Hydraulic and physical properties of stonewool substrates in horticulture

Bougoul, S.; Ruy, Stéphane; Groot, F. de; Boulard, Thierry

doi:10.1016/j.scienta.2005.01.018

Cited by 38 publications

(28 citation statements)

References 7 publications

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“…Our estimated value of θ s differed, however, from the one reported by Bougoul et al (2005), who reported θ s values much lower than the porosity of rockwool. These authors determined both a desorption and a sorption water retention curve using a sand suction plate and pressure chambers.…”

Section: Water Availability In the Rockwool Growing Mediumcontrasting

confidence: 99%

“…1) are shown in Table 1, as well as previously reported values for rockwool in literature. The saturated volumetric water content (θ s =0.8926) agreed with the value reported by Wallach (2008) (θ s =0.935), but differed considerably from the value reported by Bougoul et al (2005) (θ s =0.5712), whereas the form parameters (α, n) were comparable. Figure 2 shows the relative hydraulic conductivity curve (K rel -h) calculated via the Mualem-van Genuchten model (Mualem 1976;van Genuchten 1980).…”

Section: Laboratory Substrate Measurementssupporting

confidence: 82%

“…They attributed this behaviour to the measurement difficulties with tensiometers in the low tension range. The θ s values reported by Bougoul et al (2005) are therefore questionable. In our study θ s approximated 95% of the porosity which is in general agreement with standard observations.…”

Section: Water Availability In the Rockwool Growing Mediummentioning

confidence: 96%

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Tomato sap flow, stem and fruit growth in relation to water availability in rockwool growing medium

et al. 2011

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Background and aims Irrigation strategies for glasshouse tomato are often based on solar radiation sums. However, due to new energy-saving climate control, current strategies might result in inappropriate irrigation. Because of the limited water buffering capacity of soilless growing media like rockwool, this could have adverse effects on fruit production and quality. We present an overview of tomato plant ecophysiological responses to substrate water availability to allow the evaluation of mechanistic hypotheses about internal plant water storage and depletion and reversible stem-fruit water transport. Methods The hydraulic properties of the growing medium were determined and plant water uptake, stem and fruit diameter variations were studied. Results A low substrate matric suction (-2 to -3 kPa) had a significant effect on stem and fruit growth dynamics. The substrate water retention curve indicated a sharp decrease in hydraulic conductivity, limiting the water availability for plant roots significantly. Conclusions The hydraulic properties of the growing medium are of utmost importance for plant water uptake, and should therefore be incorporated in plant models describing water flow. Internally stored water responds instantaneously to varying water availability and rates of water backflow from tomato fruits can be quite substantial

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Section: Water Availability In the Rockwool Growing Mediumcontrasting

confidence: 99%

Section: Laboratory Substrate Measurementssupporting

confidence: 82%

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Tomato sap flow, stem and fruit growth in relation to water availability in rockwool growing medium

et al. 2011

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“…Crushed rockwool had higher porosity, AS and EAW than peat, but very low DAW, these results are in agreement with those of Fonteno (1996). Tested crushed rockwool had higher density than samples tested by Bougoul et al (2005), but porosity, CC, shape of retention curves, were similar to sample with the density of 67 g/l.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 79%

“…The hydrophysical properties are influenced by the density (Bougoul et al 2005), substrates with higher density have higher water capacity; however, rockwool substrates with different density have a very similar behaviour for suctions higher than 1 kPa. When the suction increases up to 5 kPa, the water content decreases and tends towards 0.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

The effect of rockwool on physical properties of growing substrates for perennials 38

Dubský¹,

Šrámek²

2009

Hort. Sci. (Prague)

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AbstrAct:The possibility of peat replacement with crushed water absorbent rockwool in growing substrates in the amount of 35% vol. was verified in the experiment with perennials in containers. Three types of substrates, i.e. peat, and two mixtures of peat with alternative components -green waste compost (25% vol.) or composted spruce bark (40% vol.) were compared. A sand box in the range of -0.5 to -10 kPa was used to determine retention curves and other physical properties of the components and substrates. The addition of rockwool to the peat substrate increased content of air and easy available water, the plant growth was not affected. Plants grown in substrates with alternative organic components were smaller in comparison to peat substrate. The growth of perennials significantly decreased, mainly in substrates with bark, but the plants had good market value. The addition of rockwool to these substrates had no significant effect on the growth. Crushed rockwool in the amount of 35% vol. can replace peat in peat substrates and in mixtures with alternative components.

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Porous‐fiber module increases infiltration and reduces runoff

Qin

Liu

et al. 2020

Agronomy Journal

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The porous-fiber module (PFM) is an advanced product used for rainfall regulation and storage. Most studies focus on the characteristics of its constituent material while ignoring the impacts of PFM application on infiltration and runoff. In this study, several factors were comprehensively considered in the field control simulated rainfall experiments conducted on bare land, including two types of rainfall intensities, four PFM volumes, and two arrangements of the PFM, to evaluate the impacts. The experiments consisted of measuring soil water content variation, surface runoff of each treatment plot, and the cumulative infiltration obtained by water balance. The results demonstrated that the effect of PFM volume on infiltration and runoff was much greater than that of the PFM arrangement. The addition of PFM could improve the water-holding capacity of soil; this effect initially strengthened and subsequently weakened with the increase in the PFM volume. The PFM embedding increased the cumulative infiltration of the experimental plots by 5.1-79.2%, delayed the runoff start time by 0-20 min, weakened the peak by 13.6-51.1%, and reduced the runoff-yielding amount by 11.23-62.53%, compared with those of the control plot. These effects were enhanced as PFM volume increased. An empirical formula, presented as the theoretical influence of PFM volume on the product of the cumulative infiltration multiplied by the Philip model derived by the control plot, was further established for simulating the infiltration process with various PFM volumes.

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Hydraulic and physical properties of stonewool substrates in horticulture

Cited by 38 publications

References 7 publications

Tomato sap flow, stem and fruit growth in relation to water availability in rockwool growing medium

Tomato sap flow, stem and fruit growth in relation to water availability in rockwool growing medium

The effect of rockwool on physical properties of growing substrates for perennials 38

Porous‐fiber module increases infiltration and reduces runoff

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