동계의 노지 및 무가온 하우스 재배시에 통기성 간이 피복재의 효과적인 보온방법과 GA3 처리로 일상추의 생육 촉진효과를 구명하기 위하여 공시재료를 청치마상추와 적치마상추로 하였다. 농PO계 필름하우스 내에서 ‘파스라이도’ 피복재를 이용하여 10월 26일부터 처리한 직접피복(1), 11월 5일부터 처리한 직접피복(2) 및 터널피복 후, 수확 일주일 전에 GA3를 식물체에 엽면살포하여 그 효과를 조사하였다. 평균기온과 상대습도는 대체로 직접＋터널피복, 직접피복 및 대조구의 순으로 높았다. 청치마상추와 적치마상추의 생육은 대체로 직접＋터널피복, 직접피복(1), 직접피복(2), 터널피복, 대조구의 순이었고, 또 GA3처리는 생육을 촉진시켰다. 엽록소 함량은 대조구, 터널피복, 직접피복(2), 직접피복(1), 직접＋터널피복의 순으로 높았다 GA3천리에 의해서 엽록소의 함량은 반대로 저하하였다. 청치마상추와 적치마상추의 생체중은 직접＋터널피복, 직접피복(1). 직접피복(2), 터널피복, 대조구의 순이었고 건물중도 같은 경향이었다. GA3처리는 생체중과 건물중을 약간 증가시켰다. 그러나 대조 구간에 비교한 결과 적치마상추의 생체중과 건물중이 청치마상추보다 낮았다

This study was conducted to investigate changes in seed vigor based on temperature of dry heat and duration treatment of watermelon seeds and examine the effect on percent of emergence and seedling vigor. When the upper limit temperature of dry heat treatment was raised to 80℃, the percent of the germination decreased. Moreover, T50 was delayed as the upper limit temperature of dry heat treatment increased. The higher the upper limit temperature of dry heat treatment and the longer the treatment period, the higher the percentage of abnormal seedlings. The optimum upper limit temperature for dry heat treatment was 72℃, and the treatment period was five days. Seed vigor was better maintained at 30℃, 45℃, and 52℃, followed by stepwise exposure to high temperatures of 72℃, the upper limit of dry heat treatment, rather than dry heat treatment at a high temperature of 72℃ for 5 days from the initial stage of treatment. When the fungicide was added during the dry heat treatment process, the germination percentage decreased and the percent of the abnormal seedling percentage increased. However, the addition of 10 mg/kg fungicide did not significantly reduce seed vigor.

Kadsura coccinea (Lem.) A.C. Smith is used as a medicinal plant and cosmetic material in China and Southeast Asia. To mass-produce Kadsura coccinea seedlings, the effects of gibberellic acid (GA3) and cold stratification treatments on seed germination were investigated. Seed germination rate with GA3 treatment was most effective at concentrations of 250 or 500 mg/L. With respect to mean germination time (MGT), mean daily germination, and T50 (days to reach 50% seed germination), the germination-promoting effect was improved as the concentration of GA3 increased. Stem growth of seedlings was the highest following GA3 treatments of 250 and 500 mg/L, and the growth promoting effect gradually decreased as the concentration of GA3 decreased. Root growth was stimulated at GA3 concentrations of 250–1,000 mg/L. Examination of the effect of stratification treatment for 15, 30 and 60 days at temperatures of 0, 5 and 10℃ on the germination rate revealed that the most stratification treatment temperature was 10℃, and the results improved with longer treatment periods. Altogether, GA3 and stratification treatments improved the seed germination rate, shortened the MGT, improved germination uniformity, and produced healthy seedlings.

The aim of this study was to determine the optimum level of carbon dioxide to maximize the quality and yields of strawberries cultivated in a greenhouse. Specifically, two strawberry cultivars, namely, ‘Seolhyang’ and ‘Maehyang’, were subjected to varying concentrations of carbon dioxide and patterns linked to their productivity were noted. Both cultivars showed improvements across various physical variables (i.e., leaf area, crown diameter, plant height, fresh weight, and dry weight) when carbon dioxide concentrations were at 1,500 ppm. The optimum carbon dioxide concentration for increased fruit yields and quality was 1,000 ppm. When carbon dioxide was at 1,000 ppm the yields of ‘Seolhyang’ and ‘Maehyang’ increased by 1.99 and 1.78 times, respectively, compared to control plants. The influence of carbon dioxide on fruit color was negligible. However, the carbon dioxide increased the sugar content and sugar-acid ratio of the experimental fruits compared to control plants. Specifically, the sugar-acid ratio, which is directly related to taste, was at its highest when the concentration of carbon dioxide was at 1,000 ppm (i.e., for both ‘Seolhyang’ and ‘Maehyang’). Overall, the application of carbon dioxide culminated in improved yields and fruit quality for both cultivars of interest.

The purpose of this study was to identify for extenders, adhesives, colorants, and fungicides suitable for the production of high-quality film-coated seeds of Chinese cabbage. In addition, the effect of various additives used for film coating on the germination of coated seeds and seedling vigor was investigated to establish appropriate treatment conditions for film coating efficiency. The germination rate and germination speed in Chinese cabbage film-coated seeds did not differ significantly depending on the type and concentration of the extender, while the use of Talc resulted in superior granulation capacity and adhesion of the seed coat in comparison to Zeolite. There was no significant difference in the germination rate depending on the type of adhesive used for film coating of Chinese cabbage seeds, but the germination rate was slightly slower in the film-coated seeds using carboxymethyl cellulose as an adhesive. On the other hand, the seeds coated with a film using 1% PVA as an adhesive not only maintained hardness enough to withstand external pressure, but also showed a high germination rate. In addition, the suitable disinfectant for film coating was venoram, and the treatment concentration was good at 250 mg·L-1. The type of colorant used in the film-coated seeds of Chinese cabbage did not significantly affect the germination rate, germination speed, and seedling vigor. The seeds film-coated using the liquid colorant were superior in appearance to the seeds film-coated with the solid colorant, which implies the possibility of reduction in the manufacturing costs by using the water-soluble paints as colorants for film-coated seeds.

This study was carried out to establish optimal conditions for breaking dormancy of Agastache rugosa O. Kuntze seeds. A series of experiments according to seed maturity and treatment with plant growth regulators were performed to improve germination percentage and synchronize germination of the seeds. In addition, it was conducted to test whether the useful effect of seed treatment before sowing leads to healthy seedling and early vigorous growth. The average seed size was 1.85 mm (length) x 0.82 mm(width). The seed size was much smaller than other vegetable seeds. Seeds colorappeared dark brown, the shape of the seeds was oval and the weight of 1,000seeds was 352.8 mg. The optimum germination temperature was 22℃. Light exposure during germination did not affect germination promotion, suggesting that A. rugosa seeds are a kind of dark germinating seeds. Seed dormancy lasted for 40 days after harvesting, and GA3 treatment of dormant seeds could break dormancy. There were significant differences in germination percentage and rate according to the maturity of seeds. The germination percentage of mature seeds was 10 – 18% higher than that of immature seeds, and germination rate was 2 days faster. GA3 treatment during growth regulator treatment improved germinability, but BAP or ethephone treatment did not. The optimal growth regulator concentration of for germination was the combination treatment of 100 mM GA3 ＋ 100 mM BAP.

This study was conducted to determine the optimum conditions for the treatment of polyamine to promote pollen germination and improve the fruiting rate by overcoming fertilization defects in low-temperature strawberry cultivation. The optimum temperature for pollen germination of strawberries was 30 for Seolhyang and 25 for Maehyang, and Seolhyang had a higher pollen germination rate than that of Maehyang. The addition of polyamines, namely spermine and putrescine to the medium improved the pollen germination rate and spermine treatment showed a better effect than putrescine treatment. The proper polyamine type and treatment concentration for enhancing the potency of pollen germination was 500 μM of spermine for both Seolhyang and Maehyang, which improved the pollen germination rate by 19-23% compared with that of the control. However, combined treatment of spermine and putrescine, resulted in a lower germination rate lower than that of the single treatment. Our results indicated that the treatment of polyamines during flowering in protected cultivation of strawberrise can improve the fruiting rate by overcoming the problem of poor pollen germination due to low temperature.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of defoliation treatment on the growth and yield of strawberries. There was a remarkable growth in the above-ground part and root of untreated strawberry plants possibly due to higher amount of photosynthesis, while overall plant growth was suppressed as the level of defoliation treatment increased. In both the “Seolhyang” and “Maehyang” cultivars examined, defoliation treatment resulted in small fruits and a low number of fruits per plant. Notably, 50% defoliation significantly reduced the number of fruits per plant to 8.2, compared to 13.8 in untreated plants. Defoliation treatment also negatively influenced the fruit quality including color, sugar content, and solid-acid rate. However, no significant changes in fruit firmness was observed in either cultivar. Therefore, retaining enough leaves without defoliation treatment can be important to increasing fruit yield, producing high quality fruits and saving labor required for defoliation.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of shading on the growth and productivity of strawberries. Photosynthesis was normally achieved under natural light without shading treatment, and vegetative growth of under- and aboveground part of strawberry plants were excellent. Strawberry fruit productivity and quality were different depending on shading conditions. In natural light, they were improved possibly by balanced vegetative and reproductive growth. However, under light-shading conditions with insufficient sunshine, photosynthetic activity deteriorated and carbohydrate production was therfore inadequate; this adversely affected plant height and quality. The negative effects were more pronounced at 50% shading condition. Shading treatments resulting in insufficient sunshine had a detrimental impact on plant productivity and growth; this implies that proper shading conditions could heip improve yield and fruit quality.

In this study, we investigated the influences of abnormal high temperature on growth, yield and physiologically active substances of the strawberry. General strawberry cultivars in the 20℃ growth condition showed much better growth of leaf number, length, diameter along with plant height, compared with those in 22.5℃ or 25℃. But the cultivars of both ‘Sulhyang’ and ‘Mehyang’ showed good growth and development at 25℃ with the roots showing great growth at 20℃. The quality and yield of the strawberry were best in the 20℃ growth condition, but the merchantability deteriorated in the 25℃ high temperature condition. As for the content of the physiologically active substances of the strawberry, it increased at 20℃, the optimum growth temperature, but decreased at 25℃. The physiologically active substances in the strawberry differed among the cultivars, the contents of cyanidin-3-glucoside, cinchonine, ellagic acid and cinnamic acid higher in the ‘Mehyang’, whereas the content of fisetin is higher in the ‘Sulhyang’ cultivar.Consequentially, the high temperature in summer has a negative effect on the physiological active ingredients of the strawberry, which was increased in the strawberry cultivated at proper temperature, and high quality strawberry production was possible.

This study investigated the applicability of horticultural media with recycled coir substrates the growth of Chinese cabbage (Brassica campestris L. ssp. Pekinensis) and lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) crop. The six different types of coir based substrates were A, Coir 45: Perlite 35: Vermiculite 12: Zeolite 8 (%), B, Coir 55: Perlite 25: Vermiculite 12: Zeolite 8 (%), C, Coir 65: Perlite 15: Vermiculite 12: Zeolite 8 (%), D, Coir 75: Perlite 5: Vermiculite 12: Zeolite 8 (%), E, Coir 85: Perlite 5: Vermiculite 5: Zeolite 5 (%) and F, nursery media (control). The pH and Electric conductivity of the horticultural nursery media were 6.06–7.00 and 0.45–1.10 dS/m-1, respectively. The nursery media containing coir substrates had higher level of Total N, Ca, K, Mg and P than those without coir. Additionally, it was observed that the growth of Chinese cabbage was the best on D (containing 75% coir) while that of lettuce was the best on E (containing 85% coir). In general, when substrates containg a higher percentage of coir were used, the growth of Chinese cabbage and lettuce was ideal. Additionally, the P, Ca, and Mg content in both plants was not significantly altered by the amount of coir present in the media. However, with an increase in the amount of coir substrate, the chlorophyll, N, and K content was increased. After harvesting, there was no significant difference in the chemical properties of the horticultural nursery media of both plants. Thus, it can be suggested that, coir substrate after a single use could be recycled as horticulture nursery media.

A Cultivation method to minimize the damage caused by high temperatures was studied by investigating the effects of groundwater cooling treatment on the growth, yield, and quality of strawberries. In the groundwater cooling treatment, the daily average temperature of the rhizosphere was reduced from 26.9°C to 24.9°C . The root length increased by 0.3–9.2 cm, depending on the cultivar and growth period. The leaf number, leaf area, leaf length, leaf diameter, and plant height also increased, especially in the cultivars ‘Seolhyang’ and ‘Maehyang’, resulting in higher fresh and dry weights. The number of fruit per plant increased from 7.7 to 12.5 in ‘Seolhyang’, and the fruit weight increased by 0.3 g in ‘Seolhyang’ and 1.3 g in ‘Maehyang’. The fruit hardness increased, but no significant difference in fruit coloration was observed. The sugar content of the fruit was improved by 0.2–0.3 °Brix. Therefore, groundwater cooling of the rhizosphere was effective in improving the growth and productivity of strawberries under abnormally high temperature conditions and can be considered a cost-efficient cooling system.

The present study was carried out to investigate the effects of spermine treatment on the growth, yield and quality in strawberry under low-temperature condition, and thereby develop a chemical method to minimize damages by low temperature in greenhouse cultivation. Spermine treatment significantly improved the growth of strawberry in terms of leaf number, leaf area, leaf length, leaf diameter, plant height and plant weight. The highest effect was observed in the 250 uM spermine treatment and the effect tended to be maintained during the entire growth period of 90 days. Fresh weight and dry weight were significantly different depending on the concentrations of spermine. Strawberry plants treated with 250 uM spermine showed higher fresh weight and dry weight compared to untreated control plants during the growth period. Fruit weight, fruit length and fruit diameter were relatively higher when treated with 100 μM spermine compared to other treatments. The fruit yield was the highest with 14 fruits per plant at 250 μM spermine treatment and the coloration of the fruit was the best at this treatment with the Hunter a and b values of 46.56 and 28.75, respectively. The hardness of strawberry fruit tended to increase higher than 2N at 250 μM and 500 μM 250 uM spermine treatment. The sugar content of strawberries treated with 250 μM spermine was 9.5 ° Bx which was 1.6 ° Bx higher compared to that in untreated control. However, spermine treatment did not affect the acidity of fruit and it remained 0.68-0.76% regardless of treatment concentrations. These results suggest that spermine treatment has a positive effect on the growth and productivity of strawberry fruit under abnormal low-temperature condition. The positive effect was the highest at 250 μM spermine treatment and gradually decreased in the order of 100 μM, 500 μM, and untreated control.

The present study aimed to investigate the effects of low temperature on the growth, yield, quality, and biologically active compounds of strawberry and obtain basic information for developing a technology for stable growth of strawberry in greenhouses. Growth of strawberry, including leaf number, area, and length, plant height, and dry weight was better at the optimum growth temperature of 20℃ than at a lower temperature of 15°C. At the low temperature of 15°C, the cultivar 'Maehyang' was more tolerant and displayed better growth rate than 'Seolhyang'. At 15°C, the fruit production per week and fruit weight was lower than that at 20°C. In contrast, fruit length and diameter were not significantly different between the two growth temperatures. Growth temperature also did not affect the fruit color index, Hunter L, a, b value, or fruit firmness. However, the sugar content of strawberries grown at 15 was higher by 0.8 and 1.5 Brix for 'Seolhyang' and 'Maehyang', respectively, than of those grown at 20°C. There was no difference in the content of fisetin, a biologically active compound, for 'Seolhyang' at both growth temperatures, however, the fisetin content of 'Maehyang' was higher at 20°C than at 15 . Cinchonine and ellagic acid content of 'Seolhyang' was higher at 20°C than at 15 , whereas that of 'Maehyang' was higher at 15°C than at 20℃ . Quercetin content showed no significant differences with respect to growth temperature, however, it tended to increase at 20°C. The cinnamic acid content of 'Seolhyang' was higher at 15°C than at 20℃ , whereas that of 'Maehyang' increased at 20°C. Collectively, the biologically active compounds of strawberry were affected by growth temperature. Moreover, the content of these compounds tended to increase at 20°C, the optimum growth temperature, rather than at the sub-optimal growth temperature of 15°C.

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 4.58 dS·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 1.48 dS·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.

In the present study, we investigated the effects of artificial removal of corolla and calyx lobes from open flowers on fruit development and fruit quality of strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa Duch.). Removing the corolla had no significant effect on fruit weight, hardness, length, and diameter, Hunter L, a, b values, sugar content and acidity. However, removing the calyx lobes significantly inhibited longitudinal and transverse growth of the fruits, resulting in diminished fruit size. In addition, merchantable fruit quality significantly decreased upon removing the calyx lobes, and this tendency was increased as more calyx lobes were removed. Nonetheless, removal of the calyx lobes had no effects on fruit color, sugar content, or acidity, similar to the effect of corolla removal.

The present study was investigated the effect of recycled coir organic substrates on the growth of different vegetable crops. The recycled coir had better physical and chemical properties than the new coir. The growth of tomato plant was better on the coir substrate that had been used for 2 years than that on the new coir substrate. The average number of tomato fruits was 108 on the new coir substrate, while it was 179 and 165 on the coir substrate used for 1 and 2 years, respectively. The growth of cherry tomato plant was also better on the coir substrate used for 2 years than that on the new coir substrate. The average number of cherry tomato fruits was 43 on the new coir substrate, while it was 206 and 164 on the coir substrate used for 1 and 2 years, respectively. The growth of brussel sprout was better on the coir substrate used for 3 years than that on the new coir substrate and the average number of brussel sprout leaves was 26.8 on the new coir substrate, while it was 34.3 on the coir substrate used for 3 years. The growth of Korean cabbage improved on the coir substrate used for 1 years compared to the new coir substrate and the number of leaves was 15.1 on the new coir substrate, while it was 24.3 on the coir substrate used for 1 year. Thus, used coir can be recycled to improve vegetable yields compared to using new coirs.

In nine commercial watermelon cultivars, the effects of osmotic seed priming were evaluated for seed viability and seedling growth at different germination temperatures and field conditions. Generally, primed seeds showed improved germination rate and reduced time for emergence at different germination temperatures, as compared to untreated seeds. In particular, priming effect on seed germination was significantly high at 15℃, which is an environment normally resulting in poor germination. Depending on the watermelon cultivar, germination rate under low temperature (15℃) was improved by up to 15~66% in primed seeds, as compared to untreated seeds. However, priming effect on germination was gradually reduced as the temperature reached to its optimum level for seed germination. Seed priming tended to improve the viability, fresh weight, and dry weight of watermelon seedlings, but its effect on seedling stage was not large, as compared to untreated seeds. Primed watermelon seeds showed improved emergence rate and facilitated germination in the field, but their seedling growth after 30 days from germination was not significantly affected. Our results indicated that seed priming can greatly improve the seed germination at poor temperature conditions in the watermelon.

This study was conducted to investigate days after anthesis (DAA) and fruit after-ripening period (FAP) for seed-harvesting of high quality watermelon seeds. Fruit weight and number of seed per fruit increased according to DAA, while those did not significant about FAP. Ratio of cotyledon at whole seed was higher about 2 to 4% compared to seed coat irrespective of DAA and FAP. Germinability of watermelon was not a significant effect by DAA, however, it had differences by FAP. Percent of germination (PB) was below 50%, when 30 days maturated fruits after anthesis was omitted ripening, while PB was increased to 92% by ripening. In addition, seeds at DAA 40 and FAP 20 were higher general seedling vigors (hypocotyl length, diameter etc.) in BP test. Results indicated that considering seed productivity, it had maximized seed viability at DAA 40 and FAP 20.

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of fruit set internode on the germination of watermelon seeds. Generally fruits setted in higher than 20 internode were high percent of germination, fruit setted in low internode(5-10) is low. The higher fruit-set internode, fruit weight was significantly increased, but 1,000 seed weight was decreased the more fruit set internode. However number of seed was about 300 seeds irrespective of fruit-set internode. Investigating viability of seed by BP test, general percent germination was recorded highest at 5 flower cluster above 20 internode of fruit-set internode. In contrast, condition of fruit setted on 3, 4, 6 flower cluster were high percent of germination, regarded as unnormal germination not to be as normal seedling by 2~3%. Seed harvested at 5 flower-cluster had high viability on hypocotyl height and diameter of seedling through early growth test, but were not significant. Therefore 5 flower-cluster was optimum fruit-set internode to obtain high-quality seed.