• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.47 no.3
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• pp.390-400
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• 2019

In this study, strains isolated from soil samples collected from Busan, Changwon, and Jeju Island were examined to verify their abilities of phosphate solubilization and nitrogen fixation, production of indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), siderophore, and 1-aminocylopropane-1-carboxylyic acid (ACC) deaminase in order to select strains that promote plant growth and play a role in biocontrol of pests or pathogens. According to the results of this study, most of the isolated strains were found to have ability of phosphate solubilization, nitrogen fixation, IAA production, siderophore production, and production of ACC deaminase. These isolated strains might help plant growth by directly improving absorption of nutrients essential for phosphate solubilization and nitrogen fixation. In addition, they can promote plant growth and control resistance to plant diseases through extracellular enzyme activity and antifungal activity. In addition, most of the selected strains were found to survive in various environmental conditions such as temperature, salinity, and pH. Therefore, Pseudomonas plecoglossicida ANG14, Pseudarthrobacter equi ANG28, Beijerinckia fluminensis ANG34, and Acinetobacter calcoaceticus ANG35 were finally selected through a comparative advantage analysis to suggest their potential as novel biological agents. Further studies are necessary in order to prove their efficacy as novel biological agents through formulation and optimization of effective microorganisms, their preservation period, and crop cultivation tests.

• KOREAN JOURNAL OF CROP SCIENCE
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• v.50 no.1
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• pp.5-10
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• 2005

This experiment was conducted to clarify the functions of supernodulating characters on seed yield determination through the comparison of agricultural traits of supernodulating soybean mutants, Sakukei4, SS2-2, and their parent cultivars, Enrei and Shinpaldalkong2. The plant dry weights of supernodulating mutants, Sakukei4 and SS2-2, were $52\%$ and $61\%$ of their wild type parents at full seed stage (R6). However, the relative growth rate (RGR) from the pod set stage (R3) to R6 of Sakukei4 was 0.022 g/g/day and that of SS2-2 was 0.016 g/g/day, which were higher than those of their parents. Nodule number and dry weight were increased in two supernodulating mutants by the R6 stage. The nitrogen concentrations of leaf, petiole and stem of Sakukei4 were higher than those of Enrei. SS2-2 showed higher nitrogen concentration in petiole than Shinpaldalkong2 had. The positive correlations were appeared between nodule dry weight, plant dry weight and pod number, in two supernodulating mutants during the period from R3 to R6 stage. Although all of the yield components and seed yield were lower in two supernodulating mutants than their parents at the stage of full maturity (R8), the harvest index was higher in supernodulating mutants. The increasing rates of pod number to stem dry weight in two supernodulating mutants showed the higher than those of two their parents at R8 stage. In conclusion, the relative growth rates during the early to the middle reproductive growth period were higher in supernodulating mutants than the wild types. This could be resulted in an increase in pod number. The increase of relative growth rate was the result of the successive supplement of nitrogen source from biological nitrogen fixation (BNF) of nodules during the middle reproductive growth period in supernodulating mutants.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.46 no.1
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• pp.31-40
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• 2022

Background: Plant vegetation appears in heterogeneous and patchy forms in arid and semi-arid regions. In these regions, underneath the plant patches and the empty spaces between them are covered by biological soil crusts (moss, lichen, cyanobacteria, and fungi). Biological soil crusts lead to the formation and development of fertile islands in between vegetation patches via nitrogen and carbon fixation and the permeation of runoff water and nutrients in the soil. Results: The present study has investigated the association of biological soil crusts, the development of fertile islands, and the formation of plant patches in part of the Takht-e Soltan protected area, located in Khorasan Razavi Province, Iran. Three sites were randomly selected as the working units and differentiated based on their geomorphological characteristics to the alluvial fan, hillslope, and fluvial terrace landforms. Two-step systematic random sampling was conducted along a 100-meter transect using a 5 m² plot at a 0-5 cm depth in three repetitions. Fifteen samplings were carried out at each site with a total of 45 samples taken. The results showed that the difference in altitude has a significant relationship with species diversity and decreases with decreasing altitude. Results have revealed that the moisture content of the site, with biocrust has had a considerable increase compared to the other sites, helping to form vegetation patterns and fertile islands. Conclusions: The findings indicated that biological crusts had impacted the allocation of soil parameters. They affect the formation of plant patches by increasing the soil's organic carbon, nitrogen, moisture and nutrient content provide a suitable space for plant growth by increasing the soil fertility in the inter-patch space.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.443-449
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• 1988

The effects of rice-straw annual application on nitrogen fixing microbial flora in the soil of paddy fields and their biological activities were investigated. Experiments were performed in both NPK fertilizer applied soil and rice-straw applied soil of Agricultural Station in Aomori-ken, Japan. The following results were obtained. 1. The ARA by phototrophs was significantly increased in both soil plots. From the soil plot in which 300ppm-nitrogen was applied, the increase of ARA began to be seen from three weeks later. On the other hand, 33ppm-nitrogen applied soil plot and non-nitrogen applied soil plot showed the ARA increase from the beginning. The amount of ARA by non-phototrophs was only one-tenth of that by phototrophs. 2. For the first three weeks, the phototrophic bacteria (mainly Rhodopseudomonas) were predominant in both soil plots. Since then, as the ARA rapidly increased, the proliferation of blue-green algae forming heterocysts was remarkably promoted. Such effects were more distinct in the rice-straw annually applied soil plot than in the NPK fertilizer annually applied soil plot. 3. The degree of proliferation of blue-green algae depended on the amount of applied nitrogen. While Anabaena, Nostoc and Cylindrospermum were largely proliferated in the non-nitrogen applied soil plot, Cylindrospermum and Calothrix were in the 33ppm-nitrogen applied soil plot, but Calothrix tended to predominated in the 100ppm-nitrogen applied soil plot.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.42 no.1
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• pp.1-6
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• 1999

Poly-${\beta}$-hydroxybutyrate (PHB) and enzymes related PHB metabolism have been measured in nitrogen-fixing symbiosis of chickpea and cowpea plants. Bacteroids from chickpea and cowpea contained PHB to 0.8% and 43% of their dry weight, respectively, whereas the free-living cells CC 1192 and I 16 produced $285{\pm}55mg$ and $157{\pm}18mg$ of PHB g (dry weight)$^{-1}$. To further understand why chickpea bacteroids contained little PHB, the enzyme activities of PHB metabolism (3-ketothiolase, acetoacetyl-CoA reductase, PHB depolymerase, and 3-hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenase), the TCA cycle (malate dehydrogenase, citrate synthase, and isocitrate dehydrogenase), and related reactions (malic enzyme, pyruvate dehydrogenase, and glutamate:2-oxoglutarate transaminase) were compared in extracts from chickpea and cowpea bacteroids and the respective free-living bacteria. Significant differences were observed between chickpea and cowpea bacteroids and between the bacteroid and free-living forms of CC 1192, with respect to the capacity for some of these reactions. It is indicated that a greater potential for oxidizing malate to oxaloacetate in chickpea bacteroids could be a factor that favors the utilization of acetyl-CoA in TCA cycle rather than for PHB synthesis.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.44 no.2
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• pp.214-225
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• 2011

The objectives of the study were to evaluate seasonal patterns of epilimnetic water quality, and determine interannual eutrophication patterns at the dam site of Yong-dam Reservoir using long-term data during 2002~2009. Ionic dilutions, based on specific conductivity, occurred in the summer period in response to the intense monsoon rain and inflow, and suspended solid analysis indicated that the reservoir was clear except for the monsoon. Seasonality of nitrogen contents varied depending on the types of nitrogen and responded to ionic dilution; Ammonia-nitrogen ($NH_4$-N) peaked at dry season but nitrate-nitrogen ($NO_3$-N) peaked in the monsoon when the ionic dilution occurred. The maxima of $NO_3$-N seemed to be related with external summer N-loading from the watershed and active nitrogen fixation of bluregreens in the summer. $NO_3$-N was major determinant (>50%) of the total nitrogen pool and relative proportion of $NH_4$-N was minor. Long-term annual $NO_3$-N and TDN showed continuous increasing trends from 2004 to 2009, whereas TP and TDP showed decreasing trends along with chlorophyll-a (CHL) values. Empirical model analysis of log-transformed nutrients and N : P ratios on the CHL showed that the reservoir CHL had a stronger linear function with TP ($R^2$=0.89, p<0.001) than TN ($R^2$=0.35, p=0.120). Overall results suggest that eutrophication progress, based on TP and CHL, is slow down over the study period and this was mainly due to reduced phosphorns, which is considered as primary nutrient by the empirical model.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.295-302
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• 2005

The nitrogen (N) balance in Korea during 1985-1997 was calculated according to the surface balance method of the PARCOM guidelines and compared with Japanese N balance. The some differences were founded in the coefficients used on calculating N balance in two nations. Of the important parameters, which can make a big difference in balance, N input by organic fertilizers was not included in Korea different with Japanese, due to absence of reliable statistics and then made lower the input. Nitrogen destruction rate from livestock manure was adjusted differently with 15% in Korea but 28% in Japan. There was some difference in the conversion factors of livestock number into manure N quantity in two nations, but the gap was ignoble scale except beef cattle. Our manure N production rate of beef cattle might be evaluated to be so lower than Japanese. Biological N fixation by pulses was very higher in Korea than in Japan but scarcely affect the increase of total N input, due to small cultivation area. In contrast, N fixation rate by free-living organisms in Korean and Japanese wet paddies showed the big difference with 7.6 and $37.0kg\;ha^{-1}\;yr^{-1}$, respectively, and therefore $29.4kg\;ha^{-1}\;yr^{-1}$ of nitrogen was estimated to be more inputted in Japan. Although there are many points to be more specified and improved, still, Korean N balance was very high with $250-257kg\;ha^{-1}$ in the mid of 1990s, which was the second highest level in OECD countries and furthermore increased continuously during the investigation. In contrast in Japan, which has similar fanning system with Korea, N balance was lower with $130-158kg\;ha^{-1}$ and has decreased continuously since 1993. This high N balance was mainly due to a high usage of chemical fertilizers in our intensive fanning system and the fast increment of livestock feeding. Therefore, the more active action to decrease chemical fertilizer utilization and reduce livestock feeding density is required in the government and farmer sides.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.77-83
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• 1983

Effects of rice straw application (particularly application method; surface placement and deep placement) on the biological nitrogen fixing activity of paddy fields and on the growth of rice plant have been investigated by the lysimeter experiment with Aragawa alluvial soil and Tochigi ando soil. 1. Nitrogen fixing activity of plow layer (0~1cm) was increased by the rice straw application, notably by the phototrophs, both deep placement and surface placement, between 1 and 2 months of initial growth stage of rice plant. 2. Surface placement method stimulated the nitrogen fixing activity more significantly them the deep placement method, and also showed good effects on the growth of rice plant. 3. The increased of effect on the nitrogen fixing activity of surface placed area was found to be originated from the applied rice straw and its neigh bouring area. 4. Nitrogen fixing activity of surface placed rice straw was rather promoted by the application of herbicides (2, 4, 6-arichlorophenyl ether) than the non-applicated plot.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.52-56
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• 2006

The effect of bensulfuron-methyl on the nontargeted cyanobacteria was greater on A. variabillis than N. commune. Both A. variabillis and N. commune were initially able to utilize low concentrations of the herbicide, bensulfuron-methyl, whereas higher concentrations of bensulfuron-methyl or the hydrolyzed products of the herbicide were found to be toxic. Growth and photosynthesis inhibitions of over $50\%$ were observed, when 8 to 10 ppm of the herbicide was applied. Nitrogenase activities of the cyanobacteria were decreased by $94-98\%$ in A. variabillis and by $85-86\%$ in N. commune after 24 h of incubation with 10 ppm and 20 ppm of bensulfuron-methyl. Nitrogenase activities were also inhibited by the addition of ammonium salts as low as 0.05 mM. Furthermore, the toxic effect of the herbicide was the highest at pH 4-6, showing approximately $42-60\%$ toxicity, whereas much lower toxicity $(9-28\%)$ was observed at higher pH of 7-10, due to base-catalyzed hydrolysis of bensulfuron-methyl.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.79-85
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• 1985

Rhizobium japonicum wild type strains isolated from local soybean variety Jangback root nodules with higher nitrogenase activity than R. japonicum 3I1110 or 61A76 was mutangenized by N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine and UV-irradiation, and screened by effectiveness assay with soybean. One mutant strain JB65 nodulated the roots earlier than the wild type and also expressed higher acetylene-reducing activity in the presence and absence of fixed nitrogen. The selected mutant was compared with SM35 strain and showed greater nodulation and symbiotic nitrogen fixing activity with local soybean variety Jangback than SM35 strain.