• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.42 no.spc
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• pp.20-28
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• 2009

The sustainability of conventional agriculture which is characterized by input dependent and ecologically simplified food production system is vague. Chemicals and present practices used in agriculture are not only costly but also have widespread implications on human and animal health, food quality and safety and environmental quality. Thus there is a need for alternative farming practices to sustain food production for the escalating population and conserve environment for future generations. The present research scenario in the area of plant microbe interactions for maintaining sustainable agriculture suggests that the level of internal regulation in agro-ecosystems is largely dependent on the level of plant and microbial diversity present in the soil. In agro-ecosystems, biodiversity performs a variety of ecological services beyond the production of food, including recycling of nutrients, regulation of microclimate and local hydrological processes, suppression of undesirable organisms and detoxification of noxious chemicals. Controlling the soil microflora to enhance the predominance of beneficial and effective microorganisms can help improve and maintain soil chemical and physical properties. The role of beneficial soil microorganisms in sustainable productivity has been well construed. Some plant bacteria referred to as plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) can contribute to improve plant growth, nutrient uptake and microbial diversity when inoculated to plants. Term PGPR was initially used to describe strains of naturally occurring non-symbiotic soil bacteria have the ability to colonize plant roots and stimulate plant growth PGPR activity has been reported in strains belonging to several other genera, such as Azotobacter, Azospirillum, Arthrobacter Bacillus, Burkhokderia, Methylobacterium, and Pseudomonas etc. PGPR stimulate plant growth directly either by synthesizing hormones such as indole acetic acid or by promoting nutrition, for example, by phosphate solubilization or more generally by accelerating mineralization processes. They can also stimulate growth indirectly, acting as biocontrol agents by protecting the plant against soil borne fungal pathogens or deleterious bacteria. Present review focuses on some recent developments to evolve strategies for better biotechnological exploitation of PGPR's.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.14 no.5
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• pp.10-17
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• 2009

Bioremediation has been applied as a proven technology in remediation of TPH contaminated soil. However, the efficiency of biodegradation is dependent on temperature as microbial activity is depressed at lower temperature ranges ($30^{\circ}C{\sim}80^{\circ}C$). The objective of this study was to develop microbes with enhanced activities at the stated temperature conditions and to evaluate the remediation effectiveness of these microbes in TPH contaminated soil. Experiments were conducted to isolate hydrocarbon degradable microbial consortia cultured under different temperature conditions. It was found that there were 5 strains of mesophilic ($30^{\circ}C$) and 3 strains of psychrophilic ($80^{\circ}C$) microbes. The TPH concentration was reduced from 4,044 mg/kg to 1,084 mg/kg, (73.2%) in 10 days by using mesophilic microbial consortia and from 5,427 mg/kg to 1,756 (67.6%) in 50 days with psychrophilic microbial consortia in laboratory cultures under controlled conditions. This rate determination excluded physical degradation such as venting and dilution. A field study was then performed to examine the feasibility of applying these microbes in the land-farming process. In this case, 87.1% of the 2,560 mg/kg TPH contaminated soil was degraded in 56 days. The biodegradation rate coefficient (k) was $0.0374\;day^{-1}$. Findings of this study provide viable options for applying microbes for bioremediation of TPH in lower temperature conditions.

• The Korean Journal of Ecology
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• v.25 no.5
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• pp.315-320
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• 2002

Phytoremediation of soil contaminated with cadmium was studied using Indian mallow (Abutilon avicennae) in columns packed with 80 mg Cd/kg soil. At 90 days after transplat, root biomass of the exposed plants was 4 times more inhibited compared to the control. Also, shoot length of the exposed plants was 3 times more inhibited than that of control plants. Accumulation of cadmium into tissues was in the order roots> stems> leaves during the 50 days, but the order was roots> stems> seeds> leaves during the 90 days after transplant. Regardless of cadmium contaminations, microbial activities were significantly greater in soil with plants than without plants. In soil column, cadmium was not transferred toward the lower part. Uptake of Cd by plant tissues was about 3.5% of the initial bioavailable cadmium for leaves, stems, and roots during the 90 days after transplant.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Soil and Groundwater Environment Conference
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• 2004.09a
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• pp.133-137
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• 2004

Tetrachloroethylene(PCE) dechlorination was investigated in an anaerobic enrichment culture from landfill soil. Anaerobic PCE dechlorinating microorganisms could convert 150mg/L of PCE via trichloroethylene(TCE) to cir-1,2-dichloroethylene(CDCE) within 2 days at the optimum temperature of 30 to 35$^{\circ}C$. The enrichment culture could dechlorinate TCE but did not degrade other chlorinated aliphatic compounds, such as cDCE, trans-1,2-dichloroethylene, 1,1-dichloroethylene, 1,1-dichloroethane, 1,2-dichloro- ethane, and 1,1,1-trichloroethane during 5 days incubation. Several isolates from the enrichment culture did not show dechlorinating activity of PCE. Microbial analysis of the dechlorinating enrichment culture by using Polymerase chain reaction-Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (PCR-DGGE) method showed that at least three microorganisms were related to the anaerobic PCE dechlorination in the enrichment

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.25-32
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• 2014

The amount of TPH contaminated soil treated at off-site remediation facilities is ever increasing. For the recycle of the treated-soil on farmlands, it is necessary to restore biological and physico-chemical soil characteristics and to remove residual TPH in the soil by an economic polishing treatment method such as phytoremediation. In this study, a series of experiments was performed to select suitable plant species and to devise a proper planting method for the phyto-restoration of TPH-treated soil. Rye (Secale cereale) was selected as test species through a germination test, among 5 other plants. Five 7-day-old rye seedlings were planted in a plastic pot, 20 cm in height and 15 cm in diameter. The pot was filled with TPH-treated soil (residual TPH of 1,118 mg/kg) up to 15 cm, and upper 5 cm was filled with horticulture soil to prevent TPH toxic effects and to act as root growth zone. The planted pot was cultivated in a greenhouse for 38 days along with the control that rye planted in a normal soil and the blank with no plants. After 38 days, the above-ground biomass of rye in the TPH-treated soil was 30.6% less than that in the control, however, the photosynthetic activity of the leaf remained equal on both treatments. Soil DHA (dehydrogenase activity) increased 186 times in the rye treatment compared to 10.8 times in the blank. The gross TPH removal (%) in the planted soil and the blank soil was 34.5% and 18.4%, respectively, resulting in 16.1% increase of net TPH removal. Promotion of microbial activity by root exudate, increase in soil permeability and air ventilation as well as direct uptake and degradation by planted rye may have contributed to the higher TPH removal rate. Therefore, planting rye on the TPH-treated soil with the root growth zone method showed both the potential of restoring biological soil properties and the possibility of residual TPH removal that may allow the recycle of the treated soil to farmlands.

• 한국환경농학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2011.07a
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• pp.283-283
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• 2011

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.368-374
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• 2012

BACKGROUND: The urgency of feeding the world's growing population while combating soil pollution, salinization and desertification requires suitable biotechnology not only to improve crop productivity but also to improve soil health through interactions of soil nutrient and soil microorganism. Interest in the utilization of microbial fertilizer has increased. A principle of nature farming is to produce abundant and healthy crops without using chemical fertilizer and pesticides, and without interrupting the natural ecosystem. Beneficial microorganisms may provide supplemental nutrients in the soil, promote crop growth, and enhance plant resistance against pathogenic microorganisms. We mixed beneficial microorganisms such as Bacillus sp. Han-5 with anti-fungal activities, Trichoderma harziaum, Trichoderma longibrachiatum with organic material degrading activity, Actinomycetes bovis with antibiotic production and Pseudomonas sp. with nitrogen fixation. This study was carried out to investigate the mixtures on the soil microflora and soil chemical properties and the effect on the growth of lettuce and cucumber under greenhouse conditions. METHODS AND RESULTS: The microbial mixtures were used with each of organic fertilizer, swine manure and organic+swine manure and compared in regard to changes in soil chemical properties, soil microflora properties and crop growth. At 50 days after the treatment of microorganism mixtures, the pH improved from 5.8 to 6.3, and the EC, $NO_3$-Na and K decreased by 52.4%, 60.5% and 29.3%, respectively. The available $P_2O_5$ and $SiO_2$ increased by 25.9% and 21.2%, respectively. Otherwise, the population density of fluorescent Pseudomonas sp. was accelerated and the growth of vegetables increased. Moreover, the population density of E. coli and Fusarium sp., decreased remarkably. The ratio of bacteria to fungi (B/F) and the ratio of Actinomycetes bovis to fungi (A/F) increased 2.3 (from 272.2 to 624.4) and 1.7 times (from 38.3 to 64), respectively. Furthermore, the growth and yield of cucumber and lettuce significantly increased by the treatment of microorganism mixtures. CONCLUSION(S): These results suggest that the treatment of microorganism mixtures improved the chemical properties and the microflora of soil and the crop growth. Therefore, it is concluded that the microorganism mixtures could be good alternative soil amendments to restore soil nutrients and soil microflora.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.60 no.2
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• pp.173-178
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• 2017

This study was conducted to investigate the effect of pyroligneous acids on urea hydrolysis for the purpose of inhibiting ammonia volatilization during urea fertilizer application. Different types of synthetic urease inhibitors have been searched and developed, but their use is limited due to varying inhibition effects on soil urease, and environmental problems. In this study, the effect of pyroligneous acids, a natural substance, on urea hydrolysis in soil was evaluated by analyzing inhibition of urease activity. Pyroligneous acids inhibited plant urease and microbial urease activity, as well as soil urease with various urease complex. In addition, pyroligneous acids exhibited non-competitive urease inhibition effect through urease kinetics and inhibited urea hydrolysis in the soil. This study showed that pyroligneous acids treatment with urea fertilizer decreases the loss of urea fertilizer, improves the efficiency of nitrogen application on plant and reduces the amount of nitrogen fertilizers applied in soil.

• Korean Journal of Organic Agriculture
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.63-74
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• 1998

The result of application of the organic manure obtained from livestocks fed with BLCSs in the red pepper under structure were as follow. The no. of fruit. fruit weight. fruit length. fruit width. and sugar content of red pepper treated with dong of fowl(BLCS) were higher, also. The contents of total N, P2O5, K2O, CaO, MgO, and cap-saicin in the red pepper fruit of treated with Dung of fowl(BLCS) were the highest, and the second was cattle dropping(BLCS). The contents of OM, P2O5, K, Ca, Mg, and CEC of soil treated with microorganism were the highest in the cattle dropping(BLCS) in any other plots, however. In general, effect of cattle manure fed with BLCS on the red pepper yield and microbial activity were higher than cattle manure did not feed BLCS.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.187-194
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• 2000

An actinomycetes strain, T-2, which produces transglutaminase (EC 2.3.2.13), was isolated from soil and identified as belonging to the Actinomadura sp., based on taxonomc studies. The conditions for the transglutaminase production and its enzymatic properties were investigated. The optimum components for the transglutaminase production were 2% glucose, 1% polypeptone and soytone, and 0.1% MnCl2. The optimum pH and temperature of the enzyme reaction were pH 8.0 and $45^{\circ}C$, respectively. The enzyme was stable within the pH range of 5.0-9.0 and $30^{\circ}C-45^{\circ}C$. The novel enzyme required no calcium ions for its activity. This enzyme polymerized various proteins such as casien, soy protein, hemoglobin, egg white, gelatin, and soybean milk.