• The Korean Journal of Mycology
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.89-91
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• 1986

Sixteen seed samples of nine vegetable crops imported from Japan were tested for plant quarantine by routine methods of seed health testing. Nineteen species of fungi including Alternara alternata were identified from the seed samples. Some species were very frequently detected in the seeds. In this experiment, Verticillium albo-atrum, V. dahliae and Macrophomina sp. from the seeds of spinach, and Cercospora capsici, Drechslera hawaiiensis and V. albo-atrum from the seeds of sweet pepper were detected for the first time, respectively. It has been reported that they had a pathogenicity on some vegetable crops in Japan and other countries. The data suggest that an epidemic damage may be occurred if the infected seeds are sown and cultivated in Korea.

• Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.135-144
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• 1999

Environmental toxicities of priority water pollutants were evaluated by two selected bioassays, Lettuce seed germination/elongation test and Microtox acute toxicity test. Toxic chemicals (heavy metals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and phenolic compounds) inhibited the germination rate and root elongation of Lettuce seed, as well as the bioluminescence of Microtox bacteria. When test biota were exposed to target chemicals, the sensitivity of Lettuce bioassay was relatively lower than that of Microtox bioassay. However, Lettuce bioassay may be a good candidate for prescreening the environmental toxicities of priority water pollutants, since the testing method with Lettuce seed was relatively easier and more economic than with Microtox bacteria. Toxicity tests were conducted to compare the validity and sensitivity of both bioassays for sediment from a small stream passed through urban area as well as leachate from a municipal solid waste landfill. From experimental results, we found that Lettuce test and Microtox test are compensated each other as a battery of bioassay for evaluating the environmental toxicities of field samples obtained from a small stream contaminated by pollutants.

• Mycobiology
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• v.39 no.3
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• pp.206-218
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• 2011

The seed-borne mycoflora of sorghum and foxtail millet collected from different growing areas in South Korea were isolated and taxonomically identified using dry inspection, standard blotter and the agar plate method. We investigated the in vitro and in vitro germination rates of disinfected and non-disinfected seeds of sorghum and foxtail millet using sterilized and unsterilized soil. The percent recovery of seed-borne mycoflora from the seed components of sorghum and foxtail millet seeds was determined and an infection experiment using the dominant species was evaluated for seedling emergence and mortality. A higher number of seed-borne fungi was observed in sorghum compared to that of foxtail millet. Eighteen fungal genera with 34 fungal species were identified from the seeds of sorghum and 13 genera with 22 species were identified from the seeds of foxtail millet. Five dominant species such as Alternaria alternata, Aspergillus flavus, Curvularia lunata, Fusarium moniliforme and Phoma sp. were recorded as seed-borne mycoflora in sorghum and 4 dominant species (Alternaria alternata, Aspergillus flavus, Curvularia lunata, Fusarium moniliforme) were observed in foxtail millet. The in vitro and in vitro germination rates were higher using disinfected seeds and sterilized soil. More seed-borne fungi were recovered from the pericarp compared to the endosperm and seed embryo. The percent recovery of seed-borne fungi ranged from 2.22% to 60.0%, and Alternaria alternata, Curvularia lunata and 4 species of Fusarium were isolated from the endosperm and embryo of sorghum and foxtail millet. Inoculation of the dominant seed-borne fungi showed considerable mortality of seedlings. All the transmitted seed-borne fungi might well be a primary source of infection of sorghum and foxtail millet crops.

• Korean journal of applied entomology
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• v.23 no.2 s.59
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• pp.126-131
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• 1984

Twenty one fungi were detected from 26 rice seed samples obtained from Yeongnam Crop Experiment Station, Honam Crop Experiment Station, Chungnam Provincial Office of Rural Development and farmers of Chungnam Province. Gerlachia oryzae was one of frequently detected fungi with $1.0\~45.0\%$ of detection ratio from 22 rice seed samples. The deep-freezing method was selected as the most suitable for routine seed health testing when the blotter method, deep-freezing method and agar plate method were evaluated for efficiency of detecting seed-borne G. oryzae from rice seeds. Our data obtained by seed component plating technique suggested that G. oryzae was present not only on chaff, in endosperm and in seed coat, but also in the embryo. Seed-borne G. oryzae caused seed rot, seedling blight and symptom of brownish discoloration on coleoptile primary and 2nd leaf when the infected seeds were sown in agar of test tube or in soil.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.275-283
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• 1982

One hundred and sixteen seed samples of 16 different crops were tested by routine seed health testing methods. Seeds of rice, soybean and barley were found to be associated with 18, 15 and 7 species of fungi, respectively. Discoloration and spotting of various kinds were observed in rice seeds. Epicoccum purpurascens, Pyricularia oryzae and Trichoconiella pedwickii were higher in these discoloured than in normal seeds of rice. Macrophomina phaseolina, the charcoal-rot fungus is a new record for soybean in Korea. Seeds of sesame were infected by 13 fungi Alternaria sesami, A. sesarmicola and Corynespora cassiicola were detected predominantly. Twenty one species of fungi were detected in seed samples of 12 commercial vegetable crops. Alternaria, Colletotrichum and Fusarium were found predominantly. Some seed samples of commercial vegetable crops were heavily infected with pathogenic fungi and showed heavy seed and seedling rot.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.103-108
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• 2017

World wheat production is now under threat due to the wheat blast outbreak in Bangladesh in early March 2016. This is a new disease in this area, indicating the higher possibility of this pathogen spreading throughout the Asia, the world's largest wheat producing area. Occurrence of this disease caused ~3.5% reduction of the total wheat fields in Bangladesh. Its economic effect on the Bangladesh wheat market was little because wheat contributes to 3% of total cereal consumption, among which ~70% have been imported from other countries. However, as a long-term perspective, much greater losses will occur once this disease spreads to other major wheat producing areas of Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan due to the existing favorable condition for the blast pathogen. The wheat blast pathogen belongs to the Magnaporthe oryzae species complex causing blast disease on multiple hosts in the Poaceae family. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that the Bangladesh outbreak strains and the Brazil outbreak strains were the same phylogenetic lineage, suggesting that they might be migrated from Brazil to Bangladesh during the seed import. To protect wheat production of Bangladesh and its neighbors, several measures including rigorous testing of seed health, use of chemicals, crop rotation, reinforcement of quarantine procedures, and increased field monitoring should be implemented. Development of blast resistant wheat varieties should be a long-term solution and combination of different methods with partial resistant lines may suppress this disease for some time.

• The Korean Journal of Mycology
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.15-20
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• 1978

The purpose of the present study is to describe growth characteristics of seven species of Alternaria occur on naturally infected seeds, and to set up a guide line for quick identification of the species in connection with routine seed health testing. Host range and economic importance of each species are discussed and described with phototographs. The species studied are Alternaria tenuis, A. brassicicola, A. brassicae, A. raphani, A. dauci Alternaria radicina and A. sesami. Other resembling species are discussed in this paper.

• Toxicological Research
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• v.17
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• pp.167-171
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• 2001

The introduction of genetically modified crops has raised concerns regarding safety issues over the insertion of foreign genes into plant genomes using recombinant DNA technology. Since 1991 in Japan, 29 foods and 6 food additives have been evaluated, based on the "Guideline for Safety Assessment", before these foods were marketed. The MHW, however, decided that safety assessment of such foods and food additives should be legally imposed. because soon such foods and food additives are expected to circulate globally and a new system for assessing safety of such foods and food additives at a pre-market stage is necessary, in order to avoid the distribution of any genetically modified foods that have had no safety assessment. The MHW published relevant announcements to amend existing regulations on 1 May 2000. "Standards for safety assessment of seed plant" is established based on a concept of substantial equivalence, and applicable to the products which are regarded as equivalent to the existing products used as foods and food additives. The characterization of the food products entails consideration of the molecular characterization. phenotypic and compositional characteristics, key nutrients and toxicants, and toxicity and allergenicity of the introduced proteins, and if there are indications of unintended effects of the modification, whether further safety testing (animal studies etc.) is needed should be considered. Safety and wholesomeness studies with whole foods should be care fully designed in order to avoid nutritional imbalances causing artifacts and uninterpretable results as was the case of Dr. Pusztaiis report. A case study of genetically modified soybeans (glyphosate-tolerant soybeans) on the immune system of rats and mice is shown. Chemical compositions were also compared with those of the non-GM soybeans. The studies failed to detect any differences in immuno-toxic activity.muno-toxic activity.