• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.168-177
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• 1997

This study was carried out to find the physico-chemical properties of soils and the rice growth at the pilot project rice farm of Buchanan city, Liberia. The results were as follows. Soils were classified as Plinthic Ferralsols. Real tropical soils had an oxic B horizon of 30cm thick with diffused horizon boundaries. The surface soils have Ochric A horizon with low organic matter. Plinthite was distributed throughout the whole soil profile unevenly. Exposed to sun light, Plinthite was dried out, hardened, and developed irreversibly into ironstone. There were 286 termite hills in 20ha in the project area. The pH value of the termite hills was higher than that of the ordinary soil two units. Soils of the termite hills had higher contents of carbon, nitrogen, available phosphate and exchangeable bases, especially calcium(2,000mg/kg). Available Fe contents was 230~330mg/kg in the surface soil, and 2,200mg/kg in the subsoil. This caused bronzing of rice in a few days after transplanting. The tolerance of Fe toxicity was lower in Korean cultivars than in Liberian cultivars. The tolerant cultivar was Hangang among Korean cultivars and Nizersail and Suakoko 8 among Liberian cultivars. Area weighted average percolation rate was 8.3mm/day and infiltration rate was 2~2.5mm/hr.

• Korean Journal of Organic Agriculture
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.579-589
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• 2020

This study was carried out to evaluate the effect of rye as green manure crop on the improvement of soil environment and reduction of Phytophthora blight in red pepper of open field where Phytophthora blight occurred frequently. Soil physical properties such as bulk density and porosity were increased in rye cultivation. In addition, gaseous was increased but liquid was decreased compared with conventional cultivation. The analysis of phospholipid fatty acids extracted from soil showed that rye cultivation significantly increased relative abundance of microbial community and ratio of aerobic to anaerobic bacteria. Furthermore, ratio of saturated to unsaturated fatty acids and cyclo-fatty acids to precursor. the indicators of increasing in environmental stresses, were reduced in rye cultivated field. Occurrence of Phytophthora blight in rye cultivation was reduced 30.7% compared with conventional cultivation. These results suggest that rye cultivation in red pepper of open field where Phytophthora blight occurred can improve soil environment and reduce damage of Phytophthora blight.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.112-122
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• 2023

To restore the ecological function of contaminated soil and maximize the ecological services provided by the soil, besides the toxicity orrisk caused by pollutants, the functional aspects of the soil ecosystem should be considered. In this study, a method for evaluating the health of cleaned soil was presented, and the applicability of the proposed evaluation method was examined by applying it to soil treated with washing and landfarming. Productivity, habitat, water retention capacity, nutrient cycling, carbon retention capacity, and buffering capacity were used as soil health evaluation indicators. The results showed that the soil health was not completely recovered after remediation, and even in the case of the washed soil, the health was lower than before remediation. On the other hand, there was no significant change in soil quality due to oil pollution, but soil health deteriorated. Unlike the slightly improved soil quality after landfarming treatment, soil health was not completely restored. Therefore, the results of this study indicate that it is desirable to consider both soil quality and health when evaluating the remediation effect. The soil health evaluation method proposed in this study can be usefully utilized for the sustainable use of cleaned soil and to promote ecosystem services.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.192-198
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• 2004

The heavy dependence of modern science-based agriculture on chemicals such as fertilizers and pesticides, and heavy machinery gave rise to questions about long-term sustainability of agriculture in relation to degradation of soil quality. The research achievements and trends in developing soil quality indicators were introduced and discussed in this report. Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) established 13 agri-environment indicators including soil quality indicator in 1994, collected the soil data and methodologies for development of soil quality indicators in OECD member countries responded to OECD questionnaires and published the OECD reports, Environmental Indicators for Agriculture Volume 1, 2, and 3. Leading countries such as USA, Canada and New Zealand collected national data and evaluated the data in aspect of soil quality. They developed the various methods for selecting a minimum data set (MDS), scoring the soil properties and calculating soil quality index integrating the score of each soil property.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.42 no.2
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• pp.139-143
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• 2009

We examined the vertical distribution of specific microbial groups and the patterns of microbial community structure within the soil profile using phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA). Samples were collected from the soil surface down to 15 cm in depth from paddy and upland fields located in Daegu, Korea. The two fields have been fertilized with only chemical fertilizers N, P, K for 33 years. Principal component analysis of the PLFA signatures indicated that the composition of the soil microbial communities changed significantly with the cultivation practices and soil depth, suggesting that cultivation practices of paddy and upland fields had more significant influence on soil microbial community than the soil depth did. The soil microbial communities changed more drastically with soil depth in upland field than in paddy field, with making thicker soil surface in paddy field in terms of soil microbial community. The ratios of cyclopropyl/monoenoic precursors and total saturated/total monounsaturated fatty acids increased with soil depth, suggesting that the deeper soil horizons are more carbon-limited and anaerobic than surface soil. The community analysis using PLFAs as biomarkers revealed that Gram-positive bacteria and actinomycetes tended to increase in proportional abundance with increasing soil depth, while the abundance of Gram-negative bacteria and fungi were highest at the soil surface and substantially lower in the subsurface.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.103-115
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• 2007

Risk assessment by living indicator species provides the information about the ecosystem disturbance, disapperance of symbiosis and change of living group. In the initial stage of this kind research, the degree of contamination was reported using the level of simple number, but simple number may not represent the risk itself which can be casued in the living organisms. Risk assessment using various indicator species overcomes these limitations and can be expanded to the DNA level. In many developed counties, the government has supervised the researches about the indicator species for the monitoring and its application to ecosystem restoration. Several living indicator species found in the vicinity of the abandoned Au mines such as fern, earthworm, bacteria, rhizosphere-rhizoplane, salamamdor and DNA change of these species are described in this paper.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.43 no.6
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• pp.1012-1017
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• 2010

This study was carried out to investigate the effect of continuous cropping of pepper on soil microbial phospholipid fatty acids (PLFAs) under upland applied without any pesticides and chemical herbicides from 2000 to 2009. Microbial PLFAs were analysed from soils sampled in 2009. Soil microbial diversities showed PLFAs of monoplanting of pepper were distinct from those of monoplanting of garlic and interplanting of garlic and pepper by principle component 2 (PC2). Furthermore, soil microbial activity of monoplanting of pepper significantly decreased PLFAs representing as VAM-fungi, whereas it significantly increased in actinomycetes and saturated/monounsaturated PLFAs' ratio. The results drove continuous cropping of pepper would vary the microbial community and their specific activity. Soil microbial activities in continuous cropping system would depend on crop root systems.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.43 no.2
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• pp.194-199
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• 2010

Compost as a soil amendment is of importance in enhancing the soil chemical and microbial qualities; however, soil microbial community can vary depending on the composition, and the amount of compost applied to plant in the soil. Responses of soil microbial properties to compost applications with 0, 30, and 60 Mg $ha^{-1}$ were investigated in silt loam soils where red pepper(Capsicum annuum L.) was mainly cultivated in Yeongyang, Gyeongbuk, Korea. The analysis of phospholipid fatty acids (PLFAs) extracted from soil showed that compost amounts significantly increased PLFAs representing as bacteria, fungi, and VAM-fungi as well as the ratio of fungi/bacteria, and monounsaturated/saturated PLFAs. Increasing the amount of compost significantly increased Gram-/Gram+ PLFAs' ratio, but significantly decreased monounsaturated/saturated PLFAs' ratio. Therefore, this result shows that compost would vary to a limited extent the microbial community in red pepper field. However, increase in compost application would change the subgroup structure of microbial community only.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.41 no.5
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• pp.279-284
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• 2008

This study was performed to investigate effect of different soil managements on physical properties and microbial activities in volcanic ash citrus orchard soil. Experiment plots had managed to control weeds on soil for 4 years with clean cultivation (CCM) used with herbicide, natural sod cultivation (NSCM), kentucky blue grass sod cultivation (KBG). Soil samples were taken on October, in both 1998 and 2000 from 3 experimental plots. In NSCM, Soil hardness was lower at 11.8 mm than in CCM. And water stable Aggregation coefficient(>0.5 mm) was high at 26.7% compared with CCM. Soil bulk density and porosity showed no significant among the treatments. Soil acid phosphatase was high in sod cultivation plots and the amount of microbial biomass C was about twice higher at $525.4mg\;kg^{-1}$ in KBG than in CCM. Conclusionally, Sod cultivation improved soil physical properties such as aggregation, hardness and increased microbial activities compared with clean cultivation in citrus orchard soil. Soil total PLFA, acid phosphatase, and microbial biomass C contents were investigated on May in nonvolcanic ash citrus soil. Soil samples were collected at 5 sites each; convention cultivation grown with herbicide, natural sod cultivation grown with 1/2 chemicals, organic cultivation. That sites have been managed for 5 years over. PLFA contents were two times higher at $112.2n\;mol\;g^{-1}$ in organic cultivation than in convention cultivation. According to the PLFA indicator, Gram negative bacteria and actinomycetes in organic cultivation were high compared with convention cultivation, which were at 15.1%, 6.6%, respectively. Soil microbial biomass C contents was about twice higher in organic cultivation than in convention cultivation. Soil acid phosphatase was high at 17.6% in organic cultivation compared with convention cultivation.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.64-70
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• 2001

To verify the newly developed decision assisting expert system for nitrogen fertilizer application NES to Illinois cornfields, a couple of N rate studies from Dr. Howard and five Illinois Agricultural Experiment Stations were applied. Four types of recommendations including the current Illinois recommendation, Hoeft recommendation, NES, and maximum economic recommendation were compared with each other for the crop yields, profits, recovery rate, and N losses to cornfields. The N rate of NES recommendation, considering productivity index (PI), soil organic matter content (SOM), and pre-sidedressing nitrate concentration (PSNT) level, was the lowest in comparison to those of other recommendations. However, N recovery rate in NES was generally higher and the resulting N loss was lower than others. But, adherence to the recommendations may also reduce farmers income if environmental expense did not considered. Therefore, NES will be more effective by adding the factors including environmental expense, tillage systems, crop rotation, and other agricultural management parameters.