• Journal of Bio-Environment Control
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.43-49
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• 1996

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of artificial zeolite and various ion exchangers supplemented in rockwool on the ion exchangability of muskmelon. The results obtained were as follows ; Plant height was higher in the treatment of Ca type artificial zeolite as of 131.2cm than that of control as of 124cm, and same trends were shown in fresh weight of leaf and stem. Fruit weight was increased by supplement of artificial zeolite, but there were no significant differences in the sugar degree and external appearance as influenced by supplementing artificial zeolite. Supplement of artificial zeolite stabilized the pH and increased the ion exchange capacity of nutrient solution. Nutrient absorption was more favorable and led to growth promotion. This study was demonstrated that supplement of artificial zeolite in rockwool slab was improved the stabilization of root environment and increased ion uptake of muskmelon plant.

• Horticultural Science & Technology
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.340-345
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• 2014

Since the moisture content (MC) of growing medium closely related with the crop transpiration, the MC should be included to the environmental factors to be considered for irrigation control in soilless culture. The objective of this study was to analyze the transpiration of paprika plants using daily mean solar radiation (RAD) and vapor pressure deficit (VPD) as well as the growth of the plants at different MCs of rockwool growing media. The starting points of irrigation were controlled by a moisture sensor with minimum set points of 40%, 50%, and 60% of MCs. The canopy transpirations were measured for 80 to 120 days after transplanting and analyzed. The transpirations were well regressed with a combination of both RAD and VPD rather than daily mean RAD only under the controlled MCs. The transpiration at 60% MC was higher than those at 50% and 40% MCs. Leaf area, leaf fresh and dry weights at 60% MC were higher than those at 50% and 40% MCs while the number of leaves had no significant difference among the MCs. There were no significant differences in number of fruits and fruit size among all the MCs, while fruit weight was significantly lower at 40% MC than other treatments. Fresh and dry fruit yields were the highest at 60% MC. Therefore it was concluded that the transpiration was affected by the MC of rockwool growing medium and the minimum set point of 50-60% MC of rockwool growing medium gave better effects on the growth of the paprika plants.

• Journal of Bio-Environment Control
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.199-206
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• 2012

This study was conducted in a glasshouse to examine the possibility of producing tomato plug seedlings in a newly-developed inert phenolic foam medium. Plug seedlings of 'Madison' tomato were grown in four pellet type media, Grodan rockwool, UR rockwool, phenolic foam LC, and phenolic foam LC-lite. Seed germination was checked for 7 days. Seedling growth was measured at 19 days after sowing. The greatest germination was obtained in the phenolic foam LC and phenolic foam LC-lite. Plant height, hypocotyl length, leaf area, dry weight, and fresh weight were significantly greater in the rockwool medium than those in the other media. However, the T/R ratio and stem diameter were the greatest in the phenolic foam LC than those in the other media. The total porosity and container capacity of the phenolic foam LC was higher than in the other media. The air space (%) was lowest in the phenolic foam LC. Overall, the phenolic foam LC and phenolic foam LC-lite produced seedlings with similar growth as the rockwool. These results suggested that both phenolic foam LC and phenolic foam LC-lite have potential to be used in production of plug seedlings of 'Madison' tomato.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.53-59
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• 1990

Root zone environments in hydroponics are very important factors in crop growth, development and quality. In Korea, improvement of root zone temperature is required because of the continental climate. Therefore, this investigation was carried out to clarify the difference of root zone environments in different hydroponic systems under different climates. Tomato plants were grown in nutrient solutions at Seoul City University and Allen Cooper's. Hydroponic systems in this experiment were aeroponics, nutrient film technique(NFT), rockwool culture, sand culture and smoked rice hull culture(SRH). The decrease in temperature rapidly occured in sand culture while slowly in rockwool culture in low air temperature periods. The internal temperature of substrates of hydroponic bed were slightly changed in rockwool culture under high air temperature periods, while the duration of high temperature was longest in NFT. Electrical conductivity and pH of nutrient solution showed great changes in rockwool and aeroponics. Along the bed, the content of dissolved oxygen in nutrient solution had a tendency to decrease in NFT and DFT(Deep flow technique), while didn`t a change with aeroponics. Root activity measured by triphenyl tetrazolium chloride (TTC) was highest with aeroponics, followed by rockwool culture and NFT.

• Journal of Bio-Environment Control
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.88-94
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• 2001

Physical and chemical properties, the salt accumulation and leaching of salt by water of coal fly ash ball (ash ball) were evaluated in comparison with perlite and granule rockwool (rockwool). Bulk density, particle density, solid phase, and porosity of ash ball were 0.93 g.cm$^{-3}$ , 2.29 g.cm$^{-3}$ , 40.6%, 59.4%, respectively. The bulk density of ash ball was greater, while porosity was smaller, than that of perlite and rockwool. Saturation moisture capacity was 52% in ash ball, 71% in perlite, and 90% in rockwool. Water contents after drainage for 1 hr of ash ball, perlite, and rockwool were 21%, 27%, and 80%, respectively. Water content of small granules (3-5 mm) of ash ball was 5% greater than that of large (7-15 mm) grannules. The ash ball was a weak alkali substrate with pH 7.6, but not electric conductivity (EC), of the nutrient solution supplied to ash ball slightly increased. When the absorption of mineral ions to substrates were analyzed, ash ball and RW absorbed mainly PO￣$_4$. On tomato culture, salt accumulation in ash ball substrate was similar to that in perlite. Most of the salts in the ash balls were removed by submerging the substrate eight times in distilled water. It is concluded that water holding capacity of ash ball substrate was lo as compared to other substrates, but air permeability, and water diffusion was excellent, making control of medium water content easy.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.43 no.6
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• pp.975-977
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• 2010

Ammonium nitrogen is volatilized as ammonia at high pH soil. This study was conducted to observe an injury cause of egg plant grown in a high pH rockwool amended with ammonium phosphate. The etiolation symptom (yellowing) was appeared on veins of a leaf but not in healthy root when nutrient solution containing ammonium phosphate in addition to essential elements was applied in a top soil of which pH was 7.8. However, the same symptom did not appeared in the egg plant from the top soil in which the nutrition solution containing potassium phosphate instead of ammonium phosphate was applied. pHs were similar between these two different solutions. This revealed that the injury was caused by ammonia gas.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Plant Pathology Conference
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• 1999.04a
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• pp.30.1-30
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• 1999

• Journal of Bio-Environment Control
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.199-204
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• 2002

To overcome a decrease of Korean ginseng production caused by successive cropping, we have tried to develop a nutrient culture system for Korean ginseng production. For determining the optimal substrate, mixture of sand and TKS-2 (S＋T), peatmoss (P), reused rockwool (RR), and granular rockwool (GR) were investigated. The overall physico-chemical properties of RR fell into the reported optimal range for the ginseng cultivation. However, bulk density of S＋T was a little higher than that of soil in Korean ginseng fields. The top fresh weight of the ginseng was high in RR and S＋T substrates. The root fresh and dry weights in the RR were remarkably greater than that in the conventional soil (CS) of Korean ginseng fields. In terms of ginseng quality, the vitamin C content of ginseng root in nutrient culture was higher than that in CS. However, the contents of crude saponin and total ginsenosides in ginseng between in the nutrient culture and in the soil culture did not show any significant differences.

• Journal of Bio-Environment Control
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.13-19
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• 2018

This study was conducted to examine the germination and growth during seedling period of Codonopsis lanceolata and Astragalus membranaceus as affected by different media. The seeds were sown in commercial medium (Tosilee), coir, rockwool, and urethane sponge. The seeds were germinated for 22 days in a closed-type plant production system, and seedlings were grown for 35 days after sowing in the venlo-type glasshouse located on Gyeongsang National University. Nutrient solution was supplied by the sub-irrigation as EC $1.0dS{\cdot}m^{-1}$ and pH 6.5 every second day. Final germination of Codonopsis lanceolata was the significantly highest in the coir and rockwool media as 68.5% and 67.9%, respectively. Mean daily germination was also the highest in the coir and rockwool media as 4.2 and 4.1, respectively. The germination rate of Astragalus membranaceus was not significantly difference in the media types. Plant height and leaf area of Codonopsis lanceolata were the significantly highest in the rockwool medium as 11.5 cm and $11.3cm^2$, respectively. Longest root length and fresh weight of root were the greatest in the coir medium as 5.8 cm and 0.07 g, respectively. Plant height and leaf area of Astragalus membranaceus were the significantly highest in the coir medium as 14.0 cm and $16.9cm^2$, respectively, and fresh and dry weights of root were the highest in the urethane sponge medium as 0.34 g and 0.03 g, respectively. Therefore, these result suggest that the rockwool and coir media were suitable for the germination and growth during seedling period of Codonopsis lanceolata and Astraglus membranaceus.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural and Forest Meteorology
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.183-189
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• 2018

This study was carried out to investigate the effect of plant growth and production of tomato (Lycopersicon Esculentum Mill cv. Tefunis) according to the water content of non-recycled rockwool culture in high-rise tomato greenhouse. Daily irrigation amount was 3.8 times higher in the irrigation control by Integrated Solar Radiation (ISR) than in the Frequency Domain Reflectometry (FDR) sensor. Water content of ISR and FDR was 90-95 and 60-65%, respectively. Plant height and weight of tomato fruit was 1.2-1.9 times longer and 1.2-2.0 times heavier in the ISR than in the FDR sensor, respectively. No significantly differed to sugar content of tomato by treatments. Marketable fruits were the higher 1.3 times in the ISR compared with the FDR sensor. Cracking percentage in the ISR was also the higher 2.0 times compared with FDR sensor. Therefore, Irrigation control by ISR was appropriate to improve of plant growth and production of tomato with non-recycled rockwool culture in greenhouse during long-term cultivation.