Abstract
This study was carried out to compare artificial soil formulated by blending calcined clay and coconut peat with perlite, then to evaluate this soil as a perlite substitute for use as an artificial planting medium. To achieve this, a determination of the physico-chemical properties and it's effect on plant growth were conducted by comparing those with large perlite grains and small grains. The results are summarized as follows: 1) The bulk density was 0.41g/㎤. This density was lower than that of field soil, but higher than that of large perlite grain(0.23g/㎤) and small grain(0.25g/㎤). The porosity, field capacity, and saturated hydraulic conductivity were 71.3%, 49.2%, and 3.8$\times$10-2cm/s, respectively. The air-permeability, water holding capacity, and drainage were better than or equal to that both large and small perlite grain. 2) It was near-neutral in reaction(pH=6.6). It had a high organic carbon content(65.8g/kg) and a low available phosphoric acid content(84.7mg/kg). It was similar to crop soil in cation exchange capacity(11.4cmol/kg). It had a low exchangeable calcium content(0.71cmol/kg), a low exchangeable magnesium content(0.68cmol/kg), a high exchangeable potassium content(2.54cmol/kg), and a high exchangeable sodium content(1.12cmol/kg). Except for the exchangeable potassium and sodium content, the chemical properties were better than or equal to both large and small grain perlite. The excessive exchangeable potassium or sodium content will inhibit plant growth. 3) In Experiment 1, the plant growth tended to be higher compared to that of large and small perlite gains. But in Experiment 2, it tended to be lower. This might be linked to the excessive exchangeable potassium or sodium content. 4) It could be considered as a renewable perlite substitute for greening of artificial soil. But, it would be necessary to leach the excessive exchangeable potassium or sodium to avoid the risk of inhibiting plant growth.
