• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.17 no.8
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• pp.1361-1368
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• 2007

Endophytic bacteria associated with the roots of coastal sand dune plants were isolated, taxonomically characterized, and tested for their plant growth-promoting activities. Ninety-one endophytic bacterial isolates were collected and assigned to 17 different genera of 6 major bacterial phyla based on partial 16S rDNA sequence analyses. Gammaproteobacteria represented the majority of the isolates (65.9%), and members of Pseudomonas constituted 49.5% of the total isolates. When testing for antagonism towards plant pathogenic fungi, 25 strains were antagonistic towards Rhizoctonia solani, 57 strains were antagonistic towards Pythium ultimum, 53 strains were antagonistic towards Fusarium oxysporum, and 41 strains were antagonistic towards Botrytis cinerea. Seven strains were shown to produce indole acetic acid (IAA), 33 to produce siderophores, 23 to produce protease, 37 to produce pectinase, and 38 to produce chitinase. The broadest spectra of activities were observed among the Pseudomonas strains, indicating outstanding plant growth-promoting potential. The isolates from C. kobomugi and M. sibirica also exhibited good plant growth-promoting potential. The correlations among individual plant growth-promoting activities were examined using phi coefficients, and the resulting data indicated that the production of protease, pectinase, chitinase, and siderophores was highly related.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.440-445
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• 2013

Balloon flower (Platycodon grandiflorum) is a kind of mountain herbs whose roots have restorative properties and the cultivating acreage of balloon flower has been steadily increasing in Korea. More frequent rain and high amount of rainfalls as a result of climate changes predisposed balloon flower to the outbreaks of root rot at high-density cultivation area in recent years. Root crowns were usually discolored into brown to blackish brown at first and the infected plants showed slight wilting symptom at early infection stage. Severely infected roots were entirely rotted and whole plants eventually died at late infection stage. The overall disease severities of root rot of balloon flower were quite variable according to the surveyed fields in Jeonnam, Gyeongnam and Jeju Provinces, which ranged from 0.1% to 40%. The root rot occurred more severely at the paddy or clay soils than the sandy soils and their severities were much higher at lowland than upland in the same localty. The disease increased with aging of the balloon flower. The causal fungi were identified as Fusarium solani and F. oxysporum on the basis of their mycological characteristics. The optimum temperature ranges of their mycelial growths was found to be $24^{\circ}C$. The pathogenic characters of F. solani and F. oxysporum treated by artificial wounding inoculation on healthy roots of balloon flower revealed that F. solani was more virulent than F. oxysporum. This study identified the causal agents of root rot of balloon flower as Fusarium solani and F. oxysporum, probably for the first time.

• The Korean Journal of Pesticide Science
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.383-386
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• 2012

Streptomyces spp. were isolated from rhizosphere in fallow lands. The Streptomyces spp. were identified as Streptomyces griseus (MSS181), Streptomyces griseoaurantiacus (MSS269), Streptomyces microflavus (MSS275), Streptomyces herbaricolor (MSS276) based on 16S rRNA gene sequences. Afterwards, cucumber, pepper, tobacco and tomato were drenched with the isolates at early growth stages and plant growth such as height and dry weight of plants was measured. By treatment of Streptomyce spp., plant height of cucumber was increased by 16-29% compared to the control, But there were no statistically significant differences in dry weight. When the same isolates were treated on chili-pepper, plant height and dry weight of chili-pepper were increased respectively by 10-19% and 19-25% compared to the control. The dry weight of tobacco and tomato were increased by 44-73% and 65-165%, respectively compared to the control. When antifungal activities of the isolates were tested against plant pathogenic fungi, Streptomyces microflavus (MSS275) effectively inhibited the mycelial growth of Phytophthora capsici, Fusarium oxysporum, Rhizoctonia solani and Sclerotinia sclerotiorum.

• Mycobiology
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• v.41 no.1
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• pp.47-55
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• 2013

Rhizoctonia solani, Fusarium solani, F. oxysporum, and Macrophomina phaseolina were found to be associated with root rott and wilt symptoms of faba bean plants collected from different fieldes in New Valley governorate, Egypt. All the obtained isolates were able to attack faba bean plants (cv. Giza 40) causing damping-off and root rot/wilt diseases. R. solani isolates 2 and 5, F. solani isolate 8, F. oxysporum isolate 12 and M. phaseolina isolate 14 were the more virulent ones in the pathogenicity tests. Biocontrol agents (Trichoderma viride and Bacillus megaterium) and chemical inducers (salicylic acid [SA] and hydrogen peroxide) individually or in combination were examined for biological control of damping-off and root rot/wilt and growth promoting of faba bean plants in vitro and in vivo. Both antagonistic biocontrol agents and chemical inducers either individually or in combination inhibited growth of the tested pathogenic fungi. Biocontrol agents combined with chemical inducers recorded the highest inhibited growth especially in case SA + T. viride and SA + B. megaterium. Under green house and field conditions, all treatments significantly reduced damping-off and root rot/wilt severity and increased of survival plants. Also, these treatments increased fresh and weights of the survival plants in pots compared with control. The combination between biocontrol agents and chemical inducers were more effective than used of them individually and SA + T. viride was the best treatment in this respect. Also, under field conditions, all these treatments significantly increased growth parameters (plant height and number of branches per plant) and yield components (number of pods per plant and number of seeds per plant, weight of 100 seeds and total yield per feddan) and protein content in both seasons (2010~2011 and 2011~2012). Faba bean seeds soaked in SA + T. viride and SA + B. megaterium were recorded the highest growth parameters and yield components. Generally, the combination between biocontrol agents and chemical inducers recorded the best results for controlling damping-off and root rot/wilt diseases in greenhouse and field with addition improved plant growth and increased yield components in field.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.553-562
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• 2004

To investigate protective activity in pepper plants, which were pre-inoculated with arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi Glomus intra radices (Gi), against pathogenic strain Phytophthora capsici (Pc), pathogenesis-related (PR) proteins and antioxidant enzymes were examined. The growth of root and shoot was the highest in peppers inoculated with G. intraradices, compared with non-inoculated control plants and those challenged by the pathogen with and without mycorrhizae after nine days of infection. Mycorrhizal colonization rate was reduced by about 10% in pathogen-challenged plants, but disease pressure was reduced. The activities of PR proteins, $\beta$-1- 3-glucanase and chitinase, were increased in Pc-treated plants compared to Gi+Pc-treated plants in leaves, but those in roots were suppressed. Superoxide dismutase activity and $H_2O_2${/TEX> content in Gi+Pc and Pc-treated plants were gradually increased in leaves. However, those in roots continuously increased up to 5 days, and then decreased dramatically. Peroxidase activity in leaves and roots increased after P. capsici infection both in plants inoculated with or without G. intraradices. These results suggest that AM fungi, G. intra radices, potentially act as one of the protective agents against plant pathogens. Changes of PR proteins and antioxidative enzymes in mycorrhizae-inoculated pepper appear to be regulated differently in leaves and roots by pathogen infection.

• Korean Journal Plant Pathology
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• v.1 no.3
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• pp.157-164
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• 1985

Some interactions in various soil conditions, numbers of microbial populations, root rot disease development and rates of spore germiation in three different location of soils were investigated. The calcium and magnesium contents were higher in replanted fields of ginseng (Panax ginseng) at Goesan. Potassium contents were high in replanted field at Poonggi and textural class of the soils was silt loam except for silt clay loam in first cultured field of ginseng at Goesan. For the germination process of Fusarium solani, F. moniliforme, F. oxysporum, and Alternaria panax, the percentage germination of fungal spores was high in double distilled water and Pfeffer's solution as media, whereas the lower rate of germination of spores was observed in soil extracts. Numbers of bacteria were high in replanted field soil at Gumsan, and propagules of fungi in replanted fields at Gumsan and Poonggi were higher than other soils, but higher numbers of actinomycetes were found in the first cultured field of ginseng at Goesan and Poonggi. Fungistasis was induced by higher microbial populations present in soil that was initiated when amended with garlic stalk, crushed bean and ginseng leaves. On the other hand, there was no fungistasis in soil amended with wheat and barley straw, and this tendency was a little difference on the soil sample.

• Research in Plant Disease
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.104-109
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• 2007

Pink root disease of onion, a known worldwide constraint upon onion production, significantly reduces crop levels in the main Korea cultivation area. In order to examine the effect of flooding on incidence of pink root disease caused by Pyrenochaeta terrestris and on onion growth and on populations of soil fungi, field experiments were conducted during two seasons, 2003/04 and 2004/05 at Onion Research Institute. Populations of soil fungi from fields were assayed on selective media. Flooding treatment was effective in reducing populations of P. terrestris, Pythium spp., and Rhizoctonia sp. in soil; fungal populations in soils flooded for 90 days were reduced to 1/2 to 1/3 of those in non-flooded soils. In nursery bed, protective activities of soils flooded for over 60 days were 93.5 to 99.2% and their pink root incidences were less than 5%, which were 1/11 to 1/18 of that in control. Increased yield of onion bulbs was associated with control of soil borne pathogenic fungi by flooding treatments. As flooding period was prolonged, bulb grade showed the tendency to increase. Soil flooding for over 60 days resulted in effective disease control, facilitated accurate planning of plant population in the field, extension of the growing-season and consequently higher yields of better quality.

• Research in Plant Disease
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.114-149
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• 2017

World-wide crop loss caused by insect pest and nematode reaches critical level. In Korea, similar crop loss has been gradually augmented in the field and greenhouse due to continuous crop rotation. The current methods on controlling herbivorous insects and plant parasitic nematodes are mostly depended on agro-chemicals that have resulted additional side-effect including occurrence of resistant insects and nematodes, environmental contamination, and accumulation in human body. To overcome the pitfalls, microbe-based control method have been introduced and applied for several decades. Here, we revised biological control using by the bacteria, fungi, and virus in order to kill insect and nematode and to attenuate its virulence mechanism. The introduced microbes mainly secreted out the hydrolysing enzymes and toxic compounds to target host membrane or cell wall directly. Indirectly, the microbe-triggered plant innate immunity against insects and nematodes was also reported. In conclusion, we provide a new frontier of microbe-based environmentally friendly procedure and effective methods to manage insects and nematodes.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.289-294
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• 2006

Two isolates of mucous bacteria, mc75 and pc78, were isolated from fungal culture plate as culture contaminants with an interesting swarming motility. Both isolates were identified as Pseudomonas fluorescens based on microscopy, biochemical analysis, Biolog test and DNA sequence analysis of the 16S rRNA gene. Both strains have the exactly the same 16S rRNA gene sequences, and yet their biological control activity were not identical each other. In vitro analysis of antagonistic activity of two isolates against several plant pathogenic fungi indicated that both produced diffusible and volatile antifungal compounds of unknown identities. Treatment of the bacterial culture of P. fluorescens pc78 and its culture filtrate exhibited a strong biological control activity against rice sheath blight in vivo among six plant diseases tested. More effective disease control activity was obtained from treatment of bacterial culture than that of culture filtrate. Therefore, in addition to antifungal compound and siderophore production, other traits such as biofilm formation and swarming motility on plant surface may contribute to the biological control activity of P.fluorescens pc78 and mc75.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.13 no.5
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• pp.582-589
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• 2003

The effect of useful rhizobacterium added in bed soil on the early growth promotion of red pepper plug seedlings was investigated. Total 540 colonies of rhizobacteria from 385 samples of eggplant family roots were isolated. Among these, 5 isolates were selected for antifungal activity against pathogenic fungi such as Alternaria solani, Botrytis cinerea, Fusarium oxysporium, Phytophthora capsici, and Sclerotia sclerotiorum. Of all the isolates, MJ-3 having the most pronounced growth-promoting ability for red pepper was finally selected and identified as Bacillus amyloliquefaciens through characterization of biochemical and bacteriological aspects and 16S rDNA sequence. The plant height, stem diameter, root length and fresh weight of red pepper plants which were grown with inoculation of B. amyloliquefaciens MJ-3 were higher than those without inoculation. Especially the root weight of the inoculated red pepper plant increased by 44.3%, the content of endogenous plant hormone (CA$_1$) being 0.556 ng/g (dry weight).