Effects of Root-Zone Pressurized Aeration Using the Growide System on Medical Cannabis (Cannabis sativa L.) Growth Characteristics and Yield

Bumsik Choi; Mijin Gwon; Hoeyeong Jeong; Jinwoong Cho; Yeongmi Jang

doi:10.7740/kjcs.2026.71.2.067

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2026 Vol.71, Issue 2 Preview Page Next Page

Original Research Article

Effects of Root-Zone Pressurized Aeration Using the Growide System on Medical Cannabis (Cannabis sativa L.) Growth Characteristics and Yield 근권부 가압 공기 공급 기술(Growide)을 통한 근권부 공기압 처리가 의료용 대마(Cannabis sativa L.)의 생육 특성 및 수량에 미치는 영향

1 June 2026. pp. 67-78

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Abstract

In this study, we evaluated how root-zone air-pressure supply using the Growide system affects medical cannabis (Cannabis sativa L.) growth and productivity, cultivated in a soil-based cultivation system. We conducted the experiment from April to August 2024 in a smart-container cultivation facility in Andong, the Republic of Korea, using three cultivars (i.e., VB1, VB4, and VB5). We applied air-pressure treatment by periodically supplying compressed air to the lower part of the cultivation modules, while we maintained untreated plants under identical conditions. All cultivars displayed high germination rates ranging from 88.0% to 100.0%. In general, plant height decreased under air-pressure treatment, whereas leaf and flower numbers increased during the cultivation period. Growth curves of plant height and leaf number followed a typical sigmoidal pattern, whereas flower number exhibited a delayed sigmoidal growth pattern with a distinct lag phase. We successfully fitted all growth curves using a three-parameter logistic model with high coefficients of determination (R²). Two-way ANOVA indicated that cultivar effects on plant height were significant at most observation dates, whereas treatment effects were significant only at several time points. In contrast, air-pressure treatment significantly increased flower number throughout the reproductive stage (p < 0.001), with VB4 and VB5 exhibiting greater responsiveness than VB1, yielding significant cultivar × treatment interactions during the later growth period. Concerning yield traits, we observed significant cultivar effects for fresh flower weight, though these treatment effects were not statistically significant. However, for dry flower weight, both cultivar (p = 0.001) and treatment (p = 0.003) effects were statistically highly significant, exhibiting a consistent increase in dry biomass across all cultivars under air-pressure treatment, particularly in VB4 and VB5. In summary, our results suggest that root zone air-pressure supply enhances reproductive growth and dry biomass accumulation more strongly than vegetative growth in medical cannabis, heavily influenced by cultivar-specific characteristics. Further studies addressing root physiological mechanisms and cannabinoid profiles are warranted to optimize related system conditions.

Keywords

biomass production

Cannabis sativa

controlled environment agriculture

cultivar response

dry weight

Growide system

medical cannabis

pressurized root-zone aeration

rhizosphere

yield

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Information

Publisher :The Korean Society of Crop Science
Publisher(Ko) :한국작물학회
Journal Title :The Korean Journal of Crop Science
Journal Title(Ko) :한국작물학회지
Volume : 71
No :2
Pages :67-78
Received Date : 2026-04-27
Revised Date : 2026-05-19
Accepted Date : 2026-05-20
DOI :https://doi.org/10.7740/kjcs.2026.71.2.067

The Korean Journal of Crop Science ISSN:0252-9777(Print) 2287-8432(Online) 한국작물학회지

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