In particular, in the earthworm casting groups with 80% and 100% ratios, the numbers of tubercles were 6.2 and 8.3 ea, respectively, which is 2.5 times more than those of the control group. These results indicate that earthworm casting treatment may be utilized in G. mihanovichii farming houses for short term production of tubercles. In the group with 40% and 60% of earthworm casting mixture, the numbers of tubercles were found to be 4.5 and 4.8 ea, respectively which is higher than the control group as well; in these groups, there were no issues with soil drainage as well as moss formation. Given the analysis results of growth characteristics of G. mihanovichii, it was concluded that 40% and 60% of earthworm casting mixture might be the optimal ratios.

• Asian Journal of Turfgrass Science
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.205-210
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• 2010

This study was conducted to investigate the effect of the mixed ratio of the soil amendments, peat, humate, peatmoss and zeolite, on the soil physicochemical properties. The mixed ratios of soil amendments were 0%, 3%, 5%, 7% and 10% (v/v) incorporated with sand which met to the USGA (United State of Golf Association) recommendation. It was measured pH, EC and CEC as a chemical properties. Porosity, capillary porosity, air-filled porosity, bulk density and hydraulic conductivity were also measured to analyze the changes of physical properties. Chemical properties were significantly different by mixture ratios of peat, humate, peatmoss and zeolite. When the results were applied to the USGA standard of the soil physical properties, the optimum mixture ratios of peat, humate and peatmoss were 5%, 3% and 7%, respectively. Air-filled porosity was factor involved in soil physical properties by blending with soil amendments and it was affected on volume of porosity and hydraulic conductivity. To analyze the corelation of mixture ratio versus to physical characters, the ratio of peat and peatmoss was significantly related to capillary porosity and hydraulic conductivity (P<0.05), that of humate hydraulic conductivity (P<0.01), and that of zeolite air-filled porosity and volume of porosity (P<0.05). These results could be used as a basic data for construction USGA sand green.

• Journal of the Korean GEO-environmental Society
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.33-41
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• 2010

The rammed aggregate compaction pile method is widely used as soft ground improvement method because of the installed piles improve not only overall composite capacity but also discharge capacity. But the discharge capacity is declined when the clogging is generated due to the clay penetration into voids of rammed aggregate compaction pile with the time elapsed. The purpose of this study is to reduce the clogging problem occurred in rammed aggregate compaction pile constructed in the soft ground and to minimize voids of rammed aggregate compaction pile. The proper mixing ratio was determined which is based on the results of the large scale direct shear tests conducted to get strength and permeability as optimum mixing ratio of crushed stone and bottom ash. The test results indicated that the highest internal friction angle was obtained at 80:20 mixing ratio of crushed stone and bottom ash. The internal friction angle was declined when the mixing ratio of the bottom ash increased over 20%. The results of the clogging tests, presented that the mixture of 80:20 crushed stone and bottom ash is highest effective of clogging than ratio of pure crushed stone.

• Journal of the Korean GEO-environmental Society
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• v.14 no.10
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• pp.39-47
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• 2013

Recently, there have been various domestic construction activities related to the reclamation of the dredged soils to expand the land use. However, the reclaimed grounds made of the dredged soils cause various problems due to highly compressible and low shear strength nature. Particularly, this nature induces huge problems in case of the harbor facilities and road construction on the reclaimed sites. Furthermore, in the reclamation activities, the marine dredged soils are often used instead of the well sorted sand, which induces problems of compressibilities. Therefore, in this study, the mechanical characteristics of artificial soil mixture of kaolinite representing the marine dredged soils and the pond ash. A large consolidometer is designed and manufactured to produce the artificial soil mixture. To represent various mixing ratio between the fly ash and bottom ash in the pond ash, six samples with the same stress history are made with different mixing ratio among kaolinite, bottom ash and fly ash. Isotropically consolidated and undrained compression tests are performed to investigate the shear characteristics of soil mixtures. Based on the experimental results, as the components of mixed ash increase, the friction angle increase and the cohesion values decrease. Also, the porepressure parameters at failure, Af increase with the mixing components of the pond ash. The portion of bottom ash has more impact on the shear behavior than that of fly ash.

• Asian Journal of Turfgrass Science
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.271-278
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• 2009

This study was conducted to investigate the effect of the mixture ratio of the inorganic soil amendments on the soil physicochemical properties. In this experiment, three kinds of soil amendments which had similar pH, EC and particle size, the A, B and C, were tested. The mixture ratio of soil amendment were 0%, 3%, 5%, 7% and 10% (V/V) incorporated with sand which met to the USGA(United State of Golf Association) particle standard. To analyze the effects of amendment on chemical soil properties, pH, EC(electrical conductivity) and CEC(cation exchangeable capacity) were measured. The porosity, bulk density and hydraulic conductivity also measured to analyze the changes of physical properties. In the chemical properties, pH was significantly related to the mixture ratios of amendments, A and C(P<0.05), CEC and EC also related to the ratios of C(P<0.01). When the results were applied to the USGA standard of the soil physical properties, the optimum mixture ratios of each amendment were 3% in A and B, and 7~10% in C. To analyze the corelation of mixture ratio versus to physical character, volume of porosity was significantly related to the ratio of B (P<0.05), and showed similar corelation in porosity and hydraulic conductivity with ratio of C(P<0.05). These results indicate that types and mixture ratio of inorganic soil amendments should affect on soil physio-chemical properties of root zone on USGA sand green.

• Proceedings of the Korean Geotechical Society Conference
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• 2003.03a
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• pp.733-740
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• 2003

When SCP (Sand Compaction Pile) is used in the improvement of soft ground, some problems like the difficulty of vertical construction and other construction difficulties due to the use of high pressure are encountered, There is a possibility that the strength parameters used in the design may be different with those obtained from the investigation of the quality variation with depth for the irregular, then the section may be not a sand pile but a combination of sand and clay. The mixture ratio concept is used, it is defined as the quantity of sand corresponding to the replacement ratio. Using this concept, the strength parameter relationship of the replacement and mixture ratio was determined. The use of these parameters in the design of SCP is most appropriate.

• Magazine of the Korean Society of Agricultural Engineers
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• v.40 no.2
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• pp.123-129
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• 1998

Compressibility and permeability properties are the most important input parameters necessary to assess the suitability of core materials in seepage control system construction. To achieve this objective, an experimental investigation was conducted in the laboratory. For the bentonite-soil/sand mixes, consolidation and permeability tests were carried out in the conventional consolidation cell, 6Omm in diameter and 2Omm in height, was modified to perform a falling head type permeability test. From the results, the normalized relationship with respect to void ratio at liquid-limit state $(e_L)$, and the changes of compressibility and permeability for various bentonite-soil/sand mixes were presented. This approach will be helpful in proportioning mixes and predicting corresponding changes in engineering behavior. And it is possible to proportion a mix to arrive at the required compressibility without affecting the permeability.

• Proceedings of the Korean Geotechical Society Conference
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• 1992.10a
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• pp.47-54
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• 1992

When marine clay is hydraulically dredged from seabed and pumped into the pond enclosed by contatinment dykes, marine clay is mixed and flocculated with water and then settled. At this time, the fines will interact with the water to form a Bingham plastic slurry which has non-Newtonian characteristics. The dredged slurry has different physical properties depending on settling locations and settling depths in the pond and has few hundred percent of water content and almost nil of shear strenght. In order to make this condition of the dredged slurry the final formation for public use within a short period, sand spreading method to enhance the support capacity of the dredged slurry is developed. In this paper, the effect of sand mixing into the dredged slurry of this method is analyzed based on reference study, laboratory tests and actual construction results.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.23 no.8
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• pp.97-106
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• 2007

In this study, experiments are conducted to find out the effect of waste leachate on landfill clay liner system. Tensile test, hydrometer analysis and crack pattern test were conducted on sand-bentonite mixtures with different pH values of water. The tensile strength of specimen compacted with pH 9 of water is smaller than that of specimen compacted with for pH 3 and 6 of water. That is, the higher the pH value, the smaller the tensile strength, because a higher pH solution decreases flocculation phenomenon. The percent finer also increased with high pH value in particle size distribution of fine grained soil (<0.075 mm), because the velocity of particles settling decreases. This trend becomes the clearer as the content of bentonite, becomes the larger, because the higher pH value decreases flocculation structure of fine soils. The results of the crack pattern tests also showed the effect of pH values of water.

• Journal of Korea Foresty Energy
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.26-37
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• 2004

This study was to investigate the rational propagation of the Vitex rotundifolia, which is distributed as a community naturally at coastal area in Korea. The germination rate of ordinary temperature stored fruits was the highest with 67%. In the matter of the number of seedlings per fruit, 1 seed germinated fruit was the most with 40.3 % and the mean was 1.4 seedlings per fruit. The best rooting rate of both greenwood and hardwood cutting was 96.7% in the case of cuttings soaked in IBA 2500ppm for 1 minute on the Compost+Sand bed-soils. Generally the root development of cuttings was higher in the high IBA concentration with soaking in a moment than in the low IBA concentration with soaking in long time, and bed-soils mixed with sands and composts. And in the rooting rate, greenwood cutting was better about 10% than hardwood cutting of Vitex rotundifolia.