• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.42 no.1
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• pp.93-98
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• 2014

This study was conducted to investigate the inhibitory effect of Ecklonia cava (EC) and Eisenia bicyclis (EB) ethanol extract on histamine production in mackerel. Changes in viable cell counts, histamine contents, pH and VBN of mackerel fillet treated with ethanol extracts during 25 days at 4 were measured. Treatments of EC and EB ethanol extract had reduced growth of viable cells by 2 log cycles during storage. Production of histamine was decreased by EC and EB extracts (115 and 96 ppm) when compared to the control at 5 days (384 ppm). The pH of mackerels treated with EC and EB extracts were no different, while the pH of the control increased during storage. Furthermore, the VBN of mackerels treated with EC and EB extracts were significantly decreased when compared to the control. In conclusion, EC and EB extract may reduce scombroid fish poisoning by decreasing histamine production in mackerel during refrigerated storage.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.231-238
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• 2014

BACKGROUND: Biochar (BC) has a great potential for enhancing soil fertility and carbon sequestration while facilitating beneficial waste disposition. Therefore, it is essential to assess and mitigate any inadvertent consequences associated with soil biochar amendment. Earthworm activity is very vital in the soil system, yet there are a limited number of studies that have examined their impact resulting from biochar application to soil. METHODS AND RESULTS: In this study, the survival, growth, reproductive tests, and oxidative DNA damage tests (measured by 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) and catalase (CAT) activities) to assess the potential toxicity to earthworm Eisenia fetida in artificial soil amended with BCs were investigated. The BCs derived from perilla meal, sesame meal, and pumpkin seed were pyrolyzed at 300 and $550^{\circ}C$, and then amended with soil at a rate of 5%. All the earthworms survived, but lost weight compared to control soil after 28 day incubation period. Moreover, the BC-amended soils did not significantly affect the cocoon numbers of earthworms. Slightly higher concentrations of 8-OHdG and CAT were observed in earthworms present in BC-treated soil than those in control soil. Furthermore, the 8-OHdG concentrations in the soil amended with BC produced at $550^{\circ}C$ were greater than those at $300^{\circ}C$, and it slightly decreased as the incubation time increased. CONCLUSION: These observations could be due to higher contents of toxic metal(loid)s and also higher pH in BCs pyrolyzed at $550^{\circ}C$ than $300^{\circ}C$. While BC is efficiently being used in agricultural fields, this study suggests that it is required to assess the unintended negative impacts of BC on soil ecosystems.

• Asian Journal of Turfgrass Science
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.191-198
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• 2010

Effective sampling method and distribution of earthworms in turfgrasses of golf courses were investigated at 10 Korean golf clubs. Tea tree extract was highly effective in extracting Eisenia andrei compared with mustard oil or formalin. 1000-fold diluent of tea tree extract (4 L/$m^2$) was more effective than 500- and 2000-fold. Sampling efficacy of earthworm increased as soil depth decreased. Additional watering after treatment of tea tree extract did not significantly influence the sampling of earthworms. Eight earthworm species in 4 genera were collected from turfgrasses of 10 golf courses with 4 L of 1000-fold diluent of tea tree extract (15% tea saponin)/$m^2$. Among, dominant earthworm was Amynthas heteropodus and collected 147 individuals from 6 golf clubs. Thirteen Drawida japonica was collected from 3 golf clubs and A. hilgendorfi and A. hupeiensis were collected from 2 golf clubs. A. hupeiensis was not collected with 1000-fold diluent of tea tree extract (15% tea saponin)/$m^2$.

• Journal of the Korea Organic Resources Recycling Association
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.51-62
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• 2005

The effects of the processing mixture of food wastes and various organic wastes when vermicomposted on earthworm(Eisenia foefida) growth, the cast production amounts and the chemical properties of casts were evaluated. The substrates used in this experiments were cow manure, pig manure sludge, fermented pig manure with sawdust, nightsoil sludge, and sewage sludge and were respectively mixed with food wastes at a ratios of 50:50(v/v). The control consisted of food wastes alone without other wastes. All of earthworm died in the food wastes 100%, therefore the process of food wastes alone by vermicomposting was impossible in this experiment. Worm cast produced sufficiently contained quantities of available phosphorus, exchangeable potassium, exchangeable magnesium, and cation exchange capacity. The increase of earthworm's biomass occured on the mixtures of food wastes and cow manure, fermented pig manure with sawdust. Dry weight of worm cast was the highest on the mixtures of food wastes and fermented pig manure with sawdust and the proportion of cast weight after vermicomposting was significantly the highest on the mixtures of food wastes and cow manure($p{\leq}0.05$). Also, the mixtures of food wastes and cow manure, and fermented pig manure with sawdust showed a positive values of conversion rate and conversion efficiency rate of organic matter to earthworm tissue than that of other treatments. These results suggested that cow manure and fermented pig manure with sawdust are adequate to process with food wastes by vermicomposting.

• The Korean Journal of Soil Zoology
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• v.8 no.1_2
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• pp.13-16
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• 2003

Disposal possibility of raw food wastes which have various characters without any washing and composting process was tested directly using the earthworm, Eisenia andrei. The amount of feeding treatment a day by the earthworm was investigated according to input amount of 1.5 kg/m$^2$ or 3.0 kg/m$^2$ of fifteen food wastes with the different pH and EC. Earthworm disposed an average of 0.87 kg/m$^2$/day of food wastes at the constant temperature of 15$^{\circ}C$ and 1.01 kg/m$^2$/day at 2$0^{\circ}C$. The most disposal among fifteen food wastes was the food waste with pH 5.3 and EC 17.7 as 1.59 kg/m$^2$/day at 15$^{\circ}C$ and as 1.63 kg/m$^2$/day at 2$0^{\circ}C$. The least disposal was the food waste with pH 3.9 and EC 17.7 as 0.31 kg/m$^2$/day at 15$^{\circ}C$ and as 0.53 kg/m$^2$/day at 2$0^{\circ}C$. It took an average 4 days to dispose the amount of 3 kg raw food wastes at 15$^{\circ}C$ and 3.3 days at 2$0^{\circ}C$.

• Journal of the Korea Organic Resources Recycling Association
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.104-112
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• 2006

Population growths of earthworm were investigated when the earthworm populations with different levels of initial densities per unit area were fed with cow dung mixed with paper mill sludge. The tested levels of earthworm densities were as follows; $1kg/m^2$, $2kg/m^2$, $3kg/m^2$, $5kg/m^2$. There were no significant differences in population growth rates 60 and 90 days after feed supply among the tested densities of earthworm. Therefore, it was suggested that initial densities of earthworm populations per unit area higher than $3kg/m^2$ should not be favorable because of the cost for purchasing earthworm. Vermicomposting rates of earthworm on feed were also investigated when different amounts of feed were supplied repeatedly to unit area of nursery bed with $5kg/m^2$ of initial densities earthworm populations. The tested amounts of feed at each supplying time were as follows; $16kg/m^2$, $24kg/m^2$, $32kg/m^2$, $40kg/m^2$. The more the amount of feed at each supplying time, the higher vermicomposting rate and population growth rate. Therefore, it should be more favorable for earthworm breeders to supply more than $40kg/m^2$ of feed at each supplying time, because it would reduce time and labor cost.

• Korean Journal of Organic Agriculture
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.425-435
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• 2007

This study was conducted to investigate the effect of different ratios of rice straw to swine manure as an earthworm feed on the change of physico-chemical characteristics and earthworm viability during composting, and further to provide the basic information for an efficient vermicomposting using the manure of livestock. Experimental earthworm used in this study was Eisenia foetida and the ratio of swine manure and rice straw was determined to 100:0(SM), 90:10(SRS 10), 80:20(SRS20), 70:30(SRS30) and 60:40(SRS40) on the basis of volume. The results are summarized as follows. Earthworm appeared after 8 week of aging period, and it was possible for the earthworm to survive in all the treatments. C/N ratio was significantly higher (P<0.05) in the treatments of rice straw mixture (SRS30 and SRS40) than swine manure alone (SM treatment). Appropriate C/N ratio for earthworm survival was the range of 10.43 to 11.16. During the period of aging, pH value and electrolytic conductivity (EC) were the highest in the treatment of swine manure alone. However, as the inclusion of rice straw was increased, pH value and EC showed a decreasing tendency. Appropriate pH value and EC for earthworm survival were 7.7 to 7.8, and 2.72 to 4.59mS/cm, respectively. The results from this study indicated that mixing swine manure with rice straw more improved more physico-chemical environment for earthworm growth in comparison with swine manure alone, and rice straw showed the sufficient possibility as a bulking agent for an efficient vermicomposting of swine manure.

• Asian Journal of Turfgrass Science
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.1-8
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• 2010

Occurrence of earthworms for turfgrass growing seasons and effect of earthworms by some plant extracts and plant oils in golf courses were investigated at the three locations golf courses in Korea 2005 to 2006. There were no differences in monthly occurrence of earthworm except Anseong Benest Golf Club, namely, Anseong Benest Golf Club was highly occurred in July in 2006. Density of earthworm was not different between fairway and rough in Dongrae Benest Golf Club (opened in 1971) while density was higher in rough than fairway in Anseong Benest Golf Club (opened in 1999) and Gapyeong Benest Golf Club (opened in 2000). In case of Gapyeong Benest Golf Club, earthworm density was higher in old courses than recently opened courses. Effect of plant extracts such as mustard oil, wintergreen oil, Quisqualis indica, Daphne genkwa, Pharbitis nil, Zingiber officinale, Xanthium strumarium, and Camellia sinensis on earthworm, mustard oil, wintergreen oil and tea saponin were highly toxic to earthworm, Eisenia andrei. In the pot experiment, 100% of Eisenia andrei was dead at the treatment of 500-fold of aquatic solution of tea saponin (12.4% a.i.).

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.40-47
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• 2009

Heavy reliance on organosynthetic chemical methods to control agricultural pest tends to deteriorate and lower fertility of soil. We studied annual occurrence of earthworm in environment-friendly agroecosystem and attempted to determine the degree of soil contamination. Candidate bioindicators of earthworm in agroecosystem were selected through analysis of earthworm diversities. Depending on the degree of pesticide use, the fields were devided into conventional, less-pesticide, pesticide free, and organic fields. A nearby field not in agricultural use was chosen as a control. This study was carried out in the greenhouses (lettuce and grape) in 2006 and in orchards (apple, pear, peach, citrus and grape) in 2007. Earthworm was collected from 50 $\times$ 50 $\times$ 10 cm$^3$ of respective soil. We found 11 species from 5 genera and 3 families, and 12 species from 4 genera and 3 families in the greenhouses and in orchards, respectively. The contents of organic matter in soil in the greenhouses were variable but quite less so in orchards. Amynthas heteropodus occurred most frequently in both sites suggesting that it could be adopted as a bioindicator in agroecosystem in Korea.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.51-55
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• 1975

In this study two sets of experiments were undertaken. Firstly, the embryonated eggs and first-stage larvae, sprayed in disinfected soil, were exposed to different temperatures. Then, the viabilities of them were weekly determined by inoculating the soil to earthworms, Eisenia foetida. Secondly, the infective larvae, seperated from the earthworms and suspended in tap water, were also exposed to different temperatures and their viabilities were checked microscopically at weekly intervals. The results were summerized as follows: 1. The maximum longevities of embryonated eggs and first-stage larvae were determined as 1 week at $35^{\circ}C$, over 36 weeks at $25^{\circ}C$, $15^{\circ}C$, and $5^{\circ}C$, 32 weeks at $-5^{\circ}C$, and under 1 week at $-15^{\circ}C$. 2. The mean numbers of infective larvae detected from the test earthworms were greatest at $5^{\circ}C$, and decreased with rise or fall of the temperature. 3. Infective larvae freed from the intermediate host were able to survive for 2 weeks at $25^{\circ}C$ and 3 weeks at $15^{\circ}C$. However, they lost their viabilities in a week at $35^{\circ}C$, $5^{\circ}C$, $-5^{\circ}C$, and $-15^{\circ}C$. 4. The number of living infective larvae at $15^{\circ}C$ was greater than at $25^{\circ}C$.