친환경 멀칭재 활용을 위한 비목질계 자원의 수분 흡수 및 유지 특성 연구 = Study on the Water Absorption and Retention Characteristics of Non-Wood Resources for Use as Eco-Friendly Mulching Materials

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

To address water scarcity issues caused by climate change and overcome environmental pollution from conventional plastic mulch films, this study experimentally analyzed the chemical composition and water absorption and retention properties of hemp and kenaf hurds, sustainable non-wood resources. Component analysis revealed that kenaf hurds, with their low hydrophobic lignin content, exhibited over twice the water absorption rate compared to hemp hurds and demonstrated superior hydrophilicity. In water retention tests, both materials recorded optimal water-retaining performance at a particle size of 5 mm, where drying rates were slowest. Notably, in actual soil application, kenaf hurds stably maintained approximately 70% soil moisture for 65 hours, whereas 3 mm hemp hurds reached a critical point after 55 hours, causing soil moisture to sharply decrease to the 20% range. This demonstrates that the porous structure of the material and the physical shielding effect due to particle size interact synergistically to influence soil moisture retention capacity.