• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.44 no.5
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• pp.773-778
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• 2011

Long-term continuous application of livestock by-products to agricultural land may adversely affect the soil characteristics and the crop yield. Five year term study from 2007 was carried out to assess the effects of repeated application of low-concentration swine slurry on soil chemical properties including phosphate and heavy metal contents and yield of tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) and cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) in a greenhouse. Treatments were conventional chemical fertilizers and three application rates of low-concentration swine slurry (Slurry composting and biofiltration, SCB): 50%, 100%, and 200% of recommended nitrogen fertilization. For swine slurry treatment of 50% nitrogen, deficient nitrogen was supplemented with urea fertilizer. The soil phosphorus and heavy metal contents after five year continuous application of swine slurry were not significantly higher than those of chemical fertilizer use. Repeated application of the swine slurry alone for five years resulted in relatively high soil exchangeable potassium and sodium compared with chemical fertilizer treatment. Contents of heavy metals in leaves of tomato and cucumber did not show significant difference among treatments. Yields of the crops for the swine slurry were not significantly different from that of chemical fertilizer. The results imply that continuous application of the swine slurry may not influence levels of soil phosphate and trace elements in greenhouse soils but could accumulate potassium and sodium in the soil.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.44 no.6
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• pp.1286-1294
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• 2011

This paper reviews the future directions and perspectives on the soil environmental researches in the 21 century. Previously, the principal emphasis of soil environmental researches had put on the enhancement of food and fiber productions. Beside the basic function of soil, however, the societal needs on soil resources in the 21st century have demands for several environmental and social challenges, occurring regionally or globally. Typical global issues with which soil science should deal include food security with increasing agronomic production to meet the exploding world population growth, adaptation and mitigation of climate change, increase of the carbon sequestration, supply of the biomass and bioenergy, securing the water resource and quality, protection of environmental pollution, enhancing the biodiversity and ecosystem health, and developing the sustainable farming/cropping system that improve the use efficiency of water and agricultural resources. These challenges can be solved through the sustainable crop production intensification (SCPI) or plant welfare concept in which soil plays a key role in solving the abovementioned global issues. Through implementation of either concept, soil science can fulfill the goal of the modern agriculture which is the sustainable production of crops while maintaining or enhancing the ecosystem function, quality and health. Therefore, directions of the future soil environmental researches should lie on valuing soil as an ecosystem services, translating research across both temporal and spatial scales, sharing and using data already available for other purposes, incorporating existing and new technologies from other disciplines, collaborating across discipline, and translating soil research into information for stakeholders and end users. Through the outcomes of these approaches, soil can enhance the productivity from the same confined land, increase profitability, conserve natural resource, reduce the negative impact on environment, enhance human nutrition and health, and enhance natural capital and the flow of ecosystem services. Soil is the central dogma, final frontier and new engine for the era of sustainability development in the $21^{st}$ century and thus soil environmental researches should be carried according to this main theme.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Grassland and Forage Science
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• v.41 no.3
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• pp.210-216
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• 2021

Pollution of agricultural soil by alkaline salts, such as Na₂CO₃, is a critical and long-lasting problem in cultivable land. The aim of the study was to examine the putative role of citric acid (CA) in alleviating Na₂CO₃-stress in alfalfa. In this study, Na₂CO₃ significantly induced leaf chlorosis, inhibited plant growth and photosynthesis related parameters, increased hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) and reduced major antioxidant enzymes (SOD, CAD, APX) in alfalfa. However, the presence of CA these negative effects of Na₂CO₃-stress largely recovered. Interestingly, expression of antioxidant and ion transporter genes (Fe-SOD, CAT, APX, DHAR and NHX1) involved in Reactive oxygen species (ROS) homeostasis and oxidative stress tolerance in alfalfa. These findings suggest that CA-mediated Na₂CO₃ stress alleviation is an ecofriendly approach that would be useful to local farmer for alfalfa and other forage crop cultivation in alkaline soils.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Agricultural Engineers
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• v.61 no.3
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• pp.1-14
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• 2019

North Korea has frequently suffered from extreme agricultural crop droughts, which have led to food shortages, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). The increasing frequency of extreme droughts, due to global warming and climate change, has increased the importance of enhancing the national capacity for drought management. Historically, a meteorological drought index based on data collected from weather stations has been widely used. But it has limitations in terms of the distribution of weather stations and the spatial pattern of drought impacts. Satellite-based data can be obtained with the same accuracy and at regular intervals, and is useful for long-term change analysis and environmental monitoring and wide area access in time and space. The Evaporative Stress Index (ESI), a satellite-based drought index using the ratio of potential and actual evaporation, is being used to detect drought response as a index of the droughts occurring rapidly over short periods of time. It is more accurate and provides faster analysis of drought conditions compared to the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI), and the Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI). In this study, we analyze drought events during 2015-2017 in North Korea using the ESI satellite-based drought index to determine drought response by comparing with it with the SPI and SPEI drought indices.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.26 no.5
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• pp.49-59
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• 2021

The effects of green manure crops, hairy vetch and sesban, supplemented with HS (humic substance) on biological soil health indicators was studied in a pot containing two kinds of reclaimed soil previously contaminated with petroleum hydrocarbons; a soil remediated by land-farming (DDC) and another soil by low-temperature thermal desorption (YJ). Treatments include no plant (C), plants only (H), and plants+2% HS (PH), which were evaluated in a pot containing respective soil. Biological indicators include microbial community analysis as well as soil enzyme activities of dehydrogenase, 𝛽-glucosidase, N-acetyl-𝛽-D-glucosaminidase (NAG), acid/alkaline phosphatase, arylsulfatase, and urease. Results showed an increase of enzyme activities in pot soils with plants and even greater in soils with plants+HS. The enzyme activities of DDC soil with plants (DDC_P) and with plants+HS (DDC_PH) increased 1.6 and 3.9 times on average, respectively than those in the control. The enzyme activities YJ soil with plants (YJ_P) and with plant+HS (YJ_PH) increased 1.8 and 3.8 times on average, respectively than those in the control. According to microbial community analysis, the relative abundance of nitrogen-fixing bacteria in DDC and YJ soil was increased from 1.5% to 7% and from 0 to 5%, respectively, after planting hairy vetch and sesban. This study showed that mixed planting of green manure crops with a supplement of humic substance is highly effective for the restoration of biological health indicators of reclaimed soils.

• Current Photovoltaic Research
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.51-58
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• 2021

Solar water pumping system (SWPS) is reliable and beneficial for Indian farmers in irrigation and crop production without accessing utility. The capability of easy installation and deployment, makes it an attractive option in remote areas without grid access. The selection of portable solar based pumps is pertaining to its longer life and economic viability due to lower running cost. The work presented in this manuscript intends to demonstrate performance analysis of portable systems. Consequent investigation reveals PSWS as the emerging option for rural household and marginal farmers. This can be attributed to the fact that, a considerable portion (around 45.7%) of the country's land is farmland and irrigation options are yet to reach farmers who entirely rely on rain water at present for harvesting of the crops. According to census 2010-2011 tube wells are the main source for irrigation amongst all other sources followed by canals. Out of the total 64.57-million-hectare net irrigation area, 48.16% is accounted by small and marginal holdings, 43.77% by semi-medium and medium holdings, and 8.07% by large holdings. As per 2015-16 census data, nearly 100 million farming households would struggle to make ends meet. The work included in this manuscript, presents the performance of different commercial brands and different technologies of DC surface solar water micro pumping systems have been studied (specifically, the centrifugal and reciprocating type pumps have been considered for analysis). The performance of the pumping systems has been analyzed and data is evaluated in terms of quantity of water impelled for specific head. The reciprocating pump has been observed to deliver the best system efficiency.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Agricultural Engineers
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• v.63 no.4
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• pp.55-64
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• 2021

The expansion of upland crop cultivation in rice paddy fields is recommended by the Korean government to solve the problem of falling rice price and reduction of rice farmer's income due to oversupply of rice. However, water use efficiency is significantly influenced by the land use change from paddy field to upland. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the water budget of soybean grown in using APEX (Agricultural Policy and Environmental eXtender) model. The amount of runoff was measured in a test bed located in Iksan, Jeollabu-do and used to calibrate and validate the simulated runoff by APEX model. From 2019 to 2020, the water budget of soybean grown in uplands were estimated and compared with the one grown in paddy fields. The calibration result of AP EX model for runoff showed that R² (Coefficient of determination) and NSE (Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency) were 0.90 and 0.89, respectively. In addition, the validated results of R² and NSE were 0.81 and 0.62, respectively. The comparative study of each component in water budget showed that the amounts of evapotranspiration and percolation estimated by APEX model were 549.1 mm and 375.8mm, respectively. The direct runoff amount from upland was 390.1 mm, which was less than that from paddy fields. The average amount of irrigation water was 28.7 mm, which was very small compared to the one from paddy fields.

• The Korean Journal of Food & Health Convergence
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.13-19
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• 2019

Proximate analysis of Ipomea batatass L. grown in two different locations in Imo State were investigated. Standard soil analytical method was used to determine the physiochemical contents of the two soil sample collected from Mgbidi and Orji Ipomea batatass L. farm land. The soil sand from Ipomea batatass L. root in Orji farm recorded highest percentage value of 75.00% compared to the soil sand Ipomea batatass L. root in Mgbidi farm with 27.00% value. The percentage value of silt was different as the soil Ipomea batatass L. root in Mgbidi farm had high value of 29.40% while soil silt of Ipomea batatass L. root in Orji farm had 13.40%. The soil clay, pH, Phosphorus and Nitrogen from Ipomea batatass L. root in Mgbidi farm recorded highest percentage value of 43.60%, 5.7, 23.20 and 0.35 compared to the soil sand Ipomea root in Orji farm with 11.60%, 5.4, 16.70 and 0.09 value respectively. Ca, Mg, K, and Na analyzed followed the same trend as the soil from Ipomea root in Mgbidi farm had high percentage value of Ca (10.00), Mg (1.60), K (0.54) and Na (0.43) respectively. The systematic study of physiochemical of the Ipomea soils could help in understanding the nutritional composition, the basic characteristics of the soils and the constraints associated with the management of the soils from the two locations.

• Journal of Forest and Environmental Science
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.1-13
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• 2021

The realities of Climate change and its untold implications on the livelihood of man are no longer new worldwide. In attempts to subdue the negative implications of Climate change scenario globally, several measures have being suggested and being put in place. One of such measures is urban reforestation especially in the developing nations where forest resources have extremely and uncontrollably exploited. Most of cities in developing nations are almost devoid of regularly maintained trees for whatever purpose. Thus, the enormous roles which urban tree performs are lacked in most cities. In order to subdue excessive heat in cities arising from exposure of urban land areas urban reforestation exercise needs to be embarked upon. The investigation was carried out through desk studies and review of relevant publications to examine what it entails to have a sustainable reforestation programme in cities. The study revealed that several factors need to be taken into consideration if sustainable urban reforestation will be achieved, especially in developing countries. These factors include urban soil nutrients status investigation, appropriate tree type study, public perception about the tree types, relevant legal instrument to achieve successful reforestation exercise in cities among others were found to be salient to this exercise. Urban reforestation has enormous potentials to subdue Climate change consequences, including urban renewal if adequate provision is made for its sustainability, especially in developing countries. To ensure this is realized it is recommended that relevant ministry/agency could be put in charge for the maintaining, cutting and replanting of urban tree and all that are involved in urban tree sustainability.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
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• v.49 no.2
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• pp.379-387
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• 2022

A large amount of the mineral nitrogen is necessary for crop growth. With the use of nitrogen fertilizers, agricultural yield has increased during the last few decades. However, at the same time, nitrate from the cultivated land can be a source of environmental pollution, especially in water systems. For nitrogen management, it is necessary to analyze the pattern of nitrogen movement in soil. In this study, nitrogen leaching in upland soils was evaluated using undisturbed lysimeters with different soil textures during sesame cultivation. The soil texture of the lysimeters was clay loam (Songjung series) and sandy loam (Sangju series) soils. Sesame was cultivated from May 25 to August 24 in 2020. The standard amount of NPK fertilizer (N-P₂O₅-K₂O = 2.9-3.1-3.2 kg·10 a^-1) was applied before sowing. The amount of nitrogen leaching was calculated by multiplying the nitrogen (NO₃-N + NH₄-N) concentration and the amount of water drained below 1.5 m soil depth. The water was drained through percolation into macropores in the clay loam lysimeter. In contrast, in the sandy loam lysimeter, water drained more slowly than in the clay loam lysimeter. There was a slight difference in the total amount of leachate during the cultivation period, but the amount of nitrogen leaching was high in sandy loam soil. During the sesame cultivation period, the amount of nitrogen leaching from clay soil was 5.64 kg·10 a^-1, and 10.70 kg·10 a^-1 for sandy soil. We found that there was a difference in leaching depending on the soil physical characteristics. Therefore, it is necessary to consider the characteristics of soil to evaluate the leaching of nitrogen.