Influence of Varied Pre-planting N Levels in a Medium on the Growth of Chinese Cabbage and Pak-choi Seedlings in Paper Pot Raising

The optimum N concentrations incorporated as pre-planting nutrient charge fertilizer were determined for seedling raising using cylindrical paper pots. A root medium was formulated by blending of peat moss (particles smaller than 2.84 mm were 80-90%) and perlite (1 to 3 mm) with the ratio of 7:3 (v/v). The treatment N concentrations incorporated during the root medium formulation were adjusted to 0, 150, 250, 500, and 750 mg·L and the concentrations of essential nutrients except N were equal in all treatments. After making of paper pots and putting into the 40-cell tray, the seeds of Chinese cabbage (‘Chunmyeong Bom Baechu’) and pak-choi (‘Hanog cheonggyeongchae’) were sown. During the raising of seedlings, weekly analysis of medium pH, EC and concentrations of inorganic elements were conducted. After 21 and 20 days after seed sowing of Chinese cabbage and pak-choi, the growth of the above-ground parts were measured and contents of inorganic elements in the plant tissues were analyzed. During the growing period, pH of the root media rose gradually and the EC decreased rapidly at week 3. The pH of root media at harvest was in the range of 5.3 to 5.9 in Chinese cabbage and 4.93 to 5.39 in pak-choi. Growth of the aboveground parts in terms of fresh and dry weight in both the plants were the highest in the 250 mg·L N treatment and the lowest in the control treatment. The elevation of pre-planting N concentrations in root medium resulted in the increase of tissue N content and decrease of P, Ca, and Mg contents. The regression equation derived from the influence of varied pre-planting N concentrations on dry weight of above-ground tissue were y = -0.0036x + 0.0021x + 0.0635 (R = 0.9826) in Chinese cabbage and y = -0.16x + 0.0009x + 0.032 (R = 0.991) in pak-choi. When the low critical concentration of pre-plant N is taken at the point where dry weight of above-ground tissue is 10% less than maximum (0.40 g in Chinese cabbage and 0.16 g in pak-choi), those point are 0.36 g and 0.144 g per plant in Chinese cabbage and pak-choi, respectively. The lower critical N concentrations of root media calculated from the regression equations are 196 mg·L for Chinese cabbage and 187 mg·L for pak-choi. These results indicate that optimum pre-plant N concentrations for seedling raising using paper pots are in the range of 196 to 250 mg·L for Chinese cabbage and 187 to 250 mg·L for pak-choi. Additional key words : chemical properties, Chinese cabbage, nitrogen concentration, pak-choi