• Horticultural Science & Technology
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• v.28 no.6
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• pp.973-979
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• 2010

The objective of this study was to determine the effect of electrical conductivity (EC) of nutrient solution on the growth, nutrient uptake of potted kalanchoe plants ($Kalanchoe$ $blossfeldiana$ 'New Alter') and the nutrient accumulation at the growing media with growth stage in ebb and flow subirrigation systems. Significant differences in leaf area, plant height, and dry weight of the plants were found among the different ECs of nutrient solution of 0.8, 1.6, 2.4, and $3.2dS{\cdot}m^{-1}$. Particularly the difference in plant growth became significantly greater from 5 weeks after treatment. The overall growth was the highest at EC $1.6dS{\cdot}m^{-1}$. Leaf area, plant height, and dry weight were maintained higher when EC increased to $2.4dS{\cdot}m^{-1}$, but rapidly decreased after EC $3.2dS{\cdot}m^{-1}$. The uptake of NO3-N was the greatest while that of $Mg^{2+}$ was the lowest at EC $1.6dS{\cdot}m^{-1}$, even though small differences were found among macro elements. The EC at the top layer of the growing media was 1 to 3 times higher than that at the bottom layer. Nutrient accumulation was accelerated in both the top and bottom layers with growth stage. At EC $3.2dS{\cdot}m^{-1}$, the growth of the plants was suppressed due to higher nutrient accumulation at the growing media. From the results, the strength and composition of nutrient solution should be determined by considering nutrient accumulation at the growing media in addition to EC of nutrient solution in ebb and flow subirrigation systems.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.48 no.2
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• pp.77-85
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• 2021

Hydroponic cultivation, in which crops are grown without soil and are unaffected by the weather, has many advantages over conventional soil cultivation. The crop's growth can be further accelerated by using nutrient solution in place of water. This study investigated the growth and physicochemical properties of hydroponic barley sprouts under various nutrient solution and artificial light treatments. The shoot, root, and total plant length increased over time, with the fastest growth occurring in the nutrient solution and light-emitting diode (LED) treatments. Fresh and dry plant weights were higher in the fluorescent lamp treatment than in the LED treatment. Barley sprout powder color differed slightly by treatment, with the Hunters L value ranging from 50.79 to 53.77; Hunters a value from -6.70 to -4.42; and Hunters b value from 13.35 to 14.76. The Hunters L and Hunters b values were highest in the LED treatment, whereas the Hunters a value was relatively highest in the fluorescent lamp treatment. The total phenol content was higher in the control than in the nutrient solution treatment; however, the total flavonoid content showed the opposite pattern to that of total phenol content, being highest in plants that were grown in nutrient solution. The Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC) was higher in the control group than in the nutrient solution group. The ferric ion reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) was higher in the fluorescent treatment group than in the LED treatment group. The total amino acid composition ranged from 106.82 to 122.63 mg/g dry powder, with the essential amino acid composition ranging from 47.01 to 56.19 mg/g, and non-essential amino acid composition from 67.86 to 77.66 mg/g. The most frequently detected compositional amino acid was aspartic acid, followed by glutamic acid, alanine, leucine, and valine.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.31-34
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• 2006

The experiment was conducted to determine the effects of cutting interval and cutting height on the yield and nutrient composition of hedge lucerne (Desmanthus virgatus) when grown on a sandy soil in the Northeast of Thailand. The cutting intervals compared were 30, 40 and 50 days between harvests and the cutting heights 30, 40 and 50 cm above ground level. The experiment was a $3{\times}3$ factorial layout in a randomized complete block design with 4 replications-giving a total of 36 plots each $3{\times}3m^2$. Harvested plant material was weighed, dried and the ground subsamples taken for analyses of crude protein (CP), crude fiber (CF), ash, ether extract (EE) and nitrogen-free extract (NFE). At the last harvest the hedge lucerne samples were separated to determine leaf to stem ratios and then analyzed for nutrient composition in the leaf and stem. Results showed that increasing the cutting interval (i.e. advancing age of maturity) increased dry matter and nutrient yields significantly. In terms of nutrient content, it also increased the crude fiber, ash, ether extract and nitrogen free extract percent in the plant. However, crude protein percent was markedly decreased as the cutting interval increased. Increasing cutting height had no effect on dry matter yield and yields of nutrients, but in terms of nutrient content, it increased crude protein and ash content, but decreased crude fiber content. The percent EE and NFE in the plant was unaffected by cutting height. From the results presented it is clear that cutting a stand of hedge lucerne every 40 to 50 days will achieve greater dry matter and nutrient yields than cutting more frequently, at 30 days. The cutting height at harvest, whether 30, 40 or 50 cm above ground level had no effect on dry matter or nutrient yields of hedge Lucerne. Hedge lucerne therefore offers the Thai poultry farmer a useful alternative protein supplement for poultry diets rather than relying on the more expensive soybean meal. As it can be readily and successfully grown on a range of soil types and climates throughout Thailand, hedge lucerne also offers the Thai farmer a valuable additional source of income.

• Horticultural Science & Technology
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.77-83
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• 2016

The measurement of total fresh weight of plants provides an essential indicator of crop growth for monitoring production. To measure fresh weight without damaging the vegetation, image-based methods have been developed, but they have limitations. In addition, the total plant fresh weight is difficult to measure directly in hydroponic cultivation systems because of the amount of nutrient solution. This study aimed to develop a real-time, precise method to measure the total fresh weight of Romaine lettuce (Lactuca sativa L. cv. Asia Heuk Romaine) with growth stage in a plant factory using a nutrient film technique. The total weight of the channel, amount of residual nutrient solution in the channel, and fresh shoot and root weights of the plants were measured every 7 days after transplanting. The initial weight of the channel during nutrient solution supply (Wi) and its weight change per second just after the nutrient solution supply stopped were also measured. When no more draining occurred, the final weight of the channel (Ws) and the amount of residual nutrient solution in the channel were measured. The time constant (${\tau}$) was calculated by considering the transient values of Wi and Ws. The relationship of Wi, Ws, ${\tau}$, and fresh weight was quantitatively analyzed. After the nutrient solution supply stopped, the change in the channel weight exponentially decreased. The nutrient solution in the channel slowly drained as the root weight in the channel increased. Large differences were observed between the actual fresh weight of the plant and the predicted value because the channel included residual nutrient solution. These differences were difficult to predict with growth stage but a model with the time constant showed the highest accuracy. The real-time fresh weight could be calculated from Wi, Ws, and ${\tau}$ with growth stage.

• Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.1-6
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• 2001

This paper represents methods to diagnose nutrient deficient stresses of cucumber plants using several physiological instruments. The stresses could be detected by measuring and analyzing the difference of chlorophyll content, photochemical efficiency (Fv/Fm), temperature difference (DT) and light absorbance at wavelengths of 480nm, 560nm and 710nm between deficient and control plants. From the all over experiments, the stresses could be first diagnosed in the 3rd to 5th day in general after treatment and the overall diagnosis rate was estimated at more than 50% up to 100%.

• Horticultural Science & Technology
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.137-143
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• 2012

Chinese cabbage plant was grown hydroponically for 4 weeks in order to examine the temporal relationship of calcium concentration of the nutrient solution with calcium content in the leaf tissue and susceptibility of the tissue to soft rot disease by $Pectobacterium$ $carotovorum$ ssp. $carotovorum$ (Pcc). Calcium concentration from 0.5 to 32.0 mM was maintained for 1 week using Hoagland & Arnon solution. The calcium content of the leaf was proportionally increased to the concentration of the nutrient in the solution (r = 0.912). In contrast, the severity of soft rot symptom in the young leaves was inversely related with the amount of calcium supplied to the nutrient solution (r = 0.899). Water-soluble chitosan, prepared by hollow fiber filtration (> 100 kDa) was applied into the nutrient solution from 0.0 to 5,000 ppm. The chitosan of 10 ppm was the most effective to promote calcium uptake of the leaf, showing 155% of the control. The same chitosan solution prohibited most soft rot development of the leaf by Pcc, exhibiting only 53% of the control. Among different molecular weight fractions, chitosan fraction obtained from 30-100 kDa molecular weight cut-off promoted calcium uptake the most up to 163% of the control, and reduced the development of soft rot disease recording merely 36% of the control of the leaf tissue. The results obtained in the present study suggest that large scale production of water-soluble chitosan with an optimum molecular weight and its commercial application to Chinese cabbage production will be important to improve yield and quality of the crop.

• Membrane and Water Treatment
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.191-199
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• 2019

In this study, we investigated the cultivation possibility using Hydrodictyon reticulatum in a continuous raceway pond as a tertiary sewage treatment plant. The cultivation possibility was evaluated by varying the light quantity, wavelength, and hydraulic retention time (HRT). Experimental results showed that the growth rates of algae and the removal efficiencies of nutrients increased as the light quantity increased, and the maximum photosynthetic rate was maintained at $100{\mu}mol/m^2{\cdot}s$ or higher. When wavelength was varied, nutrient removal efficiency and growth rate increased in the following order: green light, red light, white light, and blue light. The nutrient removal efficiencies and algae productivity in HRT 4 d were better than in HRT 8 d. We conclude that if Hydrodictyon reticulatum is cultivated in a raceway pond and used as a tertiary treatment facility in a sewage treatment plant, nutrients can be effectively removed, and production costs can be reduced.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.554-567
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• 2019

Recently, concerns regarding the environmental impact due to nutrient input in croplands have increased. Therefore, the government is promoting the introduction of a nutrient management system in croplands to solve the problem of excessive nutrient input. This study was carried out to establish nutrient indicators in regional croplands to facilitate the introduction of the national nutrient management system in Korea. The nutrient load and balance indicators for nitrogen and phosphorus were analyzed for nine provinces (Gang-won, Gyeong-gi, Chung-buk, Chung-nam, Jeon-buk, Jeon-nam, Gyeong-buk, Gyeong-nam, and Jeju). In the correlation analysis between the nutrient load and nutrient balance, the correlation coefficient (r) for nitrogen was 0.2504, which was not statistically significant at the 5% significance level. However, the correlation coefficient for phosphorus was 0.7375, which was statistically significant at the 5% significance level. In the nutrient management index, phosphorus showed mutual compatibility between the nutrient load and the nutrient balance indicators, but nitrogen showed no mutual compatibility between the nutrient load and the nutrient balance indicators. Therefore, utilization of the nutrient balance indicator, reflecting the characteristics of the agricultural environment, was more reasonable as a nutrient management index for regional nutrient management.

• 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 Bio-Environment Control
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• v.6 no.4
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• pp.299-309
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• 1997

This experiment was conducted to determine the mineral absorption character and develop the optimum composition of nutrient solution for dill(Anethum graveolens L.) in hydroponics. Dill(Anethum graveolens L.) plants were grown in nutrient film technique(NFT) supplied with 1/4, 1/2, and 1 strength of the nutrient solution developed by National Research Station in Japan(HRS). Plants grown in 1/2 strength showed the best growth in plant height, fresh weight, and dry weight compared with those grown in 1/4 or 1 strength. In 1/2 strength solution, pH and EC changed little and proper nutrient contents were observed in the leaves as compared to plant nutrient diagnosis standard. Based on these results, optimum macronutrients were composed by nutrient- water absorption rate(n/w) with 1/2 strength: NO$_2$―N 8.85, NH$_4$―N 0.55, P 2.1, K 6.2, Ca 2.8, and Mg 1.7 me L$^{-1}$ To examine the suitability of the nutrient solution developed(SCU) , dill plants were grown in NFT supplied with two different kinds of solution and concentration. 1/2, 1, 3/2 and 25 of SCU and 1/2S of HRS. Changes of pH and EC were not distinct in 1S, but a significant change of pH was shown in low concentrations-HRS 1/2S and SCU 1/2S. Shoot fresh and dry weight were much higher in the plants grown in SCU IS as compared with HRS 1/2S. There were no significant differences in growth of plants grown in SCU IS, 3/2S, and 25. In addition, nutrient contents in the leaves grown by SCU 1S were in proper levels as compared with plant nutrient diagnosis standard. SCU 1S developed in this experiment was found to be optimum for dill in hydroponics.