• Journal of Bio-Environment Control
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.114-119
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• 2024

Rockwool substrate has superior physicochemical characteristics and is often used in crop cultivation. However, rockwool substrate has the disadvantages of high purchase cost and difficulty in disposal. Reuse of substrate can compensate for these disadvantages. Substrate must be disinfected and rehydrated during reuse, and various physicochemical changes during this process must also be considered. This study was to compare the physical properties of two types of rockwool substrates (reused and unused) and to evaluate the reuse potential of rockwool substrate by analyzing the chemical properties of the reused rockwool substrate during the rehydration process. The experiment on substrate physicochemical properties comparison was conducted from March to August 2023 using used rockwool substrates in tomato cultivation and unused rockwool substrates. Drainage time, drainage volume, and substrate weight were measured using load cells installed at the top and bottom of the irrigation monitoring system. The reused rockwool substrate weight and density were higher than those of the unused rockwool substrate, while the average drainage time after irrigation was 1.5 times longer for the reused rockwool than for the unused rockwool. The salinity concentration in different parts of the reused rockwool substrate was found to be lower in the reused rockwool substrate compared to the unused rockwool substrate. The electrical conductivity of the drainage was at its peak at the beginning of the drainage and decreased exponentially as the drainage volume increased. Change in electrical conductivity of the drainage over the irrigation time showed an exponential decay pattern. Through the experiments, the potential reusability of the rock wool substrate was assessed by conducting a comparative analysis of its physicochemical properties.

• Horticultural Science & Technology
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.33-38
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• 2000

This study was conducted in an effort to meet the need for domestic production of hydroponic media and for medium development using recycled hydroponic rockwool slabs. Two experiments were conducted to evaluate the growth of plug seedlings of petunia 'Romeo' in various mixtures including particles of used rockwool slabs (rockwool particles) and wood chips. In the first experiment, seedlings were grown in plugs filled with mixtures of steam- sterilized rockwool particles and chestnut wood chips, which had been weathered for six months and screened through either 2.8 mm or 5.6 mm sieve, at the mixing ratio of 100:0, 75:25, 50:50, 25:75, or 0:100 (v/v). In the second experiment, seedlings were grown in plugs filled with twenty different mixtures of steam-sterilized particles of used hydroponic rockwool slabs with 4 mm chestnut or pine wood chips, coir, peatmoss, or perlite. In the first experiment seedling growth was not affected by particle size of chestnut wood chips, was superior in the control (commercial plug medium) and in 100% rockwool particles, but was suppressed as mixing ratio of chestnut wood chips increased. In the second experiment, leaf length, and shoot fresh and dry weights were the greatest in rockwool particles+peatmoss+coir treatment, followed by rockwool particles+peatmoss treatment. Leaf length was suppressed as ratio of wood chips increased, especially of chestnut wood chips. Root development was the greatest in rockwool particles+peatmoss+perlite treatment, followed by the control, and rockwool particles+peatmoss+coir treatment. The growth was suppressed as the mixing ratio of rockwool particles, peatmoss, or coir decreased.

• Journal of Bio-Environment Control
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.107-111
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• 2004

This study was conducted to examine the possibility of producing poinsettia with various growing media containing used perlite and rockwool slabs as medium components. Pot plants of Euphorbia pulcherrima 'Freedom Red' were grown in 10 media containing used perlite and particles of rockwool slabs at various ratios including 1:1 and 1:3 (v/v). Medium containing used perlite and peatmoss at 1:3 (v/v) was employed as the control treatment. Height, root length, length of the longest branch, number of roots, leaf area, and width and length of the largest bract of plants grown in media containing used perlite were significantly greater than those in the control. Stem diameter and bract count were not affected by the medium composition. From the results, used perlite and rockwool slabs were proved to be a practically useful materials as medium components for pot production of poinsettia plants.

• Journal of Bio-Environment Control
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.309-313
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• 2007

Experiments were conducted to measure rooting and growth of rose cuttings as affected by medium composition and volume. Rosa hybrida 'Red Sandra' and 'Little Marble' were used as test plants. For medium composition test, rockwool, phenolic foam, perlite, vermiculite, peatmoss, coir and a commercial medium (Tosilee medium) were applied in single or mixed forms on the propagation bed with fog (200 sec./5 min.) installed to control the humidification time. 'Red Sandra' and 'Little Marble' cuttings were planted in 16-cell plastic pots and 72-cell plug trays, respectively. For the medium volume test, 72-cell plug trays and 16-cell or 9-cell plastic pots were used. Cuttings with an uniform node with a five-leaflet leaf was soaked in a $500mg{\cdot}L^{-1}$ IBA solution for 30 sec. A fogging system installed on the propagation bed was used for (100 sec./5 min.). Rockwool 1 : peatmoss 1 (v/v) was the most effective on growth and rooting for both cultivars and high volume of Tosilee medium and rockwool were most effective media far both cultivars.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Industry Convergence
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.153-162
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• 2023

It is important to determine water movement at the growing substrate used in soil-less cultivation for better management of water supply. Numerical simulation is a fast and versatile approach to evaluate highly accurate water distribution. The objective of this study is to simulate the water movement in rockwool as a soil-less medium using HYDRUS-2D. HYDRUS-2D was used to simulate the spatial and temporal water movement in two types of rockwool slabs (Floriculture (FL), high density; Expert (EP), low density). The simulation was performed at two pulse conditions: 10 min ON and 50 min OFF (case A), 20 min ON and 40 min OFF (case B). The total irrigation amounts were the same at both cases. In case A, during the irrigation ON, the water contents at FL increased 1.93-fold faster than the values at EP. Whereas, during the irrigation OFF, the decreasing rate of water contents at FL was almost the same as one at EP. At case B, these values were not changed much from case A. However, the duration of optimum water content (50% - 80%) was 15.0 min and 23.5 min at case A and case B, respectively. Thus, FL and 20 min ON and 40 min OFF (case B) could supply water to rockwool much faster and longer than EP. Once qualitatively validated, this simulation of water movement in rockwool could be used to design an effective optimum irrigation method for vegetables.

• Journal of Bio-Environment Control
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.27-31
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• 2007

The experiment has investigated the effects of blending rate of waste rockwool in nursery media on growth of Marygold 'Yellow boy' plug seedlings. A commercial plug medium containing 10% zeolite, 10% vermiculite, 5% perlite, 10% peatmoss and 65% cocopeat was used as the control, and the other media compounded with 10% of zeolite, vermiculite, perlite and peatmoss and 10, 30, and 50% of waste rock-wool. There was not significant difference in germination rate ot Marygold between treatments. Plant height, number of leaves, stem diameter and leaf area were higher in commercial plug medium and compound nursery media containing 50% of waste rockwool than 30 or 10% of waste rockwool. Fresh weight and dry weight of shoot and root increased in the treatment of commercial plug medium and the medium of 50% waste rockwool than 10 and 30% of waste rockwool. These results suggested the possibility of utilization of waste rockwool for medium components of plug seedlings.

• Journal of Bio-Environment Control
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.142-145
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• 2007

Growth characteristics according to mixture ratio of used-rockwool in pot nursery, in Pinus densiflora, Torreya nucifera, Quercus acutissina and Fraxinus mandshurica nursery, was investigated. The used-rockwool on mixture ratio between used-rockwool and control (peatmoss: pearlite=1:1, v/v) were 0%, 30%, 50% and 70%. Flesh weight, dry weight and height of tree, in Pinus densiflora nursery, increased much more in 50% and 70% media but trunk diameter of tree had no difference according to mixture ratio. In Torreya nucifera nursery, flesh weight and height of tree in 70% medium and trunk diameter and numbers of shoot of tree in 50% and 70% media increased. Flesh weight, height and trunk diameter of tree, and chlorophyll (SPAD) and photosynthesis rate, in Quercus acutissina nursery, increased much more in 50% and 70% media, but dry weight of tree had only difference between non-mixed and mixed with rockwool. In Fraxinus mandshurica nursery, flesh weight and photosynthesis rate of tree increased much more in 70% medium, height, trunk diameter and total chlorophyll of tree had difference according to non-mixed and mixed with rockwool or had no only difference according to mixture ratio, respectively.

• Journal of Bio-Environment Control
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.160-165
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• 2003

This study was carried out to investigate the effect of several substrates; used rockwool, several spent mushroom composts, and common used media, such as rockwool and vermiculite, on growth and fruit quality of cucumber. Cucumber grew dramatically in the rockwool+peatmoss (1:2 v/v) (RP) and fine granular rockwool in hydroponic system using Yamaztiki's solution for cucumbers. The yield of cucumber fruit was highest in recycled winter mushroom compost (RW), and followed by 100% perlite (Par), recycled oyster mushroom compost (RO), and RR but there was no significant difference among these three media. Soluble solid and firmness were higher in Per and vermiculite (Ver), and any difference was not found among the others. Vitamin C was not influenced by kind of substrate. The results confirm that several reused or recycled substrates have high possibilities for use as medium for hydroponic culture in cucumber.

• Horticultural Science & Technology
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.179-185
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• 2013

This study was carried out to find a reasonable irrigation method of a nutrient solution for the phenolic foam slab (foam LC) used in a trial experiment to substitute the rockwool slab in the production of paprika (Capsicum annuum 'Veyron'). 100, 90, and 80 mL of a nutrient solution was supplied per plant each time when the accumulated radiation reached to 100, $90J{\cdot}cm^{-2}$, and they were named as the 100-100, 90-90, and 90-80 treatment, respectively. The drain percentage per plant of the 100-100 treatment was high by 33.8% in rockwool and 36.7% in foam LC (Lettuce Cube) and that of 90-80 treatment was low by 30.4% and 33.7%. The water content and EC of the rockwool slab were maintained in the range of 63.6-68.9% and $4.4-5.1mS{\cdot}cm^{-1}$, while those of the foam LC slab were in the range of 52.9-58.8% and $5.5-6.5mS{\cdot}cm^{-1}$. The plant height and leaf size of the 100-100 and 90-90 treatments increased in a similar manner, while those of the 90-80 treatment decreased and those of the rockwool were greater than those of the foam LC. The fruit size and weight of the 100-100 and 90-90 treatments were similarly bigger and heavier than those of the 90-80 treatment. The number of fruits harvested per plant was the greatest in the 90-80 treatment with 8 and 8.3 fruits in the rockwool and foam LC. The number of marketable fruits in the rockwool and foam LC was the greatest with 18.1 and 18.2, respectively, in the 90-90 treatment, while that in the 90-80 treatment was 17.2 and 16.8, respectively. The number of unmarketable fruits of the 90-80 treatment was the greatest (1.7-1.8 fruits per plant) in both the rockwool and foam LC, and most of them were small sized or blossom end rot fruits. The yield of the 90-90 treatment was the greatest among the irrigation.

• Journal of Bio-Environment Control
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.190-194
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• 2003

This study was carried out to investigate the effect of several subtrates on the growth of cucumber and tomato seedlings. Cucumber and tomato seeds were sown in plug trays that were filled with eight differenct kinds of substrates. One of them was filled with recycled rockwool by 100%. The other six were mixed with used rockwool media:several ratios of recycled rockwool+peatmoss (1:1, 1:2, 1:3, v/v) and recycled rockwool+chestnut wood ships (1:1, 1:2, 1:3, v/v), and the last was 100% chestnut wood chips. The growth of cucumber and tomato seedlingsin 72 plug tray was better in recycled rockwool+peatmoss (1:2, v/v) substrates that the others tested. CEC 9cation exchange capacity) and EC was a little higher in mixed substrates that blended with organic media. But 100% chestnut wood chips and mixed ones with recycled rockwool inhibited severely the growth of seedlings, especially in tomatos. Therefore, it is suggested that the recycled rockwool be capable of utilization to raise seedlings of cucumber and tomato.