• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.44 no.1
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• pp.42-57
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• 2011

We described the above-ground plant species composition and measured a range of soil physico-chemical properties and the composition and size of the soil seed bank in the remnant natural vegetations on the flood plains of the Han River within Seoul, South Korea. We used analysis of variance and multivariate analyses to analyse the data and S${\o}$rensen's similarity index to compare the composition of the vegetation and seed banks. The soils were circum-neutral and composed of mainly sand and silt fractions with a very limited clay component; a gradient based on sand/clay proportions was identified. The soil seed banks varied markedly between- and within-sites and had much greater species diversity than the above-ground vegetation. Two of the major dominants in the vegetation (Miscanthus saccariflorus and Phragmites australis) were found at very low densities in the seed bank. The site differences appeared to be correlated with the sand-clay gradient, suggesting that the soil properties differentially affected seed inputs into the soil, or that the processes than controlled sediment deposition during floods was also important in differentially affecting seed deposition. Lastly, there was relatively little similarity between the vegetation, dominated mainly by perennials, and the seed bank which contained a relatively large proportion of annuals and biennials. This result suggests that after disturbance caused by flooding there is the potential for many other species to colonize. This may impinge on the regeneration potential of the sites and cause concern for the future conservation of these important remnants of natural vegetation.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Agricultural Engineers
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• v.61 no.6
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• pp.1-8
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• 2019

Carbon dioxide is one of the major driving forces causing climate changes, and many countries have been trying to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from various sources. Soil stores more carbon dioxide(two to three times) amounts than atmosphere indicating that soil organic carbon emission management are a pivotal issue. In this study, we developed a Soil Organic Carbon(SOC) storage estimation model to predict SOC storage amounts in soils. Also, SOC storage values were assessed based on the carbon emission price provided from Republic Of Korea(ROK). Here, the SOC model calculated the soil hydraulic properties based on the soil physical and chemical information. Base on the calculated the soil hydraulic properties and the soil physical chemical information, SOC storage amounts were estimated. In validation, the estimated SOC storage amounts were 486,696 tons($3.526kg/m^2$) in Jindo-gun and shown similarly compared to the previous literature review. These results supported the robustness of our SOC model in estimating SOC storage amounts. The total SOC storage amount in ROK was 305 Mt, and the SOC amount at Gyeongsangbuk-do were relatively higher than other regions. But the SOC storage amount(per unit) was highest in Jeju island indicating that volcanic ashes might influence on the relatively higher SOC amount. Based on these results, the SOC storage value was shown as 8.4 trillion won in ROK. Even though our SOC model was not fully validated due to lacks of measured SOC data, our approach can be useful for policy-makers in reducing soil organic carbon emission from soils against climate changes.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.37 no.5
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• pp.322-328
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• 2004

Available nutrients in soil solution play key roles on the growth of plants, but the equilibria in soil solution can be disturbed by acid precipitation. In this study, we investigated the relationships between element concentrations in the needles of Pinus thunbergii and chemical properties of forest soil solutions in the industrial complexes as an effort to find the possible limiting factor(s) causing the forest decline. The Ca/Al molar ratios in needles of Pinus thunbergii collected from the control sites were 18. However, at Onsan and Ulsan industrial complexes, those were decreased to the ranges from 10 to 11 for the one-year old needles and from 9 to 10 for the two-year old needles. The Mg/Al molar ratios showed similar tendencies with the Ca/Al molar ratios of the needles of Pinus thunbergii. In the A horizon, there existed a significant correlation between Mg concentrations in the needles of Pinus thunbergii and Ca/Al molar ratio of forest soil solution. Calcium concentrations in the needles of Pinus thunbergii in the B horizon were also significantly correlated with Ca/Al molar ratios of forest soil solutions. The uptakes of Ca and Mg by Pinus thunbergii were mainly limited by Al in the soil solutions of the A horizon and by Mn and Al in the soil solutions of the B horizon.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.45 no.6
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• pp.1237-1241
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• 2012

Heavy metal pollution in agricultural field has been a critical issue in worldwide. For this reason, remediation technologies for heavy metal polluted soil are applied especially near at the abandoned metal mine. Soil quality analysis is also an important factor for proper management in heavy metal polluted agricultural field. In this study, scoring function was utilized to evaluate soil quality in heavy metal polluted agricultural field. Among other soil properties, bulk density, soil pH, EC, $NH_4$-N, $NO_3$-N, and cation exchange capacity (CEC) were determined for minimum data set (MDS) with principal component analysis. Result showed that both upland and paddy soil contaminated with heavy metal were not suitable for crop growth except scoring of soil pH for paddy soil and CEC for upland soil. This result might indicate that chemical stabilization technology with chemical amendment could be adapted for remediation method for heavy metal polluted agiclutural field not only for heavy metal immobilization but also enhancement of soil condition for crop growth.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.45 no.2
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• pp.143-148
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• 2012

Sustainable agriculture requires reliable information on the spatial distribution of the soil chemical properties for effective management of paddy fields. In order to provide adequate soil nutritional information for environmental-friendly agriculture, we investigated the soil chemical properties for 260 paddy soils sampled in Gyeongnam Province from 1999 to 2011 by four years of interval. Soil chemical properties of pH, organic matter, available phosphate and silicate, exchangeable potassium, calcium, and magnesium contents were analyzed. The pH value, organic matter, available phosphate and silicate, and exchangeable calcium and magnesium in paddy soils were significantly elevated in 2011 compared to 1999. The excessive levels of organic matter and available phosphate in paddy soils were detected in 2011. The soil available phosphate was highest in mountain foot-slope (p<0.05) and the soil organic matter was highest in diluvial terrace (p<0.05). It revealed that the soil available phosphate was the responsible factor for the differentiation of soil chemical properties by the topography in paddy soils.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.48 no.4
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• pp.262-270
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• 2015

The scientific information between microbial community and chemical properties of reclaimed tidal soil is not enough to understand the land reclamation process. This study was conducted to investigate the relation between chemical properties and microbial activities of soils from reclaimed tidal lands located at south-western coastal area (42 samples from Goheuong, Samsan, Bojun, Kunnae, Hwaong and Yeongsangang sites). Most of the reclaimed soils showed chemical characteristics as salinity soil based on EC. Only $Na^+$ in exchangeable cation was dependent on EC of reclaimed soil, whereas other cations such as $K^+$, $Ca^{2+}$, and $Mg^{2+}$ were independent on EC. The mesophilic bacteria decreased with an increase in EC of soil. Microbial population increased with soil organic content in the range of $0{\sim}10g\;kg^{-1}$ and dehydrogenase activity less than $100{\mu}g-TPF\;g^{-1}h^{-1}$. Microbial population of soils from reclaimed tidal lands was closely related to the microbial community containing hydrolytic enzyme activities of cellulase, amylase, protease, and lipase.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.42 no.1
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• pp.34-39
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• 1999

In search of a method to achieve sustainable agricultural practices, a trickling filter was employed for the piggery wastewater treatment, where rice straw was the support medium in place of more commonly used materials. The filtrate from the trickling filter were applied to a soil, on which orchard grass (Dactylic glomerata L.) was grown followed by amendment of the treated straw medium. Orchard grass was cut twice, and growth parameters and yields were measured. Soil chemical properties before and after harvesting orchard grass were analyzed. Development of the forage crop was greatly enhanced by the application of the filtrate in terms of fresh weight, dry weight, and the absorption of nutrients. Better growth and higher nutrient uptake were found in the second cutting of the orchard grass. Organic matter content, ionic intensity, exchangeable cations, and phosphate of the soil increased with the application of the filtrate. The relative high concentrations of salts in the piggery trickling filtrate, expressed in electrical conductivity and content of sodium, exerted no detrimental effect on the crop and soil.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.50 no.5
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• pp.472-481
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• 2017

Agricultural field near at the abandoned metal mine and industrial area has a high possibility to be polluted by heavy metals. However, concern about chemical properties including heavy metal concentration has been increased and biological properties such as soil respiration has been minimal in heavy metal polluted field. Therefore, main objective of this research was to evaluate soil respiration as an indicator of heavy metal pollution in agricultural field. Total of 60 sampling sites including each 30 sites of abandoned metal mine and industrial area were selected and heavy metal concentration, soil respiration, and chemical properties were measured. Results showed that heavy metal concentration in metal mine area was ranged Cu: $6.21~85.23mg\;kg^{-1}$, Pb: $23.84{\sim}1,044.72mg\;kg^{-1}$, As: $1.88{\sim}691.44mg\;kg^{-1}$, Zn: $18.72{\sim}527.55mg\;kg^{-1}$, Cd: $0.58{\sim}4.27mg\;kg^{-1}$, and Cu: $0.29{\sim}30.62mg\;kg^{-1}$, Pb: $4.41{\sim}19.77mg\;kg^{-1}$, As: $2.23{\sim}11.76mg\;kg^{-1}$, Zn $39.98{\sim}109.59mg\;kg^{-1}$, Cd $0.29{\sim}0.57mg\;kg^{-1}$ for industrial area respectively. While no sampling site was exceed the threshold value of each heavy metals in industrial field, metal mine area was highly polluted with Pb, As, Zn, and Cd. Soil respiration in the metal mine and industrial area was ranged $12.05{\sim}299.80mg\;O_2\;kg^{-1}$ and $27.68{\sim}330.94mg\;O_2\;kg^{-1}$, respectively. Correlation analysis between heavy metal concentration in soil and soil respiration showed that negative correlation was observed in metal mine area while no correlation was observed in industrial area. This result might indicate that as heavy metal concentration was increased, microbial activity in soil was decreased resulting decrease of soil respiration rate. Overall, soil respiration can be used as indicator of heavy metal pollution in soil and more biological properties need to be evaluated to better understand heavy metal pollution in soil.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.47 no.2
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• pp.120-126
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• 2014

An accurate analysis of nutrient balance in different cropping systems is necessary for improving soil fertilities, causing higher crop yields and quality. This study was carried out to investigate the nutrient balance, changes in soil properties, and their effects on crop yield in long-term field cultivation under mono- and rotation-cropping systems (MCS and RCS, respectively). The analytical results of the soil properties showed that the application of mineral fertilizers alone in the MCS leads the reduction of soil CEC, exchangeable Ca, and microbial biomass C and N. Compared with the MCS of soybean, the RCS of soybean and barley significantly improved the soil properties, which increased crop yield. It might be due to the barley residue added to the RCS soil. Mean nutrient balances for 4 years were -55.9 kg N, +34.7 kg $P_2O_5$, and -0.3 kg $K_2O$ $ha^{-1}$ for the MCS and +19.7 kg N, +107.4 kg $P_2O_5$, and -48.6 kg $K_2O$ $ha^{-1}$ for the RCS, respectively. These nutrient imbalances mean that conventional fertilizer recommendations were inadequate for maintaining soil nutrient balance. From these results, we can conclude that the crop rotation may change comprehensive physical, chemical, and biological soil properties. These changes could affect the nutrient balance and then the crop yield.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.44 no.4
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• pp.194-198
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• 2001

Contaminated sites are often abandoned for an extended period of time, thus organopollutants becoming sequestered. The information on the initial concentrations of the contaminants would be helpful for the economic bioremediation of the chemicals. The present study estimated the initial concentrations of atrazine and phenanthrene through multiple regression analyses using soil properties and the amount of chemicals available in situ. Percentage mineralized or extracted was best correlated with organic C or logarithm of organic C, and the $R^2$ values were 0.548 and 0.894 for atrazine and phenanthrene, respectively. Estimation of the initial concentration of the chemicals was then calculated from both the percentage mineralized or extracted and the amount of chemicals extracted or mineralized. Results showed that the estimation of the initial concentration of the chemical at the time of contamination is feasible.