• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.32 no.5
• /
• pp.564-574
• /
• 2022

Microbial diversity in the soil is responsive to changes in soil composition. However, the impact of soil amendments on the diversity and structure of rare and abundant sub-communities in agricultural systems is poorly understood. We investigated the effects of different Chinese herb residue (CHR) soil amendments and cropping systems on bacterial rare and abundant sub-communities. Our results showed that the bacterial diversity and structure of these sub-communities in soil had a specific distribution under the application of different soil amendments. The CHR soil amendments with high nitrogen and organic matter additives significantly increased the relative abundance and stability of rare taxa, which increased the structural and functional redundancy of soil bacterial communities. Rare and abundant sub-communities also showed different preferences in terms of bacterial community composition, as the former was enriched with Bacteroidetes while the latter had more Alphaproteobacteria and Betaproteobacteria. All applications of soil amendments significantly improved soil quality of newly created farmlands in whole maize cropping system. Rare sub-communitiy genera Niastella and Ohtaekwangia were enriched during the maize cropping process, and Nitrososphaera was enriched under the application of simple amendment group soil. Thus, Chinese medicine residue soil amendments with appropriate additives could affect soil rare and abundant sub-communities and enhance physicochemical properties. These findings suggest that applying soil composite amendments based on CHR in the field could improve soil microbial diversity, microbial redundancy, and soil fertility for sustainable agriculture on the Loess Plateau.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
• /
• v.48 no.2
• /
• pp.146-152
• /
• 2015

Heavy metal pollution has been a critical problem in agricultural field near at the abandoned metal mines and chemical amendments are applied for remediation purpose. However, biological activity can be changed depending on chemical amendments affecting crop productivity. Main purpose of this research was to evaluate biological parameters after applying chemical amendments in heavy metal polluted agricultural field. Result showed that soil respiration (SR) and microbial biomass carbon (MBC) were changed after chemical amendments were applied. Among three different amendments, lime stone (LS), steel slag (SS), and acid mine drainage sludge(AMDS), AMDS had an effect to increase SR in paddy soil. Comparing to control ($93.98-170.33mg\;kg^{-1}day^{-1}$), average of 30% increased SR was observed. In terms of MBC, SS had an increased effect in paddy soil. However, no significant difference of SR and MBC was observed in upland soil after chemical amendment application. Overall, SR can be used as an indicator of heavy metal remediation in paddy soil.

• Ecology and Resilient Infrastructure
• /
• v.7 no.2
• /
• pp.134-144
• /
• 2020

In-situ stabilization is a remediation method using amendments to reduce contaminant availability in contaminated soil. We tested the effects of two amendments (furnace slag and red mud) on the availability of toxic trace elements (TTEs) and soil enzyme activities (dehydrogenase, phosphatase, and urease). The application of amendments significantly decreased the availability of TTEs in soil (p < 0.05). The decreased availability of TTE content in soils was accompanied by increased soil enzyme activities. We found significant negative relationships between the TTE content assessed using Ca(NO₃)_2^-, TCLP, and PBET extraction methods and soil enzyme activities (p < 0.01). Soil enzyme activities responded sensitively to changes in the soil environment (pH, EC, and availability of TTEs). It could be concluded that soil enzyme activities could be used as bioindicators or ecological indicators for soil quality and health in environmental soil monitoring owing to their high sensitivity to changes in soil.

• Proceedings of the Ginseng society Conference
• /
• 1978.09a
• /
• pp.67-74
• /
• 1978

The phenomenon of 'soil sickness' is one of the most important limiting factors for ginseng(Panax ginseng) production in Korea. The principal cause is known to be due to the root rots caused by Cylindrocarpon destructans and Fusarium solani. Attempts were made to control the root rots with non-polluting cultural methods or soil amendments. Among the nine soil amendments tested, crab shell, cow bone and pig feces were selected for further testing. Each of the three amendments increased the populations or various actinomycetes in the range of 10-25 times over that of non-amended soil, whereas the population of C. destructans was reduced to about $50-70\%$ as compared with the control. Five isolates of Streptomyces with clear zones on chitin-agar medium were selected and then tested for their antagonistic effects on C. destructans. When anyone of the five isolates of Streptomyces and C. destructans was grown together in a modified peptone broth, growth of the latter was highly inhibited. When three levels of crab shell, cow bone, or pig feces were used to amend potted soil infested with C. destruetans, the root rot ratings of ginseng seedlings were reduced to less than one half in all the treatments as compared to the control. In another similar experiment, crab shell and cow bone amendments resulted in almost complete control of the seedling root rots in soil infested with C. destructans or F. solani. In conclusion, biological control with soil amendments of ginseng root rots caused by C. destructans and F. solani was successful. Further basic studies should be pursued using soil amendments for better control. In addition, field experiments are needed to complement the soil amendment control measures in an integrated pest control program.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
• /
• v.49 no.1
• /
• pp.75-80
• /
• 2016

This study was conducted to evaluate effect of chemical amendments on reducing bioavailable fraction of heavy metals in soil along with ecotoxicological effect on earthworms, Eisenia fetida. Three different chemical amendments, lime (L), steel slag (SS), and acid mine drainage sludge (AMDS), were applied with varied application ratio (1, 3, 5%). Heavy metal contaminated soil was mixed with chemical amedments and earthworms, Eisenia fetida, were cultivated for 28 days. Bioavailable fraction of heavy metals (Cd, Cu, Pb, and Zn) extracted with 0.1N HCl was monitored and also, mortality, growth, and metal concentration in earthworm were assessed. Result showed that all three amendments had high efficiency to reduce bioavailable fraction of heavy metals in soil. In particular, lime showed the highest reduction rate of Cu (63.9-87.7%), Pb (7.90-24.65%), and Zn (40.83-77.60%) among three amendments. No mortality of earthworm was observed during experimental period except 3% and 5% AMDS treatment indicating that application of chemical amendments is safe in terms of ecotoxicological aspect. However, no positive correlation was observed between reduction of bioavaialble fraction of heavy metals in soil and earthworms. Overall, application of chemical amendments in agricultural field can be adapted for reducing bioavailable fraction of heavy metals and detoxification in soil.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
• /
• v.33 no.1
• /
• pp.1-8
• /
• 2014

BACKGROUND: Recent studies using many amendments for heavy metal stabilization in soil were conducted in order to find out new materials. But, the studies accounting for the use of appropriate amendments considering soil pH remain incomplete. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of initial soil pH on the efficiency of various amendments. METHODS AND RESULTS: Acid soil and alkali soil contaminated with heavy metals were collected from the agricultural soils affected by the abandoned mine sites nearby. Three different types of amendments were selected with hypothesis being different in stabilization mechanisms; organic matter, lime stone and iron, and added with different combination. For determining the changes in the extractable heavy metals, water soluble, Mehlich-3, Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure, Simple Bioavailability Extraction Test method were applied as chemical assessments for metal stabilization. For biological assessments, soil respiration and root elongation of bok choy (Brassica campestris ssp. Chinensis Jusl.) were determined. CONCLUSION: It was revealed that lime stone reduced heavy metal mobility in acid soil by increasing soil pH and iron was good at stabilizing heavy metals by supplying adsorption sites in alkali soil. Organic matter was a good source in terms of supplying nutrients, but it was concerning when accounting for increasing metal availability.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
• /
• v.45 no.1
• /
• pp.98-102
• /
• 2012

Organic farming has rapidly increased in Gangwon province, but there is a concern about nutrient accumulation and nutrient imbalance in the soil of organic farming. This study was conducted to investigate the impact of continuous application of organic amendments on growth and yield of red pepper and soil characteristics compared with chemical fertilizers application for four years. Treatments of organic amendments including oil cake, rice straw compost, amino acid compost, rice bran compost, and mushroom media (spent substrate) compost resulted in comparable growth and yield of pepper to chemical fertilizers. Organic amendments improved soil physical and chemical characteristics. Especially, rice bran compost and oil cake significantly increased soil organic matter compared with chemical fertilizer application and mushroom media compost and rice straw compost significantly improved soil aggregate stability. On the other hand, available phosphate level in the soil amended with rice bran compost or mushroom media compost was relatively high compared with the other treatments due to relatively high phosphate levels in the composts. It is not easy to adjust nutrient composition in the organic materials. Therefore, the results obtained from the study imply that nutrient imbalance needs to be carefully considered in organic farming without use of chemical fertilizers.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
• /
• v.48 no.6
• /
• pp.751-760
• /
• 2015

Management of renewable organic resources is important in attaining the sustainability of agricultural production. However, nutrient management with organic resources is more complex than fertilization with chemical fertilizer because the composition of the organic input or the environmental condition will influence organic matter decomposition and nutrient release. One of the most effective methods for estimating nutrient release from organic amendment is the use of N mineralization models. The present study aimed at parameterizing N mineralization models for a number of organic amendments being used as a nutrient source for crop production. Laboratory incubation experiment was conducted in aerobic condition. N mineralization was investigated for nineteen organic amendments in sandy soil and clay soil at $20^{\circ}C$, $25^{\circ}C$, and $30^{\circ}C$. N mineralization was facilitated at higher temperature condition. Negative correlation was observed between mineralized N and C:N ratio of organic amendments. N mineralization process was slower in clay soil than in sandy soil and this was mainly due to the delayed nitrification. The single and the double exponential models were used to estimate N mineralization of the organic amendments. N mineralization potential $N_p$ and mineralization rate k were estimated in different temperature and soil conditions. Estimated $N_p$ ranged from 28.8 to 228.1 and k from 0.0066 to 0.6932. The double exponential model showed better prediction of N mineralization compared with the single exponential model, particularly for organic amendments with high C:N ratio. It is expected that the model parameters estimated based on the incubation experiment could be used to design nutrient management planning in environment-friendly agriculture.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
• /
• v.48 no.2
• /
• pp.138-145
• /
• 2015

Heavy metal pollution in agricultural field near the abandoned metal mines is a critical problem in Korea. General remediation technique is to apply chemical amendments and soil covering. However, there is no specific guidelines for conducting soil covering. Therefore, main objective of this research was to determine optimum soil covering technique with microcosm experiment. Three different chemical amendments, lime stone (LS), steel slag (SS), and acid mine drainage sludge (AMDS), were examined and varied soil covering depth, 20, 30, 40cm, was applied to determine optimum remediation technique. Bioavailable heavy metal concentration in soil and total concentration of heavy metals in crop were monitored. Result showed that average heavy metal concentration in varied soil covering depth was ordered as 40 cm ($14.5mg\;kg^{-1}$) < 20 cm ($14.6mg\;kg^{-1}$) < 30 cm ($16.0mg\;kg^{-1}$) and also heavy metal concentration in crop was ordered as 40 cm ($100{\mu}g\;kg^{-1}$) < 30 cm ($183{\mu}g\;kg^{-1}$) < 20 cm ($190{\mu}g\;kg^{-1}$). In terms of chemical amendments, average heavy metal concentration was decreased as AMDS ($150{\mu}g\;kg^{-1}$) < SS ($151{\mu}g\;kg^{-1}$) < LS ($154{\mu}g\;kg^{-1}$). Overall, depth of soil covering should be over 30 cm to minimize bioaccumulation of heavy metals and SS and LS could be applied in heavy metal contaminated soil for remediation purposes.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Landscape Architecture
• /
• v.27 no.5
• /
• pp.107-113
• /
• 2000

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of soil amendments for reducing soil compaction at heavy traffic area in golf course. Major results of this research are summarized at follows: 1. In the Lab. experiment, the porosity was improved significantly when the materials, such as peatmoss, charcoal, and tire chip mixtures were used respectively. Especially mixture of sand and 20% peatmoss showed higher effectiveness (10%) in porosity, comparing with ordinary sand. This soil mixture(sand 80%+peatmoss 20%) was observed the best in water retention, soil hardness and hydrauric conductivity. 2. In the greenhouse experiment, traffic pressure was given 7 times a day on several combination of mixture treatments to see the top dry weight. The soil mixture of 20% peatmoss showed the highest in the top dry weight. When the more traffic pressure(15 time/day) were given on the different treatment, the top dry weight was significantly reduced. However, the mixture of 20% peatmoss also had the least influence on this type of heavy traffic. 3. In the field experiment, the soil amendments were treated in traffic area f golf course, and observed at 30days, 60days, 90days, 120days after treatment. Visual turf quality(color), root length and soil compaction were compared to those of control. As a result, overall treatments with soil amendments were effective, which showed better turf quality and less soil compaction. 4. In the field test, physical characters of soil (such as soil hardness and hydrauric conductivity) in sand+tire chip+peatmoss(60:20:20, %, v/v) treatment was significantly improved. Also in the slow increasing of traffic, the soil compaction was the most effective in reducing soil hardness.