ASABE Technical Library - Abstract

Click on “Download PDF” for the PDF version or on the title for the HTML version.
If you are not an ASABE member or if your employer has not arranged for access to the full-text, view access and subscription options

Effect of different substrates on the growth and mechanical quality of cucumber plug transplants production

Published by the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers, St. Joseph, Michigan www.asabe.org

Citation:  2015 ASABE Annual International Meeting  152184119.(doi:10.13031/aim.20152184119)
Authors:   Luhua Han, Lei Yan, Hanping Mao, Jingyun Xu, Jianping Hu, Liu Yang
Keywords:   Plug seedling, Substrates, Root lumps, Mechanical properties, TOPSIS.

Abstract. In order to comprehensively evaluate the growth and mechanical quality of cucumber plug transplants production with the use of five different peat-based substrates, both growth characteristics of seedlings and mechanical properties of root lumps were systematically investigated. In the paper, aboveground and underground parts of seedlings were measured, and mechanical properties of root lumps were studied using the loading-unloading experiment. Comprehensive quality of plug seedlings was analyzed and ranked by TOPSIS. The results showed that the substrate had a significant effect (p<0.05) on growth characteristics of seedlings and mechanical properties of root lumps, such as stem diameter, plant height, fresh plant mass, dry plant mass, fresh root mass, dry root mass, peak force Fmax, degree of elasticity rc and plastic strain energy Ep. The best comprehensive quality of cucumber plug transplants production was achieved when the mixture of herbaceous peat, dry sphagnum, perlite and vermiculite were applied in the volume proportion of 40% : 20% : 20% : 20%.

(Download PDF)    (Export to EndNotes)