• Korean Journal of Plant Taxonomy
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• v.52 no.4
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• pp.207-213
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• 2022

An effective pollinator was investigated based on visiting insects to confirm the pollination mechanism of Impatiens furcillata Hemsl. (cheo-jin-mul-bong-seon), an annual herb that is also a species endemic to Korea that has hardly been studied in relation to pollination ecology. The insects that visited the group of I. furcillata studied here consisted of four orders, 11 families, and 16 species; Hymenoptera had seven species (43.8%), Lepidoptera had four (25.0%), Diptera four (25.0%), and Hemiptera one (6.2%). Visiting insects were divided into those that took only nectar, those that took nectar and pollen, and those that took neither. Insects that are effective for pollination are judged considering the length and body type of their mouth parts, and Amegilla florea Smith (huin-jul-beol) is judged to be the most effective pollinator in the survey area. As a result of observing pollination behavior, when visiting a flower, A. florea, which extended its glossa, approached the front, landed on a wing petal of I. furcillata, crawled into the flower tube, and then backed up and reversed its steps, with pollen adhered to its back. The findings here present basic information about species biology related to both I. furcillata and A. florea.

• Korean Journal of Plant Taxonomy
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• v.50 no.2
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• pp.148-153
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• 2020

Cleisostoma scolopendrifolium is an orchid species solely pollinated by the male bee Megachile yasumatsui. Although C. scolopendrifolium is an endangered species in Korea, little is known about its pollination mechanisms or the profiles of its chemical attractants. This study provides evidence that the Cleisostoma orchid attracts male bees as pollinators by mimicking female mating signals. We found 13 hydrocarbons in the Cleisostoma orchid flower presumed to be involved in sex pheromone mimicry: five alkanes (tricosane, pentacosane, heptacosane, nonacosane, and hentriacontane), compounds of cuticular hydrocarbons which function as chemical cues for the recognition of mates and species in social insects; and eight alkenes ((z)-9-tricosene, (z)-9-pentacosene, (z)-11-pentacosene, (z)-9-heptacosene, (z)-11-heptacosene, (z)-9-nonacosene, (z)-11-nonacosene, and (z)-11-hentriacontene) which serve as sex pheromones in several insects. We suggest that these hydrocarbons play a key role in the pollination mechanism between Cleisostoma orchids and Megachile bees.

• Journal of Plant Biology
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.107-127
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• 1984

An anthecological study of Tilia in Korea was undertaken for six native and one introduced species. Flowers are protoandrous with anther and stigma opening during the day-time in section(sect) Anastraea and the night-time in sect Astrophilyra. Nectar production was coincided with anther and stigma opening. It is revealed that the primary role of floral bracts was attracting pollinators especially in sect Astrophilyra. The peak of stamen and stigma function, and the production of nectar and odor were closely related with pollinator attraction. Forthy-three species of insects in 30 families were identified for the pollination studies; bees were the most commonly observed visitors in sect Anastraea, while moths were the primary visitors in sect Astrophilyra. Pollination study indicate that it is section specific. But within a section, pollination is not species specific thus interspecific hybridization occurs.

• Korean Journal of Plant Taxonomy
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.43-50
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• 2008

The pollination system of Bupleurum latissimum Nakai (Apiaceae) was investigated in the natural population of Korea. The various insects of 19 species, 11 families, 5 orders visited the flowers of B. latissimum. Episyrphus balteatus and Lasioglossum occidens were considered as the most effective pollen vector which have associated specially with B. latissimum. The visitation frequency peaked at 10 AM - 13 PM and no visitor was recognized during night time. The flowers of B. latissimum last during only three days and they are protandry. It is also confirmed that the flower of B. latissimum is self-compatible and cross-pollination by vectors is critical for successful seed setting.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.43 no.1
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• pp.9-13
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• 2019

We investigated the pollinators of Centipede's foot orchid (Cleisostoma scolopendrifolium) at five locations in southern Korea. Only one species of megachilid bee (Megachile yasumatsui) was observed at three of the sites (Mokpo, Haenam, and Wando). We assumed that the megachilid bee worked as a sole pollinator of C. scolopendrifolium based on the visiting behavior of the bees the attached pollinia. Fruits were observed at the three locations that bees visited: 74% fruit set at Mokpo, 59% at Wando, and 31% at Haenam. By contrast, at two of the locations where megachilid bees did not visit the plants (Naju and Jindo), there were no fruits set. The differences in fruit set rates at the three orchid populations where bees were observed appear to be related to bee abundance and flower visitation rate rather than to differences in flower abundance. The pollination interaction between C. scolopendrifolium and megachilid bees appears to involve sexual deception since only male bees were attracted to the flowers. The underlying mechanism involved in this interaction needs investigation.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.51 no.4
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• pp.355-361
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• 2008

Pollen is very important causing factor for allergy such as allergic rhinitis, allergic conjunctivitis, and asthma, and pollen allergy has a remarkable clinical impact all over Korea. The main pollination period covers about half the year, from spring to autumn, and the distribution of airborne pollen taxa of allergological interest is related to pollen season dynamics. Korean academy of pediatric allergy and respiratory diseases (KAPARD) has evaluated the pollen characteristics and nationwide pollen count for over 10 years since 1997. Airborne particles carrying allergens were collected daily from nationwide 8 stations (Seoul, Guri, Cheongju, Daegu, Kwangju, Busan, Kangneung, and Jeju) by using 7 days-Burkard sampler (Burkard Manufacturing Co Ltd, Hertfordshire, UK) in South Korea (July 1, 1997-June 30, 2007). They were counted and recorded along with the meteorological factors daily. Tree pollen is a major airborne allergen in spring, grass is most common in summer, and weed pollen is major pollen in autumn in Korea. There has two peak seasons for pollen allergy, as summer and autumn. There is some evidence suggesting that the prevalence of allergic diseases in Korea has been on the increase in the past decade. However, recent findings of the phase I and II studies of the international Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) study showed the absence of increases or little changes in prevalence of asthma symptoms and diagnosis rates in Korea, whereas the prevalence of allergic rhinitis and atopic dermatitis were increased. We reported the evidence that sensitization rate to weed pollen has been increased yearly since 1997 in childhood. Climate change and air pollution must be the major causing factors for the increase of pollen counts and sensitization rate to pollen. Climate change makes the plants earlier pollination and persisting pollination longer. In conclusion, data on pollen count and structure in the last few years, the pathogenetic role of pollen and the interaction between pollen and air pollutants with climate change gave new insights into the mechanism of respiratory allergic diseases in Korea.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.46 no.1
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• pp.18-30
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• 2022

Background: Bees and flowering plants associations were initially began during the early Cretaceous, 120 million years ago. This coexistence has led to a mutual relationship where the plant serves as food and in return, the bee help them their reproduction. Animals pollinate about 75% of food crops worldwide, with bees as the world's primary pollinator. In general, bees rely on flower scents to locate blooming flowers as visual clue is limited and also their host plants from a distance. In this review, an attempt is made to collect some relevant 107 published papers from three scientific databases, Google Scholar, Scopus, and Web of Science database, covering the period from 1959 to 2021. Results: Flowering plants are well documented to actively emit volatile organic compounds (VOCs). However, only a few of them are important for eliciting behavioral responses in bees. In this review, fifty-three volatile organic compounds belonging to different class of compounds, mainly terpenoids, benzenoids, and volatile fatty acid derivatives, is compiled here from floral scents that are responsible for eliciting behavioral responses in bees. Bees generally use honest floral signals to locate their host plants with nectar and pollen-rich flowers. Thus, honest signaling mechanism plays a key role in maintaining mutualistic plant-pollinator associations. Conclusions: Considering the fact that floral scents are the primary attractants, understanding and identification of VOCs from floral scent in plant-pollinator networks are crucial to improve crop pollination. Interestingly, current advances in both VOCs scent gene identification and their biosynthetic pathways make it possible to manipulate particular VOCs in plant, and this eventually may lead to increase in crop productivity.

• Plant Biotechnology Reports
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• v.3 no.3
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• pp.191-197
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• 2009

Four-leaf white clover is not found easily in nature due to its low appearance rate (1 in 10,000). Because people believe that it brings good luck and like to either keep it or present it to a loved one, it has commercial and ornamental value. To breed four-leaf clover, we exposed its flowers to ${\gamma}-rays$ at the pollination stage. The $M_1$ seeds produced following doses at 25-100 Gy showed an approximately 74% germination rate, with seedling survival at 46%. In the $M_1$ generation of plants irradiated within that dose range, we found an increased frequency of four leaflets. One of them, Jeju Lucky-1 (JL-1), had a frequency of about 60%. To see whether that mutation was somaclonal or genetic, we observed its $M_2$ generation and found that such a phenotype reappeared. Although our results demonstrated that the irradiation of fully mature flowers led to a higher frequency of 4-leaflets, we could not clearly explain the genetic mechanism involved. We suggest that JL-1 is valuable as a new variety, without further genetic fixation, because white clover can be propagated vegetatively by stolons.

• Plant Biotechnology Reports
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.19-25
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• 2007

To develop an efficient screening method for detection of the transgene in Chinese cabbage (Brassica rapa spp. pekinensis) utilizing Basta spray, optimal conditions for Basta application were examined in this study. Two transgenic Chinese cabbage lines were obtained through Agrobacterium-mediated transformation and used as transgenic positive controls in the Basta screening experiment. Differential concentrations of glufosinate-ammonium were sprayed into three different growth stages of 12 commercial Chinese cabbage cultivars. The results showed that no plants could survive higher than 0.05% glufosinate-ammonium, and plants at the 2-3 leaf stage were most vulnerable to glufosinate-ammonium. On the other hand, no damage was observed in the transgenic control plants. Reliability of the Basta spray method was proven by showing perfect co-segregation of the tolerance to glufosinate-ammonium and the presence of the bar gene in T₁ segregating populations of the transgenic lines, as revealed by both PCR and Southern blot analyses. Using the developed Basta screening method, we tried to investigate the transgene flow through pollen dispersal, but failed to detect any transgene-containing non-transgenic Chinese cabbages whose parents had been planted adjacent to transgenic Chinese cabbages in field conditions. However, the transgene was successfully detected using Basta spray from the non-transgenic plants bearing the transgene introduced by hand-pollination. Since the Basta spray method developed in this study is easy to apply and economical, it will be a valuable tool for understanding the mechanism of gene flow through pollen transfer and for establishing a biosafety test protocol for genetically modified (GM) Chinese cabbage cultivars.

• Journal of Forest and Environmental Science
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• v.40 no.3
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• pp.259-264
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• 2024

Dalbergia sissoo and Dalbergia latifolia are the two most important timber wood species that are indigenous to the Indo-Pak subcontinent producing very high-quality timber. Its wood is used to produce high-quality furniture. Due to overexploitation and dieback disease, their production is seriously hampered and threatens their genetic diversity. Several ecotypes are tolerant to dieback thus offering an opportunity to develop a superior hybrid for the establishment of plantations for hybrid seed production. Hybrid evaluation can only be done by using DNA markers such as SSR markers. Cross-specific amplification of SSR markers is a cost-effective way of producing DNA markers for species lacking genetic information. Here, we report for the first-time successful cross-amplification of SSR markers in Dalbergia latifolia and added new SSR markers in D. sissoo. Cross-species amplification resulted in 13 successful SSR markers in D. latifolia and an addition of 14 markers in D. sissoo of expected sizes. Six SSR markers were further selected randomly to validate the breeding behavior of both species. A diverse DNA profile of seed progenies matched to different pollen donors deviated from the same mother suggested cross-pollination is the most likely mechanism of seed production in D. sissoo and D. latifolia. However, the results must be validated by using a large sample size and through controlled pollinations. SSR markers thus developed will be useful in the conservation and development of superior hybrids for sustainable development and production of commercial populations in Dalbergia sissoo and D. latifolia.