ISHS Acta Horticulturae 761: XXVII International Horticultural Congress - IHC2006: International Symposium on Advances in Environmental Control, Automation and Cultivation Systems for Sustainable, High-Quality Crop Production under Protected Cultivation
EFFECT OF ROOT-ZONE COOLING ON THE GROWTH AND YIELD OF CUCUMBER AT SUPRAOPTIMAL AIR TEMPERATURE |
| Authors: | J.H. Moon, Y.K. Kang, H.D. Suh |
| Keywords: | Cucumis sativus L., summer production, root weight |
| Abstract:
Supraoptimal temperatures are major limiting factors in summer production of cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.). The control of root-zone temperature is easier and more economical than that of other environmental factors such as air temperature and can be an effective solution to temperature stress. This study was designed to investigate the effects of root-zone cooling upon cucumber’s growth and yield when shoots were exposed to high fluctuating air temperature during the hot season. Cucumber plants were cultivated in a plastic house for three months after transplanting. Cucumber plants were grown in perlite medium, which was cooled by 10°C cold water flowing through a pipe system buried at the depth of 15 cm. The temperature of the cooled root-zone was, on average, about 6°C lower than that of non-cooled root-zone. The mean temperature of the non-cooled root-zone was measured at 30.9°C and 26.9°C and that of cooled root-zone at 24.3°C and 20.6°C, at the depth of 5 cm and 15 cm, respectively. The yield in non-cooled root-zone was more rapidly decreased than that in cooled root-zone, as the plants grow. The number of fruits per plant was 15.9 in non-cooled and 19.3 in cooled zone. Thus, root-zone cooling increased the yields of cucumber even though shoots were exposed to high air temperature. Root-zone cooling also significantly improved root growth. | |
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