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Systematic Bimodal Analysis of Water Capture, Retention and Loss in Horticultural Soilless Substrates.

Record Type:	Language materials, manuscript : Monograph/item
Title/Author:	Systematic Bimodal Analysis of Water Capture, Retention and Loss in Horticultural Soilless Substrates./
Author:	Schulker, Brian Alan.
Description:	1 online resource (138 pages)
Notes:	Source: Dissertations Abstracts International, Volume: 85-05, Section: B.
Contained By:	Dissertations Abstracts International85-05B.
Subject:	Wood. -
Online resource:	click for full text (PQDT)
ISBN:	9798380714297

Systematic Bimodal Analysis of Water Capture, Retention and Loss in Horticultural Soilless Substrates.
Schulker, Brian Alan.

Systematic Bimodal Analysis of Water Capture, Retention and Loss in Horticultural Soilless Substrates. - 1 online resource (138 pages)

Source: Dissertations Abstracts International, Volume: 85-05, Section: B.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--North Carolina State University, 2023.

Includes bibliographical references

Containerized production of horticultural crops can enhance plant health, growth, and yield compared to some field-grown crops while also practicing sound environmental production practices. However, the overall sustainability of soilless growing systems requires improved understanding of water and nutrient fluxes and storage within soilless substrates and informed decision making regarding their proper management. My research focused on substrate, both inherent and engineered, hydrologic dynamics of water capture, loss, and movement using a greenhouse load-cell based lysimeter system to understand real-time movement of water through gravimetric weight-based monitoring. We evaluated evaporative water loss of both traditional and alternative substrates as themselves, blended, with and without plants. We also assessed the influence of surface coverings (mulching) on evaporative water loss and post-production handling. From these experiments, through both lab-based and greenhouse testing, we derived results based on substrate, particle size and container cover mulch. Results showed that coconut coir consistently captured higher water contents at initial watering and retention over the multi-day evaporative testing. Through sieve analysis, we found that all materials retained higher water contents as particle size decreased, however this resulted in water loss rates at nearly 40% faster than larger particle sizes. In order to analyze the impact of substrate selection on post-production wilt, sunflowers were grown in peat-based blends of 20%, 40% and 60% wood fiber and 20% perlite. Sunflowers grown in 40% wood fiber had prolonged time to stage 3 wilt by as much as 30 h when compared to 20% perlite. Lastly, we built upon that data by using container coverings (mulches) to evaluate their impact on plant-water use efficiency. This translated to as high as a 50 hour delay in stage 3 wilt for wood chip covered marigolds compared to uncovered and ~25 h delay in rice hull coverings. Overall, plant water use efficiency (mLs of water per gram of plant material) was increased by introducing wood chip coverings to containers throughout production, decreasing the amount of water needed to produce quality crops by 58%. Through the results of this research, we can accurately design methodologies before, during, and post-production to reduce water inputs needed to produce container grown plants and increase survivorship of plants from greenhouse to garden center.

Electronic reproduction.
Ann Arbor, Mich. :
ProQuest,
2024

Mode of access: World Wide Web

ISBN: 9798380714297Subjects--Topical Terms:

1022899
Wood.
Index Terms--Genre/Form:

554714
Electronic books.

Systematic Bimodal Analysis of Water Capture, Retention and Loss in Horticultural Soilless Substrates.
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504 $a Includes bibliographical references
520 $a Containerized production of horticultural crops can enhance plant health, growth, and yield compared to some field-grown crops while also practicing sound environmental production practices. However, the overall sustainability of soilless growing systems requires improved understanding of water and nutrient fluxes and storage within soilless substrates and informed decision making regarding their proper management. My research focused on substrate, both inherent and engineered, hydrologic dynamics of water capture, loss, and movement using a greenhouse load-cell based lysimeter system to understand real-time movement of water through gravimetric weight-based monitoring. We evaluated evaporative water loss of both traditional and alternative substrates as themselves, blended, with and without plants. We also assessed the influence of surface coverings (mulching) on evaporative water loss and post-production handling. From these experiments, through both lab-based and greenhouse testing, we derived results based on substrate, particle size and container cover mulch. Results showed that coconut coir consistently captured higher water contents at initial watering and retention over the multi-day evaporative testing. Through sieve analysis, we found that all materials retained higher water contents as particle size decreased, however this resulted in water loss rates at nearly 40% faster than larger particle sizes. In order to analyze the impact of substrate selection on post-production wilt, sunflowers were grown in peat-based blends of 20%, 40% and 60% wood fiber and 20% perlite. Sunflowers grown in 40% wood fiber had prolonged time to stage 3 wilt by as much as 30 h when compared to 20% perlite. Lastly, we built upon that data by using container coverings (mulches) to evaluate their impact on plant-water use efficiency. This translated to as high as a 50 hour delay in stage 3 wilt for wood chip covered marigolds compared to uncovered and ~25 h delay in rice hull coverings. Overall, plant water use efficiency (mLs of water per gram of plant material) was increased by introducing wood chip coverings to containers throughout production, decreasing the amount of water needed to produce quality crops by 58%. Through the results of this research, we can accurately design methodologies before, during, and post-production to reduce water inputs needed to produce container grown plants and increase survivorship of plants from greenhouse to garden center.
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650 4 $a Horticulture. $3 1058420
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650 4 $a Sustainability. $3 793436
650 4 $a Trees. $3 668775
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650 4 $a Forestry. $3 668651
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650 4 $a Industrial engineering. $3 679492
650 4 $a Microbiology. $3 591510
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