• Journal of Bio-Environment Control
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.27-33
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• 1997

This experiment was carried out to investigate the effects of limited nutrient supply during 21 days before and after pollination stage on the growth, fruit quality and nutrient uptake of muskmelon in rockwool culture. Muskmelon, cv. Earl's Favorite seeds sowed on rockwool cube and transplanted on rockwool slab($90\times15\times7.5cm$) when 2 to 3 true leaf appeared on Sep. 6, 1991. Three kinds of nutrient composition recommended by Shizuoka university, combinated with the composition of Otsuka house A and composition Shizuoka III. One half of calcium nitrate(Ca(NO$_3$)$_2$.4$H_2O$) for limiting nitrogen supply during 21 days was treated and then fertigated the nutrient composition recommended by Shizuoka university up to harvest time. Trickling nozzles(Netafim Co. Israel) were used for fertigation of nutrient solution and noncirculating system was employed. Temperature was maintained $18^{\circ}C$ in night but 23 to $25^{\circ}C$ for 10 days after pollination for softening the fruit. The drainage ratio of nutrient solution was adjusted 20 to 30 percent. Fertigated and drained amount, and the pH and EC of nutrient solution were recorded. The concentrations of mineral elements including N, P, K, Ca, and Mg were analyzed and compared among treatments. In both autumn and winter cultivation, the limitation of nutrient supply by adjustment of nutrient composition(NO$_3$-N : 8meㆍ$\ell^{-1}$) caused the nutrient deficiency in muskmelon plant due to the limited nutrient supply. After pollination nutrient limitation by the lowering the nitrate retarded the over thickening of upper leaves of muskmelon but plant height and fresh weight of fruit were higher in the plot of nonlimited nutrient supply. The phenomena were attributed to the differences of the amount of nutrient uptake due to the limited time of nutrient solution, duration of nutrient supply and concentration of nutrient solution. These results suggested that increasing nutrient supply in the pollination stage was favorable for better appearance of fruit and improving fruit quality. Further trials would be required for the incre-ment of sugar degree of muskmelon grown in rockwool.

• Journal of Biosystems Engineering
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.365-372
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• 1998

This study was carried out to develop a nutrient-solution mixing-and-supplying system, which used a low-cost metering device instead of expensive metering pumps and a fuzzy logic controller. A low cost and precise overflow-type metering device was developed and evaluated by testing the flow discharge for the automatic nutrient-solution mixing-and-supplying system for snail-scale hydroponic sewers. The fuzzy logic controllers, which could predict and meet the desired values of EC and supply rate of nutrient solution were developed and verified by simulation and experiment. this fuzzy logic controller, whose algorithm consists of four crisp inputs, two crisp outputs and nine rules, was developed to predict the desired value of EC and supply rate of nutrient solution and two crisp inputs, one crisp output and nine rules used to control EC to the desired values. The nutrient-solution mixing-and-supplying system showed satisfactory EC control performance with the maximum overshooting of 0.035 mS/cm and the maximum settling time of 15 minutes in case of increasing 0.7 mS/cm. also, the accuracy of the overflow-type metering device in terms of the full-scale error was 2.29% when using solenoid valve only and 0.2% when using solenoid valve and flow control valve together.

• Journal of Bio-Environment Control
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.421-427
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• 2020

In this study, we investigated the effect of nutrient supply periods on the fruit growth and quality of 'Duke' blueberry. The nutrient solution was contained with NO₃-N 4.6, NH₄-N 3.4, PO₄-P 3.3, K 3.0, Ca 4.6, and Mg 2.2 mmol·L^-1, and EC in the nutrient solution was 1.5 ds.m^-1. In 2017 and 2018, an individual blueberry bush was supplied with 8 L of the nutrient solution per week. In 2018, the drainage water quality of growing medium and fruit quality was investigated. The nutrient supply was started from April 01, and stopped at 15 days intervals as follows, 15 days before final harvest, at the final harvest date (June 30), 15 days after final harvest (DAFH), 30 DAFH, 45 DAFH, and 60 DAFH. The content of inorganic components in the growing medium was not significantly different by the stop time of nutrient supply, but the content of phosphorus (P₂O₅) tended to increase with the delay of stop time of nutrient supply. There were no significant differences in the fruit quality characteristics in terms of size, sugar content, and acidity among the different stop time of nutrient supply. The blueberry yield was tended to decrease with the delay of periods of nutrient supply, while the lowest yield of 1.8 kg was recorded when nutrient supply stopped at 45 and 60 DAFH.

• Journal of Bio-Environment Control
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• v.8 no.3
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• pp.172-182
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• 1999

Leaf lettuce(Lacaug sativa L.) was cultivated in deep flow culture to investigate growth and yield in relation to different reusing method of nutrient solution after once cultivation. Five different treatments were allocated to the nutrient solutions - Control(total renewal of solution), NSS(nutrient solution supplement), U control, NSAC(nutrient solution analysis and compensation), NSAC and Humus supply(NSAC with supply of Humus). The pH of solution was kept stable below 7.0 during 4 successive culture in NSAC and NSAC and Humus supply. U was sharply declined in NSS as the number of cultivation was increased. Gmwth and yield of NSAC was similar to those of Control because nutrient elements were kept the balance to the better growth, while the lettuce grown in NSS and EC control was shown lower growth rate. In the nutrient solutions, Content of N $O_3$-N and N $H_4$-N were remarkably decreased after the cultivation in all treatments. Ca and Mg were shown to be accumulated in nutrient solution regardless of culture times and treatments. After the first culture in NSAC and Humus supply, total N and P$_2$ $O_{5}$ content in leaves were lower than any other treatments, but Ca content was higher. Those were not significant as following cultures, and no significant difference of K and Mg content were shown among the treatments.

• Journal of Bio-Environment Control
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.210-214
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• 2008

This experiment was carried out investigation of optimum concentration of supply nutrient solution in hydroponics of sweet pepper using coir substrates (coconut dust fiber=70% : 30%, v/v). During the growing period, it was found out that the electric conductivity (EC) would increase in proportion to the supply nutrient concentration but it was in inverse proportion to the moisture content. The pH of drainage was stable, while EC was high showing EC $7.3\;dS{\cdot}m^{-1}$ in EC $4.0\;dS{\cdot}m^{-1}$ of supply nutrient concentration. Also, standard deviation and coefficient of variation were high. Plant length was no difference by the supply nutrient concentration. Photosynthesis rate was generally high in supply nutrient concentration EC$4.0\;dS{\cdot}m^{-1}$. Fruit weight was heavy in supply nutrient concentration EC $4.0\;dS{\cdot}m^{-1}$, fruit shape was close to a regular square in supply nutrient concentration EC $3.5dS{\cdot}m^{-1}$.

• FLOWER RESEARCH JOURNAL
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.172-178
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• 2009

This experiment was conducted to elucidate the proper suppling frequency of nutrient solution for grafted cactus Gymnocalycium mihanovichii var. friedrichii grown hydroponically without medium. Grafted cactus seedlings were planted onto the cultivation bed without medium, using labor-saving tray. The treatments like 1, 3, 5 and 7 times of nutrient solution supply per day and continuous soaking of plant root in the nutrient solution during the daytime were tested in summer and winter season. The growth of grafted cactus was worst in the treatment of one time supply of nutrient solution per day, and there were not significant difference in growth of grafted cactus among other treatments both in summer and winter season. 17.6% of grafted cactus seedlings failed to rooting in the treatment of one time supply of nutrient solution per day in winter season. The proper suppling frequency of nutrient solution, for the grafted cactus Gymnocalycium mihanovichii var. friedrichii grown hydroponically without medium, was three times supply of nutrient solution per day both in summer and winter seasons considering growth and rooting of plants.

• Journal of Biosystems Engineering
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.328-338
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• 1990

The objective of this study was to develop automatic systems of nutrient solution management for optimal nutrient solution environment and labor saving in water culture which enables factory crop production. In this study, an automatic control system and its driving program are developed to prepare, supply, and recover nutrient solution and to keep the optimal solution concentration level using microcomputers. Based on this study, the following conclusions are obtained: 1. The concentration measured by the system using oscillating circuit designed and built in this study, gave good agreements with the actual nutrient solution. 2. In water culture, the period of 12 hours for measuring concentration, pH, and temperature of the nutrient solution was optimum. Addition of control solution due to the decrease of the nutrient solution concentration is required in every 3 to 5 days. 3. It is estimated that the period of the whole solution change is 15 days, however, further research is needed to assure it. In addition, this period must be shortened in the future. 4. Both the hardware and software of the developed optimal nutrient solution control system in the water culture are working very well, however, it is necessary to develop a more economical one-chip micro controller to substitute for the microcomputer.

• Magazine of the Korean Society of Agricultural Engineers
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• v.36 no.3
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• pp.113-121
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• 1994

Since it is difficult to expect the normal production of plants in greenhouses during hot summer season in Korea, certain provisions on the control of extreme environmental factors in summer should be considered for the year-round cultivation in greenhouses. This study was carried out to find a method to suppress the temperature rising of nutrient solution by cooling, which is able to contribute to the improvement of the plant growth environment in hydroponic greenhouse during hot summer season. A mechanical cooling system using the counter flow type with double pipe was developed for cooling the nutrient solution efficiently. Also the heat transfer characteristics of the system was analysed experimentally and theoretically, and compared with the existing cooling systems of nutrient solution. The cooling capacities of three different Systems, which used polyethylene tube in solution tank, stainless tube in solution tank, and the counter flow type with double pipe, were evaluated. The performance of each cooling system was about 41 %, 70% and 81 % of design cooling load in hydroponic greenhouse of 1 ,000m$^2$ on the conditions that the flow rate of ground water was 2m$^3$/hr and the temperature difference between two liquids was 10 ˚C According to the results analysed as above, the cooling system was found to have a satisfactory cooling capability for regions where ground water supply is available. Fer the other regions where ground water supply is restricted, more efficient cooling System should be developed.

• Journal of Bio-Environment Control
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• v.8 no.3
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• pp.183-191
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• 1999

In the recirculating hydroponics, pH of nutrient solution was gradually decreased until the middle of growing-period, and then began to go up and reached the initial level at the latter of growing-period regardless of Cu·Zn content. Changes of pH was gently down for supply of humus in nutrient solution. The growth of lettuce was good with supply of humus, but it was decreased as Cu·Zn content was increased. Although leaf chlorosis was caused by excessive content of Cu·Zn as 5, 10 ppm, it was controlled by adding humus in nutrient solution, and fresh weight of lettuce was obviously improved by adding humus.

• Journal of the Korea Institute of Information and Communication Engineering
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• v.9 no.5
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• pp.1059-1065
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• 2005

In this study, an nutrient solution control system have been designed and implemented, which controls the density of nutrient and the nutrient supply automatically using embedded real time operating system and fuzzy control algorithm. The factors which affect the growth of crop consist of solar radiation, external temperature, and external humidity. Also, nutrient temperature, electric conductivity(ED, and pH are monitored. According to the surveyed results, a fuzzy control algorithm for nutrient control is developed in order to control the density of nutrient and the nutrient supply. The exclusive embedded controller which consists of an embedded real time operating system, a korean LCD, and a graphic is developed for common users.