• Horticultural Science & Technology
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.34-41
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• 2012

The study was conducted in a glasshouse to examine the possibility of producing paprika plug seedlings in a newly developed inert phenolic foam growing medium. Plug seedlings of 'Fascinato' paprika were grown in five media, Grodan rockwool (Grodan Co. Ltd., Denmark), UR rockwool (UR Co. Ltd., Korea), phenolic foam LC (Smithers Oasis Korea Co. Ltd., Korea), phenolic foam RC, and phenolic foam 3813-4 all in a pellet type. Seeds were germinated in a growth chamber ($25^{\circ}C$, 90% RH, dark) for 4-5 days and then seedlings were grown in a glasshouse with nutrient solution supplied by an overhead irrigation system. Seedling growths were measured 20 days after sowing. The medium pH was the highest in the Grodan rockwool, and medium EC was the highest in phenolic foam 3813-4, although no nutritional excess disorders were observed. Germination rates of paprika were higher than 90% in all the media. Plant height, stem diameter, T/R ratio, leaf area, and chlorophyll showed a similar to those in the rockwool medium. Number of leaves, length of the longest root and dry weights of shoot were not significantly different among treatments. Overall, phenolic foam LC and RC produced seedlings with a similar growth as the rockwool medium. The results obtained suggest that rockwool can be replaced with a new material such as phenolic foam in the commercial scale production of plug seedlings of 'Fascinato' paprika.

• Journal of Bio-Environment Control
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.399-405
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• 2020

Recently, it is difficult to produce uniform scions and rootstocks with high quality in a greenhouse due to weather extremes. The closed transplant production system is useful for producing scions and rootstocks with desirable morphological characteristics by environment control regardless of weather outside. In this study, we investigated transpiration rates and growth of cucumber and tomato scions and rootstocks grown under different light intensity conditions for precise irrigation control in a closed transplant production system. Hanging system to measure continuously the weight of plug tray consisting of seedlings and substrate with load-cell was installed in each growing bed. Using this system, we confirmed initial wilting point of cucumber and tomato seedlings, and conducted subirrigation when moisture content of substrate was not below 50%. The irrigation time of cucumber scions and rootstocks were 7 and 6 days after sowing, respectively. In tomato scions and rootstocks grown under PPF (photosynthetic photon flux) 300 μmol·m^-2·s^-1, the irrigation time were 5, 8, 11, and 13 days after sowing. Increasing light intensity increased transpiration rates and differences of transpiration rates by light intensity was higher in tomato seedlings. The growth of cucumber and tomato seedlings was promoted by increasing light intensity, especially, hypocotyl elongation and stem thickening was affected by light intensity. Cumulative transpiration rate of plug tray in cucumber and tomato seedlings was increased by increasing light intensity, and daily transpiration rate per seedling was regressed by 1st-order linear equation with high correlation coefficient. Estimation of transpiration rates by weighing continuously plug tray of vegetable seedlings can be useful to control more accurately irrigation schedule in a closed transplant production system.

• Horticultural Science & Technology
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.483-487
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• 2001

This study was carried out to investigate the role of attached leaflet on rooting and growth by one nodal cutting in tomato. As cutting sources 4 to 6 nodes could be obtained from one nursery seedling. Medium for cutting was a mixture with perlite plus peat moss (1 : 1, v/v), and each plug capacity was 30mL in the 72 cells-plug tray. Plant height and the number of leaves were significantly increased by attached leaflet cutting in 'Pepe' and 'Coco' cherry tomato. Dry weights of top and root were increased as much as 3 to 15 times in the cutting attached leaflet. Rooting percentage was 93.5% in one node cutting and 86% in the cutting with hypocotyl node part. At 20 to 24 days after nodal cutting, healthy nursery plant could be produced to transplant in field. The nursery plants by nodal cutting (NPNC) showed more fibrous roots and less tap roots than that of seedling. In terms of rooting pattern, NPNC rooted at the whole ground stem part, while rooting of seedling occurred at basal part of hypocotyl.

• Journal of Bio-Environment Control
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.75-82
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• 1999

This study was carried out to examine the effect of day/nignt temperatures during seedling culture on the vegetative and reproductive growth of Lycopersicum esculentum ‘Seokwang’. The study was consisted of two culture stages, plug seedling production in the growth chamber and hydroponic culture of the plant in a glasshouse. Experiments were replicated over time. The germinated seedlings were raised for 33 days (experiment 1) and 35 days (experiment 2) in 4 growth chambers, each with day/night temperatures of either $25^{\circ}C$/$25^{\circ}C$, 16$^{\circ}C$/16$^{\circ}C$, 16$^{\circ}C$/$25^{\circ}C$ or $25^{\circ}C$/16$^{\circ}C$. Cool-white fluorescent lamps provided 140$\mu$mol.m$^{-2}$ .s$^{-1}$ light for 12h each day. In the second experiment, all chambers were supplied with 1000$\mu$mol.mol$^{-1}$ CO$_{2}$ during the photoperiod and had an air velocity of 0.3m.s$^{-1}$ and relative humidity of 80%. Plug seedlings raised were transplanted to rockwool slabs in a glasshouse and were grown hydroponically using the same nutrient solutions used for seedling culture for 37 days (experiment 1) and 35 days (experiment 2). Plant height was affected more by mean daily temperature than by interaction of day and night temperatures. Plant height was the highest in 16/16$^{\circ}C$ treatment. Leaf count was not affected by day and night temperatures, and the chlorophyll concentration was the highest in 16/$25^{\circ}C$ treatment. Fresh and dry weights of stem tended to be greater in treatments of constant day and night temperature. The number of node on which first and second flower clusters were set was significantly higher in 25/$25^{\circ}C$ treatment than in the other treatments. Days to flower of the first flower on the first flower cluster were the greatest in 25/$25^{\circ}C$ and the least in 16/$25^{\circ}C$ treatment. Vegetative and reproductive growth, such as height, fresh and dry weights, days to flower, and nodes of the 1st and 2nd flower cluster set were affected by day/night temperatures.

• Journal of Bio-Environment Control
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.8-13
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• 2022

This study was carried out to investigate the proper wattage and installation distance for the efficient use of nano-carbon fiber infrared heating lamp (NCFIHL), a heating device advantageous for heating energy saving, when the production of watermelon plug seedlings in the plug seedling nursery in winter season. Six small beds were divided into plastic film, and 700 W and 900 W nano-carbon fiber infrared heating lamps were installed at 100 cm above the bed. 1 lamp at central (control), 60 cm interval (2 lamps), and 40 cm interval (3 lamps) heating lamps were installed in each bed inside the greenhouse. All treatments, except the control, were set to keep the night air temperature at 20℃ after lighting the NCFIHL. The leaf temperature showed a tendency to increase fast as the install distance was narrow. The leaf length and leaf width tended to increase as the installation distance of the 700 W heating lamp was narrow. The compactness was high in 700 W heating lamp with 40 cm of installation distance. Therefore, in consideration of maintaining the set temperature at night, installing 700 W electric lamps at 40 cm was an efficient power and installation distance for watermelon grafted seedlings considering economic feasibility.

• Horticultural Science & Technology
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• v.34 no.5
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• pp.727-735
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• 2016

This research was conducted to investigate the influence of various pre-planting $NO_3:NH_4$ ratios in the coir dust+peatmoss+perlite (3.5:3.5:3, v/v/v) medium on the growth of tomato plug seedlings (cv. Dotaerang Dia), changes in chemical properties of root media, and tissue nutrient contents. With the fixation of N concentration to $300mg{\cdot}L^{-1}$, the $NO_3:NH_4$ ratios were adjusted to 100:0, 73:27, 50:50, 27:73, 0:100. Then, root media containing various $NO_3:NH_4$ ratios and equal concentration of other essential nutrients were filled into 50-cell plug trays and the seeds of 'Dotaerang Die' tomato were sown. The investigation of seedling growth and tissue analysis for mineral nutrient contents based on the dry weight of above-ground tissue were conducted 6 weeks after sowing. As seedlings grew, the EC decreased quickly and pH increased gradually in the all treatment media. The plant height, fresh weight and dry weight of seedlings in the treatment of 50:50 ($NO_3:NH_4$) were 29.0 cm, 13.7 g, and 1.21 g, respectively, which were the highest among treatments tested. However, the seedlings in the treatment of 0:100 ($NO_3:NH_4$) had 26.5 cm, 11.2 g, and 0.92 g in plant height, fresh weight and dry weight, respectively. These were the poorest among the treatments tested. The tissue contents of N were 2.77 to 3.22% in all the treatments. The treatment of 27:73 ($NO_3:NH_4$) had the highest contents of Fe, Mn and Zn and that of 0:100 ($NO_3:NH_4$) had the lowest contents of Mg, Na, Cu, Mn and Zn among the treatments tested. The results indicate that $NH_4$ ratio should be lower than 50% in the coir dust+peatmoss+perlite (3.5:3.5:3, v/v/v) medium for seedling growth of tomato and the optimum ratio will be used to draw up guide lines for plug seedling production.

• Journal of Bio-Environment Control
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• v.6 no.3
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• pp.159-167
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• 1997

To cope with the mass-production and supply of plug seedling, the supply of transplanters is necessary. In the study, a transplanting test was carried out to find the optimum working condition in the mechanizd transplantation and to acquire the basic data for the improvement of transplanters by the research and analysis of working capacity of the local manual transplanters. The size of hopper affected transplanting stand and rate. Re-irrigation was required for the transplanted seedlings because they wilt 1 day after the transplanting if soil compaction is incomplete. Consequently, back-forth-left-right compaction method was good for soil covering and compaction. It may be thought to increase the amount of irrigation water at the time of transplanting by double-irrigation mechanism, but it needs to increase the larger water tank which makes the operation uneasy. So, assuming the working model by 1 or 2 operators with the machine size as small as possible, it seemed that eliminating of automatic irrigation method was desirable in view of efficiency. Though semiautomatic transplanter needs some structural improvements, it seemed still suitable for transplanting of plug seedlings such as 45-day red pepper seedlings in 128-hole tray and 25-day Chinese cabbage seedling in 128-hole tray. If traveling speed of the transplanter is limited to less than 14 m/min, with the transplanting depth of 2~3cm and transplanting space of 30cm.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Crop Science Conference
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• 2017.06a
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• pp.204-204
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• 2017

In recent years the growth rates of world agricultural production and crop yields have slowed because of rapid urbanization but the agriculture mechanization implies the use of various power sources and improved farm tools and equipment to enhance the efficiency of utilization of various crop input. Therefore the current study was conducted to investigate the growth characteristics of seedlings treated with plant growth regulators for the production of seeds suitable for mechanical formulations of soybeans and red beans. The seeds of Uram bean and Arary red bean were sown in 128 well plug tray as the testing varieties. Three growth inhibitors such as 0.05% hexaconazole, prohexadion-calcium, and 0.1% diniconazole were treated and fifteen representative plants were collected from each treatment at 2, 5, 7, 13, 16, 17, 19, and 20 days interval after treatment. The collected plants were examined for the growth atributes such as plant height, root length, leaf area and chlorophyll. The growth promoter was treated at the 13th day after treatment with growth inhibitor and treated with 0.1% concentration of Pomina ($GA_{4+7}$ 1.8% + 6-benzylaminopurine 1.8%) and Nonaji (gibberellic acid 2% + $GA_{4+7}$ 2%). Initially the growth data was recorded to examine the effect of growth inhibitor, while after treatment with growth promoters, the growth attributes were recorded at 4th and 7th day. As a result of measuring the growth parameter of soybean, the inhibitory effect was shown in the aerobic treatment at the ground level at the 7th day after treatment. At the 4th day of growth promoting agents treatment, the stimulation effect of non - treated plants was greater than that of formalin treatments. As a result of measuring the growth attributes of red bean, In the latter part of the growth, at the 4th day after the growth promoter treatment. This study was able to confirm the effective growth regulators and treatment periods for each crop, and it was possible to control the growth of seedlings. Based on these results, it can be expected that the basis of seedling production technology of crops which is necessary for sowing and transplantation mechanization of agriculturle field can be established.

• Journal of Bio-Environment Control
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.396-403
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• 2019

This study was conducted to investigate the growth of grafted cucumber seedlings in biodegradable paper pot trays influenced by seedling age, nutrient management before transplanting, and night temperature after transplanting. Grafted cucumber seedlings in paper pot trays were supplied with different nutrient solution concentrations of 0.5 x full strength (S) (EC $0.8dS{\cdot}m^{-1}$), 1.0S(EC $1.6dS{\cdot}m^{-1}$), 2.0S(EC $3.2dS{\cdot}m^{-1}$) two times a week until transplanting. 26, 33, 40, and 47 day-old cucumber grafted seedlings were transplanted and grown at three levels of night temperature (10, 15, and $25^{\circ}C$) during ten days. Increasing nutrient solution concentration enhanced the shoot length, number of leaves, leaf area, dry weight, and relative growth rate of seedlings. With increasing seedling age, the differences in growth were greater among nutrient treatments. The dry matter percentage increased with the seedling age, but was lower with higher nutrient concentration. The specific leaf area showed the opposite results. In cucumbers transplanted at 26- or 33-day seedling ages, night temperature did not affect the growth at ten days after transplanting. However, the growth of 40 or 47 day-old seedling decreased at $10^{\circ}C$. Compared with $25^{\circ}C$, the dry weight of cucumbers transplanted at 40- or 47-day seedling ages was depressed by 58% or 71%, respectively, at $10^{\circ}C$. Accordingly, it was concluded that the optimum nutrient solution concentrations and seedling age for the production of grafted cucumber seedlings in biodegradable paper pot trays can be 1.0S and about 30 days, respectively, and night temperature should be maintained at the range of $15-25^{\circ}C$ for promoting the growth after transplanting.

• KOREAN JOURNAL OF CROP SCIENCE
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• v.65 no.1
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• pp.63-71
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• 2020

The purpose of this study was to analyze the growth characteristics of perilla according to the materials of the seedbed for the development of seedling plug technology suitable for the mechanical transplantation of perilla. Perilla (Perilla frutescens var. japonica Hara) cultivars Deulsaem and Sodam were used in this experiment. The composition ratios of 170 products from 16 companies published in the 'Korean Association of Seedbed Media' homepage were compared according to usage and type, and 11 products that corresponded to the average were selected. The seedbed was classified according to the seedbed for paddy rice as light-weight, semi-weight, and weight, and based on the seedbed for horticulture, as light-weight and ultra-light. The seedlings were placed in 72-cell (semi-automatic), 128-cell (automatic) and 220-cell (automatic) plug trays. We selected 2 light-weight seedbeds of paddy rice and 2 light-weight seedbeds of horticultural products with the highest plant growth. We analyzed plant height and mat formation of the perilla roots. Results showed that the perilla height and mat formation were the best in light-weight seedbeds of paddy rice (product R1). Therefore, light-weight seedbeds of rice (product R1) were suitable for perilla plant transplantation. The estimated major components were vermiculite 41.0%, cocopeat 31.0%, peat moss 5.7%, and red-yellow soil 20.0%. The mechanical transplantation of perilla significantly boosts plant growth and reduces sowing and thinning efforts. However, continuous evaluation of newly introduced, commercial seedbeds is needed.