• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.113 no.1
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• pp.97-106
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• 2024

Evaluating carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) inputs from litterfall is important for soil nutrient management to enhance forest productivity and to understand the mechanisms of nutrient cycling in forest ecosystems. This study was conducted to compare C and N inputs from litterfall components of Cryptomeria japonica D. Don an d Chamaecyparis obtusa Endlicher planted in adjacent sites in the Jinju Research and Experimental Forests in Gyeongsangnam-do, South Korea. Litterfall into litter traps was collected at three-month intervals between December 2020 and December 2021, and the C and N concentrations of the litterfall components were measured. Litterfall amounts were not significantly different between the plantations, except for reproductive litterfall components. Litterfall accumulation peaked between December and March. The litterfall C concentration in the needle and seed litterfall was significantly higher for C. obtusa than for C. japonica. By contrast, the C concentrations in needle and flower litterfall differed seasonally. The mean N concentration of needle litterfall was significantly higher in C. japonica (0.96%) and C. obtusa collected between June and September (1.01%) than in the other seasons (C. japonica: 0.43%; C. obtusa: 0.53%). Carbon and N inputs in both plantations were highest in needle litterfall collected from December to March and lowest in needle litterfall collected from June to September. Annual C input by litterfall was similar between the plantations (C. japonica: 3,054 kg C ha^-1 yr^-1; C. obtusa: 3,129 kg C ha^-1 yr^-1), whereas total N input was higher for C. japonica (46.93 kg N ha^-1 yr^-1) than for C. obtusa (25.17 kg N ha^-1 yr^-1). The higher N input in the C. japonica plantation than in the C. obtusa plantation was associated with the input of reproductive components. These results could be applied to improve stand-scale models of C and N cycling by litterfall components in C. japonica an d C. obtusa plantations.

• Journal of Oral Medicine and Pain
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.137-150
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• 2007

Trees emit phytoncide into atmosphere to protect them from predation. Phytoncide from different trees has its own unique fragrance that is referred to as forest bath. Phytoncide, which is essential oil of trees, has microbicidal, insecticidal, acaricidal, and deodorizing effect. The present study was performed to examine the effect of phytoncide on Porphyromonas gingivalis, which is one of the most important causative agents of periodontitis and halitosis. P. gingivalis 2561 was incubated with or without phytoncide extracted from Hinoki (Chamaecyparis obtusa Sieb. et Zucc.; Japanese cypress) and then changes were observed in its cell viability, antibiotic sensitivity, morphology, and biochemical/molecular biological pattern. The results were as follows: 1. The phytoncide appeared to have a strong antibacterial effect on P. gingivalis. MIC of phytoncide for the bacterium was determined to be 0.008%. The antibacterial effect was attributed to bactericidal activity against P. gingivalis. It almost completely suppressed the bacterial cell viability (>99.9%) at the concentration of 0.01%, which is the MBC for the bacterium. 2. The phytoncide failed to enhance the bacterial susceptibility to ampicillin, cefotaxime, penicillin, and tetracycline but did increase the susceptibility to amoxicillin. 3. Numbers of electron dense granules, ghost cell, and vesicles increased with increasing concentration of the phytoncide, 4. RT-PCR analysis revealed that expression of superoxide dismutase was increased in the bacterium incubated with the phytoncide. 5. No distinct difference in protein profile between the bacterium incubated with or without the phytoncide was observed as determined by SDS-PAGE and immunoblot. Overall results suggest that the phytoncide is a strong antibacterial agent that has a bactericidal action against P. gingivalis. The phytoncide does not seem to affect much the profile of the major outer membrane proteins but interferes with antioxidant activity of the bacterium. Along with this, yet unknown mechanism may cause changes in cell morphology and eventually cell death.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.1-20
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• 1972

The trend and achievements of forest genetics research in abroad were investigated through observation tours and reference work and following facts were found to be important aspects which should be adopted in the forest genetics research program in Korea. Because of world wide recognization on the urgency of taking a measure to reserve some areas of the representative forest type on the globe before the extingtion of such forest type as the results of continuous exploitations of the natural forests to meet the timber demand all over the world, it is urgently needed to take a measure to reserve certain areas of natural stand of Pinus koraiensis, Pinus parviflora, Pinus densiflora f. erectra, Abies koreana, Quercus sp., Populus sp., etc. as gene pool to be used for the future program of forest tree improvement. And the genetic studies of those natural forest of economic tree species are also to be performed. 1. Increase of the number of selected tree for breeding purpose. Because of the fact that the number of plus tree at present is too small to carry out selection program for tree improvement, particularly for the formation of source population for recurrent selection of parent trees of the 2nd generation seed orchard it is to be strongly emphasized to increase the number of plus tree by alleviating selection criteria in order to enlarge the population size of plus trees to make the selection program more efficient. 2. Progeny testing More stress should be placed on carrying out progeny testing of selected trees with open pollinated seeds. And particular efforts are to be made for conducting studies on adult/juvenile correlation of important traits with a view to enable to predict adult performances with some traits revealed in juvenile age thus to save time for progeny testing. 3. Genotype-environment interaction Studies on genotype and environment interaction should be conducted in order to elucidate whether the plus trees selected on the good site express their superiority on the poor site or not and how the environment affect the genotype. And the justification of present classification of seed distribution area should be examined. 4. Seed orchard of broad leaf tree species. Due to the difficulty of accurate comparison of growth rate of neighbouring trees of broad leaf tree species in natural stand, it is recommended that for the improvement of broad leaf trees a seedling seed orchard is to be made by roguing the progeny test plantation planted densely with control pollinated seedlings of selected trees. 5. Breeding for insect resistant varieties. In the light of the fact that the resistant characteristics against insect such as pine gall midge (Thiecodiplosis japonensis U. et I.) and pine bark beetle (Myelophilus pinipera L.) are highly correlated with the amount and quality of resin which are known as gene controlled characteristics, breeding for insect resistance should be carried out. 6. Breeding for timber properties. With the tree species for pulp wood in particular, emphasis should be placed upon breeding for high specific gravity of timber. 7. Introduction of Cryptomeria and Japanese Cypress In the light of the fact that the major clones of Cryptomeria are originated from Yoshino source and are being planted up to considerably north and high elevation in Japan, those species should be examined on their cold resistance in Korea by planting them in further northern part of the country.