• Clean Technology
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.154-164
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• 2009

In 2007, 94% of organic wastewater sludge from industries located in Ulsan was disposed of by ocean dump. The ocean dump of organic sludge would be totally prohibited by the year of 2012. However, there is no alternative but incinerating the sludge from the industries located in Ulsan. Securing the technology for sludge treatment and on-land disposal is very important issue among the industries in the Ulsan Petrochemical Industry Complex. In this study, the material aspects of dried and carbonized sludge as a fuel were evaluated for petrochemical and sewage sludge from Ulsan. The dried and carbonized sludges from the factories producing terephthalic acid, BTX, propylene, chemical textile, etc. of which the low heat value exceeded 3,000 kcal/kg had high potential as a fuel according to the results of thermal characteristic analysis. However, the dried sludges with heat values lower than 2,100 kcal/kg and carbonized sludges, lower than 1,100 kcal/kg containing more Inorganic material from the industries producing pulp, paper, methylamine, amide, etc. had a little potential to be used as a fuel. In most cases, drying the sludge showed better results than carbonization in the aspect of thermal characteristics of sludge.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.112 no.2
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• pp.136-144
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• 2023

This study aimed to determine the optimal fertilization level for the production of Hovenia dulcis Thunb. seedlings. The height, root collar diameter, biomass, seedling quality index, and chlorophyll content of Hovenia dulcis container seedlings (1-0) according to six fertilization treatments (control, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5 g·L^-1) were investigated. The height, root collar diameter, and biomass of Hovenia dulcis container seedlings increased with increasing fertilization, but there were no significant differences among the ≥1.5 g·L^-1 treatments, and the 2.5 g·L^-1 fertilization treatment was associated with significantly lower height growth. The seedling-quality index showed a high but non-significant difference in the ≥1.5 g·L^-1 treatment range, and the chlorophyll content was highest in the 1.5 g·L^-1 treatment group. Considering the environmental and cost aspects of fertilization, the appropriate level of fertilization required for superior container seedling production of Hovenia dulcis was 1.5 g·L^-1, and a minimum fertilization treatment of ≥0.5 g·L^-1 should be applied to meet the minimum seedling specifications. These results are expected to be used as basic data for establishing an efficient seedling-production system and stable supply of Hovenia dulcis, which is used as a medicinal and honey plant.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.39 no.4
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• pp.542-549
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• 2021

Citrus leafminer (Phyllocnistis citrella) is an economically important pest in citrus orchards. This study was conducted to elucidate the over-wintering stage of P. citrella through experiments on the survival rate of P. citrella at low temperatures and field investigations during the winter season. There was a significant difference in the survival period depending upon the over-wintering stage of P. citrella at low temperatures, and the adults survived longer than the pupae. Evaluation of the survival period after inoculating citrus orchards with P. citrella adults and pupae showed that only the adults survived until mid-March of the following year, but all pupae died in January. This suggests that considering the fact that the germination of spring shoots in Jeju generally begins in mid-March, over-wintering adults are likely to form an early population the next year. However, pupae may not contribute to the formation of the initial population in the early season after wintering in fall shoots that are prone to freezing damage in winter because P. citrella could only survive in pupal chambers formed in fall shoots. Therefore, these results suggest that P. citrella adults that emerge in late autumn can over-winter in citrus orchards in Jeju, Korea.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.65 no.3
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• pp.535-549
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• 2023

This study was to investigate the effects of different phytogenic feed additives (PFA) dosage levels in growing- finishing pigs stressed by high stocking density. A total of 72 mix sexed 12 weeks growing pigs ([Landrace × Yorkshire] × Duroc) with initial body weight (BW) of 49.28 ± 4.58 kg were used for 8 weeks. There were 3 replicate pens in each treatment group, with 3 pigs per pen. The dietary treatment groups consisted of basal diets in animal welfare density (negative control [NC]), basal diet in high stocking density (positive control [PC]), PC + 0.04% essential oil (ES1), PC + 0.08% essential oil (ES2), PC + 0.10% bitter citrus extract & essential oil (CES1), PC + 0.20% bitter citrus extract & essential oil (CES2), PC + 0.05% grape pomace extract (GP1), PC + 0.10% grape pomace extract (GP2). The reduction of space allowance decreased (p < 0.05) average daily gain, feed efficiency, and digestibility of dry matter, crude protein, and gross energy. Also, the fecal score of PC groups increased (p < 0.05) compared with other groups. Basic behaviors (feed intake, standing, lying) were inactive (p < 0.05) and singularity behavior (biting) was increased (p < 0.10) under high stocking density. There was no difference in blood profile. However, the supplementation of PFA alleviated the negative effects such as reduced growth performance, nutrient digestibility, and some increasing stress indicators in th blood (cortisol) and animal behavior (biting). In conclusion, the negative effect of high stocking density was most effectively mitigated by the normal dosage of the mixture of bitter citrus extract and essential oil additive (CES1).

• ANNALS OF ANIMAL RESOURCE SCIENCES
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.69-78
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• 2019

The objective of this study was to investigate the quality properties of sausages added with the atmospheric pressure plasma treated extract of Perilla frutescens Britton var. acuta Kudo (red perilla). The lyophilized powder of red perilla extract treated by atmospheric-pressure plasma contained 7.5 g kg^-1 nitrite. Sausage samples were manufactured with the addition of sodium nitrite (Control), celery powder (Celery), or plasma-treated extract of red perilla (PTP) to obtain nitrite concentration of 70 mg kg^-1. The residual nitrite content was the lowest in PTP during storage for 21 days at 4℃ (p<0.05). The total aerobic bacteria counts were higher in PTP than in Control and Celery during storage at 4℃ (p<0.05). Malondialdehyde content of sausages was significantly lower in PTP than in Control and Celery during storage (p<0.05). PTP showed the lowest L^* value and the highest b^* value among the tested sausage samples during storage (p<0.05). PTP received the low scores in all the sensory properties of sausages because of its inherent color and flavor. The results suggested that the plasma-treated extract of red perilla was an unsuitable natural nitrite source for cured meat products because of its adverse effect on sensory quality. However, natural nitrite source with increased nitrite content can be produced by the treatment of the natural plant extract with atmospheric-pressure plasma.

• Journal of the Korean Society of International Agriculture
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• v.23 no.5
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• pp.491-496
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• 2011

Breeding for pear resistance to pear psylla (Cacopsylla pyricola) is one of important objective of the National Institute of Horticultural and Herbal Science breeding program. One hundred thirty three accessions from 15 Asian, Chinese and European pear species were investigated for their resistance against pear psylla. The pear psylla resistance was determined based on the following four characteristics: overwintering adult population, the number of eggs and nymphs, and the degree of soot. The different pear species showed varied resistance to pear psylla. Pyrus calleryana and P. betulaefolia indicated the highest antixenosis as ovipositional preference and antibiosis as nymphal feeding and were the most resistant genetic resources. Likewise the European pears (P. communis), 'Conference' and 'Cascade', exhibited little occurrence and damage by pear psylla. These were proved to be promising genetic materials for breeding resistant cultivars because they had good fruit quality and showed resistance to pear paylla. The observed population of overwintering adult, the number of eggs and nymphs of psylla had significant correlation each other.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Crop Science Conference
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• 2022.10a
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• pp.25-25
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• 2022

Drought becomes frequent and severe because of continuous global warming, leading to a significant loss of crop yield. In soybean (Glycine max [L.]), most of quantitative trait loci (QTLs) analyses for drought tolerance have conducted by investigating yield changes under water-restricted conditions at the reproductive stages. More recently, the necessity of QTL studies to use physiological indices responding to drought at the early growth stages besides the reproductive ones has arisen due to the unpredictable and prevalent occurrence of drought throughout the soybean growing season. In this study, we thus identified QTLs conferring wilting scores and moisture contents of soybean subjected to drought stress in the early vegetative stage using an recombinant inbred line (RIL) population derived from a cross between Taekwang (drought-sensitive) and SS2-2 (drought-tolerant). For the two traits, the same major QTL was located on chromosome 10, accounting for up to 11.5% of phenotypic variance explained with LOD score of 12.5. This QTL overlaps with a reported QTL for the limited transpiration trait in soybean and harbors an ortholog of the Arabidopsis ABA and drought-induced RING-D UF1117 gene. Meanwhile, one of important features of plant drought tolerance is their ability to limit transpiration rates under high vapor pressure deficiency in response to mitigate water loss. However, monitoring their transpiration rates is time-consuming and laborious. Therefore, only a few population-level studies regarding transpiration rates under the drought condition have been reported so far. Via employing an Arduino-based platform, for the reasons addressed, we are measuring and recording total pot weights of soybean plants every hour from the 1^st day after water restriction to the days when the half of the RILs exhibited permanent tissue damage in at least one trifoliate. Gradual decrease in moisture of soil in pots as time passes refers increase in the severity of drought stress. By tracking changes in the total pot weights of soybean plants, we will infer transpiration rates of the mapping parents and their RILs according to different levels of VPD and drought stress. The profile of transpiration rates from different levels of severity in the stresses facilitates a better understanding of relationship between transpiration-related features, such as limited maximum transpiration rates, to water saving performances, as well as those to other drought-responsive phenotypes. Our findings will provide primary insights on drought tolerance mechanisms in soybean and useful resources for improvement of soybean varieties tolerant to drought stress.

• Korean Journal of Organic Agriculture
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.91-105
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• 2024

Plantago asiatica L. (P. asiatica) is a perennial plant belonging to the plantaginaceae and is useful in treating a various diseases such as wounds, bronchitis, and chronic constipation. The bioactive effects of P. asiatica extract was evaluated to determine its potential for use as a variety materials in the food, pharmaceutical, and agricultural industries. Polyphenol and flavonoid contents, free radical scavenging, reducing power activity, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) expression were measured to identify the antioxidative activity. Anti-inflammatory effects were evaluated via analysis of nitric oxide (NO) and pro-inflammatory protein expression in LPS-induced RAW 264.7 cell. As a result of measuring the antioxidant activities of the P. asiatica extract, the total polyphenol content was 50.91±0.78 mg gallic acid equivalents/g and the flavonoid content was 100.99±0.44 mg rutin equivalents/g, and both DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging activities and reducing power increased depending on the concentration. Also, intracellular ROS production was inhibited by the P. asiatica extract. No cytotoxicity was observed when P. asiatica extract was treated, and NO and inflammatory protein expression were inhibited, and nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) phosphorylation was also inhibited in a concentration-dependent manner. In conclusion, P. asiatica is a functional natural resources of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agents that can be used in various industries, including food and agriculture.

• Food Science and Preservation
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.358-368
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• 2023

Euonymus alatus (Thunb.) Sieb., also known as the arrow tree in Korea, is a plant in East Asia used in traditional medicine and food. In particular, the wings of E. alatus are rich in phenolic compounds. This study evaluated the antioxidant, α-glucosidase inhibition, and anti-cancer activities of E. alatus wing extracts. The radical and hydrogen peroxide scavenging acitvities and reducing the power of 1,000 ㎍/mL E. alatus wing extracts, were similar to those of the positive control (0.1% BHT, 0.1% α-tocopherol). In addition, ethanol and methanol extract at 250 ㎍/mL showed 95.70 and 94.99% of α-glucosidase inhibition activity, respectively. The ethanol extract of E. alatus wings had the highest total polyphenol and flavonoid contents (867.8 mg% and 521.7 mg%, respectively). The E. alatus wing extracts significantly decreased the cell viability of LNCaP human prostate cancer cells (p<0.001), MDA-MB-231 human breast cancer cells (p<0.001), and HT-29 human colon cancer cells (p<0.001) in a dose-dependent manner. However, there was no significant effect on B16 mouse melanoma cells. Notably, the ethanol extracts showed higher cancer cell growth inhibitory activity in LNCaP and HT-29 cells than the other extracts. These results suggest that E. alatus wing extracts could have significant clinical applications, and our results can be used as basic data for future functional food material development.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.48 no.1
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• pp.17-23
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• 2024

Background: Honey bees play a crucial role in pollination and ecological balance. Apis mellifera L. colonies, especially those located in specific geographic regions, such as the palm garden in Eastern Thailand, are susceptible to potential threats from microbial contaminants. Understanding and detecting microbial organisms in these beehives is essential for the preservation of bee health, honey production, and the broader ecosystem. However, the problem of microbial infection and antibiotic-resistant bacteria is more severe and continuously increasing, resulting in a health, economic, and social crisis. The purpose of this study is to determine the prevalence of microorganisms in A. mellifera beehives in palm gardens in Rayong province, Eastern Thailand. Results: Ten swabs in transport media were swabbed and obtained from different parts of each beehive (1 swab per beehive), for a total of 10 hives. Traditional microbial culture-based methods, biochemical tests, and antimicrobial susceptibility (disc-diffusion) tests were used to detect microbial organisms and antibiotic resistance in bacteria. The swab tests from nine beehives resulted in the detection of Gram-positive bacteria (63.64%), Gram-negative bacteria (27.27%), and fungi/yeast (9.09%). These microorganisms are classified as a group of coagulase-negative Staphylococcus spp. and made up 40.91% of the bacteria discovered. Other bacteria found were Coryneform bacteria (13.64%), Pantoea spp. (13.64%), Bacillus spp. (9.09%), yeast (9.09%), glucose non-fermentative Gram-negative bacilli (9.09%), and Pseudomonas spp. (4.55%). However, due to the traditional culture-based and 0biochemical tests usually used to identify the microbial organisms in clinical specimens and the limitation of identifying some environmental microbial species, the results of the antimicrobial susceptibility test cannot reveal if the organism is resistant or susceptible to the drug. Nevertheless, drug-sensitive inhibition zones were formed with each antibiotic agent. Conclusions: Overall, the study supports prevention, healthcare, and public health systems. The contamination of microorganisms in the beehives may affect the quality of honey and other bee products or even the health of the beekeeper. To avoid this kind of contamination, it is therefore necessary to wear personal protective equipment while harvesting honey and other bee products.