Jin Myeon Park

Effect of Slurry Composting Biofiltration (SCB) Liquid Manure on Shoot Growth and Fruit Qualities of Peach (Prunus persica L.) and Soil Chemical Properties in Orchard

This study was carried out to investigate the effect of slurry composting and biofiltration (SCB) liquid manure application on shoot growth, fruit qualities and soil chemical properties in peach orchard. SCB liquid manure was fertigated ten times from April to October in SCB plot, whereas chemical fertilizer was treated two times as basal and additional fertilizers in control plot. The shoot growth, leaf nitrogen and potassium content, soil exchangeable K, fruit weight and yield were higher in SCB plot than in control. Soluble solid content and acidity, soil organic matter, soil available phosphate and soil exchangeable Mg showed no significant difference between treatments, and the leaf calcium and magnesium content were lower in SCB plot than in control. In conclusion, fertigating SCB liquid manure in peach orchard has positive effects on fruit weight and yield, and it is suggested that periodical soil testing is needed because of the possibility of K accumulation in SCB liquid manure treated soil when the orchard is fertigated based on the soil nitrogen content.

Effect of Subsurface Drip Pipes Spacing on the Yield of Lettuce, Irrigation Efficiency, and Soil Chemical Properties in Greenhouse Cultivation

This research was carried out to investigate the effect of installation spacing of subsurface drip irrigation pipe on the mineral content, nutrient uptake, yield of lettuce, water requirement for irrigation, and soil chemical properties in greenhouse cultivation. Semi-forcing and retarding culture were implemented in this experiment, with four treatments containing overhead spray irrigation and three subsurface irrigation lateral spacing intervals of 30, 40, 50 cm at a depth of 30 cm from soil surface, respectively. Each mineral content of lettuce grown under subirrigation system did not show significant difference between treatments, however the uptake of nutrients was lower at 50 cm-distance. The yield was largest in 30 cm-subirrigation (SI), followed by 40 cm-SI, overhead spray, and 50 cm-treatment. Water requirement for irrigation was highest in overhead spray, and it was in reverse proportion to the distance of irrigation pipes. -N content in the soil, at a depth of 10 cm, showed a higher value in 50 cm-SI, followed by 40 cm-SI, overhead spray and 30 cm-SI. Exchangeable K content was highest in 50 cm-SI, Mg was highest in 40 cm-SI, and Ca was lowest in 30 cm-SI. In conclusion, the lettuce yield was not different between 30 and 40 cm-SI, but water requirement for irrigation was lower as the distance of irrigation pipes was further. And it seems to be needed more precise research on this theme, because crop yield and the dynamics of soil minerals in subsurface irrigation can vary with the depth and distance of irrigation pipes, dripper, water flow depending on the soil texture, and plant response to soil minerals.

Effect of Cover Crop Species and Liquid Manure Application Rate on Green Manure Production, Leaf Mineral Content, Fruit Quality and Soil Chemical Properties in Pear Orchard

Cover cropping and liquid manure application are considered as effective ways to replace the use of chemical fertilizer in orchard. This study was conducted to investigate the effect of cover crop species and liquid manure application rate on green manure production, leaf mineral content, fruit quality and soil chemical properties in pear orchard. The treatments include rye and hairy vetch as cover crops, two liquid manure application levels based on N and K₂O requirement on each cover crop species, and chemical fertilizer as control. Green manure production was higher in hairy vetch than in rye. K content of pear leaves and soil exchangeable K content increased in N based liquid manure application treatments. The yield was higher in rye + liquid manure and fertilizer treatments, and fruit quality was not different between the treatments. Taking all of these into account, rye + K₂O requirement-based liquid manure application is recommended in pear orchard for not only sufficient nutrient supply but also prevention of any problem related with soil K₂O accumulation in pear orchard in long-term perspective.

Effect of Chemical Fertilizer and Compost on Soil Physicochemical Properties, Leaf Mineral Content, Yield and Fruit Quality of Red Pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) in Open Field

Nowadays, sustainable and environment-friendly agriculture has become an important issue all around the world, and repeated applications of mineral and/or organic fertilizer will probably affect mineral nutrient dynamics in soil in the long term but only a limited number of observations are available. This study was carried out to investigate whether there is any influence of different fertilizer management for red pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) cultivation on soil physicochemical properties, leaf mineral content, yield and fruit quality in the aspect of long-term practice in open field condition. NPK, NPK+compost, compost only, and unfertilized control plot were included in the treatments. The application of chemical fertilizer and/or compost repeated annually for 17 years from 1994 to 2011. Soil organic matter content was higher in compost treatments than in no-manure treatments. Available phosphate and the yield of red pepper were highest in NPK+compost treatment followed by NPK (chemical fertilizer), compost, and control. The results indicate that in the long term, nitrogen supply is still needed for increasing red pepper yield, but reduction in the use of chemical fertilizer could be also possible with the proper application of compost.

Fallow Cover Crop Species and Nitrogen Rate of Fertigated Solution on Cucumber Yield and Soil Sustainability in Greenhouse Condition

Nutrient accumulation in surface soil has become a serious problem for cucumber production in greenhouse. However, still in many cases, soil management practices are only focused on maintaining crop yield, regardless of sustainability related with soil chemical properties. This study was conducted to propose a sustainable soil management practice by investigating the impact of cover crop species and nitrogen rate of fertigated solution on cucumber yield and soil chemical properties in greenhouse condition. Rye and hairy vetch were tested as a fallow cover crop, and each amount of urea (1/2, 3/4, 1 times of N fertilizer recommendations), determined by soil testing result, was supplied in fertigation plots as an additional nitrogen source. The result showed that the yield of cucumber was higher in rye treatment than control and hairy vetch treatment. In addition, rye effectively reduced EC and accumulated nutrients from the soil. Meanwhile, N concentration of fertigated solution showed no significant effect on the growth and yield of cucumber. Consequently, these results suggest that it is desirable to choose rye as a fallow catch crop for sustainable cucumber production in greenhouse.

Cutting Frequency and Liquid Manure Application on Green Manure Production of Rye and Hairy Vetch in Pear Orchard

Many organic fruit growers adopt cover cropping in their orchards to improve soil properties. A field experiment was conducted to determine the effects of cutting frequency of cover crop (CF) and liquid manure application (LM) on green manure production (GMP) and returnable nutrient content (RNC) in pear orchard. The combined effects of CF and LM were tested at two levels, respectively, with liquid manure (L₁) and without liquid manure (L?). After that, cover crops were cut once (C₁) and three times (C₃) in rye, and twice (C₂) and four times (C₄) in hairy vetch. The result showed that main factors related to green manure production were different depending on the species. In rye, LM was more effective in increasing the dry weight of cover crop and RNC than CF. In contrast, the parameters were more affected by CF rather than LM in hairy vetch. Thus, it is suggested that different management technique is needed depending on the cover crop species in order to maximize the green manure production in pear orchard.

Comparison of Calcium Content between Blossom-End Rot and Healthy Fruits in Red Pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) Grown in Open Field

The causes of blossom-end rot (BER) are still not understood clearly, although there was a lot of research on the development of BER over 100 years. This experiment was conducted to investigate the influence of Ca content of fruit on the incidence of BER in red pepper. BER affected fruits and healthy fruits had been harvested and the samples were divided into two parts, the upper and the lower, for chemical analysis to determine the content of mineral nutrients in the tissue. The content of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K) and magnesium (Mg) was higher in the BER affected fruits and the difference of each nutrient content was revealed much larger in the lower part of the fruit but there were no significant differences in calcium content between the BER and the healthy fruits of red pepper, in this experiment. The results indicate that it is difficult to find a certain relation between the calcium content of the fruit and the occurrence of blossom-end rot.