• 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.