• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.39 no.4
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• pp.397-408
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• 2023

Fire blight disease, caused by Erwinia amylovora, is a devastating affliction in apple cultivation worldwide. Chemical pesticides have exhibited limited effectiveness in controlling the disease, and biological control options for treating fruit trees are limited. Therefore, a relatively large-scale survey is necessary to develop microbial agents for apple trees. Here we collected healthy apple trees from across the country to identify common and core bacterial taxa. We analyzed the endophytic bacterial communities in leaves and twigs and discovered that the twig bacterial communities were more conserved than those in the leaves, regardless of the origin of the sample. This finding indicates that specific endophytic taxa are consistently present in healthy apple trees and may be involved in vital functions such as disease prevention and growth. Furthermore, we compared the community metabolite pathway expression rates of these endophyte communities with those of E. amylovora infected apple trees and discovered that the endophyte communities in healthy apple trees not only had similar community structures but also similar metabolite pathway expression rates. Additionally, Pseudomonas and Methylobacterium-Methylorobrum were the dominant taxa in all healthy apple trees. Our findings provide valuable insights into the potential roles of endophytes in healthy apple trees and inform the development of strategies for enhancing apple growth and resilience. Moreover, the similarity in cluster structure and pathway analysis between healthy orchards was mutually reinforcing, demonstrating the power of microbiome analysis as a tool for identifying factors that contribute to plant health.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.39 no.6
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• pp.538-547
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• 2023

Rapid apple decline (RAD) is a complex phenomenon affecting cultivated apple trees and particularly dwarf rootstocks on grafted young apple trees. Since its first appearance in the United States, RAD has been reported worldwide, for example in Canada, South America, Africa, and Asia. The phenomenon has also been observed in apple orchards in Korea, and it presented similar symptoms regardless of apple cultivar and cultivation period. Most previous reports have suggested that RAD may be associated with multiple factors, including plant pathogenic infections, abiotic stresses, environmental conditions, and the susceptibility of trees to cold injury during winter. However, RAD was observed to be more severe and affect more frequently apple trees on the Malling series dwarf rootstock. In this study, we reviewed the current status of RAD worldwide and surveyed biotic and abiotic factors that are potentially closely related to it in Korea.

• Research in Plant Disease
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.88-94
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• 2020

Recently, the severe dieback of apple trees resulting from soil-borne diseases has occurred in South Korea. The casual agents of dieback were surveyed on 74 apple orchards that had been damaged nationwide in 2016-2019. The number of apple orchards affected alone by Phytophthora rot, violet root rot, and white root rot was 31, 34, and 3, respectively. Also, the total number of mixed infection orchards was 6. Out of 9,112 apple trees affected by dieback, the trees damaged by Phytophthora rot, violet root rot, and white root rot were 3,332, 3,831, and 44, respectively. Moreover, the total number of mixed infection apple trees was 1,905. The provinces mainly affected were Gyeongnam, Gyeongbuk, Chungbuk, and Jeonbuk. The survey on these infected apple orchards will be available to form management strategy for the dieback that had been increased by soil-borne fungal pathogens.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.42 no.4
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• pp.297-310
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• 2023

M.7 rootstock is moderately resistant to fire blight. However, M.7 is generally too vigorous for high-density apple systems, but it can be grafted onto cultivars that exhibit weak tree growth, such as 'Sansa'. This study investigated the vegetative growth, yield, and fruit quality of 'Sansa' apple trees grafted on M.7 or M.9 rootstocks to assess the feasibility of establishing domestic high-density apple systems using M.7 and to determine the optimum exposure length for rootstocks. Trees were planted with exposed rootstock lengths of 5, 10, and 15 cm. The vegetative growth of apple trees grafted onto M.7 was greater than that of M.9 and vegetative growth tended to decrease as the exposed length of rootstock increased. However, the differences in yield per tree, average weights, soluble solids contents, and titratable acidity due to the rootstock and its exposure length varied. The accumulated yield over a 10 year period and the yield efficiency of M.7 were lower than that of M.9 and the yield efficiency tended to decrease as the exposed length of rootstock increased. When apple trees were grafted onto M.9, biennial bearing and tree vigor weakening occurred if the exposed length of the rootstock was over 10 cm. Conversely, when apple trees were grafted onto M.7, vegetative growth was excessive if the exposed length of rootstock was below 10 cm. Based on the results from this study, the optimum M.7 and M.9 exposure lengths for 'Sansa' were 15 cm and 5 cm, respectively.

• IEIE Transactions on Smart Processing and Computing
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• v.4 no.4
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• pp.265-271
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• 2015

This study proposes an algorithm for recognizing apple trees in images and detecting apples to measure the number of apples on the trees. The proposed algorithm explores whether there are apple trees or not based on the number of image block-unit edges, and then it detects apple areas. In order to extract colors appropriate for apple areas, the CIE $L^*a^*b^*$ color space is used. In order to extract apple characteristics strong against illumination changes, modified census transform (MCT) is used. Then, using the AdaBoost learning algorithm, characteristics data on the apples are learned and generated. With the generated data, the detection of apple areas is made. The proposed algorithm has a higher detection rate than existing pixel-based image processing algorithms and minimizes false detection.

• Journal of the Optical Society of Korea
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.133-140
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• 2012

In this study we investigate the use of 2D and 3D scanning optical coherence tomography (OCT) technology for use in apple blotch diagnosis. In order to test the possible application of OCT as a detection tool for apple trees affected by Marssonina coronaria, we conducted several experiments and compared the results from both healthy and infected leaves. Using OCT, we found several distinctive features in the subsurface boundary regions of both the diseased and healthy leaves. Our results indicate that leaves from diseased trees, while still appearing healthy, can be affected by M. coronaria. The A-scan analysis method confirmed that the boundaries found under the subsurface layers can be faint. This shows that M. coronaria can exert its influence on entire apple trees (as opposed to only on leaves with lesions) once it infects healthy trees. Our results indicate that OCT can be used as a noninvasive tool for the diagnosis of fungal disease in apple trees. Microscopic imaging results, performed as a histological study for comparison, correlated well with the OCT results.

• Korean journal of applied entomology
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.256-265
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• 1995

The effect ground-cover weeds on the occurrence of apple pests and their natural enemies was studied in an apple orchard in Ahnsung, Kyung-gi do during seasons of 1993 and 1994. The major apple pests and their parasitoids and predators were surveyed on the apple tree canopy in tow experimental plots; a weed-free lot where all weeds were removed by herbicide treatment, and a mowed plot where weeds were allowed restrictly by cutting with an asickle. Also, a sweep net sampling was taken from ground-cover weeds in the mowed plot. There were no significant differences in the abundance of mite and aphids between two plots, although mite densities tend to be lower in the mowed plot. The apple leaf miner, Phyllonorycter ringoniella, was significantly fewer in the mowed plot,. The densities of natural enemies of mites and aphids were slightly higher in the mowed plot. The parasitism of apple leaf miner in the mowed plot was 6~10% and 20~25% higher than that in the weed-free plot in 1993 and 994, respectively. Several natural enemies such as Apanteles kuwayamai (Braconidae), Orius sauteri (Anthocoridae), Chrysopa sp. (Chrysopidae), coccinellidae, and Eulophidae were collected both from weeds and the apple trees, However, potential apple pests were not observed on weeds. The development of insect community on the apple tree canopy was restricted by the pesticide spray on apple trees, while the insect community on weeds was maintained without significant destruction by pesticides spray on apple trees. Consequentely, the ground-cover weeds under apple trees affected occurrences of apple pests and their natural enemies in apple trees. te specialist natural enemies such as apple leaf miner's parasitoids dispersed from weeds to the apple canopy and affected apple leaf miner density significantly. However, generalist predators that have preys available on weeds stayed on weeds, hence their control effects for mites and aphids on the apple canopy were low.

• Plant Disease and Agriculture
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.46-49
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• 1999

Bacterial blight occurred on the flowers, leaves, twigs and branches of apple trees (Malus domestica Borkh) in Chunchon, Kangwon-Do. Infected flowers and leaves turned brownish black, and they were fallen down or remained hanging in the trees. Under humid conditions during postblossom period, the casual bacterium spreaded along twigs and killed them. However, killing of branches was very rare. The symptoms on apple trees were very similar to symptoms of fire blight. But the causal organism isolated from the lesions was identified as Pseudomonas syringae based on physiological and chemical characteristics. This is the first described bacterium that causes apple shoot blight in Korea.

• Journal of Agricultural Extension & Community Development
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.423-429
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• 1997

Under the WTO system in the world, our country's apple industry must be set in quite a new aspect. For new apple industry with competition power, we should establish apple industry development strategies as follows. First, to change the present apple trees to the lowered or dwarf tree with high density planting system using M9 rootstocks. Second, to expand the size of apple orchard management and to bring up as professional apple farmers. Third, to develop the integrated apple production system considering environment and human being. Fourth, to innovate improved harvest, storage and shipment system. Finally, Rural Extension Institution should activate the farmer's training and produce the apple nursery trees of better quality.

• Korean Journal of Organic Agriculture
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• v.19 no.spc
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• pp.165-168
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• 2011

An organic apple (Malus ${\times}$ domestics Borkh.) orchard was established to study the interaction effects of ground cover management systems (GMS) and nutrient sources (NS) on soil and tree nutrient status and tree growth. Trees received one of four GMS: 1) green compost (GC), 2) wood chips (WC), 3) shredded paper (SP), and 4) mow-and-blow (MB). Across all GMS, one of three NS was applied: A) a commercial organic fertilizer (CF), B) poultry litter (PL), and C) control (NF). Overall, GMS had greater effects on the variables than did NS. GC mulch supplied greater nutrients, followed by WC, SP, and MB mulches. SP trees had lower foliar [N] in the first two years than the GC and WC trees. GC-and WC-treated trees had larger trunk cross sectional area than the SP and MB trees.