• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.39 no.2
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• pp.116-122
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• 2006

This study was carried out to compare physical properties of the horticultural substrates measured by the European standard methods (CEN methods) and the Rural Development Administration of Korea methods (RDA methods). Sixty horticultural substrates including 40 marketed substrates and 10 organic and inorganic raw materials such as peat moss, coir dust, rice hull, perlite and zeolite were sampled. The samples were then analyzed for 6 physical properties by both CEN methods and RDA methods. The results of both methods were analyzed by linear regression. Bulk density ($R^2=0.8304$), particle density ($R^2=0.8136$) and porosity ($R^2=0.6374$) values measured by the two methods were highly significant. Whereas those for easily available water (EAW, $R^2=0.3327$), water volume ($R^2=0.2692$) and air volume ($R^2=0.0739$) were not significant. Further research is needed to facilitate the conversion between the two methods.

• Journal of Bio-Environment Control
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.376-387
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• 2019

Melons are mostly grown in soil, but it is susceptible to damage due to injury by continuous cropping such as Fusarium wilt and root rot. Hydroponic cultivation system can overcome the disadvantages of soil cultivation with precise nutrition management and a clean environment. When using the coir substrate, the most environmentally friendly organic substrate used for hydroponics, it is analyzed how the growth and fruit quality of the melon depends on the ratio of chips and dust and the amount of irrigation. The purpose of this study was to provide the basic data of melon hydroponics when cultivated in spring. The two types of the coir substrates used in the experiments were chip and dust ratios of 3 :7 and 5 : 5 respectively. The substrate with high dust ratios had excellent physical characteristics, such as container capacity and total porosity, and the drainage EC level showed a high value of $3.0-6.8dS{\cdot}m^{-1}$. When the amount of irrigation is provided based on the drainage rate, the group provided the nutrient solution on the basis of 10% drainage supplied 91 L per plant, which was reduced by about 30% compared to the group with the highest water supply. In addition, the total drainage showed less than 10 L per plant with a minimum water supply and was reduced by 30 - 70% in substrate with a high dust rates. In substrate with high water supply and high dust ratio, leaf growth and fruit enlargement were good, and the soluble solids content varies greatly from cultivar to cultivar. If you provided the amount of irrigation based on 10% drainage rate, the fruit weight will be decreased, but the amount of irrigation can be reduced. Therefore, it is considered that managing the water & nutrient properly taking into account the characteristics of coir substrate and cultivar can produce melon of uniform quality using hydroponics.

• Horticultural Science & Technology
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.46-52
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• 2014

This study was conducted to compare colony forming unit (CFU) of microorganisms in closed and open soilless culture systems for estimating the possibility for potential disease occurrence. Samples were collected at four different positions in four commercial greenhouses with closed or open soilless culture system using rock wool or coir as substrate, respectively. The distance between sampling positions was 3 cm starting from the substrate and the surface area of each position was $25cm^2$. The CFU of fungi was significantly higher in the open system, while that of bacteria was not significantly different but showed relatively lower in the closed system. Samples collected at the plastic surface of the substrates where little environmental effects occurred from drainage showed lower CFU than any other positions. The principal component analysis showed that samples collected on the drainage pathway highly affected the changes in microbial population in the greenhouse. These results indicated that greenhouses with closed soilless culture are expected to have more advantageous conditions for restraining the microbial growth, resulting in the lower potential of disease occurence in greenhouse ecosystem.

• Journal of Bio-Environment Control
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.379-387
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• 2007

This research was conducted to evaluate the influence of pre-planting fertilizer levels (PFL) and initiation time of fertigation (ITF) on growth and nutrient contents of tomato plug seedlings. The pre-planting fertilizer levels in a coir+peatmoss+perlite (4:4:2, v/v/v) substrate were adjusted to 0.5X, 1.0X and 1.0X, and initiation time of fertigation was set to 7, 14,21 and 28 days after sowing. Elevated PFL in same ITF increased plant growth such as fresh and dry weights at 35 and 70 days after sowing. Plugs with early feeding among treatments of equal amount of PFL also showed better growth as compared to those of later feeding. In each ITF, 0.5X treatment had the higher tissue $P_2O_5$ contents than 1.0X and 1.5X treatments. Elevated PFL resulted in the decrease of tissue K, Mg and Fe contents and increase of tissue Ca contents. The pH in soil solution of all root substrates except 0.5X treatment at 35 and 70 days after sowing were greater than 7.0, which is too high. This suggests that the amounts and kinds of Ca containing fertilizers should be altered to decrease the pH. The results of this research indicated that fertilizer levels should be increased to 1.5X except Ca fertilizer, and fertigation immediately after moving plug trays from germination room to greenhouse is required to increase crop growth and decrease cropping time.

• Horticultural Science & Technology
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.53-59
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• 2014

This study aimed to determine an appropriate cooling timing in the root zone for lowering substrate temperature and its effect on physiological response of sweet pepper (Capsicum annum L. 'Orange glory') grown on coir substrate in summer, from the July 16 to October 15, 2012. Daily temperature of substrate, root activity, leaf water potential, first flowering date, and the number of fruits were measured by circulating cool water through a XL pipe in the root zone during either all day (all-day) or only night time (5 p.m. to 3 a.m.; night) from the July 23 to September 23, 2012. For comparison, no cooling (control) was also applied. Between the $23^{rd}$ of July and $31^{st}$ of August (hot temperature period), daily average temperatures in substrates were $25.6^{\circ}C$, $26.1^{\circ}C$, and $29.1^{\circ}C$ for the all-day and night treatment, and control respectively. About 1.8 to $5^{\circ}C$ lower substrate temperature was observed in both treatments compared to that of control. In sunny day ($600-700 W{\cdot}m^{-2}{\cdot}s^{-1}$), the highest temperature of substrate was measured between 4 p.m. and 5 p.m. under both the all-day and night treatments, whereas it was measured between 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. under the control. Substrate temperatures during the day (6 a.m. to 8 p.m.) and night (8 p.m. to 6 a.m.) differed depending on the treatments. During the day and night, averaged substrate temperature was lower about $3.3^{\circ}C$ and $4.0^{\circ}C$ for the all-day, and $2.1^{\circ}C$ and $3.4^{\circ}C$ for the night treatment, compared to that of control. In the all-day and night treatment, the TD [TD = temperature of (control)] was greater in bottom than that of other regions of the substrate. Between the day and night, no different TD values were observed under the all-day treatment, whereas under the night treatment there was difference with the greatest degree in the bottom of the substrate. During the hot temperature period, total numbers of days when substrate temperature was over $25^{\circ}C$ were 40, 23 and 27 days for the control, all-day, and night treatment, respectively, and the effect of lowering substrate temperature was therefore 42.5% and 32.5% for the all-day and night treatment, respectively, compared to that for the control. Root activity and leaf water potential of plants grown under the all-day treatment were significantly higher than those under the night treatment. The first flowering date in the all-day treatment was similar to that in the night treatment, but 4-5 day faster than in the control. Also, the number of fruits in both treatments was significantly higher than that in the control. However, there was no effect of root zone cooling on eliminating delay in fruiting caused by excessively higher air temperature (> $30^{\circ}C$), although the substrate temperature was reduced $18^{\circ}C$ to $5^{\circ}C$. These results suggest that the method of cooling root zone temperature need to be incorporated into the lowering growing temperature for growth and fruit set of health paprika.