• Journal of Biosystems Engineering
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• v.40 no.1
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• pp.89-93
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• 2015

Purpose: Machine vision-based image processing methods can be useful for estimating the fresh weight of plants. This study analyzes the ability of two different image processing methods, i.e., morphological and pixel-value analysis methods, to measure the fresh weight of lettuce grown in a closed hydroponic system. Methods: Polynomial calibration models are developed to relate the number of pixels in images of leaf areas determined by the image processing methods to actual fresh weights of lettuce measured with a digital scale. The study analyzes the ability of the machine vision- based calibration models to predict the fresh weights of lettuce. Results: The coefficients of determination (> 0.93) and standard error of prediction (SEP) values (< 5 g) generated by the two developed models imply that the image processing methods could accurately estimate the fresh weight of each lettuce plant during its growing stage. Conclusions: The results demonstrate that the growing status of a lettuce plant can be estimated using leaf images and regression equations. This shows that a machine vision system installed on a plant growing bed can potentially be used to determine optimal harvest timings for efficient plant growth management.

• Journal of Bio-Environment Control
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.33-39
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• 2011

This experiment was carried out to understand the characteristics of inorganic ion uptake of strawberries to establish a labor saving, environmentally sound closed hydroponic system. Nitrate nitrogen is absorbed in the perlite and granule rockwood with the almost same rate and in the cocopeat with a little bit higher concentration. At the early growth stage, phosphate was absorbed in comparatively high rate, but it is gradually declining to $4me{\cdot}L^{-1}$ in the three treatments except for reused medium. Four treatments showed different absorption rates for potassium, respectively, however, it became $3{\sim}5me{\cdot}L^{-1}$ gradually. But there was few sign to absorb potassium in the reused medium. High concentration of calcium was absorbed in the cocopeat medium and the lowest absorption rate in the granule rockwool, and it turned out to be $2{\sim}3me{\cdot}L^{-1}$ absorption concentration rate in the perlite. All three treatments showed $1me{\cdot}L^{-1}$ at the average absorption concentration rate of magnesium. Iron showed high absorption rate but it showed steadily 1~2 ppm absorption rate. Results of this experiment will be utilized for developing the new substrates for strawberry closed hydroponic system.

• Horticultural Science & Technology
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.165-170
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• 2014

The objective of this study was to make growth and yield models of sowthistle (Ixeris dentata Nakai) by using an expolinear functional equation in a closed-type plant production system. The growth and yield of hydroponically-grown sowthistle were investigated under four different planting distances ($15{\times}10$, $15{\times}15$, $15{\times}20$, and $15{\times}25$ cm). Shoot dry weights per plant was the highest at $15{\times}25$ cm, but was the lowest at $15{\times}10$ cm. Shoot dry weights per area was the highest at $15{\times}15$ cm, but was the lowest at $15{\times}25$ cm. The optimum planting density and planting distance for yield of sowthistle were 44 plants/$m^2$ and $15{\times}15$ cm, respectively. Shoot dry weights per plant and per area were showed as an expolinear type functional equation. A linear relationship between shoot dry and fresh weights was observed to be linear regardless of the planting distance. Crop growth rate, relative growth rate and lost time in an expolinear functional equation showed quadratic function form. Radiation use efficiency of sowthistle was $4.3-6.1g{\cdot}MJ^{-1}$. The measured and estimated shoot dry weights showed a good agreement using days after transplanting as input data. It is concluded that the expolinear growth model can be a useful tool for quantifying the growth and yield of sowthistle in a closed-type plant production system.

• Horticultural Science & Technology
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.493-498
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• 2014

The objective of this study was to make growth and yield models for common ice plant (Mesembryanthemum crystallinum L.) using expolinear functional equations in a closed-type plant production system. Three-band radiation type fluorescent lamps with a 12-hours photoperiod were used, and the light intensity was $200{\mu}mol{\cdot}m^{-2}{\cdot}s^{-1}$. Nutrient film systems with three layers were used for plant growth. Environmental conditions, such as air temperature, relative humidity and $CO_2$ concentration were controlled by an ON/OFF operation. Leaf area, shoot fresh and dry weights, light use efficiency of common ice plant as function of days after transplanting, accumulative temperature and accumulative radiation were analyzed. Leaf area, shoot fresh and dry weights per area were described using an expolinear equation. A linear relationship between shoot dry and fresh weights was observed. Light use efficiency of common ice plant was $3.3g{\cdot}MJ^{-1}$ at 30 days after transplanting. It is concluded that the expolinear growth model can be a useful tool for quantifying the growth and yield of common ice plant in a closed plant production system.

• Journal of Bio-Environment Control
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.133-140
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• 2001

This study was conducted to develop a nutrient uptake model in cucumnber (Cucumis sativus L. cv. Eunsung Backdadagi) plants for prediction of the amount of nutrients in drainage solution in a closed perlite culture system. Electrical conductivity (EC) of the nutrient solution was adjusted to 1.5, 1.8, 2.1, 2.4, and 2.7 dS. $m^{-1}$ . The amount of nutrient solution absorbed in different EC treatments was not different until the mid stage of growth. However, after the mid growth stage, a high EC treatment resulted in less solution absorption. The absorption rates of K, N $O_3$$^{[-10]}$ -N, Mg, and P increased continuously for a whole growing period in all treatments, while those of Ca decreased slightly. For S, the decrease was significant after th mid stage of growth. although the amounts of absorbed inorganic ions in different EC treatments were not significantly different at the first stage of growth, they were significantly different after the mid stage of growth and decreased slightly at the end of growth stage. Models for predicting the amounts of each inorganic ion absorbed were developed by using EC and the amount of nutrient solution absorbed per unit radiation(mg.M $J^{-1}$), which proved to be practical with a positive correlation at 1 percent probability between the developed model and practical values..

• Journal of Bio-Environment Control
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.125-131
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• 2001

The objective of this study was to estimate the amount of nutrient and water taken up at different growth stages by cucumber (Cucumis sativus L. cv. Eunsung Backdadagi) grown in a closed substrate culture system. The amount of nutrient solution absorbed increased in proportion to days from planting at the first stage of growth and depended on the level of radiation after the mid stage of growth. After the mid growth stage, the amount of nutrient solution absorption was maintained at 80-100 mg.MJ$^{-1}$ . Total amount of absorbed inorganic ions except S increased since the nutrient solution absorption increased with the level of radiation, although the absorption rate of each inorganic ion declined. A highly significant correlation ($R^2$>0.9) was found between amount of inorganic ions absorbed and days after planting, LAI, total dry weight and leaf dry weight, but not with CGR. Correlation coefficient between days after planting and the amount of nutrient solution absorbed per unit radiation level was 0.92. Correlation coefficient between leaf area an the amount of nutrient solution absorbed per unit radiation level was 0.97. Regression of the amount of nutrient solution absorbed per unit radiation level and nutrient ions uptake showed a high significance ($R^2$>0.9).

• Journal of Bio-Environment Control
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.100-107
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• 2017

This experiment was carried out to analyze the effects of substrate reuse on the growth and yield of summer paprika in cyclic hydroponics. The test group was divided into a new coco slab, one year reused coco slab two year reused coco slab based on 30% nutrient solution reuse, and was performed from April 18 to November 31, 2016 for 30 weeks. As a result, plant height of early growth was that the 2 year reused slab was longer than the new slab but the final growth period was 56.58 cm shorter. First group flower position was that reused slab was shorter by 2.92 cm than the new slab and the second group flower position was 0.31 cm long. The relative internode length of early growth, when the reused slab was used, the imbalance in the late growth stage was increased compared with the use of the new slab. The number of growth nodes in the 1 and 2 year reused slab was the smallest with 27.4 nodes. However, the number of harvested nodes did not show the difference in the test group, and the ratio of harvested that the 2 year reused slab was the highest at 26.8%. The ratio of unmarketable fruit tended to increase as the growth progressed. Fresh weight was 227.7g for new slab, 219.2g for 2 year reused slab and 21.2g for 1 year reused slab. The dry weight of the new slab increased with the reuse of the slab. It was 17.13g for new slab, 18.26g for 1 year reused, and 19.28g for 2 year reused. The average water content of the entire growth period was smaller as the slab was reused, and the 1 year reused slab was about 20g less than the 2 year reused slab. This trend was steadily occurring throughout the entire growing season. Especially, the reused slab for 1 year was less than 60g after 3 groups compared to other test groups. In conclusion, If will control seriously occurrence of unmarketable fruits by weakening after medium growth in summer-cultivated paprika in EC-based recycling hydroponic cultivation with reused cocopeat substrate, It is not what I have to worry that decrease of the yield and deterioration of the quality due to the change of physical and chemical properties of the slab and the pathogenic bacteria infection.

• Journal of Bio-Environment Control
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.107-111
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• 2009

This experiment was conducted to select optimum hydroponic systems for clean and mass production for shoot and root of Echinacea. E. purpurea and E. angustifolia. were grown at 5 different kinds of hydroponic systems; NFT, modified NFT, DFT, aeroponics, and Ebb & Flow for 150 days. The lowest photosynthetic rate and transpiration rate were in Ebb & Flow system in E. purpurea and E. angustifolia at 120 days after transplanting. The shoot fresh and dry weight were high in aeroponic and DFT system of E. angustifolia and in aeroponic and NFT system of E. purpurea at 150 days after transplanting. The root fresh and dry weight of both species were the highest in aeroponic system and next to modified NFT system. They were increased in NFT and Ebb & Flow system for the root length and in aeroponic system for the number of tillering. The results demonstrate that aeroponic system was the most effective for enhancement shoot and root biomass of Echinacea spp. in hydroponics.

• Horticultural Science & Technology
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• v.34 no.6
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• pp.871-877
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• 2016

Recycling nutrient solutions in closed hydroponic production systems is usually accompanied by an imbalance of nutrient solutions when concentration is controlled according to electrical conductivity (EC) levels. This study investigated whether it was possible to automatically control the concentrations of five essential elements nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), calcium (Ca) and magnesium (Mg) using only N, K and Ca ion sensors. N, P, K, Ca, and Mg uptake was measured in the nutrient solution, and relationships between absorbed ions were analyzed through twice-repeated experiments in lettuce. Results confirmed that the pattern of $PO_4$ ion uptake was similar that of N, and the pattern of Mg ion uptake was similar that of Ca. $PO_4$ ion uptake was most highly correlated with N, and Mg was most highly correlated with Ca. Regression coefficients of N and $PO_4$ were significantly different at 1.04 and 0.55, respectively, but were similar between Ca and Mg at 0.35 and 0.40, respectively. Additional experiments were conducted to measure nutrient uptake in pak choi and rose plants, both to confirm the results from the first experiment in lettuce, and to assess possible application to other crops. Coefficients of determination both for N and $PO_4$, and Ca and Mg were considerably high ($R^2=0.86$) in cultured pak choi, and similar results were observed in cultured rose ($R^2=0.87$ and 0.73, respectively). Regression coefficients for cultured pak choi were 0.56 and 0.24, respectively, and for rose were 0.51 and 0.16, respectively. Although the results obtained for N and $PO_4$ were not consistent between the lettuce experiments, N and $PO_4$ have similar regression coefficients for all crops. No common coefficient was found between Ca and Mg.

• Journal of Bio-Environment Control
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.363-369
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• 2009

This experiment was conducted to find out the effect of nutrient solution composition on the growth of cucumber plants and the changes in macro-elements in nutrient solutions in recirculating hydroponic systems. Cucumber plants (Cucumis sativus L. cv. Joeun Baegdadagi) were grown in closed perlite cultivation systems supplied with different nutrient solutions developed by NHRS (National Horticultural Research Station in Japan), Yamasaki, PBG (Proefstation voor Bloemisterij en Glasgroente), and NIHHS (National Institute of Horticultural and Herbal Science in Korea). The concentrations of $NO_{3^-}N$, $Ca^{2+}$, $Mg^{2+}$, and $SO_{4^-}S$ in the recycled nutrient solutions increased but that of $NH_{4^-}N$ decreased gradually in all the treatments. The $PO_{4^-}P$ and $K^+$ concentrations were continuously reduced from the beginning of the harvest to the harvest peak period. There were no significant differences in the concentrations of $NO_{3^-}N$, $NH_{4^-}N$, and $Ca^{2+}$ in the recirculated nutrient solutions among four treatments, while the concentrations of $PO_{4^-}P$ and $K^+$ were lowest and those of $Mg^{2+}$ and $SO_{4^-}S$ were highest in the treatment of Yamasaki's nutrient solution. All growth-related parameters of cucumber plants except for leaf number were not significantly affected by the nutrient solution compositions. Due to its low concentrations of $PO_{4^-}P$ and $K^+$ in the recycled nutrient solution, however, the number and yield of cucumber fruits were lowest in the treatment of Yamasaki's nutrient solution.