• Journal of Bio-Environment Control
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.8-14
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• 2023

This study was conducted to develop a precision automatic irrigation system in a nursery by considering the problems and improvements of manual and the conventional automatic irrigation system. The amount of irrigated water between the conventional automatic irrigation system and manual irrigation was 28.7 ± 4.4 g and 14.2 ± 4.3 g, respectively, and the coefficient of variation was less than 30%. However, the coefficient of variation of the conventional automatic irrigation system of 15%, was higher than that of manual irrigation of 30%. The irrigation test using the developed uniform irrigation system attached with the nozzle of a spray angle 80° and most highest uniformity was at height 600 mm. And coefficient of variation of the irrigation uniformity at the center part was within 20%, but irrigation amount of the edge part was lower 50% and over compared to the center part. As a result of a tomato grafting seedling cultivation test using the developed uniform irrigation system, the average plant height of seedling at the edge part was 28 mm but plant height at the center part was higher as 72 mm. Therefore, it was necessary to apply additional irrigation device at the edge part. The irrigation uniformity of the edge concentrated irrigation system was investigated that the irrigation amount of the edge part was irrigated by more than 50% compared with the center part, and coefficient of variation of the irrigation amount at the center part was less than 30%. As a result of a cucumber grafting seedling cultivation test using the edge concentrated irrigation system, the plant height of seedlings in the edge and central part of cultivation bed were 24% and 26%, respectively, so irrigation uniformity was higher then the uniform irrigation system. In order to improve the uniformity of seedlings, it is necessary to adjust the height of boom according to the growth of the seedling by installing a distance sensor in the overhead watering and boom irrigation system.

• Journal of agriculture & life science
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• v.44 no.3
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• pp.7-14
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• 2010

Alternative subirrigation way, capillary wick system (CWS) was tested to reduce labor cost, waste water, contamination of ground water, and use of fungicide compared to overhead irrigation system (OIS). CWS helped reduce remarkably the working hours for watering from 4 hours in OSI to just 5 minutes. Labor cost was saved 98% in CWS compared to OIS. By the physical characteristics of various growing media, 1 coconut coir+2 perlite (v/v) mixture was selected because it had an ideal distribution of three phase, e.g. 1 solid: 1 liquid: 2 gas phase. Medium mixture containing scoria had so high bulk and particle density to hurt root. In bark-containing medium, the liquid phase and the percent saturation of liquid phase with time elapsed was lower than that of other mixture. It meant that the mixture contained very low level of water. Application of CWS for cyclamen pot production played an important role in reducing the incident of fusarium wilt symptom from 18% in conventional over watering system to 4%. Cyclamen pot irrigated by capillary wick had shorter petiole and more leaves than those by overhead watering. As a result, this system was highly beneficial to get uniform pot products with high quality. It improved water and nutrient solution efficiency relative to conventional overhead irrigation system (OIS).

• Journal of Bio-Environment Control
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.399-405
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• 2020

Recently, it is difficult to produce uniform scions and rootstocks with high quality in a greenhouse due to weather extremes. The closed transplant production system is useful for producing scions and rootstocks with desirable morphological characteristics by environment control regardless of weather outside. In this study, we investigated transpiration rates and growth of cucumber and tomato scions and rootstocks grown under different light intensity conditions for precise irrigation control in a closed transplant production system. Hanging system to measure continuously the weight of plug tray consisting of seedlings and substrate with load-cell was installed in each growing bed. Using this system, we confirmed initial wilting point of cucumber and tomato seedlings, and conducted subirrigation when moisture content of substrate was not below 50%. The irrigation time of cucumber scions and rootstocks were 7 and 6 days after sowing, respectively. In tomato scions and rootstocks grown under PPF (photosynthetic photon flux) 300 μmol·m^-2·s^-1, the irrigation time were 5, 8, 11, and 13 days after sowing. Increasing light intensity increased transpiration rates and differences of transpiration rates by light intensity was higher in tomato seedlings. The growth of cucumber and tomato seedlings was promoted by increasing light intensity, especially, hypocotyl elongation and stem thickening was affected by light intensity. Cumulative transpiration rate of plug tray in cucumber and tomato seedlings was increased by increasing light intensity, and daily transpiration rate per seedling was regressed by 1st-order linear equation with high correlation coefficient. Estimation of transpiration rates by weighing continuously plug tray of vegetable seedlings can be useful to control more accurately irrigation schedule in a closed transplant production system.

• Journal of Biosystems Engineering
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• v.42 no.1
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• pp.23-43
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• 2017

Purpose: As application-specific wireless sensor networks are gaining popularity, this paper discusses the development and field performance of the GHAN, a greenhouse area network system to monitor, control, and access greenhouse microenvironments. GHAN, which is an upgraded system, has many new functions. It is an intelligent wireless sensor and actuator network (WSAN) system for next-generation greenhouses, which enhances the state of the art of greenhouse automation systems and helps growers by providing them valuable information not available otherwise. Apart from providing online spatial and temporal monitoring of the greenhouse microclimate, GHAN has a modified vapor pressure deficit (VPD) fuzzy controller with an adaptive-selective mechanism that provides better control of the greenhouse crop VPD with energy optimization. Using the latest soil-matrix potential sensors, the GHAN system also ascertains when, where, and how much to irrigate and spatially manages the irrigation schedule within the greenhouse grids. Further, given the need to understand the microclimate control dynamics of a greenhouse during the crop season or a specific time, a statistical assessment tool to estimate the degree of optimality and spatial variability is proposed and implemented. Methods: Apart from the development work, the system was field-tested in a commercial greenhouse situated in the region of Punjab, India, under different outside weather conditions for a long period of time. Conclusions: Day results of the greenhouse microclimate control dynamics were recorded and analyzed, and they proved the successful operation of the system in keeping the greenhouse climate optimal and uniform most of the time, with high control performance.

• Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.243-252
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• 2011

Several mathematical relationships have been developed to describe bacterial responses to UV irradiation. Pseudomonas aeruginosa was taken as a bacterial model. The results obtained showed that the kinetics of disinfection is far to be as uniform. In fact, application of the model of Chick-Watson in its original form or modification, taking into account the speed change during the disinfection process, has not significantly improved results. The application of both models of Collins-Selleck and Hom constitute a major opportunity to simulate goodly the kinetics of UV disinfection. The results obtained showed that despite the major advantage held by applying the Hom model in this process of disinfection and for all strains studied, the model of Collins-Selleck gave the best results for the description of the UV inactivation process. The design of reactors, operating in continuous disinfection system, requires taking into account the hydrodynamic behaviour of water in the reactor. Knowing that a reduction of 4-log is necessary in the case of wastewater reuse for irrigation, a model integrating the expression of disinfection kinetics and the hydrodynamics through the UV irradiation room was proposed. The results highlight the interest to develop reactors in series working as four perfectly mixed reactors.

• Journal of Bio-Environment Control
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.376-387
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• 2019

Melons are mostly grown in soil, but it is susceptible to damage due to injury by continuous cropping such as Fusarium wilt and root rot. Hydroponic cultivation system can overcome the disadvantages of soil cultivation with precise nutrition management and a clean environment. When using the coir substrate, the most environmentally friendly organic substrate used for hydroponics, it is analyzed how the growth and fruit quality of the melon depends on the ratio of chips and dust and the amount of irrigation. The purpose of this study was to provide the basic data of melon hydroponics when cultivated in spring. The two types of the coir substrates used in the experiments were chip and dust ratios of 3 :7 and 5 : 5 respectively. The substrate with high dust ratios had excellent physical characteristics, such as container capacity and total porosity, and the drainage EC level showed a high value of $3.0-6.8dS{\cdot}m^{-1}$. When the amount of irrigation is provided based on the drainage rate, the group provided the nutrient solution on the basis of 10% drainage supplied 91 L per plant, which was reduced by about 30% compared to the group with the highest water supply. In addition, the total drainage showed less than 10 L per plant with a minimum water supply and was reduced by 30 - 70% in substrate with a high dust rates. In substrate with high water supply and high dust ratio, leaf growth and fruit enlargement were good, and the soluble solids content varies greatly from cultivar to cultivar. If you provided the amount of irrigation based on 10% drainage rate, the fruit weight will be decreased, but the amount of irrigation can be reduced. Therefore, it is considered that managing the water & nutrient properly taking into account the characteristics of coir substrate and cultivar can produce melon of uniform quality using hydroponics.

• The Korean Journal of Quaternary Research
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.7-31
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• 2000

Quaternary Geological and geophysical investigation was performed at the Eurimji reservoir of Jaechon City in order to interprete depositional environment and genesis of lake sediments. For this purpose, echo sounding, bottom sampling and columnar sampling by drilling on board and GPR survey were employed for a proper field investigation. Laboratory tests cover grain size population analysis, pollen analysis and $^{14}C$ datings for the lake sediments. The some parts of lake bottom sediments anthropogenically tubated and filled several times to date, indicating several mounds on the bottom surface which is difficult to explain by bottom current. Majority of natural sediments were accumulated both as rolling and suspended loads during seasonal flooding regime, when flash flow and current flow are relatively strong not only at bridge area of the western part of Eurimji, connected to stream valley, but at the several conduit or sewage system surrounding the lake. Most of uniform suspend sediments are accumulated at the lake center and lower bank area. Some parts of bottom sediments indicate the existence of turbid flow and mudflow probably due to piezometric overflowing from the lake bottom, the existence of which are proved by CM patterns of the lake bottom sediments. The columnar samples of the lake sediments in ER-1 and ER-3-1 boreholes indicate good condition without any human tubation. The grain size character of borehole samples shows poorly sorted population, predominantly composed of fine sand and muds, varying skewness and kurtosis, which indicate multi-processed lake deposits, very similar to lake bottom sediments. Borehole columnar section, echo sounding and GPR survey profilings, as well as processed data, indicate that organic mud layers of Eurimji lake deposits are deeper and thicker towards lower bank area, especially west of profile line-9. In addition the columnar sediments indicate plant coverage of the Eurimji area were divided into two pollen zones. Arboreal pollen ( AP) is predominant in the lower pollen zone, whreas non-aboreal pollen(NAP) is rich in the upper pollen zone. Both of the pollen zones are related to the vegetation coverage frequently found in coniferous and deciduous broad-leaved trees(mixed forest) surrounded by mountains and hilly areas and prevailing by aquatic or aquatic margin under the wet temperate climate. The $^{14}C$ age of the dark gray organic muds, ER1-12 sample, is 950$\pm$40 years B.P. As the sediments are anthropogenetically undisturbed, it is assumed that the reliability of age is high. Three $^{14}C$ ages of the dark gray organic muds, including ER3-1-8, ER3-1-10, ER3-1-11 samples, are 600$\pm$30 years B.P., 650$\pm$30 years B.P., 800$\pm$40 years B.P. in the descending order of stratigraphic columnar section. Based on the interpretation of depositional environments and formation ages, it is proved that Eurimji reservoir were constructed at least 950$\pm$40 years B.P., the calibrated ages of which ranges from 827 years, B.P. to 866 years B.P. Ancient people utilize the natural environment of the stream valley to meet the need of water irrigation for agriculture in the local valley center and old alluvium fan area.