• Mycobiology
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.196-199
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• 2003

A very reliable and specific method for the identification of fungi in ectotrophic mycorrhizal symbiosis was developed using a specific PCR assay based on the amplification of the ITS1 region. To obtain specific data, an ITS-diagnostic assay was carried out that reveals genera and species specific sequences. Here, an application of one method is presented, which covers the identification of pure mycelia, basidiocarps as well as mixed samples such as ectomycorrhizal roots that were mingled with remains of the host plant. For this purpose a protocol was established that allowed the extraction of DNA from single mycorrhizal roots. In order to perform a specific ITS analysis we generated a new ITS-primer(ITS8) by a multiple alignment of five different genera and species of mycorrhizal fungi. The utilization of ITS1 and ITS8 resulted in specific PCR amplicons, which were characterized by sequencing without purification steps, even when the template DNA was associated with roots.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.112-118
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• 2005

Based on the specific plant species for environmental assesment by the Ministry of Environment(MoE), a total of 68 taxa were identified; 29 taxa for the floristic degree(FD) I, 12 taxa for the FD II, 11 taxa for the FD III, 9 taxa for the FD IV and 6 taxa for the FD V. The endangered plant species, in Woraksan National Park, such as Lilium cernum and Berchemia berchemiaefolia are categorized as the Conservation Degree (CD) II which is designated by the MoE. The rare and endangered species such as Crypsinus hastatus, Lilium cernum, Berchemia berchemiaefolia, Lilium callossum, Gastrodia elata, Aristolochia contorta, Koelreuteria paniculata, Rhododendron tschonoskii, Scopolia japonica, Cypripedium macranthum, Paeonia japonica and Thymus quinquecostatus including 12 plant taxa are categorized as Rare and Endangered Plant Species by the Korea Forest Service.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.357-363
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• 2013

The fungus Venturia nashicola is the causal agent of scab on Asian pears. For the rapid and reliable identification as well as sensitive detection of V. nashicola, a PCR-based technique was developed. DNA fingerprints of three closely related species, V. nashicola, V. pirina, and V. inaequalis, were obtained by random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis. Two RAPD markers specific to V. nashicola were identified by PCR, after which two pairs of sequence characterized amplified region (SCAR) primers were designed from the nucleotide sequences of the markers. The SCAR primer pairs, designated as D12F/D12R and E11F/E11R, amplified 535-bp and 525-bp DNA fragments, respectively, only from genomic DNA of V. nashicola. The specificity of the primer sets was tested on strains representing three species of Venturia and 20 fungal plant pathogens. The nested PCR primer pair specific to V. nashicola was developed based on the sequence of the species-specific 525-bp DNA fragment amplified by primer set E11F/E11R. The internal primer pair Na11F/Na11R amplified a 235-bp fragment from V. nashicola, but not from any other fungal species tested. The nested PCR assay was sensitive enough to detect the specific fragment in 50 fg of V. nashicola DNA.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.138-144
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• 2008

The Specific Plant Species such as N degree (2 species) and V degree (5 species) which is categorized by the Ministry of Environment are appeared as 7 species. II degree species among Endangered species of wild flora is Abeliophyllum distichum, and the Rare and Endangered Species which is categorized by the Korea Forest Service are enlisted as the five taxa. The Bukhansan is one of the phytogeographic ally important areas among national parks of Korea because this region is located in the northern limit of Southern Plant Types, such as Carpinus laxiflora, Cornus kousa, Styrax japonica and Zanthoxylum piperitum. The flora of the area was enlisted as 638 taxa, 103 families, 362 genera, 541 species, 87 varieties, and 10 forms. Naturalized Species was identified as 58 taxa, 16 families, 52 genera, 54 species and 4 varieties. The Ratio of Naturalized and Urbanization Index was 9.09% and 20.21%, respectively.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.48 no.3
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• pp.247-255
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• 2024

Background: To effectively understand and evaluate plant diversity in a specific area and make meaningful comparisons between regions, standardized methods that measure diversity irrespective of survey plot size are crucial. This study proposes a model equation for comparing plant species diversity using the modified Whittaker plots. Plant species diversity was measured in two Gotjawal areas on Jeju Island, where the coexistence of northern and southern limit species significantly impacts diversity. By analyzing the relationship between plant species diversity and environmental factors, the study clarified the characteristics of plant and habitat diversity in the Gotjawal ecosystem. Results: The species richness of vascular plants, herbaceous plants, and woody plants increased with area and was higher in Jeoji Gotjawal than in Seonheul Gotjawal. Similarly, the species turnover rate (slope value) was higher in Jeoji Gotjawal (4.37) than in Seonheul Gotjawal (3.85). This indicates that the species richness in Jeoji Gotjawal increases more with the expansion of the survey area (1-1,000 m²), reflecting a faster species turnover rate. Additionally, in Gotjawal areas, species richness increased with greater leaf litter depth, elevation, slope, and rock ratio. These results indicate that differences in plant species diversity were attributed to soil environmental factors. Conclusions: The plant species diversity of Gotjawal, surveyed using standardized methods, was lower than that of forested areas in the central region of South Korea where the same method was applied. Most previous studies on species diversity likely compared diversity without considering a consistent survey area. Therefore, when comparing plant species diversity domestically and globally, it emphasizes the need for the use of standardized survey methods.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.367-371
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• 2011

Multiplex PCR assays were developed for the simultaneous detection of ten important Korean quarantine phytoplasmas. The species-specific primers were designed based on ribosomal protein, putative preprotein translocase Y, immunodominant protein, elongation factor TU, chaperonin protein and the 16S rRNA genes of 'Candidatus (Ca.) Phytoplasma' species. Three main primer sets were prepared from ten designed primer pairs to limit nonspecific amplification as much as possible. The multiplex PCR assay using the three primer sets successfully amplified the correct conserved genes for each 'Ca. Phytoplasma' species. In addition, ten important 'Ca. Phytoplasma' species could be easily determined by recognizing band patterns specific for each phytoplasma species from three primer sets. Moreover, a high sensitivity of multiplex PCR for each primer set was observed for samples containing a low DNA concentration (10 ng/${\mu}l$). This study provides the useful multiplex PCR assay as a convenient method to detect the presence of ten important quarantine phytoplasmas in Korea.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.18 no.6
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• pp.338-341
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• 2002

The potato scab is caused by several species of Streptomyces. Among these species, only pathogenic strains were found to produce thaxtomin A characterized by necrotic bioassay and HPLC. In this study, identification of the pathogenic strains of Streptomyces was performed through the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) by using specific pathogenicity primer sets derived from the nec1 gene sequences of Streptomyces scabies. The expected PCR products were obtained approximately 580 bp and confirmed by sequencing. This PCR technique can be used effectively to identify the pathogenic Streptomyces species, that cause scab on potato tubers.

• Journal of Species Research
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.57-62
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• 2021

A new species, Miscanthus wangpicheonensis of section Kariyasua, is described and illustrated from the morphological characteristics based on a type specimen collected from Gyeongsangbuk-do. This new species is similar to Miscanthus sacchariflorus (Maxim.) Hack., and M. longiberbis (Hack.) Nakai. The characters which distinguish the above two species are short leaves and racemes, callus hairs 1-1.5-times longer than spikelet, and well-developed awns of spikelet. The specific epithet, "wangpicheonensis", is based on the name of the locality where the new species is found. We assume this new species originated from the hybridization of Miscanthus sacchariflorus (Maxim.) Hack., and M. longiberbis (Hack.) Nakai. Miscanthus wangpicheonensis is found in only one locality in Uljin-gun, Gyeongsangbuk-do, Republic of Korea.

• ALGAE
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.133-144
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• 2020

Pythium porphyrae is responsible for devastating outbreaks in seaweed farms of Pyropia, the most valuable cultivated seaweed worldwide. While the genus Pythium contains many well studied pathogens, the genome of P. porphyrae has yet to be sequenced. Here we report the first available gene repertoire of P. porphyrae and a preliminary analysis of pathogenicity-related genes. Using ab initio detection strategies, similarity based and manual annotation, we found that the P. porphyrae gene repertoire is similar to classical phytopathogenic Pythium species. This includes the absence of expanded RxLR effector family and the detection of classical pathogenicity-related genes like crinklers, glycoside hydrolases, cellulose-binding elicitor lectin-like proteins and elicitins. We additionally compared this dataset to the proteomes of 8 selected Pythium species. While 34% of the predicted proteome appeared specific to P. porphyrae, we could not attribute specific enzymes to the degradation of red algal biomass. Conversely, we detected several cellulases and a cutinase conserved with plant-pathogenic Pythium species. Together with the recent report of P. porphyrae triggering disease symptoms on several plant species in lab-controlled conditions, our findings add weight to the hypothesis that P. porphyrae is a reformed plant pathogen.

• The Korea Journal of Herbology
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.75-84
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• 2013

Objectives : The origin of Breeae Herba (So-gye) and Cirsii Herba (Dae-gye) is differently prescribed in Korean and Chinese modern pharmacopoeia. Since the similar morphological characteristics and chaotic plant names, moreover, the aerial part of Carduus crispus have been used as the Cirsii Herba. To develop a reliable method for correct identification of these herbal medicines and to evaluate the genetic relationship of these closely related plant species, we analyzed sequences of DNA barcode regions. Methods : Thirty-one samples of 6 medicinal plants (B. segeta, B. setosa, C. japonicum var. maackii, C. setidens, C. chanroenicum, and C. crispus) were collected from different habitate and nucleotide sequences of DNA barcode regions (rDNA-ITS, matK, and rbcL) were analyzed after amplification using appropriate primers reported in previous studies. The nucleotides of species-specific authentic marker and phylogenetic relations were estimated based on the entire sequences of DNA barcodes by the analysis of ClastalW and UPGMA, respectively. Results : In comparative analysis of DNA barcode sequences, we obtained specific nucleotides to discriminate the medicinal plant of Breeae/Cirsii Herba in species level and evaluated the phylogenetic relationship of these species. Futhermore, we identified distinct marker nucleotides enough to authenticate respective species. These sequence differences at corresponding positions were avaliable genetic markers to determine the botanical origins of Breeae Herbal as well as Cirsii Herba. Conclusions : These marker nucleotides would be useful to identify the official herbal medicines by providing of definitive information that can identify each plant species and distinguish from unauthentic adulterants and substitutes.