Journal of Bio-Environment Control ISSN:1229-4675(Print) 2765-3641(Online) 생물환경조절학회지

Objective of this research was to investigate the influence of lowered substrate pH on the reduction of bicarbonate injury in the vegetative growth of ‘Ssanta’ strawberry. The acid substrate was formulated by mixing sphagnum peat moss with pine bark (5:5, v/v) and the pH, EC, and CEC of the substrate were 4.07, 0.46 dS·m^-1, and 91.3 cmol⁺·kg^-1, respectively. To adjust the pH of acid substrate, various amount of dolomitic lime [CaMg(CO3)2] were incorporated with the rate of 0 (untreated), 1, 2, 3, and 4 g·L^-1. Then, mother plants were transplanted and grown with fertilizer solution containing 240 mg·L^-1 of the HCO3 - and equal concentrations of essential nutrients to Hoagland solution. In growth of ‘Ssanta’ strawberry, fresh weight of mother plants were the highest in the treatment of 2 g·L^-1 dolomitic lime such as 102.1 g followed by 94.7 g in 1 g·L^-1, 91.2 g in 3 g·L^-1, 75.7 g in 0 g·L^-1 and 72.3 g in 4 g·L^-1 treatments. The dry weight showed a similar tendency to fresh weight. At 140 days after transplanting, 5.8, 9.8, 11.8, 8.8, and 5.0 daughter plants were derived from each of the mother plants in the treatments of 0, 1, 2, 3, and 4 g·L^-1 dolomitic lime, respectively. The highest occurrence of daughter plants were observed in the treatments 2 g·L^-1 dolomitic lime. The substrate pH and bicarbonate concentration of ‘Ssanta’ strawberry seedlings in the 1 and 2 g·L^-1 dolomitic lime treatments were maintained at a proper range such as 5.6 to 6.2. The micro-nutrient contents of above ground tissue in mother plants were the highest in 2 g·L^-1 and the lowest in 4 g·L^-1 dolomitic lime treatment. The above results indicate that incorporation rate of dolomitic lime in acid substrate with the pH of around 4 is 2 g·L^-1 to raise the ‘Ssanta’ strawberry in propagation.