• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
• /
• v.34 no.4
• /
• pp.260-267
• /
• 2015

BACKGROUND: The current study was conducted to examine the species specific accumulation of Cd and Pb in 11 crop species (Soybean, Sesame, Corn, Polished rice, Carrot, Potato, Garlic, Spring onion, Chinese leek, Red pepper, Eggplant), through cultivating them under the same condition with metal contaminated soils.METHODS AND RESULTS: Eleven crop species were cultivated in three different soils contaminated with Cd and Pb and harvested. Edible parts of each crop was pretreated and analyzed to determine Cd and Pb concentrations, and subsequently bioconcentration factors (BCFs) were calculated. In general, the crops of which seeds are used as food showed high concentrations of both Cd and Pb. For instance, Cd concentrations in crops cultivated in Soil A was in the order of soybean (0.432 mg kg^-1) > sesame (0.385) > polished rice (0.176) > carrot (0.116) > corn (0.060) > red pepper > (0.047) > potato (0.044) > egg plant (0.025) > garlic (0.023) > spring onion (0.016) > Chinese leek (0.011). BCFs showed the same order.CONCLUSION: From this study, it can be conclude that seeds plants should not be cultivated in Cd and Pb contaminated soils to secure food safety from metal contaminated soils.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
• /
• v.38 no.2
• /
• pp.137-142
• /
• 2011

Auxin is a group of small natural and synthetic molecules having diverse regulatory functions in plant growth and development. In this review, two auxin binding proteins identified by biochemical experiments to measure their auxin binding activities and biochemical functions are described. ABP1, a 22 kDa auxin binding protein, shows strong auxin binding affinity and possibly plays an important role in plant development, although its biochemical function are still unclear. ABP57, a 57 kDa soluble protein from rice shoots, has both of IAA binding activity and the plasma membrane proton pump activation. Although it is yet to be accomplished, the improvement of agronomic traits using auxin binding proteins is worth to be considered, since auxin is known to be related to such a diverse crop traits.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.22 no.10
• /
• pp.1412-1422
• /
• 2012

The aim of this work was to establish the optimal conditions for production of carboxymethylcellulase (CMCase) by a newly isolated marine bacterium using response surface methodology (RSM). A microorganism producing CMCase, isolated from seawater, was identified as Cellulophaga lytica based 16S rDNA sequencing and the neighborjoining method. The optimal conditions of rice bran, ammonium chloride, and initial pH of the medium for cell growth were 100.0 g/l, 5.00 g/l, and 7.0, respectively, whereas those for production of CMCase were 79.9 g/l, 8.52 g/l, and 6.1. The optimal concentrations of $K_2HPO_4$, NaCl, $MgSO_4{\cdot}7H_2O$, and $(NH_4)_2SO_4$ for cell growth were 6.25, 0.62, 0.28, and 0.42 g/l, respectively, whereas those for production of CMCase were 3.72, 0.54, 0.70, and 0.34 g/l. The optimal temperature for cell growth and the CMCase production by C. lytica LBH-14 were $35^{\circ}C$ and $25^{\circ}C$, respectively. The maximal production of CMCase under optimized condition for 3 days was 110.8 U/ml, which was 5.3 times higher than that before optimization. In this study, rice bran and ammonium chloride were developed as carbon and nitrogen sources for the production of CMCase by C. lytica LBH-14. The time for production of CMCase by a newly isolated marine bacterium with submerged fermentations reduced to 3 days, which resulted in enhanced productivity of CMCase and a decrease in its production cost.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
• /
• v.26 no.3
• /
• pp.313-321
• /
• 2012

To analyze the bird communities by the land use type, we surveyed 43 plots in Siheung City, Korea from Mar. 2009 to Feb. 2010 and classified the community by TWINSPAN and DCA. Classification result by TWINSPAN was classified into 4 communities. In the first division, waterbirds, such as spot-billed duck(Anas poecilorhyncha) and great egret(Egretta alba) operated as the differential species. In the second and third division, little grebe(Tachybaptus ruficollis) and eurasian sparrow(Passer montanus) were operated as the differential species. The relationship between land use types and classified bird communities, all plots of community I were located in the forest. Community II plots were contained all urban and several semi-natural land use types. Community III contains stream and rice paddy. Plots in the reservoir were classified community IV. The stream and rice paddy were classified into different communities, which were colsely related with the size of wetland paddy. Community III had the highest species diversity index and community II had lowest. Community III also had the highest maximum species diversity index and evenness index. The result of this study, small stream and small rice paddy located within the city have insignificant characteristics as the habitat for birds. Management size of semi-natural land use for wildbird habitat in the urban area should be considered for showing their habitat characteristics. If the classification of biotope type based on the scale of rice paddy and urban park and the type of landuse type in the riverside then we should be consider the standard of minium area.

• Journal of Animal Environmental Science
• /
• v.15 no.1
• /
• pp.75-84
• /
• 2009

This study was carried out to determine the effect of swine liquid manure on the rice growth and yield in 2006. Field experiment was conducted under variable application rates; 100%, 120%, 150%, 180% N level of slurry based on 11 kg N 10a recommended amount of nitrogen. The experimental sites were located at Cheorwon in Gangwondo area. The results were summerized as follows; In the plot treated with swine liquid manure of 150% and 180% N levels, the plant height and tillers were higher, and the color of leaf was darker than that of 100% N level of swine liquid manure. Rice yield in the plot applied with 120% N slurry level was increased at 11%, but those of 150%, 180% N-level application plots were reduced 10, 19% compared to 100% N level, respectively. Rice quality of the 100 and 120% application plots of swine liquid manure was significantly better than those of 150 and 180% levels of application plots. Total nitrogen content in rice plant after harvesting was increased with increasing levels of swine liquid manure. The content of K in the soil was accumulated in plot treated with 150%, 180% slurry compared to control plot. The heavy metal contents in soils were not increased treated with swine liquid manure. The density of bacteria was low in the application plot of 180%N of liquid swine manure. The bacteria/fungi ratio was highest in 120% N level of liquid manure treatment.

• Journal of Wetlands Research
• /
• v.18 no.4
• /
• pp.465-473
• /
• 2016

This study was carried out to evaluate restoration process of a few wetlands in the National Institute of Ecology (NIE). Wetlands were composed of the former rice paddies that passive restoration was led through only natural process and by creating waterway, and an ecological pond, a reservoir that restorative treatment was practiced. As the result of analysis on landscape change in the current wetland space, existing wetland in NIE was usually from the former rice field and some parts were from the residential area or forest. Change of species composition was progressed from crops or ruderals resistant to human interferences to plant species, which has removed artificially for cultivation and grow usually in the typical wetland. Both species diversity and occurrence of exotic plants were the highest when restoration project is in progress and stages after and before restoration were followed. In an ecological pond that restorative treatment was done, vegetation introduced as riparian buffer was established successfully and thereby it was expected that it could contribute to buffer environmental stress comming from the outside. Synthesized the above mentioned results, change of wetland vegetation established in NIE resembled the typical trend of early successional stage occurring in the abandoned rice paddy and consequently, it was estimated that successful restoration is under progress. Restoration under progress in an ecological pond where artificial aid in the least level was added, could be evaluated in successful as well. In particular, successful establishment of buffering vegetation, which can play diverse ecological functions, could be evaluated as significant restoration effect. But adaptive management to improve ecological quality for the section that buffering vegetation is insufficient, is required.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
• /
• v.40 no.1
• /
• pp.1-8
• /
• 2013

Potato is the 4th important crop along with rice, wheat and maize. It contains high quality of starch with relatively high content of vitamin C and protein. However, there is a nutritionally limiting factor due to a low level of sulphur-containing essential amino acid including methionine and cysteine. Recently, recombinant DNA technology and metabolic engineering with genes involved in the bio-synthetic pathway have been applied to enhance the level of these essential amino acids. In this report, it has been discussed about the current status and bottleneck on the development of transgenic potato containing high level of sulphur-containing essential amino acids.

• Research in Plant Disease
• /
• v.15 no.3
• /
• pp.202-208
• /
• 2009

The genetically modified leaffolder-resistant (Cry1Ac1) rice plant was evaluated for the changes of resistance by comparing the occurrence of major diseases with a japonica type Korean rice variety, Nakdong which was the mother plant of the transgenic rice event, in greenhouse and field conditions. There was no difference in the occurrence of sheath blight and Helminthosporium blight between the two varieties in the fields. We couldn't find any difference of resistance for fungal blast and bacterial leaf blight by artificial inoculation in greenhouse. There was also no difference in the susceptibility to sheath blight in artificial inoculation tests confirming the results in the fields. The possibility of gene transfer of Bar and Cry1Ac1 from the genetically modified rice plant to naturally infected pathogens such as Fusarium moniliforme and Pyricularia oryzae in the field conditions was tested by PCR. And the possible transfer of those genes by continuous inoculation of Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae and Rhizoctonia solani was also tested. However, we couldn't find any possibility of transfer of the genes in natural and artificial conditions.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
• /
• v.37 no.4
• /
• pp.394-399
• /
• 2010

During the last three years (2007 to 2009), 1,212 articles of SCI journals, 451 articles of non-SCI journals, and 348 items of registered patents were reported by the research scientists involved in the BioGreen 21 Project, Rural Development Administration and Crop Functional Genomics Center (CFGC), The 21st century Frontier Program, in Korea. Out of these, the percentages of articles or patents directly related to the development of GM plants were 6.0% (SCI), 10.2% (non-SCI) and 12.6% (patents) from BioGreen 21 Project while 15.7% (SCI), 21.1% (non-SCI) and 81.6% (patents) from CFGC, respectively. It was observed that rice and pepper were major host crops for genetic modification mainly to provide the resistance or tolerance activities against to biotic as well as abiotic stresses. Very low cases were reported for the field test of GM plants regarding to the commercialization (less than 15 articles). These observations indicates that more research grants needs to be invested for the risk assessment of GM plants under early developmental stage to commercialize in Korea.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
• /
• v.21 no.6
• /
• pp.56-66
• /
• 2016

Generally, the contribution of crop-intake pathway (CIP) is remarkable in human health assessment (HHA) of heavy metal contamination. Although the crop exposure concentrations (Cp) should directly be used for calculating the average daily dose (ADD) of CIP, the soil exposure concentration (Cs) multiplied by soil-crop bio-concentration factor (BCF) has frequently been used instead of using Cp values. Thus, the BCF values are significant in the HHA, and care should be taken to ensure the reasonable acquisition of BCF values. Meanwhile, the BCF values are known to be significantly affected by analytical methods. Nevertheless, they have been calculated from the concentrations of soil and crop analyzed by only one method: total digestion (aqua regia extraction). For this reason, this study was initiated to seek appropriate soil analysis methods for effective computation of the ADD of CIP. The concentrations of 5 metal contaminants (As, Cd, Cu, Pb, and Zn) in 127 soil samples obtained from 4 abandoned metal mine areas were analyzed by several methods including total digestion and partial digestions using 0.1/1 N HCl, 1M $NH_4NO_3$, 0.1 M $NaNO_3$, and 0.01M $CaCl_2$. The heavy metal concentrations in 127 crop samples (rice grains) were analyzed by total digestion as well. Using the concentrations of soils and crops, the BCF values of each contaminant were calculated according to the kind of soil extraction methods applied. Finally, the errors between Cp and $C_s{\times}BCF$ were computed to evaluate the relevance of each method. The results indicate that the partial extraction using 0.1 N and 1 N HCl was superior or equivalent to total digestion. In addition, the 0.1M $NaNO_3$ method combined with total digestion is recommended for improving the reliability of BCF values.