Abstract
Purpose: We have studied the necessary qualities of seedlings of some leafy vegetables for a riding-type two-row automatic transplanter. When seedlings are planted using a transplanter, long roots may be rounded in the bottom of the tray, and this can interfere with the separation of the seedlings. Uprightness related to leaf spread angle is an important quality for seedlings in mechanical planting. Methods: To select cultivars suitable for the transplanter, we compared varieties of Kimchi cabbage (Chukwang, Daetong, Whipalam and Namdo), head lettuce (Abi and Sensation), cabbage (YR Onnuri, YR Hogel, Harutama, and Ogane), and broccoli (Nicegreen and Earlyyou). To compare the effect of bed soil on root formation and growth, we used five types of soil: Chologi, Burger, Wonjomix, Bio, and Baroker with 2.6-3 L per tray. Growth increment and the degree of root formation were measured according to the RDA guidelines 25 days after sowing for Kimchi cabbage and head lettuce and 44 days after sowing for cabbage and broccoli. Conclusions: According to the plug tray, the optimum seedling age in both 128- and 200-hole trays was 28 days for Kimchi cabbage and 44 days for cabbage and broccoli. Head lettuce took 35 days in 128-hole trays and 31 days in 200-hole trays. Burger soil was most effective for root formation and growth of the four kinds of leafy vegetables; it appeared that smaller soil volume led to faster root formation.
