• Journal of Bio-Environment Control
• /
• v.12 no.4
• /
• pp.184-189
• /
• 2003

This research was conducted to determine the effect of mixing ratio of aquafarm waste water sludge (AWWS) in the growing medium as a source of fertilizers on growth of plug seedlings of pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) and tomato (Lycopersicum esculentum Mill.). Increased mixing ratio of AWWS resulted in increased fresh and dry weights, leaf area, plant height, and total chlorophyll content, although there were slight differences in growth characteristics at 20 and 40 days after sowing. Concentration of AWWS affected insignificantly the percent dry matter, number of leaves, and length of the longest root. The addition of AWWS increased pH and decreased EC in the medium as compared to that of chemical fertilizer. Compared to the control of a liquid fertilizer, 4 or 8 kg AWWS${\cdot}45L^{-1}$ medium (Sludge 4) gave a similar or slightly better growth. Above results suggested that addition of about 4 kg AWWS${\cdot}45L^{-1}$medium is sufficient for seedling growth and the AWWS can be used as a substitute for the liquid fertilizer in plug seedling production.

• Horticultural Science & Technology
• /
• v.34 no.3
• /
• pp.414-423
• /
• 2016

Growers in plug seedling production think that root media in which rockwool is a component has given rise to several environmental problems. Therefore, the demand for new materials as a substitute for rockwool has been increased. This study examined the possibility of cultivation of tomato plug seedlings using a newly developed growing medium with phenolic foam. Plug seeds of tomato cultivar 'Madison' were sown in four pellet-type growing media: Grodan rockwool (GRW), UR rockwool (URW), phenolic foam LC (LC) or phenolic foam LC-lite (LC-lite). Then, the seedlings were transplanted to the four cube-type growing media 19 days after sowing. Seeds were germinated in a growth chamber ($25{\pm}2^{\circ}C$, 80% relative humidity, and dark) for 4 days and then the seedlings were grown with a nutrient solution supplied by an overhead irrigation system in a greenhouse. Plant height, number of leaves, leaf area, and fresh or dry weight of tomato seedlings were the greatest for the seedlings transplanted to URW cube media after being grown on LC-lite pellets. Root grade was the greatest for the seedlings transplanted on LC or LC-lite cube media after being grown on LC pellets. Chemical properties of all media tested for tomato growth were maintained within a stable range, while physical properties of URW showed high values in container capacity, air space, and total porosity. These results demonstrated that the phenolic foam media were effective for seedling growth and can substitute for rockwool as a root medium.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
• /
• v.11 no.3
• /
• pp.385-400
• /
• 2016

Bearing capacity of open-ended piles depends largely on inner frictional resistance, which is influenced by the degree of soil plugging. While a fully-plugged open-ended pile produces a bearing capacity similar to a closed-ended pile, fully coring (or unplugged) pile produces a much smaller bearing capacity. In general, open-ended piles are driven under partially-plugged mode. The formation of soil plug may depend on many factors, including wall thickness at the pile tip (or inner pile diameter), sleeve height of the thickened wall at the pile tip and relative density. In this paper, we studied the effects of wall thickness at the pile base and sleeve height of the thickened wall at the pile tip on bearing capacity using laboratory model tests. The tests were conducted on a medium dense sandy ground. The model piles with different tip thicknesses and sleeve heights of thickened wall at the pile tip were tested. The results were also discussed using the incremental filling ratio and plug length ratio, which are generally used to describe the degree of soil plugging. The results showed that the bearing capacity increases with tip thickness. The bearing capacity of piles of smaller sleeve length (e.g., ${\leq}1D$; D is pile outer diameter) was found to be dependent on the sleeve length, while it is independent on the sleeve length of greater than a 1D length. We also found that the soil plug height is dependent on wall thickness at the pile base. The results on the incremental filling ratio revealed that the thinner walled piles produce higher degree of soil plugging at greater penetration depths. The results also revealed that the soil plug height is dependent on sleeve length of up to 2D length and independent beyond a 2D length. The piles of a smaller sleeve length (e.g., ${\leq}1D$) produce higher degree of soil plugging at shallow penetration depths while the piles of a larger sleeve length (e.g., ${\geq}2D$) produce higher degree of soil plugging at greater penetration depths.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
• /
• v.30 no.8
• /
• pp.685-691
• /
• 2021

This study aimed to find a suitable size and a seedling raising stage for growing cuttings of Euonymus fortunei 'Emerald and Gold' using plug trays. The experimental method, involved cutting two nodes from a solitary branch of E. fortunei 'Emerald and Gold', and the use of 32 (143 mL/cell), 50 (70 mL/cell), 105 (18 mL/cell), 200 (13 mL/cell) plug trays. The cuttings were transplanted to trays after they were filled with a universal horticultural medium. To compare the growths, plant heights, the numbers of leaves, longest root lengths, thickness/radius ratios, dry weights, and fresh weights were measured from July to October, and statistical analyses were performed using both the two-way repeated-measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Tukey's post-test. The results confirmed that the size of the plug tray and the seedling raising stage had a significant effect on the growth of E. fortunei 'Emerald and Gold.' In addition, the overall growth was high and the change in growth was relatively rapid in districts 50 and 105. Therefore, it can be considered appropriate to use 50 and 105 trays when growing cuttings of E. fortunei 'Emerald and Gold' on plug trays.

• Horticultural Science & Technology
• /
• v.18 no.1
• /
• pp.33-38
• /
• 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 Biosystems Engineering
• /
• v.23 no.3
• /
• pp.271-276
• /
• 1998

A gripper mechanical design using a pneumatic system was developed to successfully grip, hold, and release a seedling plug for transplanting it. The gripper comprised of two air cylinders and shovel-type fingers. The gripper can grasp and hold a seedling by sliding the two fingers attached to the two separate air-cylinders, mounted at an angle of 15$^{\circ}$ When releasing a plug, retraction of the fingers gives a seedling little attachment to the gripper. To prevent seedling from attaching to the fingers, press-plates were attached to the end of the gipper. Transplanting performance of the developed gripper was tested with cucumber seedlings at different soil moisture contents. Overall transplanting performance of developed gipper was higher than the performance of the previously developed gripper. Best transplanting result was achieved at medium level of soil moisture content.

• Journal of Mushroom
• /
• v.6 no.1
• /
• pp.38-41
• /
• 2008

Studies were processed to confirm the difference of the shiitake productivity according to different spawn shapes(sawdust, plug-shaped and liquid spawns) on middle-temperature type strain. A tendency of fruiting was similar among three treatments, and treatments inoculated with plug-shaped spawn and liquid spawn produced over 50 % of total yield until 2nd flushing period and 80 % of total yield until 4th flushing period. In investigation of deformed fruit-bodies, all of three treatments occurred until 2nd flushing period. However, in rate of deformed fruit-bodies, treatment inoculated with liquid spawn was lower than others. In investigation of yield, the amount produced on treatment inoculated with liquid spawn was 411 g per medium and it was highest among treatments. And the amount of fruit-bodies over 10 g was higher than others. Also, the number of fruit-bodies between sawdust and plug-shaped spawn was different, but each weight of fruit-bodies among three treatments was not different.

• Journal of the Korea Institute of Information and Communication Engineering
• /
• v.7 no.2
• /
• pp.228-238
• /
• 2003

We believe that existing wire solutions such as HomePNA2.0 using phone lines and HomePlug using power line and wireless solution such as HomeRF are the most promising solutions, because of its cost-effectiveness. However, MAC protocols of these solutions provide only Class of Service(CoS) using priority mechanism like HomePNA and HomePlug or consider only voice among real-time traffics like HomeRF. For these reasons, we perceive the needs of the new MAC protocol which is no new wire solution and provides guaranteed Quality of Service (QoS) for not only voice but also video and audio. In light of this, we present the design and software implementation of a new MAC protocol for Home Networks. Our evaluation results of software implementation verify that proposed MAC protocol can provide low delay, low loss, and low jitter to real-time traffic by reserving bandwidth.

• Journal of Bio-Environment Control
• /
• v.23 no.2
• /
• pp.71-76
• /
• 2014

There have not been many studies conducted on the seedling production, especially in plug trays, of traditional medicinal plant species. In an effort to establish guide lines for seedling production, this study investigated the effect of plug cell size on the growth and development of plug seedling of three medicinal plant species. Seeds were sown in either 128, 200, or 288-cell plug trays, containing a commercial medium. Growth and development of individual seedling was generally promoted with increasing size of a plug cell in all of the three species. The greatest biomass of the seedlings gained in a plug tray was obtained in the 288-cell trays in Perilla frutescens var. acuta Kudo and Sophora tonkinensis, and the 200-cell trays in Angelica gigas Nakai. Overall growth and development of the shoot and root of a single seedling of Perilla frutescens var. acuta Kudo, except total chlorophyll and anthocyanin contents, was the greatest in the 128-cell tray. However, length of the longest root, length, width and area of the leaf, internode length, root fresh weight, and root ball formation in the 200- and 288-cell trays were not significantly different each other. In Sophora tonkinensis, although length of the longest root, stem diameter, leaf width, leaf area, shoot fresh weight, and root ball formation were not significantly different among the treatments, length of the longest root and root ball formation of a single seedling were the greatest in the 128-cell tray. Overall shoot and root growth, except total chlorophyll content, of a single seedling of Angelica gigas Nakai was the greatest in the 128-cell tray. Based on the total biomass, it is concluded that 288-cell trays are recommended for production of plug seedlings of medicinal plant species P. frutescens var. acuta Kudo and S. tonkinensis. In A. gigas Nakai, it would be more economical to use the 200-cell trays than 128-cell trays due to total biomass.

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