• Research in Plant Disease
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.136-142
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• 2019

Drought stress is considered as one of major abiotic stresses; it leads to reduce plant growth and crop productivity. In this study, we selected bacterial strains for alleviating drought stress in chili pepper plants. As drought-tolerant bacteria, 28 among 447 strains were pre-selected by in vitro assays including growth in drought condition with polyethylene glycol and plant growth-promoting traits including production of 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate deaminase, indole-3-acetic acid and exopolysaccharide. Sequentially, 7 among pre-selected 28 strains were screened based on relative water content (RWC); GLC02 and KJ40, among seven strains were finally selected by RWC and malondialdehyde (MDA) in planta trials under an artificial drought condition by polyethylene glycol solution. Two strains GLC02 and KJ40 reduced drought stress in a natural drought condition as well as an artificial condition. Strains GLC02 or KJ40 increased shoot fresh weight, chlorophyll and stomatal conductance while they decreased MDA in chili pepper plants under a natural drought condition. However, two strains did not show biocontrol activity against diseases caused by Phytophthora capsici and Xanthomonas campestris pv. vesicatoria in chili pepper plants. Taken together, strains GLC02 or KJ40 can be used as bio-fertilizer for alleviation of drought stress in chili pepper plants.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.40 no.1
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• pp.49-59
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• 2021

BACKGROUND: Soil salinity causes reduction of crop productivity. Rhizosphere microbes have metabolic capabilities and ability to adaptation of plants to biotic and abiotic stresses. Plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB) could play a role as elicitors for inducing tolerance to stresses in plants by affecting resident microorganism in soil. This study was conducted to demonstrate the effect of selected strains on rhizosphere microbial community under salinity stress. METHODS AND RESULTS: The experiments were conducted in tomato plants in pots containing field soil. Bacterial suspension was inoculated into three-week-old tomato plants, one week after inoculation, and -1,000 kPa-balanced salinity stress was imposed. The physiological and biochemical attributes of plant under salt stress were monitored by evaluating pigment, malondialdehyde (MDA), proline, soil pH, electrical conductivity (EC) and ion concentrations. To demonstrate the effect of selected Bacillus strains on rhizosphere microbial community, soil microbial diversity and abundance were evaluated with Illumina MiSeq sequencing, and primer sets of 341F/805R and ITS3/ITS4 were used for bacterial and fungal communities, respectively. As a result, when the bacterial strains were inoculated and then salinity stress was imposed, the inoculation decreases the stress susceptibility including reduction in lipid peroxidation, enhanced pigmentation and proline accumulation which subsequently resulted in better plant growth. However, bacterial inoculations did not affect diversity (observed OTUs, ACE, Chao1 and Shannon) and structure (principle coordinate analysis) of microbial communities under salinity stress. Furthermore, relative abundance in microbial communities had no significant difference between bacterial treated- and untreated-soils under salinity stress. CONCLUSION: Inoculation of Bacillus strains could affect plant responses and soil pH of tomato plants under salinity stress, whereas microbial diversity and abundance had no significant difference by the bacterial treatments. These findings demonstrated that Bacillus strains could alleviate plant's salinity damages by regulating pigments, proline, and MDA contents without significant changes of microbial community in tomato plants, and can be used as effective biostimulators against salinity stress for sustainable agriculture.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.45 no.7
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• pp.502-511
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• 2022

Bacterial volatile compounds (BVCs) exert beneficial effects on plant protection both directly and indirectly. Although BVCs have been detected in vitro, their detection in situ remains challenging. The purpose of this study was to investigate the possibility of BVCs detection under in situ condition and estimate the potentials of in situ BVC to plants at below detection limit. We developed a method for detecting BVCs released by the soil bacteria Bacillus velezensis strain GB03 and Streptomyces griseus strain S4-7 in situ using solid-phase microextraction coupled with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (SPME-GC-MS). Additionally, we evaluated the BVC detection limit in the rhizosphere and induction of systemic immune response in tomato plants grown in the greenhouse. Two signature BVCs, 2-nonanone and caryolan-1-ol, of GB03 and S4-7 respectively were successfully detected using the soil-vial system. However, these BVCs could not be detected in the rhizosphere pretreated with strains GB03 and S4-7. The detection limit of 2-nonanone in the tomato rhizosphere was 1 µM. Unexpectedly, drench application of 2-nonanone at 10 nM concentration, which is below its detection limit, protected tomato seedlings against Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato. Our finding highlights that BVCs, including 2-nonanone, released by a soil bacterium are functional even when present at a concentration below the detection limit of SPME-GC-MS.

• The Korean Journal of Mycology
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• v.44 no.1
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• pp.36-47
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• 2016

This study was conducted to evaluate five different strains of rhizobacterial isolates viz. PA1, PA2, PA4, PA5 and PA12 for biological control against Colletotrichum acutatum, C. coccodes, C. gloeosporioides, C. dematium, Botrytis cinerea, Rhizoctonia solani, Sclerotinia minor and Fusarium sp. In vitro inhibition assay was performed on three different growth mediums, potato dextrose agar (PDA), tryptic soy agar (TSA), and PDA-TSA (1:1 v/v) for the selection of potential antagonistic isolates. According to the result, isolate PA2 showed the highest inhibitory effect with 65.5% against C. coccodes on PDA and with 96.5% against S. minor on TSA. However, the same isolate showed the highest inhibition with 58.5% against C. acutatum on PDA-TSA. In addition, an in vivo experiment was performed to evaluate these bacterial isolates for biological control against fungal pathogens. Plants treated with bacteria were analyzed with phytopathogens and plants inoculated with phytopathogens were treated with isolates to determine the biological control effect against fungi. According to the result, all five isolates tested showed inhibitory effects against phytopathogens at various levels. Mode of action of these rhizobacterial isolates was evaluated with siderophore production, protease assay, chitinase assay and phosphate solubilizing assay. Bacterial isolates were identified by 16S rDNA sequencing, which showed that isolates PA1 and PA2 belong to Bacillus subtilis, whereas, PA4, PA5, and PA12 were identified as Bacilus altitudinis, Paenibacillus polymyxa and Bacillus amyloliquefaciens, respectively. Results of the current study suggest that rhizobacterial isolates can be used for the plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) effect as well as for biological control of various phytopathogens.

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.36 no.5
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• pp.455-468
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• 2023

We aimed to assess the potential growth-promoting effects of buckwheat sprout on intestinal bacteria and their anti-inflammation effects in a cellular model of intestinal inflammation. The growth of Bifidobacterium longum ssp. infantis BT1 was enhanced with the addition of the sprout extract of tartary buckwheat. Further, in the inflammatory model cells cultured with Raw 264.7 cells were treated with buckwheat sprout including each 10 probiotics before the addition of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to induce inflammation in Raw 264.7 cells. Buckwheat sprout in both Bifidobacterium longum ssp. infantis BT1 and Lacticaseibacillus paracasei LPC5 significantly reduced the production of NO and PGE₂. The above results indicate that buckwheat sprout extract which contains with various physiologically active substances such as rutin, quercetin, and choline is effective in suppressing NO and PGE₂ production, which are inflammation-related indicators. The present study suggests that buckwheat sprout could induce positive effects on the intestinal beneficial bacteria and in anti-inflammation.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.39 no.3
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• pp.213-220
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• 2015

Background: Korean ginseng (Panax ginseng Meyer) is a perennial herb prone to various root diseases, with Phytophthora cactorum being considered one of the most dreaded pathogens. P. cactorum causes foliar blight and root rot. Although chemical pesticides are available for disease control, attention has been shifted to viable, eco-friendly, and cost-effective biological means such as plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) for control of diseases. Methods: Native Bacillus amyloliquefaciens strain HK34 was isolated from wild ginseng and assessed as a biological control agent for ginseng. Leaves from plants treated with HK34 were analyzed for induced systemic resistance (ISR) against P. cactorum in square plate assay. Treated plants were verified for differential expression of defense-related marker genes using quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. Results: A total of 78 native rhizosphere bacilli from wild P. ginseng were isolated. One of the root-associated bacteria identified as B. amyloliquefaciens strain HK34 effectively induced resistance against P. cactorum when applied as soil drench once (99.1% disease control) and as a priming treatment two times in the early stages (83.9% disease control). A similar result was observed in the leaf samples of plants under field conditions, where the percentage of disease control was 85.6%. Significant upregulation of the genes PgPR10, PgPR5, and PgCAT in the leaves of plants treated with HK34 was observed against P. cactorum compared with untreated controls and only pathogen-treated plants. Conclusion: The results of this study indicate HK34 as a potential biocontrol agent eliciting ISR in ginseng against P. cactorum.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.49 no.2
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• pp.144-156
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• 2016

Soil is a dynamic biological system, in which it is difficult to determine the composition of microbial communities. Knowledge of microbial diversity and function in soils are limited because of the taxonomic and methodological limitations associated with studying the organisms. In this review, approaches to measure microbial diversity in soil were discussed. Research on soil microbes can be categorized as structural diversity, functional diversity and genetic diversity studies, and these include cultivation based and cultivation independent methods. Cultivation independent technique to evaluate soil structural diversity include different techniques such as Phospholipid Fatty Acids (PLFA) and Fatty Acid Methyl Ester (FAME) analysis. Carbon source utilization pattern of soil microorganisms by Community Level Physiological Profiling (CLPP), catabolic responses by Substrate Induced Respiration technique (SIR) and soil microbial enzyme activities are discussed. Genetic diversity of soil microorganisms using molecular techniques such as 16S rDNA analysis Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis (DGGE) / Temperature Gradient Gel Electrophoresis (TGGE), Terminal Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (T-RFLP), Single Strand Conformation Polymorphism (SSCP), Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (RFLP) / Amplified Ribosomal DNA Restriction Analysis (ARDRA) and Ribosomal Intergenic Spacer Analysis (RISA) are also discussed. The chapter ends with a final conclusion on the advantages and disadvantages of different techniques and advances in molecular techniques to study the soil microbial diversity.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.45 no.5
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• pp.817-821
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• 2012

Soil samples collected from abounded mines of Boryeong area in South Korea were used in isolating bacterial strains and their capacity to solubilize inorganic phosphates and heavy metal tolerance were assessed in vitro. Three different inorganic phosphate sources (Ca phosphate, Fe phosphate, and Al phosphate) and four different heavy metals (Co, Cd, Pb and Zn) each with three concentrations ($100{\mu}g\;mL^{-1}$, $200{\mu}g\;mL^{-1}$, and $400{\mu}g\;mL^{-1}$) were used. The bacterial isolates PSB-1, PSB-2, PSB-3, and PSB-4 solubilized significantly higher amount of Ca phosphate during the first five days of incubation though subsequent drop in soluble phosphorus level in the medium was observed at the later stage (after 5 days) of the incubation. Solubilization of Ca phosphate and Fe phosphate was concomitant with the acidification of the culture medium compared to the control where it remained constant. Isolated strains could solubilize Fe phosphate to certain extent ($25-45{\mu}g\;mL^{-1}$) though solubilization of Al phosphate was found negligible. All the isolates were tolerant to heavy metals (Cd, Pb, and Zn) up to the concentration of $400{\mu}g\;mL^{-1}$ except PSB-1 and PSB-8, which were shown to be vulnerable to Co even at $100{\mu}g\;mL^{-1}$. Heavy metal tolerant strains should be further evaluated for plant growth promoting activities also under field conditions in order to assess their agricultural and environmental significance.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.43 no.4
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• pp.522-527
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• 2010

Gibberellic acid ($CA_3$) is used in many industries and constitutes the primary gibberellins produced by fungi and bacteria. However, there is no information on $CA_3$ production by Methylobacterium oryzae CBMB20, a novel plant growth promoting bacterium. We investigated the favorable carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) sources and ratios and cultural conditions, such as incubation temperature, pH of the culture medium, and incubation period for the maximum production of $CA_3$ by Methylobacterium oryzae CBMB20. Maximum $CA_3$ production was observed in ammonium mineral salt (AMS) broth supplemented with Na-succinate and $NH_4Cl$ as C and N sources, respectively. The maximum $CA_3$ production was found at the C/N ratio of 5:0.4 g $L^{-1}$. The highest $CA_3$ production was obtained when the bacterial culture was incubated at $30^{\circ}C$ for 96 h at pH 7.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.13-24
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• 2023

Sewage sludge has been widely used as an organic fertilizer in agriculture. However, sewage sludge can cause serious malodor problems resulting from the decomposition of organic compounds in anaerobic conditions. The malodor of sewage sludge mainly occurs due to a low carbon to nitrogen ratio (C/N), high moisture, and low temperature, which are ideal conditions for ammonia emissions. Therefore, in this study, we investigated the reduction of the odor-causing ammonia nitrogen (NH₃-N) in sewage sludge by co-application of microbes and methanol (MeOH). The physico-chemical properties of the municipal sewage sludge showed that the odor was mainly caused by a higher NH₃-N content (2932.2 mg L^-1). Supplementation with MeOH (20%) as a carbon source in the sewage sludge significantly reduced the NH₃-N up to 34.2% by increasing C/N ratio. Furthermore, the sewage sludge was treated with the NH₃-N reducing and plant growth promoting (PGP) bacteria Stenotrophomonas rhizophila SRCM 116907. The treatment with S. rhizophila SRCM 116907 significantly increased the seedling vigor index of Lolium perenne (10.3%) and Chrysanthemum burbankii (42.4%). The findings demonstrate that supplementing sewage sludge with methanol significantly reduces ammonia emissions, thereby mitigating malodor problems. Overall, the study highlights the potential of using a microbial and methanol approach to improve the quality of sewage sludge as an organic fertilizer and promote sustainable agriculture.