Stage-based Balance Analysis of Water,  Nutrient,  and Biomass Dynamics in a Hydroponic Tomato System

Ju Young Lee; Jung-Seok Yang; Tae In Ahn

doi:10.7235/HORT.20260016

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Research Article

Stage-based Balance Analysis of Water, Nutrient, and Biomass Dynamics in a Hydroponic Tomato System

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Abstract

This study quantified the flows of water, nutrients, and biomass in a rockwool-based hydroponic tomato greenhouse under long-term cultivation conditions using a approach. The cultivation period was set to 240 days and was divided into five growth stages: establishment, vegetative growth, flowering and fruit set, harvesting, and a late stage. Stage-based fertigation volumes were determined according to common hydroponic management practices in Korea, and drainage was assumed to be 30% of the supplied nutrient solution. Over the entire cropping period, the total irrigation input amounted to 660.0 L·m^‒2, of which 198.0 L·m^‒2 was discharged as drainage, while crop water uptake was 462.0 L·m^‒2. Of the absorbed water, 446.6 L·m^‒2 (96.7%) was released to the atmosphere through transpiration, whereas only 15.4 L·m^‒2 (3.3%) was retained as water in the plant biomass. Nutrient flows were analyzed along the pathways of nutrient solution input, drainage discharge, and crop uptake, revealing that a substantial fraction of nutrients was lost from the system via drainage. Absorbed nutrients were allocated to fruits, vegetative tissues, and roots. Total fresh biomass production reached 16.43 kg·m^‒2, with fruits accounting for 14.0 kg·m^‒2, while non-harvestable aboveground biomass and roots accounted for 2.38 and 0.05 kg·m^‒2, respectively. By linking biomass production with water and nutrient inputs through a framework, this study quantitatively elucidated resource use efficiency and loss structures in a hydroponic tomato cultivation system. The integrated analysis of water, nutrients, and biomass provides a systematic understanding of resource flows in hydroponic tomato greenhouse systems and offers a quantitative reference for optimizing fertigation practices.

Keywords

fertigation strategy

greenhouse

mass flow analysis

nutrient management

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
Received Date : 2026-02-09
Revised Date : 2026-04-28
Accepted Date : 2026-04-30
DOI :https://doi.org/10.7235/HORT.20260016

Horticultural Science and Technology 원예과학기술지 ISSN:1226-8763(Print) 2465-8588(Online)

Online First