• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.41 no.1
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• pp.32-40
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• 2022

BACKGROUND: Climate-smart agriculture (CSA) has been proposed for sustainable agriculture and food security in an agricultural ecosystem disturbed by climate change. However, scientific approaches to local agricultural ecosystems to realize CSA are rare. This study attempted to evaluate the weather condition, rice production, and greenhouse gas emissions from the rice cultivation in Hwaseong-si, Gyeonggi-do to fulfill CSA of the rice cultivation. METHODS AND RESULTS: Over the past 3 years (2017~2019), Chucheong rice cultivar yield and methane emissions were analyzed from the rice field plot (37°13'15"N, 127° 02'22"E) in the Gyeonggi-do Agricultural Research and Extension Services located in Gisan-dong, Hwaseong-si, Gyeonggi-do. Methane samples were collected from three automated closed chambers installed in the plot. The weather data measured through automatic weather station located in near the plot were analyzed. CONCLUSION(S): The rice productivity was found to vary with weather environment in the agricultural ecosystem. And methane emissions are high in a favorable weather condition for rice growth. Therefore, it is necessary to minimize the trade-off between the greenhouse gas emission target for climate change mitigation and productivity improvement for CSA in a local rice cultivation.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.39 no.4
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• pp.334-342
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• 2020

BACKGROUND: To quantify carbon exchange at agricultural ecosystems in South Korea, net ecosystem exchange (NEE) at three croplands including a rice paddy, a bean field and an apple orchard was measured on the basis of the eddy covariance technique. METHODS AND RESULTS: NEE of CO2 during the growing season (June to September) averaged over the recent two years (2018-2019) was the highest at rice (-4.49 g C m-2 day-1), followed by the bean (-3.12 g C m-2 day-1) and apple (-0.93 g C m-2 day-1). The diurnal variation of NEE was the highest at the rice, while the seasonal variation of it was the highest at the bean than others. In terms of yearly variation, the rice paddy and the bean field absorbed more CO2 in 2019 compared to 2018, while the apple orchard absorbed less. CONCLUSION: Our results confirmed that these croplands consistently acted as net sinks for CO2 during the growing season because an amount of CO2 uptake from photosynthesis was larger than one of its emissions from respiration. The quantification of net CO2 exchange at agricultural ecosystems may help to better understand the local carbon cycle over various time scales.

• Korean journal of applied entomology
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.31-42
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• 1990

Storage ecosystems of rough rice, brown rice and polished rice were analyzed form Feb. 1987 to Nov. 1988 to investigate structures and ecological successions in the arthropod communities as well as changes in energy of the systems. The changes in temperature of stored rice showed high degree dependence on the temperature of storage room with time lag of about four weeks. Moisture content of rough rice, brown rice and polished rice during the period were in the range of 12.7$\pm$0.4, 13.1$\pm$0.4 and 13.5$\pm$0.3%, respectively. The arthropod communities in rough rice, brown rice and polished rice were qualitatively and quantitatively different. In rough rice, dominant species changed from Leptinotus reticulatus Endlein to Liposcelisentomophilus Endlein, while in brown rice from Pyralis farinalis L. to Sitophilus oryze (L.), unidentified parasitic wasps, Anisopteromalus calandrae Howard and Tribolium castaneum Herbst and finally to S. oryzae. In polished rice, the arthropod community showed an ecological succession similar to that in brown rice except for a transient dominance of two psocidspecies. Thearthropod community in rough rice was rather simple and unstable in comparison with those in brown rice and polished rice. The 1000 kernel weight of brown rice decreased slightly during the period when the arthropods were active (summer season), while that of rough rice and polished rice remained at the similar level. However, the ash content per unit volume of brown rice as well as rough rice and polished rice showed no increase during the period.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.127-139
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• 2017

Measurements of net ecosystem exchange (NEE) of $CO_2$ based on the eddy covariance technique provide reasonable carbon balance estimates in response to local environmental conditions. In South Korea, the forest ecosystems cover approximately 64% of the total area, thereby strongly affecting regional carbon balances. Cultivated croplands that cover about 17% of the total area should also be considered when calculating the carbon balance of the country. In this study, our objectives were (a) to quantify the range and seasonal variation of NEE at forest ecosystems, including deciduous, coniferous, and mixed forests, and agricultural ecosystems, including rice paddies and a potato field, in South Korea and (b) to compare NEE at ten Fluxnet sites that have the same or similar ecosystems as found in South Korea. The results showed that the forest and agricultural ecosystems were carbon sinks. In Korea, NEE at the forest ecosystems varied between -31 and $-362gC/m^2/yr$, and NEE at the croplands ranged from -210 to $-248gC/m^2/growing$ season. At the deciduous forest, NEE reached low values in late spring, early summer, and early autumn, while at the coniferous forest, it reached low values in spring, early summer, and mid autumn. The young mixed forest was a much stronger carbon sink than the old-growth deciduous and coniferous forests. During each crop growing season, beet had the lowest NEE value within six crops, followed by wither wheat, maize, rice, potato, and soybean. These results will be useful for designing and applying management strategies for the reduction of $CO_2$ emissions.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Agricultural Engineers Conference
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• 2002.10a
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• pp.25-28
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• 2002

The aim of the present study was the evaluation of methods for estimating the vegetation information in the field on the basis of spectral reflectance measured farm field, in particular the estimation of Leaf Area Index(LAI). Variability in tissue optical properties was wavelength-dependent. For rice and bean, the lowest variation was in the visible spectral region and the highest in the near-infrared. The structural attributes of ecosystems determine the relative contribution of tissue and canopy factors that drive variation in a reflectance signal.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Crop Science Conference
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• 2017.06a
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• pp.230-230
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• 2017

About 200 rice varieties for irrigated and rainfed lowland ecosystems were released in the Philippines, which were bred for improving yield under favorable conditions. Root plasticity plays key roles in maintaining crop productivity under abiotic stressed conditions. We hypothesized that some of these varieties possess root plasticity traits in response to water stressed conditions. This study aimed to evaluate the root system development and dry matter production of 14 randomly selected rice varieties (6 irrigated lowland and 9 rainfed varieties) under progressive drought (PDR) and soil moisture fluctuations (SMF) stress conditions. Two experiments were done in rootbox and line source sprinkler systems (LSS). Each of the varieties was subjected to well-watered (WW), PDR and SMF conditions during vegetative stage in rootbox system while the same genotypes were subjected to different intensities of drought stress under LSS. Under rootbox system, PDR and SMF significantly reduced shoot dry matter production in all varieties relative to their WW controls. Among varieties, NSIC Rc238 (irrigated lowland) showed the least reduction in shoot dry weight (SDW) in both PDR (by 11.8%) and SMF (by 26.9%) conditions. Less reductions in SDW of NSICRc238 were partially attributed to the promotion of L-type lateral roots, thus increasing total lateral root length by 24.2% and 30.7% under PDR and SMF, respectively. In LSS, SDW of NSIC Rc238 under mild drought stress (16-21% soil moisture content (SMC) had 31.8% reduction relative to its WW control (${\geq}22%SMC$) and had lower sensitivity drought index. Compared with the IR64 susceptible check and NSIC Rc9 tolerant check, NSIC Rc238 had higher SDW by 90.8% and 38.6%, respectively. Furthermore, no rainfed lowland varieties included in the experiment performed well under different water stress treatments. The results implied that some other irrigated lowland rice varieties may also possess drought dehydration avoidance root plasticity traits under water-stressed growing environments.

• Journal of Forest and Environmental Science
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.177-185
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• 2009

Dryland species and ecosystems have developed unique strategies to cope with low and sporadic rainfall. They are highly resilient and recover quickly from prevailing disturbances such as fires, herbivore pressure and drought. Dryland people have engineered pastoral and farming systems, which are adapted to these conditions and have sustained the livelihoods of dryland people for centuries. In this article, we present the status of potentials and threats to dryland biodiversity and explore options for its conservation and sustainable use. Findings of the research can be summarized as follows: (i) The ecosystem goods and services are highly valued by the community but mechanism for wise use of the resources has disappeared, (ii) forests are under the ownership of the government but the local community is the realistic custodian of the forests through village leaderships and environmental committees; (iii) the immediate major threat to dryland biodiversity held in the forests appears to be the degradation of ecosystems and habitats caused by new and powerful forces of environmental degradation such as large scale irrigation of rice farms, poverty-induced overexploitation of natural resources, and disappearance and ignorance of traditional institutions for management of dryland biodiversity. These new forms of disturbances often overpower the legendary resilience of dryland ecosystems and constitute potentially serious threats to dryland biodiversity. Forests, wetlands and oases all of which are micro hot spots of dryland biodiversity, appear to be particularly vulnerable hence the need to set up some rules and regulations for sustainable utilization of these resources.

• Korean journal of applied entomology
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• v.56 no.4
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• pp.331-338
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• 2017

In the present study, we investigated the effects of two herbicide-resistant genetically modified rice (GM rice) varieties, Milyang 204 and Iksan 483, recently developed in Korea on non-target insects and a spider. No difference in host preferences of the English grain aphid Sitobion avenae and the brown planthopper Nilaparvata lugens were observed between GM rice and non-GM rice. Wolf spider Pirata subpiraticus, feeding on N. lugens reared on GM rice or non-GM rice, revealed no significant difference in body weight. P. subpiraticus, fed with N. lugens reared on Milyang 204, showed survival rates similar to that in P. subpiraticus fed with N. lugens reared on non-GM rice. However, P. subpiraticus feeding on N. lugens reared on Iksan 483 demonstrated significantly lower survival rates than that in P. subpiraticus feeding on N. lugens reared on Milyang 204 or non-GM rice. In addition, when larvae of the western honeybee Apis mellifera were supplied with Iksan 483 pollen, a significantly longer pupal period occurred, as compared with that of A. mellifera supplied with pollen of Milyang 204 or non-GM rice. As GM rice has negative effects on P. subpiraticus, which is an important predator in agricultural ecosystems, and on A. mellifera, which plays important roles in pollination and honey production, additional studies on risk assessment of GM rice should be conducted before releasing newly developed herbicide-resistant GM rice to the agricultural environment.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.47 no.spc
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• pp.19-30
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• 2014

Microcystins (MCs) produced by cyanobacteria are severe hepatotoxins for mammalian and protein phosphatase inhibitors. Irrigation water for grain and vegetables is often contaminated with cyanobacteria and microcystin during warm seasons. We assessed the effects of various concentrations (0, 0.01 to $10{\mu}gmL^{-1}$) of microcystin-LR (MC-LR) and microcystin-RR (MC-RR) exposure on Oryza sativa (rice) and Brassica oleraces var. italica (broccoli). The $EC_{50}$ of leaves and roots of rice was 0.9 and $1.1{\mu}gMC-LRmL^{-1}$, respectively. The no observed effect level (NOEL) of rice was less than $0.1{\mu}gmL^{-1}$ ($100{\mu}gL^{-1}$). The $EC_{50}$ of the stems and roots of broccoli was 8.7 and $7.2{\mu}gMC-RRmL^{-1}$, respectively. There was no difference in the germination rate of broccoli among microcystin-RR concentrations. After exposure to 0, 0.01 to $10{\mu}gmL^{-1}$ MC-RR for seven days, 14, 89 and 154 ng mg-1 (dry weight) MC-RR accumulated in B. oleracea. These $EC_{50}$ values showed that microcystin-LR and -RR affected the growth of rice and broccoli. These findings suggest that MC is carried into terrestrial ecosystems via irrigation, and that the biota of higher ecological niches can be influenced by MC through bioaccumulation. Therefore, a guideline for MC concentrations in irrigation water should be set using the NOEL.

• Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
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• v.52 no.1
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• pp.272-287
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• 2019

The Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) was established in 1953 by the Korean War Armistice Agreement. It extends from the estuary of the Imjin River, in the west, to the coast of the East Sea. It is 4 km in width and 148 km in length. However, the ecosystems of the civilian control zone (CCZ) located between the southern border of the DMZ and the civilian control line (CCL) and the CCZ in the estuary of the Han River and the Yellow Sea are similar to those in the DMZ, and, therefore, the ecosystems of the DMZ and the CCZ are collectively known as the "ecosystems of the DMZ and its vicinities." The flora in the DMZ and its vicinities is composed of 1,864 species, which accounts for about 42% of all the vascular plant species on the Korean Peninsula and its affiliated islands. Conducting a detailed survey on the vegetation, flora, and fauna in the DMZ is almost impossible due to the presence of landmines and limitations on the time allowed to be spent in the DMZ. However, to assess the environmental impact of the Munsan-Gaesong railroad reconstruction project, it was possible to undertake a limited vegetation survey within the DMZ in 2001. The vegetation in Jangdan-myeon, in Paju City within the DMZ, was very simple. It was mostly secondary forests dominated by oaks such as Quercus mongolica, Q. acutissima, and Q. variabilis. The other half of the DMZ in Jangdan-myeon was occupied by grassland composed of tall grasses such as Miscanthus sinensis, M. sacchariflorus, and Phragmites japonica. Contrary to the expectation that the DMZ may be covered with pristine mature forests due to more than 60 years of no human interference, the vegetation in the DMZ was composed of simple secondary forests and grasslands formed on former rice paddies and agricultural fields. At present, the only legal protection system planned for the DMZ is the Natural Environment Conservation Act, which ensures that the DMZ would be managed as a nature reserve for only two years following Korean reunification. Therefore, firstly, the DMZ should be designated as a site of domestic legally protected areas such as nature reserve (natural monument), scenic site, national park, etc. In addition, we need to try to designate the DMZ as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve or as a World Heritage site, or as a Ramsar international wetland for international cooperation. For nomination as a world heritage site, we can emphasize the ecological and landscape value of the wetlands converted from the former rice paddies and the secondary forests maintained by frequent fires initiated by military activities. If the two Koreas unexpectedly reunite without any measures in place for the protection of nature in the DMZ, the conditions prior to the Korean War, such as rice paddies and villages, will return. In order to maintain the current condition of the ecosystems in the DMZ, we have to discuss and prepare for measures including the retention of mines and barbed-wire fences, the construction of roads and railroads in the form of tunnels or bridges, and the maintenance of the current fire regime in the DMZ.