• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.103-134
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• 1977

The physiological and biochemical role of potassium for upland crops according to recent research reports and the nutritional status of potassium in Korea were reviewed. Since physical and chemical characteristics of potassium ion are different from those of sodium, potassium can not completely be replaced by sodium and replacement must be limited to minimum possible functional area. Specific roles of potassium seem to keep fine structure of biological membranes such as thylacoid membrane of chloroplast in the most efficient form and to be allosteric effector and conformation controller of various enzymes principally in carbohydrate and protein metabolism. Potassium is essential to improve the efficiency of phoro- and oxidative- phosphorylation and involve deeply in all energy required metabolisms especially synthesis of organic matter and their translocation. Potassium has many important, physiological functions such as maintenance of osmotic pressure and optimum hydration of cell colloids, consequently uptake and translocation of water resulting in higher water use efficiency and of better subcellular environment for various physiological and biochemical activities. Potassium affects uptake and translocation of mineral nutrients and quality of products. potassium itself in products may become a quality criteria due to potassium essentiality for human beings. Potassium uptake is greatly decreased by low temperature and controlled by unknown feed back mechanism of potassium in plants. Thus the luxury absorption should be reconsidered. Total potassium content of upland soil in Korea is about 3% but the exchangeable one is about 0.3 me/100g soil. All upland crops require much potassium probably due to freezing and cold weather and also due to wet damage and drought caused by uneven rainfall pattern. In barley, potassium should be high at just before freezing and just after thawing and move into grain from heading for higher yield. Use efficiency of potassium was 27% for barley and 58% in old uplands, 46% in newly opened hilly lands for soybean. Soybean plant showed potassium deficiency symptom in various fields especially in newly opened hilly lands. Potassium criteria for normal growth appear 2% $K_2O$ and 1.0 K/(Ca+Mg) (content ratio) at flower bud initiation stage for soybean. Potassium requirement in plant was high in carrot, egg plant, chinese cabbage, red pepper, raddish and tomato. Potassium content in leaves was significantly correlated with yield in chinese cabbage. Sweet potato. greatly absorbed potassium subsequently affected potassium nutrition of the following crop. In the case of potassium deficiency, root showed the greatest difference in potassium content from that of normal indicating that deficiency damages root first. Potatoes and corn showed much higher potassium content in comparison with calcium and magnesium. Forage crops from ranges showed relatively high potassium content which was significantly and positively correlated with nitrogen, phosphorus and calcium content. Percentage of orchards (apple, pear, peach, grape, and orange) insufficient in potassium ranged from 16 to 25. The leaves and soils from the good apple and pear orchards showed higher potassium content than those from the poor ones. Critical ratio of $K_2O/(CaO+MgO)$ in mulberry leaves to escape from winter death of branch tip was 0.95. In the multiple croping system, exchangeable potassium in soils after one crop was affected by the previous crops and potassium uptake seemed to be related with soil organic matter providing soil moisture and aeration. Thus, the long term and quantitative investigation of various forms of potassium including total one are needed in relation to soil, weather and croping system. Potassium uptake and efficiency may be increased by topdressing, deep placement, slow-releasing or granular fertilizer application with the consideration of rainfall pattern. In all researches for nutritional explanation including potassium of crop yield reasonable and practicable nutritional indices will most easily be obtained through multifactor analysis.

• KOREAN JOURNAL OF CROP SCIENCE
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.69-86
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• 1969

On the growing of the interspecific hybrid ginseng plant, the phenomena of hybrid vigoures are observed in the root, stem, and leaf, but it can not produce seeds favorably since the ovary is abortive in most cases in interspecific hybrid plants. The present investigation was undertaken in an attempt to elucidate the embryological dses of the seed failure in the interspecific hybrid of ginseng (Panax Ginseng ${\times}$ P. Quinque folium). And the results obtained may be summarized as follows. 1). The vegetative growth of the interspecific hybrid ginseng plant is normal or rather vigorous, but the generative growth is extremely obstructed. 2). Even though the generative growth is interrupted the normal development of ovary tissue of flower can be shown until the stage prior to meiosis. 3). The division of the male gameto-genetic cell and the female gameto-genetic cell are exceedingly irregular and some of them are constricted prior to meiosis. 4). At meiosis in the microspore mother cell of the interspecific hybrid, abnormal division is observed in that the univalent chromosome and chromosome bridge occure. And in most cases, metaphasic configuration is principally presented as 23 II+2I, though rarely 22II+4I is also found. 5). Through the process of microspore and pollen formation of F1, the various developmental phases occur even in an anther loclus. 6). Macro, micro and empty pollen grains occur and the functional pollen is very rare. 7). After the megaspore mother cell stage, the rate of ovule development is, on the whole, delayed but the ovary wall enlargement is nearly normal. 8). Degenerating phenomena of ovules occur from the megaspore mother cell stage to 8-nucleate embryo sac stage, and their beginning time of constricting shape is variously different. 9). The megaspore arrangement in the parent is principally of the linear type, though rarely the intermediate type is also observed, whereas various types, viz, linear, intermediate, Tshape, and I shape can be observed in hybrid. 10). After meiosis, three or five megaspore are some times counted. 11). Charazal end megaspore is generally functional in the parents, whereas, in F1, very rarely one of the center megaspores (the second of the third megaspore) grows as an embryo sac mother cell. 12). In accordance with the extent of irregularity or abnormality in meiosis, division of embryo sac nuclei and embryo sac formation cause more nucellus tissue to remain within th, embryo sac. 13). Even if one reached the stage of embryo sac formation, the embryo sac nuclei are always precarious and they can not be disposed to theil proper, respective position. 14). Within the embryo sac, which is lacking the endospermcell, the 4-celled proembryo, linear arrangement, is observed. 15). Through the above respects, the cause of sterile or seed failure of interspecific hybrid would be presumably as follows, By interspecific crossing gene reassortments takes place and the gene system influences the metabolism by the interference of certain enzyme as media. In the F1 plant, the quantity and quality of chemicals produced by the enzyme system and reaction system are entirely different from the case of the parents. Generally, in order to grow, form, and develop naw parts it is necessary to change the materials and energy with reasonable balance, whereas in the F1 plant the metabolic process becomes abnormal or irregular because of the breakdown of the balancing. Thus the changing of the gene-reaction system causes the alteration of the environmental condition of the gameto-genetic cells in the anther and ovule; the produced chemicals cause changes of oxidatio-reduction potential, PH value, protein denaturation and the polarity, etc. Then, the abnormal tissue growing in the ovule and emdryo sac, inhibition of normal development and storage of some chemicals, especially inhibitor, finally lead to sterility or seed failure. Inconclusion, we may presume that the first cause of sterile or seed abortion in interspecific hybrids is the gene reassortment, and the second is the irregularity of the metabolic system, storage of chemicals, especially inhibitor, the growth of abnormal tissue and the change of the polarity etc, and they finally lead to sexual defect, sterility and seed failure.