• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.28 no.9
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• pp.729-735
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• 2019

The aim of this study was to determine the effects of different compositions of environmental substrates on hydroponic tomato cultivation. Three different substrates were used in coir chip:dust (v/v=50:50; CP1), coir chip:dust (v/v=80:20; CP2), and rock wool cube with CP2 (CPR). The amount of irrigation during the cultivation period was 190 mL/(plant time) in all substrates. The pH and EC were 5.8-6.2 and 2.6-2.9 dS/m, respectively. The drainage rate in CP1 was 31%, in CP2 was 36%, and in CPR was 29%. The growth of tomato plants in terms of height was higher in CP1 and CPR. The leaf area was greater in CP2. The fresh and dry weights were greater in CP2 and CPR treatments. The net photosynthesis in CP2 ($19.31{\mu}mol\;CO_2/m^2s$) and root activity in CP2 were higher among all three treatments. The soluble solid content of fruit was not significantly different among treatments. The yield per plant in CP2 and CPR treatments was 17% greater than the yield per plant in CP1. Therefore, the most suitable substrate for hydroponic tomato cultivation is the substrate mixed with coir chip:dust (v:v=80:20; CP2), i.e., CPR.

• 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.95-100
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• 2001

In countries that consumes rice as a main staple, rice hulls are natural resources composed of a large amount of organic compounds and high uniformity in size. Rice hulls are expanded to get rid of a defect in untreated rice hulls and to be used as a hydroponic substrate. Research on rice hulls is continuing for the agricultural application. This research was conducted to stabilize rhizosphere pH of the expanded rice hull substrates because of high pH caused by repeated use in ERH(expanded ride hull) substrates and without increasing the cost of developing new substrates. Sphagnum peatmoss (pH 3.0-4.0) wee mixed with the expanded rice hull substrate in the ratio of 10% (v/v), and this ratio kept the pH range of 6.0 to 6.5 in the root area of tomato plants during growth and at the time of harvest of tomato fruits. Also absorbtion of nutrients was highly increased. The yield increased from 1,051 to 1,266 kg per tomato plant which were harvested by two clusters.

• Journal of Bio-Environment Control
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.116-122
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• 1998

This study was conducted to investigate growth and flowering of hydroponically-grown carnation as affected by substrate and planting date, Three substrates, coir, perlite, and coir＋perlite(1：1. v/v), and two planting dates. May 1 and September 1 were used. Plant height and stem diameter at harvesting time of cut flowers were greater for the September 1 planting than for the May 1 planting. The plants planted on May 1 produced flowers with weak stems and short stem lengths. In addition, flower weight and blossom width were gloater for the September 1 planting than for the Mar 1 planting. The planting date had no significant effect on the number of petals, The carnation planted on May 1 flowered 50 days earlier compared to those Planted on September 1. Plant height and number of petals were the greatest in the plot of coir substrate. The results indicated that for commercial production of cut carnations in a hydroponic system, planting on September 1 is better than May 1. In addition. the results confirm that coir is the superior substrate for the production of cut carnations in a hydroponic system compared to either Perlite or coir＋perlite mixture.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.17-25
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• 2024

This study aimed to determine the most suitable coir substrate mixing ratio for optimizing the growth and yield of the "lpduelkkae 1" cultivar. We comprehensively analyzed the physicochemical properties, growth, and yields of four different substrate combinations: perlite (coir with mixing ratios of 70:30 (PC30), 50:50 (PC50), and 30:70 (PC70)) and 100% coir (C100). The results revealed substantial differences in substrate properties. C100 exhibited the highest total porosity and the lowest solid phase, indicating excellent air permeability. The pH levels and electrical conductivity (EC) values ranged from 5.4-6.8 and 1.2-3.1 dS·m^-1, respectively. Leaf growth parameters, including length, width, and dry weight, showed positive correlations with high coir ratios, except for PC30. PC70 and C100 outperformed other substrates in stem growth, exhibiting superior stem diameter and fresh and dry weights. The quantity of marketable leaves was the highest in the C100 substrate. Furthermore, C100 comprised integrated levels of essential nutrients, such as Ca and Mg, owing to its high coir content. In conclusion, a coir ratio of approximately 70% (v/v) should be maintained in the substrate for creating an optimal cultivation environment. Furthermore, the selection of humidity-resistant varieties as well as precise nutrient and moisture management for different seasons and growth stages are crucial for a successful perilla leaf hydroponic cultivation.

• Journal of Korea Society of Waste Management
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.205-213
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• 2017

The current study was performed to investigate the effect of recycling coir substrates on the growth, fruit yield, and quality of strawberry plants. Analysis of physical properties revealed that the pH of a fresh coir substrate was 5.04 while those of substrates reused for one and two years were 5.20 and 5.33, respectively. The electrical conductivity (EC) of a new substrate was as high as $4.58dS{\cdot}m^{-1}$. This can cause salt stress after transplanting. The EC tended to decrease as the substrate was recycled, and the EC of a two-year recycled substrate was $1.48dS{\cdot}m^{-1}$. The fresh substrate had lower nitrogen and calcium concentrations, but higher phosphate, potassium, and sodium concentrations than the recycled coir substrate. The coir substrates recycled for one or two years maintained better chemical properties for plant growth than the fresh substrate. Strawberry growth varied depending on the number of years that the coir substrate was recycled. In general, strawberries grown in substrates that had been reused for two years did better than those grown in substrates that had been reused once or were fresh. Ninety days after transplanting, a plant grown in a substrate that had been reused for two years contained 25 leaves, which was 3.6 more than with a fresh substrate. In addition, the plants grown in a substrate that had been reused for two years exhibited larger leaf areas than those grown in other substrates. Coir substrates that had been reused for one year increased the number and area of leaves, but not as much as the substrate that had been reused for two years. One- and two-year reused coir substrates increased the weight of strawberries produced relative to the unused substrate, but the difference was not statistically significant. The plants grown in two-year reused substrates were longer and wider, as well. Also, the number of fruits per plant was higher when substrates were reused. Specifically, the number of fruits per plant was 28.7 with a two-year reused substrate, but only 22.2 with a fresh substrate. The fruit color indices (as represented by their Hunter L, a, b values) were not considerably affected by recycling of the coir substrate. The Hunter L value, which indicates the brightness of the fruit, did not change significantly when the substrate was recycled. Neither Hunter a (red) nor b (yellow) values were changed by recycling. In addition, there were no significant changes in the hardnesses, acidities, or soluble solid-acid ratios of fruits grown in recycled substrates. Thus, it is thought that recycling the coir substrate does not affect measures of fruit quality such as color, hardness, and sugar content. Overall, reuse of coir substrates from hydroponic culture as high-bed strawberry growth substrates would solve the problems of new substrate costs and the disposal of substrates that had been used once.

• Journal of Bio-Environment Control
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.13-20
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• 2007

This study was conducted to collect the basic data fo the development ot hydroponic technique and the efficient promotion of water culture. We have also analysed the water culture associated domestic patent application informations searching for on-line internet site with an admission fee (http://www2.wips.co.kr) from the year 1983 to January, 2006. Fifty nine patent applications related to the hydroponics were searched for in this study. Main patent contents applied were as followed in the order of that nineteen applications about the hydroponic equipments by 32.2%, thirteen applications about the materials used in water culture by 22.0%, eleven applications about the composition of nutrient solution by 18.6%, nine applications about the cultural methods by 15.3%, and seven applications about the cultural media by 11.9%. The compositions of nutrient solution and the cultural methods intended for specific crops were increased in number following five applications about tomato plants and four applications about potatoes. Thirty three patents (55.9%) were mainly applied before the year 2000. Main patent contents were the compositions of nutrient solution before the year 2000 in contrast to the cultural methods and substrates after the year 2000.

• Horticultural Science & Technology
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.30-37
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• 2017

This study was conducted to determine the effects of various growth substrates on the growth and flowering of hydroponically grown Freesia hybrid 'Gold Rich'. Perlite, peat moss and a perlite: peat moss mixture (1 : 1 ratio, v / v) were used as the growing media. The greatest plant height before flower bud differentiation was attained using mixed medium compared to the others. The type of medium used did not influence leaf number, mineral content or SPAD value in leaves. Flowering began at 137 days after planting in mixed medium, which was 13 days earlier than in perlite medium. The whole plant fresh weight was 21.3 g heavier in mixed medium than in perlite medium (40.9 g). A similar result was obtained for shoot length, with the highest value (96.6 cm) obtained in mixed medium, i.e., 20 cm higher than in perlite medium (76.6 cm). Floret number per plant was also the highest in mixed medium (14.4), i.e., 1.7 - times higher than in perlite medium. Therefore, among the substrates tested in this experiment, we recommend using mixed perlite: peat moss medium (1 : 1 ratio, v / v) for hydroponic culture of freesia, as the use of this medium improved the physical properties of the plants, producing the best results in terms of plant growth and cut-flower quality.

• Horticultural Science & Technology
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.347-349
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• 1998

Slow sand filtration was modified and applied for the determination of eliminating efficacy of various fungi and for recommending an easy approach to growers. After 1,500 liter filtration, Fusarium oxysporum was eliminated by several substrates such as activated charcoal (92.5% elimination), silica (90.8%), vermiculite (90.5%), sand (82.3%), perlite (50.4%), and hydroball (21.2%). Silica was able to eliminate several fungi by maximal ratio, which was corresponded to Fusarium oxysporum 120 cfu/mL. Collectotrichum lagenarium 98 cfu/mL. Phytophthora capsici 82 cfu/mL, Botrytis cinerea 62 cfu/mL, Pythium spp. 42 cfu/mL, and Sclerotinia ssp. 52 cfu/mL. In this case, the change of EC was minor and pH was maintained to about 7. In deep flow culture of 'Ddooksum Cheokchookmyeon' lettuce and 'Seokwang' tomato, silica-, activated charcoal-, and vermiculite-based filtration system successfully eliminated Fusarium oxysporum and Phytophthora capsici from the nutrient solution. As a result, these plants were not diseased by ten weeks after inoculation. With this system, growers can easily control the root-zone fungi in the recirculating hydroponic system.

• Journal of Bio-Environment Control
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.163-169
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• 2022

This study was conducted to examine an alternative cultivating method that uses coir substrates in a hydroponically cultured system. Three treatment conditions were applied with one-layer substrate (10 cm height) with a coir chip and dust ratio of 5:5 (Treatment A), two-layer coir substrate (20 cm height) with a coir chip and dust ratio of 5:5 (Treatment B), one-layer coir substrate (15 cm height) with a coir chip and dust ratio of 7:3 (Treatment C). The control condition was a plastic container filled with a coir chip and dust ratio of 5:5. Various criteria were measured and compared between the treatments and the control. The yield of strawberry was smaller in the control than in the treatments. No significant difference in growth characteristic was found in the height treatments of the coir substrates. The net photosynthetic rate of the treatments was 14.68-15.76 µmol CO₂·m^-2·s^-1. This does not show a statistically significant difference. The root activity was better in treatment B and C than in treatment A and the control. The length and width of leaves were measured as 4.04-4.13 cm and 3.26-3.34 cm. These results are not statistically significant. The leaf length and width ratio was 1.27 in the control and 1.24 in the treatments. The findings show that no statistically significant benefit was found when utilizing coir substrates with different height treatments in the hydroponic culture system. However, the harvested fruit per plant weights 72.38 g in treatment A and 48.69 g in treatment C. The number of harvested fruit was least in treatment C in which a coir chip and dust ratio of 7:3 was applied. Therefore, further research is needed to examine how the chip and dust ratio in coir substrate affects growth characteristics.