• Korean Journal of Organic Agriculture
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.357-370
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• 2009

This experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of compost leachate and concentrated slurry on growth of tomato in hydroponic culture. In process of composting, compost leachate was produced water was through a saturated compost heap. The concentrated slurry was produced by filtration and concentration by membrane process. Filtration of pig slurry was necessary to prevent the hose clogging in hydroponics culture. The treatments of this experiment were consisted of seven different liquid fertilizers; compost leachate(CL), concentrated pig slurry (CS), compost leachate+byproduct(CL+BP), concentrated pig slurry+byproduct(CS+BP), compost leachate 50%+nutrient solution50%(CL+NS), concentrated pig slurry 50%+nutrient solution50%(CS+NS) and nutrient solution(NS) for tomato based on nitrogen content. The chemical nutrient solution was the solution of National Horticulture Research Station for the growth of tomato. The concentration of nutrient solution was adjusted a range of $1.6{\sim}2.0 mS/cm$ in EC. 1. The compost leachate and concentrated pig slurry were low in phosphorus(P), calcium(Ca), magnesium(Mg), but rich in potassium(K). 2. Plant height, SPAD value of tomato was highest in the plot of CS+NS, intermediate in CL, CS+BP, and lowest in 100% concentrated pig slurry. 3. The tomato yield of compost leachate plot was 91% compared with inorganic nutrient solution. The compost leachate solution could be used as a nutrition solution of tomato in organic hydroponics. 4. The growth including plant height, SPAD value, fruit number, fruit weight and yield of tomato in the CL 50%+NS 50% was similar in the control. In conclusion, the mixture solution of 50% pig slurry and 50% nutrient solution could be used as a nutrition solution of tomato hydroponic culture.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
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• v.50 no.4
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• pp.967-976
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• 2023

Biochar is emerging as a promising substance for achieving carbon neutrality and climate change mitigation. It can absorb several nutrients via ion bonding on its surface functional groups, resulting in slow dissociation of the bonds. Biochar, like organic fertilizers, contributes to sustainable nutrient management. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of nutrient-coated biochar amendments on leafy vegetables production and soil fertility. The nutrient-coated biochar was produced by soaking rice husk biochar in a nutrient solution containing nitrogen (N), phosphorus, and potassium for 24 hours. Nutrient-coated biochar and organic fertilizers were applied to soil at a rate of 120 kg·N·ha^-1. The growth components of the leafy vegetables showed that nutrient-coated biochar led to the highest fresh weight (FW) of both lettuce and kale (i.e., 146.67 and 93.54 g·plant^-1 FW, respectively). As a result, nutrient-coated biochar amendments led to superior yield compared to the control treatment and organic fertilization. The elemental composition of leafy vegetables revealed that soil amended with nutrient-coated biochar resulted in higher nutrient contents, which was attributed to the high nutrient contents supplied by the rice husk biochar. Soil amendment with nutrient-coated biochar positively enhanced the soil fertility compared to amendment with organic fertilizer. Therefore, nutrient-coated biochar is a promising substance for enhancing agronomic performance of leafy vegetables and improving soil fertility.

• Journal of Bio-Environment Control
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.348-353
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• 2009

Organic materials reveal the remarkable absorption and high buffer capacity for nutrient. Hence, organic materials need some different nutrient management skill from inorganic one. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of EC level of nutrient solution on the yield and quality of cut rose grown in the mixed substrate of coir and perlite. 3 EC levels of nutrient solution was treated, which were 0.7, 1.0, 1.3 times of standard solution (Aichiken solution, Japan) for cut rose hydroponics. EC of the standard solution was changed by season following as 1.4 (Apr.~June), 1.0 (July~Aug.), 1.4 (Sep.~Oct.), and $1.6dS{\cdot}m^{-1}$ (Nov.~Mar.) subsequently. The supply of nutrient solution was controlled by the signal of water potential at -5kPa using frequency domain reflectometry (FDR) sensor. As the results, marketable yield was similar for all treatments until 3rd harvest, but was decreased in high EC level from 4th harvest to 7th harvest as final. 0.7 times of standard solution decreased the ratio of unmarketable rose having short stem below 70cm and increased the ratio of high quality rose having long stem above 91cm. The flower weight and stem diameter of cut rose was higher in the low EC treatment than the others.

• Korean Journal of Organic Agriculture
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.341-351
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• 2019

Gynura procumbens (Family Asteraceae) is a medicinal plant commonly found in tropical Asia countries such as China, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Vietnam. Traditionally, it is widely used in many different countries for the treatment of a wide variety of health ailments such as kidney discomfort, rheumatism, diabetes mellitus, constipation, and hypertension. The objective of this study was to select the natural growth media for hydroponic cultivation of Gynura procumbens. The commercially available thirty four different organic nutrient solutions were analyzed for growing Gynura procumbens. After analysis, two organic nutrient solution were selected, mixed (pH 5.5~6.5 / EC 0.5~1.0 ds/m) and then used as organic fertilizers. Thirty day old seedlings were planted and the environmental conditions of the rhizosphere were also examined to select the natural media composition. The minimum temperature of rhizosphere by type of natural media was highest in cocopeat media and lowest in perlite media. Furthermore, plant growth was examined from 50 days old seedlings, and vermiculite was observed to be most effective and perlite was the least effective component as natural media. The total polyphenol content of the studied plant material was also higher in vermiculite in comparison to other growth media. The Gynura procumbens yields were also higher in vermiculite in comparison to other growth media. Thus, vermiculite can be used to improve Gynura procumbens plant growth as a natural growth media.

• Korean Journal of Organic Agriculture
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.385-397
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• 2012

A pot experiment was carried out to examined the effect of electrolyzed micronutrients (Fe, Mn, Zn, Sr, Se, Sn, Co, Ti, and V) solution treatments with nutrient solution and SCB slurry on the mineral content and growth of tomato in cherry tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum). The treatment of nutrient solution (NS)+micronutrients solution (MS) significantly increased the concentrations of Li, Zn, Sr, Se, Ti as compared with that of NS alone in the cherry tomato fruits, and SCB+MS solution treatment significantly increased Li, Zn, Se, Co, Sr, and Ti contents as compared with SCB treatment. The micronutrient contents of MN+SCB+MS treatment were significantly higher in Li, Zn, Se, Co and in Ti than those of SCB and NS treatment, respectively. The growth and yield of cherry tomato fruits was highest with NS treatment. The yield indices of cherry tomato treated with NS+MS treatment and SCB+NS+MS were 97% and 94% of NS treatment. In conclusion, it seems to be possible to produce micronutrient-fortified cherry tomato by the mixed treatment of electrolyzed micronutrients.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.267-273
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• 2008

Energy efficiency and nutrient balance are good methods for environmental assessment of the environmentally-friendly agriculture. The objectives of this study were 1) to estimate the energy efficiency and nutrient balance of the organic rice farming, and 2) to suggest a solution to improvement the energy efficiency and nutrient balance. The set of estimation was performed at the organic rice farming area (8.9 ha) in Wanju-gun during the paddy cultivation period from 2006 to 2007. The organic farming complex consists of four weeding methods using 1) duck, 2) apple snail, 3) duck and apple snail and 4) hands and machinery. Results from this estimation should that the organic rice farming area was less efficient than conventional rice farming. The efficiency of organic farming area in 2006 was higher than in 2007. For the calculation of the nutrient balance, the N, P and K contents of input materials (cattle manure, milk vetch, mixed oilcake, rice bran, rice straw and barley straw) and output (farm products) were analysed. Annual environmental loads of N, $P_2O_5$ and $K_2O$ were estimated at 4.4 kg/10a, 13.8 kg/10a and 14.5 kg/10a, respectively. Cattle manure had the largest portion among the inputs items and nutrient concentration of cattle manure was high. Thus energy efficiency and nutrient balance depend on cattle manure input. Therefore it is necessary to control the manure input to improve the efficiency of organic rice farming.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.24 no.5
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• pp.356-361
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• 1991

This study was conducted to determine the decomposition rate constants of organic matter and to evaluate the process of regeneration of inorganic nutrients in coastal and open seawater. The mixture solution of glucose and glutamic acid, and night soil were used as the test organic matter. Oxygen uptake of test solution was observed every day for 5 days for evaluation of decomposition rate constants, and nutrient contents were analyzed every day for 40 days. The decomposition rate constants have been determined by Thomas slope method and compared with the values of each waters. The values of rate constants for open seawater and coastal water containing the mixture of glucose and glutamic acid were 0.23/day and 0.21/day, and those containing night soil 0.23/day and 0.20/day, respectively. The difference of decomposition rate constants between test materials was not found and the valus for each seawater was equal to each other. The nitrification process took place after 22 days for open seawater when night soil was added to the waters.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.171-178
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• 2009

Water shortages are expected to be a major impact of climate change. This study examined the growth of Chinese cabbage seedling using reclaimed wastewater and waste nutrient solution as alternative irrigation resources. Generally, the concentration of nutrients, such as $K^+$, $NH_4^+$, $Mg^{2+}$, $Ca^{2+}$, $Cl^-$,$NO_3^-$, $PO_4^-$ and $SO_4^{2-}$, in waste nutrient solution was higher than that in wastewater. However, Chinese cabbage seedling irrigated with wastewater was supplied a higher concentration of $Na^+$ and $Cl^-$ than waste nutrient solution. The growth of Chinese cabbage seedling irrigated with waste nutrient solution was similar or higher than those irrigated with groundwater as control, while the growth of those irrigated with wastewater was similar to those irrigated with groundwater. The total nitrogen uptake in Chinese cabbage seedling irrigated with groundwater, waste nutrient solution from organic and inorganic hydroponic cultures, and wastewater was 5.47, 10.02, 5.20, and 4.59 mg/plant, respectively. The nitrogen uptake of Chinese cabbage seedling irrigated with waste nutrient solution from organic hydroponic substrates in a 50% lower dose than recommended was 8.34 mg/plant, which is higher than that of the cabbage irrigated with groundwater. Overall, the results suggest that waste nutrient solution and wastewater can be used as alternate water resources, and can allow a reduction in the amount of fertilizer needed to raise Chinese cabbage seedling.

• Journal of Energy Engineering
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.34-41
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• 2020

Used disposable diapers have been considered for a long time as a type of waste difficult to recycle and valorize due to their composite nature including plastic, cellulose pulp, a super absorbent polymer and either urine, feces or both. Therefore, the fate of disposed diapers often is either incineration or landfill burial which both have various adverse environmental impacts. However, used disposable diapers contain nutrients: cellulose is an organic matter while urine and feces contain non negligible amounts of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium which are primary nutrients included in most chemical fertilizers used in agriculture. In a scope of waste recycling and valorization, this study focuses on developing a method to achieve nutrient solution extraction from used disposable diapers. The experiment essentially consists in shredding the diapers and letting them macerate in solutions of sodium hydroxide with various concentrations to allow breaking down of the cellulose and super absorbent polymer and release of urine and feces before sterilizing the solutions in an autoclave to remove potential coliform bacteria. At the end of the experiment, a set of parameters is measured for the final solution to identify concentrations of nutrients as well as presence or absence of harmful substances. Results are discussed and directions for future studies are suggested, which include mechanization of the diapers shredding process or added aeration to enhance nitrification and absorption of extracted nutrients from plants.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.225-236
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• 2019

BACKGROUND: Hydroponics is one of the methods for evaluating plant production using the inorganic nutrient solutions, which is applied under the artificial light conditions of plant factory system. However, the application of the conventional inorganic nutrients for hydroponics caused several environmental problems: waste from culture mediums and high nitrate concentration in plants. Organic nutrients are generally irrigated as a supplementary fertilizer for plant growth promotion under field or greenhouse conditions. Hydroponic culture using organic nutrients derived from the agricultural by-products such as dumped stems, leaves or immature fruits is rarely considered in plant factory system. Effect of organic or conventional inorganic nutrient solutions on the growth and nutrient absorption pattern of green and red leaf lettuces was investigated in this experiment under fluorescent lamps (FL) and mixture Light-Emitting Diodes (LEDs). METHODS AND RESULTS: Single solution of tomatoes (TJ) and kales (K) deriving from agricultural by-products including leaves or stems and its mixed solution (mixture ration 1:1) with conventional inorganic Yamazaki (Y) were supplied for hydroponics under the plant factory system. The Yamazaki solution was considered as a control. 'Jeockchima' and 'Cheongchima' lettuce seedlings (Lactuca sativa L.) were used as plant materials. The seedlings which developed 2~3 true leaves were grown under the light qualities of FL and mixed LED lights of blue plus red plus white of 1:2:1 mixture in energy ratio for 35 days. Light intensity of the light sources was controlled at 180 μmol/㎡/s on the culture bed. The single and mixture nutrient solutions of organic and/or inorganic components which controlled at 1.5 dS/m EC and 5.8 pH were regularly irrigated by the deep flow technique (DFT) system on the culture gutters. Number of unfolded leaves of the seedlings grown under the single or mixed nutrient solutions were significantly increased compared to the conventional Y treatment. Leaf extension of 'Jeockchima' under the mixture LED radiation condition was not affected by Y and YK or YTJ mixture treatments. SPAD value in 'Jeockchima' leaves exposed by FL under the YK mixture medium was approximately 45 % higher than under conventional Y treatment. Otherwise, the maximum SPAD value in the leaves of 'Cheongchima' seedlings was shown in YK treatment under the mixture LED lights. NO₃-N contents in Y treatment treated with inorganic nutrient at the end of the experiment were up to 75% declined rather than increased over 60 % in the K and TJ organic treatment. CONCLUSION: Growth of the seedlings was affected by the mixture treatments of the organic and inorganic solutions, although similar or lower dry weight was recorded than in the inorganic treatment Y under the plant factory system. Treatment Y containing the highest NO₃-N content among the considered nutrients influenced growth increment of the seedlings comparing to the other nutrients. However effect of the higher NO₃-N content in the seedling growth was different according to the light qualities considered in the experiment as shown in leaf expansion, pigmentation or dry weight promotion under the single or mixed nutrients.