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2025 Vol.43, Issue 2 Preview Page

Research Article

Effect of Coir Slab Volumes on the Growth and Yield of Strawberry in a Hydroponic System
MG Rabbani1
,
Minkyung Kim1
,
Kyeongho Kim1
,
Rayhan Ahmed Shawon2
,
Ki Young Choi12*
1Department of Agriculture and Industries, Kangwon National University Graduate School, Chuncheon 24341, Korea
2Department of Smartfarm Agriculture and Industry, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon 24341, Korea
*Corresponding Author
30 April 2025. pp. 153-164
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Abstract

This study was conducted to examine the effect of slab areas of 100 cm × 20 cm (L × W) with varying volumes on the growth and yield of strawberry in a hanging gutter hydroponic system from September 2022 to March 2023. Coir slab volumes were used as the treatment: V1 (H 20 cm), V2 (H 15 cm), and V3 (H 12 cm) with chip: dust ratio = 0:10 (v/v), and V4 (H 12 cm) with chip: dust ratio = 5:5 (v/v). Irrigation was periodically adjusted, and all treatments received the same volume of nutrient solution. The drainage ratio was the highest in V4 and the lowest in V2 treatment. The average drainage EC ranged from 1.4 to1.5 dS·m-1 and pH ranged from 6.6 to 6.9 for each treatment. Growth characteristics like petiole length, of V2 and V3 treated plants were higher than V1 and V4 treatments from November to February. The number of fruit and yield in V2 and V3 treatments were higher than V1 and V4 treatments in December and January. However, the total number of fruit and yield were not significant among the treatments. Moreover, the weight of fruit was the highest in V2 and V3, followed by V1 and V4 treatments. Fruit quality parameters, including soluble solid contents, acidity, and fruit firmness, were the highest in V2 treatments. The retained water volume was the highest in V2 and the lowest in V4 treatment. The water use efficiency (WUE) did not show significant variation among the treatments. Principal component analysis (PCA) showed that the highest correlations with V2 and V3 treatments were fruit number, fruit weight, and retained water volume. Therefore, the V2 and V3 treated plants showed better performance in the slab hydroponics system. However, the V4 treatment showed the lowest retained water volume, suggesting that irrigation is controlled by the chip ratio can ensure strawberry growth and yield.

Keywords
firmness
photosynthesis
retained water volume
soluble solid content
water use efficiency
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Information
  • Publisher :KOREAN SOCIETY FOR HORTICULTURAL SCIENCE
  • Publisher(Ko) :한국원예학회
  • Journal Title :Horticultural Science and Technology
  • Journal Title(Ko) :원예과학기술지
  • Volume : 43
  • No :2
  • Pages :153-164
  • Received Date : 2024-05-28
  • Revised Date : 2024-07-01
  • Accepted Date : 2024-07-08
  • DOI :https://doi.org/10.7235/HORT.20250011
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