| Change on substrate bulk density during the growing period may negatively affect other substrate physical properties and, consequently, plant growth. The objectives of this research were 1) to characterize physical properties of two horticultural substrates (S1 and S2), 2) to evaluate the effect of different bulk densities values of those substrates on their air/water relationship, and 3) to develop mathematical functions to estimate the air/water relationship by increasing substrates bulk density value. First, the distribution of particles size, the bulk density, and the water release curve of the substrates were determined. Then, substrates were packed with three different bulk density values, i.e. 10% (D1), 20% (D2) and 30% (D3), higher than the bulk... |
