• Journal of Bio-Environment Control
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.248-255
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• 2013

This study examined an automated irrigation technique by a frequency domain reflectometry (FDR) sensor for scheduling irrigation for tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L. 'Starbuck F1') cultivation aimed at avoiding effluent from an open hydroponic system with coir substrate containing different ratios of chip-to-dust (v/v) content. Specifically, the objectives were to undertake preliminary measurements of irrigation volumes, leachate volume, volumetric water content and electrical conductivity (EC) in the substrate, plant growth, fruit yield, and water use efficiency resulting from variation in chip content as an initial experiment. Commercial coir substrates containing different percentages of chips and dust (0 and 100%, 30 and 70%, 50 and 50%, or 70 and 30%), two-story coir substrates with different percentages of chips in the lower layer and dust in the upper layer (15 and 85%, 25 and 75%, or 35 and 65%), or rockwool slabs were used. The results showed that a negligible or no leachate was found for all treatments when plants were grown under a technique for scheduling non-drainage irrigation using a frequency domain reflectometry (FDR) sensor. Daily irrigation volume was affected by chip content in both commercial and two-story slabs. The highest plant growth, marketable fruit weight, and water-use efficiency were observed in the plants grown in the commercial coir slab containing 0% chips and 100% dust, indicating that the FDR sensor-auto-mated irrigation may be more useful for tomato cultivation in coir substrate containing 0% chips and 100% dust using water efficiently and minimizing or avoiding leachate and thus increasing yield and reducing pollution. Detailed experiment is necessary to closely focus on determining appropriate irrigation volume at each of irrigation as well as duration of each individual irrigation cycle depending on different physical properties of substrates using an automated irrigation system operated by the FDR sensor.

• Journal of Bio-Environment Control
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.251-256
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• 2021

This study aimed to compare the growth and production of paprika (Capsicum annuum) planted directly on a coir substrate slab according to the bending methods. The existing root direction was bent to 0° (I-type), 90° (L-type), and 180° (U-type), respectively. The weekly average growth such as stem length, diameter, and leaf area tended to be the highest in the I-type bending, but there was no statistical difference. Root weight at 46 weeks after planting was also about 1.3 to 1.7 times heavier in the I-type than the L- and U-type bending. As the yield produced by 330 plants by bending methods, the initial yield was the highest in the U-bending, but then the highest in the I-bending. Accordingly, the total yield was the highest in I-bending. Consequently, when planting on coir substrates directly in paprika cultivation, the I-type bending should be considered most suitable for securing root and plant vigor in the early stages of planting and for enhancing fruiting stability.

• Journal of Bio-Environment Control
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.210-214
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• 2008

This experiment was carried out investigation of optimum concentration of supply nutrient solution in hydroponics of sweet pepper using coir substrates (coconut dust fiber=70% : 30%, v/v). During the growing period, it was found out that the electric conductivity (EC) would increase in proportion to the supply nutrient concentration but it was in inverse proportion to the moisture content. The pH of drainage was stable, while EC was high showing EC $7.3\;dS{\cdot}m^{-1}$ in EC $4.0\;dS{\cdot}m^{-1}$ of supply nutrient concentration. Also, standard deviation and coefficient of variation were high. Plant length was no difference by the supply nutrient concentration. Photosynthesis rate was generally high in supply nutrient concentration EC$4.0\;dS{\cdot}m^{-1}$. Fruit weight was heavy in supply nutrient concentration EC $4.0\;dS{\cdot}m^{-1}$, fruit shape was close to a regular square in supply nutrient concentration EC $3.5dS{\cdot}m^{-1}$.

• Journal of Bio-Environment Control
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.12-18
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• 2010

Irrigation management methods controlled by integrated solar radiation (ISR) or drainage level sensor were evaluated in rockwool or coir bag culture as tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) production system. Substrate water content and drainage percentage were more stable in the drainage level sensor method than in the ISR method regardless of substrate type. Total yield and marketable yield were high in the drainage level sensor method, but not between substrates in the same irrigation management method. Sugar content was affected more by the substrate type than irrigation method. The drainage level sensor method was elucidated to be better than the ISR method regardless of substrate type.

• Mycobiology
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.97-101
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• 2010

Calocybe indica, a tropical edible mushroom, is popular because it has good nutritive value and it can be cultivated commercially. The current investigation was undertaken to determine a suitable substrate and the appropriate thickness of casing materials for the cultivation of C. indica. Optimum mycelial growth was observed in coconut coir substrate. Primordia initiation with the different substrates and casing materials was observed between the 13th and 19th day. The maximum length of stalk was recorded from sugarcane leaf, while diameter of stalk and pileus, and thickness of pileus were found in rice straw substrate. The highest biological and economic yield, and biological efficiency were also obtained in the rice straw substrate. Cow dung and loamy soil, farm-yard manure, loamy soil and sand, and spent oyster mushroom substrates were used as casing materials to evaluate the yield and yield-contributing characteristics of C. indica. The results indicate that the number of effective fruiting bodies, the biological and economic yield, and the biological efficiency were statistically similar all of the casing materials used. The maximum biological efficiency was found in the cow dung and loamy soil casing material. The cow dung and loamy soil (3 cm thick) was the best casing material and the rice straw was the best substrate for the commercial cultivation of C. indica.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.143-148
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• 2004

Organic and inorganic substrates commonly used in Korea include peat moss, coir, bark, rice hull, saw dust, perlite, vermiculite, rockwool granulate, clay ball, and so on. The objective of this study was to get analytical results about the physical and chemical properties of these substrates by European standard methods. Organic substrates showed different properties depending on the type, origin and manufacturing processes. Inorganic substrates showed different properties depending on the type and particle size. Further study on physical and chemical properties for more raw materials and commercially available growing media analyzed by European standard method and comparison of the results with those by Korean standard method is needed.

• Korean Journal of Medicinal Crop Science
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• v.19 no.6
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• pp.441-445
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• 2011

This research was conducted to investigate the influence of variouis organic substrates on growth and yield of organically grown ginseng seedlings in a shaded plastic house. In the investigation of optimal substrate, the eight substrate were formulated by adjusting blending rate of peatmoss, perlite, coir dust(coco peat), and vermiculite. Then, the changes in physico chemical properties of root substrates as well as their influences on the growth characteristics and yield were determined at six months after sowing. The elevation of the blending rate of peatmoss from 50% to 70% with decrease in the rate of inorganic component (mixture of perlite and vermiculite) from 50 to 30% resulted in the increase in container capacities and decrease in total porosities and air-filled capacities. The concentrations of $NH_4-N$, $P_2O_5$ and K increased as the incorporation rate of castor seed meal, phosphate ore, and langbenite, respectively, were elevated during the root medium formulations. The PPV-1 and PPV-4 substrates produced high stem length, stem diameter, shoot fresh weight, leaf area and root length among eight substrate. Root fresh weight was heaviest in PPV-4 compound nursery media. The results of this experiment will be utilized in the new substrate application for ginseng organic culture in shaded vinyl house.

• Journal of Bio-Environment Control
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.406-413
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• 2020

This study was conducted to find out optimum fruiting node order, pinching node order, and harvesting time in hydroponics using coir substrates to produce high quality melon (Cucumis melo L.) fruit. Three plants per coir slab (100 × 20 × 10 cm) were planted for each treatment. Yamazaki standard nutrient solutions for melon were supplied with 1.8, 2.0, and 2.3 dS·m^-1 at the early, middle (fruit enlargement step), and late growth stages, respectively. Two cultivars of 'PMR Dalgona' and 'Earl's Aibi' were used for fruiting node order and pinching node order experiments. Fruiting node treatments were conducted three replications (8-10 ^th, 11-13 ^th, and 14-15 ^th nodes) and pinching node treatments treated with three replications (18 ^th, 21 ^th, and 24 ^th nodes). Two cultivars of 'PMR Dalgona' and 'Earl's Crown' were used for fruit harvesting time experiment and treated with in four replications (45, 50, 55, and 60 days after fruiting). In growth characteristics, the leaf width and leaf area of 'PMR Dalgona' were the greatest 28.2 cm and 10,845 ㎠. Respectively, 11-13 ^th fruiting nodes or more. The node length of 'Earl's Aibi' was the longest by 147.6 cm at 11-13 ^th fruiting nodes. For fruit quality characteristics, the fruit weight of 'Earl's Aibi' at 11-13 ^th fruiting node fruiting was the greatest by 2.0 kg. The soluble solids content (SSC) of 'PMR Dalgona' was the highest by 14.5 °Brix at 8-10 ^th nodes in fruiting node orders and 14.5 °Brix at the 24 ^th pinching node order, respectively with significant difference. The SSC tends to increase in the same for both cultivars of 'PMR Dalgona' and 'Earl's Aibi' as the position of fruiting node was lower. The SSC and fruit weight of melon harvested at 55-60 days after fruiting was the best. From the results of this study, most of SSC tends to increase in the lower position of fruiting node order and the higher pinching node order, whereas the fruit weight shows a tendency of increasing with higher fruiting node. In addition, the SSC of fruit increased as the number of days after fruiting increased, and further research is needed for more various cultivars. In melon hydroponics using coir substrates, it is needed to figure out the characteristics of each cultivar to determine optimum fruiting node order, pinching node order, and fruit harvest time.

• Journal of Bio-Environment Control
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.236-242
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• 2012

This study was carried out to investigate the effect the water content in coir substrates as according to growth stage on the growth and yield of mini-paprika of three varieties 'E 499524' (red color), 'E 499526' (yellow colar) and 'E 499531' (orange colar) in summer hydroponics. Treatments of I, II and III were composed of 55-65-60, 50-60-55 and 45-55-50% in water contents of growth stages, respectively. Time domain reflectometry (TDR) sensors were used in a drip irrigation system. The early growth of mini-paprika was increased by high medium water content of treatment I in all of three varieties. Mean fruit weight was not affected by medium water content, but the fruit number per plant and yield were increased at high medium water content of treatment I. The Yield of treatment I was higher than that of treatment II and III in all of three varieties. The sugar content was increased by low medium water content of treatment in all of three varieties. The incidence of brown-stem fruit, blossom-end rot and sunburn was decreased with increasing water content of medium. Occurred in the low water content of medium. Mineral contents of fruits such as nitrogen (N), potassium (K), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg) etc. were not affected in all of three varieties.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.55-58
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• 2004

The objective of this study was to get information about water retention characteristics of horticultural substrates used in Korea determined by European standard method. Water retention curves were prepared at water volume (v/v, %) in relation to -10 cm, -50 cm, -100 cm water pressure head. Water retention curves showed different properties depending upon the type, the place of origin, particle size, and manufacturing processes of substrates. Peat and coir had easily available water content in the range of 30-40% and showed high water holding capacity, water buffering capacity, and aeration for plant growth. However, bark, sawdust and rice hull showed low water holding capacity about below 10%. The easily available water content of perlite and clay ball was low about 0.1-13.8%, whereas that of vermiculite and rockwool granulate was high about 25.9-52.0%. Understanding water retention characteristics of growing substrates is very important in cstablisliing optimum condition for plant growth. Further study on water retention curves for more substrates, mixture and growing media is needed.