• Korean Journal of Weed Science
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.107-114
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• 2012

This study was conducted to evaluate the weed suppressing effects of different cropping system including hairy vetch (Vicia villosa) and rye (Secale cereale) cover crops, polyethylene plastic film, and transplanting film mulching in direct sowing and transplanted sorghum field in 2011. Crop growth and development and weed occurrences in the fields were examined to know the efficiency of proposed cropping system. In polyethylene film mulching treatment, heading date of sorghum was earlier by 3 days than control, on the other hands, rye cover crop mulching delayed heading date by 11 days. Besides the effect of cover crop on the heading of sorghum, the residues changed growth characteristics. Plant height of sorghum was increased by 27.3% at hairy vetch treatment although it was reduced by 47.5% in the rye cover crop treatment. Hairy vetch treatment showed beneficial effects on sorghum growth reduced the occurrences of grasses and broadleaf weeds to 84% and 96%, respectively, as compared to control in sorghum fields. While rye cover crop treatment showed poor sorghum growth reduced less strongly grasses and broadleaf weeds by 35% and 71%, respectively. At harvest, yield of sorghum was greater in order of hairy vetch cover crop > polyethylene film mulching > rye cover crop ${\fallingdotseq}$ control in both transplanted and direct sown fields.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.555-562
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• 2012

PCR was performed to analyze the ${\beta}$-lactamase genes carried by ampicillin-resistant Vibrio spp. strains isolated from marine environments in Korea between 2006 and 2009. All 36 strains tested showed negative results in PCR with the primers designed from the nucleotide sequences of various known ${\beta}$-lactamase genes. This prompted us to screen new ${\beta}$-lactamase genes. A novel ${\beta}$-lactamase gene was cloned from Vibrio alginolyticus KV3 isolated from the aquaculture water of Geoje Island of Korea. The determined nucleotide sequence (VAK-3 ${\beta}$-lactamase) revealed an open reading frame (ORF) of 852 bp, encoding a protein of 283 amino acids (aa), which displayed low homology to any other ${\beta}$-lactamase genes reported in public databases. The deduced 283 aa sequence of VAK-3, consisting of a 19 aa signal peptide and a 264 aa mature protein, contained highly conserved peptide segments specific to class A ${\beta}$-lactamases including the specific amino acid residues STFK (62-65), SDN (122-124), E (158), and RTG (226-228). Results from PCR performed with primers specific to the VAK-3 ${\beta}$-lactamase gene identified 3 of the 36 isolated strains as V. alginolyticus, Vibrio cholerae, and Photobacterium damselae subsp. damselae, indicating the utilization of various ${\beta}$-lactamase genes including unidentified ones in ampicillin-resistant Vibrio spp. strains from the marine environment. In a mating experiment, none of the isolates transfered the VAK-3 ${\beta}$-lactamase gene to the Escherichia coli recipient. This lack of mobility, and the presence of a chromosomal acyl-CoA flanking sequence upstream of the VAK-3 ${\beta}$-lactamase gene, led to the assumption that the location of this new ${\beta}$-lactamase gene was in the chromosome, rather than the mobile plasmid. Antibiotic susceptibility of VAK-3 ${\beta}$-lactamase was indicated by elevated levels of resistance to penicillins, but not to cephalosporins in the wild type and E. coli harboring recombinant plasmid pKV-3, compared with those of the host strain alone. Phylogenetic analysis showed that VAK-3 ${\beta}$-lactamase is a new and separate member of class A ${\beta}$-lactamases.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.518-524
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• 2010

A mannanase gene (man26B) was obtained from a sea bacterium, Paenibacillus sp. BME-14, through the constructed genomic library and inverse PCR. The gene of man26B had an open reading frame of 1,428 bp that encoded a peptide of 475- amino acid residues with a calculated molecular mass of 53 kDa. Man26B possessed two domains, a carbohydrate binding module (CBM) belonging to family 6 and a family 26 catalytic domain (CD) of glycosyl hydrolases, which showed the highest homology to Cel44C of P. polymyxa (60% identity). The optimum pH and temperature for enzymatic activity of Man26B were 4.5 and $60^{\circ}C$, respectively. The activity of Man26B was not affected by $Mg^{2+}$ and $Co^{2+}$, but was inhibited by $Hg^{2+},\;Ca^{2+},\;Cu^{2+},\;Mn^{2+},\;K^+,\;Na^+$, and $\beta$-mercaptoethanol, and slightly enhanced by $Pb^{2+}$ and $Zn^{2+}$. EDTA did not affect the activity of Man26B, which indicates that it does not require divalent ions to function. Man26B showed a high specific activity for LBG and konjac glucomannan, with $K_m,\;V_{max}$, and $k_{cat}$ values of 3.80 mg/ml, 91.70 ${\mu}mol$/min/mg protein, and 77.08/s, respectively, being observed when LBG was the substrate. Furthermore, deletion of the CBM6 domain increased the enzyme stability while enabling it to retain 80% and 60% of its initial activity after treatment at $80^{\circ}C$ and $90^{\circ}C$ for 30 min, respectively. This finding will be useful in industrial applications of Man26B, because of the harsh circumstances associated with such processes.

• Proceedings of the Botanical Society of Korea Conference
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• 2002.04a
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• pp.62-72
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• 2002

This study has investigated the biosynthesis and function of the heavy metal binding peptides, the phytochelatins, in plants. PCs are synthesised enzymatically from glutathione by the enzyme PC synthase in the presence of heavy metal ions. Using Arabidopsis thaliana as a model organism cadmium-sensitive, phytochelatin-deficient mutants have been isolated and characterised in previous studies. The cadl mutants have wildtype levels of glutathione, are PC deficient and lack PC synthase activity. Thus, the CADl gene has been proposed to encode PC synthase. The CADl gene was isolated by a positional cloning strategy The gene was mapped and a candidate identified. Each of four cadl mutants had a single base pair change in the candidate gene and the cadmium-sensitive, cadl phenotype was complemented by the candidate gene. This demonstrated the CADl gene had been cloned. A homologous gene in the fission yeast, Schizosaccharomyces pombe was identified through database searches. A targeted-deletion mutation of this gene was constructed and the mutant, like cadl mutants of Arabidopsis, was cadmium-sensitive and PC-deficient. A comparison of the redicted amino acid sequences reveals a highly conserved N-terminal region Presumed to be the catalytic domain and a variable C-terminal region containing multiple Cys residues proposed to be involved in activation of the enzyme by metal ions. Similar genes were also identified in animal species. The Arabidopsis CADl/AtPCSl and S. pombe SpbPCS genes were expressed in E. coli and were shown to be sufficient for glutathione-dependent, heavy metal activate PC synthesis in vitro, thus demonstrating these genes encode PC synthase enzymes. Using RT-PCR, AtPCSl expression appeared to be independent of Cd exposure. However, at higher levels of Cd exposure a AtPCSl-CUS reporter gene construct appeared to be more highly expressed. Using the reporter gene construct, AtPCSl was expressed most tissues. Expression appeared to be greater in younger tissues and same higher levels of expression was observed in some regions, including carpels and the base of siliques. AtPCS2 was a functional gene encoding an active PC synthase. However, its Pattern of expression and the phenotype of a mutant (or antisense line) have not been determined. Assuming the gene is functional then it has clearly been maintained through evolution and must provide some selective advantage. This implies that, at least in some cells or tissue, it is likely to be the dominant PC synthase expressed. This remains to be determined

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.43 no.1
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• pp.105-112
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• 2010

Applications of plant residues and green manures generally improve the properties of soil under conventional farming system. Therefore, we investigated the improvement of selected soil physical properties, bulk density, porosity, and water content, soil penetration resistance, and soil microbial biomass carbon (SMBC) content as affected by different management practices: 1) conventional tillage without rice straw or green manure crop treatment (TNT, check plot), 2) no-tillage amended with rice straw (NTRS), 3) no-tillage amended with rye (NTR), 4) no-tillage amended with Chinese milk vetch (NTCMV), 5) no-tillage without rice straw or green manure crop treatment (NTNT), The values of bulk density, porosity, and water content ranged from 1.22 to 1.37 Mg $m^3$, from 48.3 to 54.0%, and from 35.0 to 40.2%, respectively. The management practices might positively influence the changes in the selected soil properties, especially in the second experimental year. The soil penetration resistance and SMBC content were also improved after applying rice straw and green manure crops as comparing with TNT. Therefore, applications of the rice straw and green manure crop management practices under no-tillage system positively influenced soil physical properties and soil microbial activities in paddy field.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.49 no.5
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• pp.531-540
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• 2016

The adoption of legume cover crops in no-tillage system can contribute to improve soil fertility by providing several benefits, including reduction in soil erosion, suppression of weed growth and N supply to subsequent crops. We conducted a field study to investigate the effect of cover crops and nitrogen fertilization rates on yield and nitrogen use efficiency of waxy corn (Zea mays L.) in no-tillage upland field. Two legume cover crops, hairy vetch (Vicia villosa Roth) and crimson clover (Trifolium incarnuturn L.) were mechanically terminated with roller in early June. For each cover crop treatment, nitrogen (N) fertilizer was applied at three different rates (145, 72.5 and $0kg\;N\;ha^{-1}$). The growth and yield characteristics of corn were significantly affected by the N fertilization rates in crimson clover plots, which suggest N mineralization from the cover crop residue was not sufficient. In contrast, N fertilization rates had no significant effect on growth and yield of corn in hairy vetch plots, indicating that the amount of N released from the cover crop is large enough to meet most of the N requirement of corn. However, the application of N fertilizer in hairy vetch cover plots resulted in slight increase of crop yield, though not statically significant, and high levels of N concentration in corn plant tissue possibly due to luxury consumption of N. Organic residues on the soil surface in hairy vetch cover plots had substantial amounts of N after harvest, ranging from 100 to $116kg\;N\;ha^{-1}$, which is presumably retained during winter season and released by microbial mineralization in subsequent year. The highest nitrogen yield efficiency was achieved in the plot with hairy vetch cover and no N fertilizer application, followed by the plot with hairy vetch cover and $72.5kg\;N\;ha^{-1}$ fertilization rate. In conclusion, hairy vetch showed better performance in corn productivity as compared with crimson clover. In addition, it was concluded that the application of N fertilizer between 0 and $72.5kg\;N\;ha^{-1}$ in combination with hairy vetch cover crop might be most efficient for corn yield under no-tillage system with climatic and soil characteristics similar to those of the experimental site.

• Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.40 no.5
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• pp.380-387
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• 1997

Phytopathogenic Erwinia carotovora subsp. carotovora (Ecc) LY34 causes plant tissue maceration by secretion of pectinolytic enzymes such as pectate Iyase (PL) existed as multiple isoenzyme form. Genomic DNA from Ecc LY34 was digested with Sau3Al and ligated into the BamHI site of pBluescript ll $SK^+$. Among them, a clone hydrolyzing polypectate was selected and its DNA was digested with BamHI. Through the subsequent subcloning the resulting 3.1 kb fragment, corresponding to a peICI, was subcloned into pLYPA 100. The structural organization of a peICI gene encoding a 374 amino acid residues consists of an open reading frame (ORF) of 1,122 bp commencing with a ATG start codon and followed by a TAA stop codon. PeICI contained a typical prokaryotic signal peptide of 22-amino acid. Since the deduced amino acid sequences of PeICl protein was very similar to those of PelIII of Erwinia carotovora subsp. carotovora, and to those of Pel3 of Erwinia carotovora subsp. atroseptica, and to those of PeIC of Erwinia carotovora subsp. carotovora, it belong to the same family PLbc group. The 374-amino acld PeICI had a calculated Mr of 40,507 and pI of 7.60.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.301-306
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• 1988

Contents and distribution of amino acids in the hydrolysates of humic acids extracted from straw of rice and barley at three different dates during decomposition were examined. The results obtained from this study may be summed up as the following: 1. There are differences between the humic acid hydrolysates from rice straw and barley straw in regards of composition of humic acids and distribution of amino acids. 2. Neutral amino acids as a group occupy the largest share, followed by acidic amino acids and basic amino acids. 3. The total amount of amino acids per gram of humic acid is greater in straw of rice than in straw of barley. 4. With the humification progressing the content of lysine increases, but the content of histidine decreases. In general glycine, glutamic acid, aspartic acid, alanine and leucine constitute the 5 predominant amino acids in all hydrolysates. 5. Arginine is not detected at all in any of the hydrolysates of humic acids obtained from humified materials. 6. The presence of phenylalanine and tyrosine is an evidence for the aromatic characteristics of humic acids.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.260-269
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• 2021

BACKGROUND: Diquat dibromide is a fast-acting nonselective herbicide and plant growth regulator. In this study, in order to understand the possibility of unintentional pesticide contamination in the following crops, the phytotoxicity and transition of diquat dibromide residue in soil into the following crops such as pepper, radish, lettuce and corn have been assessed through phytotoxicity trial and residual evaluation in the unintentional contamination of the higher residual diquat dibromide. METHODS AND RESULTS: The pepper, radish, lettuce and corn were cultivated in the sandy soil and loam soil where the 35 mg/kg and 90 mg/kg diquat dibromide were applied, respectively. Mild growth inhibition symptoms were observed in radish, lettuce and corn crops at the 90 mg/kg- diquat dibromide treatment on the 30 day of cultivation. Diquat dibromide was analyzed using liquid chromatography QTRAP (LC-MS/MS). The recovery rates of diquat dibromide from soil and crop were determined within range from 89.1 to 116.4% with relative standard deviation less than 14.7%. Diquat dibromide residues in soil were found to be 23.90-30.22 and 69.59-82.57 mg/kg from the 35 mg/kg and 90 mg/kg of diquat dibromide-treated soil, respectively after 30 days of crop cultivation. This result implicates that diquat dibromide did not convert to metabolites and remained mostly in the soil, even though it was partially decomposed during crop cultivation. In addition, the diquat dibromide in pepper and radish that were grown for 47 days, and lettuce and corn that were cultivated for 30 days were detected to be 0.01 mg/kg or less in the sandy loam and loam soil where the 90 mg/kg diquat dibromide was applied. CONCLUSION(S): Diquat dibromide did not cause severe phytotoxicity in the following crops as well as it did not uptake and distribute to the following crops, even though it was considered to be residual in the soil.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.59 no.2
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• pp.225-231
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• 2021

Sesame seed oil cakes are classified as the animal or plant origin among the flammable liquids, and the fire occurs due to the spontaneous ignition through the accumulation of heat during the storage of residues after the extraction of sesame oil. In order to elucidate the cause of the spontaneous ignition of sesame seed oil cakes, the thickness (3 cm, 5 cm, 7 cm and 14 cm) of the sample container was varied, and the spontaneous ignition temperature was measured depending on the storage volume. Thus, the spontaneous ignition temperature was measured to be 180 ℃ at the thickness of 3 cm, 160 ℃ at 5 cm, 145 ℃ at 7 cm and 130 ℃ at 14 cm. As the thickness of the sample container increased, the critical ignition temperature decreased, and the induction time to spontaneous ignition and the time to reach the maximum temperature became longer. Furthermore, the apparent activation energy by the critical ignition temperature, which is the average temperature of ignition and non-ignition, was 97.10 [kJ/mol]. With these data, ignition characteristics of sesame seed oil cakes were determined.