On the experimental cultivation of corn (Zea mays L.) plants by rockwool pot water culture system.

Abstract

Rockwool pot water culture system was devised as an experimental techunique to observe and measure the growth responses of plants to various treatments imposed on the roots. This system is composed of the steel pot in which rockwool block is placed and the culture solution container. The pot can be readily attached to and detached from the solution container, and it is easy to move plants grown in the pot. In this experiment, corn plant cultivation was tested using the Kimura's A solution. The leaf began to etiolate about ten days after the germination. However, by keeping Mn concetration in the solution at 50 mg/l and pH at 5.5, the rapid recovery was found in the leaf color and photosynthetic rate, thereafter plants grew normally to the maturation stage. Abnormality of plant grown caused by O2 deficits in the solution was not found because O2 was adequately supplied to the roots through the aerial space made in the rockwool pot. The rockwool pot water culture system can be readily applied to the cultivation of many other crops and become a useful and covenient expermental technique to examine the functional interrelationship between root and shoot growth under various expermental conditions.