• Journal of Agricultural Extension & Community Development
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.155-166
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• 2000

When the marcher visited Korea in fall 1994, he was shocked to see high rise apartment buildings around the capitol region including Seoul and Suwon, resulting from rising demand of housing because of urban migration followed by second and third industrial development. After 6 years in March 2000, the researcher witnessed more apartment buildings and vinyl house complexes, one of the evidences of continued economic progress in Korea. Korea had to receive the rescue finance from International Monetary Fund (IMF) because of financial crisis in 1997. However, the sign of recovery was seen in a year, and the growth rate of Gross Domestic Products (GDP) in 1999 recorded as high as 10.7 percent. During this period, the Korean government has been working on restructuring of banks, enterprises, labour and public sectors. The major directions of government were; localization, reducing administrative manpower, limiting agricultural budgets, privatization of public enterprises, integration of agricultural organization, and easing of various regulations. Thus, the power of central government shifted to local government resulting in a power increase for city mayors and county chiefs. Agricultural extension services was one of targets of government restructuring, transferred to local governments from central government. At the same time, the number of extension offices was reduced by 64 percent, extension personnel reduced by 24 percent, and extension budgets reduced. During the process of restructuring, the basic direction of extension services was set by central Rural Development Administration Personnel management, technology development and supports were transferred to provincial Rural Development Administrations, and operational responsibilities transferred to city/county governments. Agricultural extension services at the local levels changed the name to Agricultural Technology Extension Center, established under jurisdiction of city mayor or county chief. The function of technology development works were added, at the same time reducing the number of educators for agriculture and rural life. As a result of observations of rural areas and agricultural extension services at various levels, functional responsibilities of extension were not well recognized throughout the central, provincial, and local levels. Central agricultural extension services should be more concerned about effective rural development by monitoring provincial and local level extension activities more throughly. At county level extension services, it may be desirable to add a research function to reflect local agricultural technological needs. Sometimes, adding administrative tasks for extension educators may be helpful far farmers. However, tasks such as inspection and investigation should be avoided, since it may hinder the effectiveness of extension educational activities. It appeared that major contents of the agricultural extension service in Korea were focused on saving agricultural materials, developing new agricultural technology, enhancing agricultural export, increasing production and establishing market oriented farming. However these kinds of efforts may lead to non-sustainable agriculture. It would be better to put more emphasis on sustainable agriculture in the future. Agricultural extension methods in Korea may be better classified into two approaches or functions; consultation function for advanced farmers and technology transfer or educational function for small farmers. Advanced farmers were more interested in technology and management information, while small farmers were more concerned about information for farm management directions and timely diffusion of agricultural technology information. Agricultural extension service should put more emphasis on small farmer groups and active participation of farmers in these groups. Providing information and moderate advice in selecting alternatives should be the major activities for consultation for advanced farmers, while problem solving processes may be the major educational function for small farmers. Systems such as internet and e-mail should be utilized for functions of information exchange. These activities may not be an easy task for decreased numbers of extension educators along with increased administrative tasks. It may be difficult to practice a one-to-one approach However group guidance may improve the task to a certain degree.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.157-169
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• 2020

The purpose of this study is to investigate the ecological characteristics and vegetation structures of Eurya japonica in Busan. As a result of the TWINSPAN and DCA analysis, 89 plots of 100㎡ each were divided into 3 communities: Quercus serrata-Pinus densiflora-E. japonica community, Pinus thunbergii-E. japonica community, and P. thunbergii-Camellia japonica community. Community I consisted of the Quercus serrata-Pinus densiflora-E. japonica which was mainly located in the high altitude inland. While Q. serrata and P. densiflora competed in the tree layer, the dominant species of the understory layer was E. japonica. Since Carpinus tschonoskii, one of the climax species, was distributed evenly from shrub to tree layers, it was likely that deciduous oak trees or Carpinus tschonoskii would become dominant species in community I. In community I, E. japonica was found in higher altitude than the other evergreen broad-leaved tree and was expected to maintain their tree vigor even if the vegetation structure is converted into the deciduous forest. Community II, the P. thunbergii-E. japonica community, was predicted to maintain its tree vigor unless there were unexpected disturbance factors. Community III, consisting of P. thunbergii-C. japonica and located in Dongbaek Island, was under artificial management. In community III, P. thunbergii was the only species in the tree layer, while C. japonica was predominant in the understory layer. E. japonica and various evergreen broad-leaved tree species were present in the understory layer and shrub layer, which were unmanaged areas. Therefore, it is expected that unless C. japonica is continuously managed, E. japonica is likely to become the dominant species. There were also various evergreen broad-leaved species, such as Machilus thunbergii and Pittosporum tobira, present in the shrub layer. If the temperature continues to rise, the habitat is expected to become evergreen broad-leaved forests in the future as P. thunbergii community declines. The result of Pearson's correlation coefficient analysis of E. japonica and species appearing in 89 plots showed that 9 species were had a statistically significant relationship (p<0.05). Four species, including P. tobira and Q. dentata, had a positive correlation. Five species had a negative correlation, and C. japonica, which had the same ecological position as E. japonica, showed the most negative correlation at -0.384.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.44 no.6
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• pp.1239-1244
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• 2011

Importance of climate change and its impact on agriculture and environment has increased with a rise of greenhouse gases (GHGs) concentration in Earth's atmosphere. Nitrous oxide ($N_2O$) emission in upland fields were assessed in terms of emissions and their control at the experimental plots of National Academy of Agricultural Science (NAAS), Rural Development Administration (RDA) located in Suwon city. It was evaluated $N_2O$ emissions with different growing periods (spring and autumn seasons), tillage and no tillage conditions in a chinese cabbage field. The results were as follows: 1) An amount of $N_2O$ emissions were high in the order of Swine manure compost>NPK>Hairy vetch+N fertilizer. By tillage and no tillage conditions, $N_2O$ emissions were reduced to 33.7~51.8% (spring season) and 31.4~76.7% (autumn season) in no-tillage than tillage conditions. 2) In autumn season than those spring season, $N_2O$ emissions at NPK, hairy vetch+N fertilizer and swine manure compost were reduced to 49.6%, 39.0% and 60.0%, respectively, in tillage treatment and 59.5%, 70.6% and 58.7%, respectively, in no-tillage treatment. 3) $N_2O$ emission measured in this study was 15.2~86.4% lower with tillage and no tillage treatments than that of the IPCC default value (0.0125 kg $N_2O$-N/kg N).

• Korean Journal of Weed Science
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.210-233
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• 1993

The herbicide has become indispensable as much as nitrogen fertilizer in Korean agriculture from 1970 onwards. It is estimated that in 1991 more than 40 herbicides were registered for rice crop and treated to an area 1.41 times the rice acreage ; more than 30 herbicides were registered for field crops and treated to 89% of the crop area ; the treatment acreage of 3 non-selective foliar-applied herbicides reached 2,555 thousand hectares. During the last 25 years herbicides have benefited the Korean farmers substantially in labor, cost and time of farming. Any herbicide which causes crop injury in ordinary uses is not allowed to register in most country. Herbicides, however, can cause crop injury more or less when they are misused, abused or used under adverse environments. The herbicide use more than 100% of crop acreage means an increased probability of which herbicides are used wrong or under adverse situation. This is true as evidenced by that about 25% of farmers have experienced the herbicide caused crop injury more than once during last 10 years on authors' nationwide surveys in 1992 and 1993 ; one-half of the injury incidences were with crop yield loss greater than 10%. Crop injury caused by herbicide had not occurred to a serious extent in the 1960s when the herbicides fewer than 5 were used by farmers to the field less than 12% of total acreage. Farmers ascribed about 53% of the herbicidal injury incidences at their fields to their misuses such as overdose, careless or improper application, off-time application or wrong choice of the herbicide, etc. While 47% of the incidences were mainly due to adverse natural conditions. Such misuses can be reduced to a minimum through enhanced education/extension services for right uses and, although undesirable, increased farmers' experiences of phytotoxicity. The most difficult primary problem arises from lack of countermeasures for farmers to cope with various adverse environmental conditions. At present almost all the herbicides have"Do not use!" instructions on label to avoid crop injury under adverse environments. These "Do not use!" situations Include sandy, highly percolating, or infertile soils, cool water gushing paddy, poorly draining paddy, terraced paddy, too wet or dry soils, days of abnormally cool or high air temperature, etc. Meanwhile, the cultivated lands are under poor conditions : the average organic matter content ranges 2.5 to 2.8% in paddy soil and 2.0 to 2.6% in upland soil ; the canon exchange capacity ranges 8 to 12 m.e. ; approximately 43% of paddy and 56% of upland are of sandy to sandy gravel soil ; only 42% of paddy and 16% of upland fields are on flat land. The present situation would mean that about 40 to 50% of soil applied herbicides are used on the field where the label instructs "Do not use!". Yet no positive effort has been made for 25 years long by government or companies to develop countermeasures. It is a really sophisticated social problem. In the 1960s and 1970s a subside program to incoporate hillside red clayish soil into sandy paddy as well as campaign for increased application of compost to the field had been operating. Yet majority of the sandy soils remains sandy and the program and campaign had been stopped. With regard to this sandy soil problem the authors have developed a method of "split application of a herbicide onto sandy soil field". A model case study has been carried out with success and is introduced with key procedure in this paper. Climate is variable in its nature. Among the climatic components sudden fall or rise in temperature is hardly avoidable for a crop plant. Our spring air temperature fluctuates so much ; for example, the daily mean air temperature of Inchon city varied from 6.31 to $16.81^{\circ}C$ on April 20, early seeding time of crops, within${\times}$2Sd range of 30 year records. Seeding early in season means an increased liability to phytotoxicity, and this will be more evident in direct water-seeding of rice. About 20% of farmers depend on the cold underground-water pumped for rice irrigation. If the well is deep over 70m, the fresh water may be about $10^{\circ}C$ cold. The water should be warmed to about $20^{\circ}C$ before irrigation. This is not so practiced well by farmers. In addition to the forementioned adverse conditions there exist many other aspects to be amended. Among them the worst for liquid spray type herbicides is almost total lacking in proper knowledge of nozzle types and concern with even spray by the administrative, rural extension officers, company and farmers. Even not available in the market are the nozzles and sprayers appropriate for herbicides spray. Most people perceive all the pesticide sprayers same and concern much with the speed and easiness of spray, not with correct spray. There exist many points to be improved to minimize herbicidal phytotoxicity in Korea and many ways to achieve the goal. First of all it is suggested that 1) the present evaluation of a new herbicide at standard and double doses in registration trials is to be an evaluation for standard, double and triple doses to exploit the response slope in making decision for approval and recommendation of different dose for different situation on label, 2) the government is to recognize the facts and nature of the present problem to correct the present misperceptions and to develop an appropriate national program for improvement of soil conditions, spray equipment, extention manpower and services, 3) the researchers are to enhance researches on the countermeasures and 4) the herbicide makers/dealers are to correct their misperceptions and policy for sales, to develop database on the detailed use conditions of consumer one by one and to serve the consumers with direct counsel based on the database.