• Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
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• v.51 no.1
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• pp.25-39
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• 2024

This study aimed to determine a method for restoring grasslands to forests in mountainous areas. The study was conducted in an area damaged by trampling due to construction activity and herding. Additionally, there were concerns of hindered tree growth due to the alpine region climate, characterized by the low temperatures, drying, and strong winds. Therefore, forest restoration treatments such as tillage, furrow, and shading were performed to improve growth conditions. From July 2021 to April 2023, soil temperature and moisture were monitored for each treatment plot, and changes in the initial growth and survival rate of Abies holophylla were investigated. Both soil temperature and soil moisture showed significantly higher values during the four seasons in the grassland-furrow treatment plot (p < 0.05). Compared to the grassland-control plot, the average soil temperature in winter was as high as 1.1℃, and the soil moisture in summer was as high as 20.3%. Additionally, the survival rate and relative growth rate were the largest in the grassland-furrow treatment plot. The survival rate was 87.5%, the relative growth rate in terms of height was 0.013, and the relative growth rate in terms of diameter at root collar was 0.023, indicating that furrow treatment had a positive effect on the initial survival and growth of seedlings. These results suggest that furrow treatment may be an appropriate restoration method when implementing forest restoration projects in areas where tree growth is challenged.

• Ecology and Resilient Infrastructure
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• v.5 no.3
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• pp.145-155
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• 2018

In a monsoonal climate, the soil seed bank can play an important role in plant regeneration after the severe annual floods that disturb above-ground vegetation within the riparian zone. To investigate the relationship between the soil seed bank and vegetation, we measured the species composition of the soil seed bank and the extant above-ground vegetation in six major plant communities (Artemisia selengensis, Miscanthus sacchariflorus, Persicaria nodosa, Phalaris arundinacea, Phragmites japonica, and Rorippa palustris) in the Cheongmicheon Stream, Korea. A total of 21 species germinated from the floodplain soil seed banks. The most diverse seed bank (21 species) was found in the A. selengensis community, wheres the lowest number of species was found in the R. palustris community (2 species). Most soil seed banks were composed of annuals (90%), exceptions being Rumex crispus and Artemisia princeps, which are perennial ruderals. The similarity of species composition between the soil seed bank and above-ground vegetation was low with Sorensen's similarity indices averaging 29% (range 12 - 42%). Crucially, existing dominant perennials of the extant vegetation including A. selengensis, M. sacchariflorus, P. japonica and P. arundinacea were absent from the soil seed bank. In conclusion, the soil seed banks of the floodplains of the Cheongmicheon Stream were mainly composed of viable seeds of ruderal plants, which could germinate rapidly after severe flood disturbance. The soil seed bank may, therefore, be useful for the restoration of the early succession stages of riparian vegetation after flood disturbances.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.23 no.11
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• pp.1617-1626
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• 2013

The Bacterial community structure and its complexity of the enrichment culture during the isolation and screening of imidacloprid-degrading strain were studied using denaturating gradient gel electrophoresis analysis. The dominant bacteria in the original tea rhizosphere soil were uncultured bacteria, Rhizobium sp., Sinorhizobium, Ochrobactrum sp., Alcaligenes, Bacillus sp., Bacterium, Klebsiella sp., and Ensifer adhaerens. The bacterial community structure was altered extensively and its complexity reduced during the enrichment process, and four culturable bacteria, Ochrobactrum sp., Rhizobium sp., Geobacillus stearothermophilus, and Alcaligenes faecalis, remained in the final enrichment. Only one indigenous strain, BCL-1, with imidacloprid-degrading potential, was isolated from the sixth enrichment culture. This isolate was a gram-negative rod-shaped bacterium and identified as the genus Ochrobactrum based on its morphological, physiological, and biochemical properties and its 16S rRNA gene sequence. The degradation test showed that approximately 67.67% of the imidacloprid (50 mg/l) was degraded within 48 h by strain BCL-1. The optimum conditions for degradation were a pH of 8 and $30^{\circ}C$. The simulation of imidacloprid bioremediation by strain BCL-1 in soil demonstrated that the best performance in situ (tea soil) resulted in the degradation of 92.44% of the imidacloprid (100 mg/g) within 20 days, which was better than those observed in the ex situ simulations that were 64.66% (cabbage soil), 41.15% (potato soil), and 54.15% (tomato soil).

• Korean Journal of Remote Sensing
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• v.34 no.2_1
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• pp.179-190
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• 2018

The purpose of this study is an analysis of the risk of soil erosion before and after the maintenance of riparian area using the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) model based on GIS and digitizing data. To analysis of soil erosion loss in the study area, land cover maps, topographical maps, soil maps, precipitation and other data were used. After digitizing the riparian area of the Geumhogang, the area is divided into administrative district units, respectively. Amount of soil loss was classified into 5 class according to the degree of loss. Totally, 1 and 5 class were decreased, and 2-4 class were increased. Daegu and Yeongcheon decreased the area of 5 class, and Gyeongsan did not have area of 5 class. The reason for this is thought to be the decrease of the 5 class area due to the park construction, expansion of artificial facilities, and reduction of agricultural land. Simplification of riverside for river dredging and park construction has increased the flow rate of the riverside and it is considered that the amount of soil erosion has increased.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.38-45
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• 2006

Movement of nitrate ($NO_3-N$) through a soil profile under no tillage (NT) or conventional tillage (CT) practices was monitored to identify the effects of tillage systems on nitrate leaching and retention in the soil profile at two commercial farms in central Illinois from 1993 through 1994. Anhydrous ammonia was applied in the 1993 growing seasons, while a mixture of urea and ammonium nitrate solution (URAN) was applied in three separate applications during the spring and early summer of the 1994 season. $NO_3-N$ of each plot through a 100 cm soil depth was found to be significantly high around $20mg\;kg^{-1}$ soil in the early 1993 season. However, downward movement of $NO_3-N$ occurred during the growing season. At the end of growing season, Flanagan and Ipava soils generally retained more $NO_3-N$ through the soil profile for both the CT plots and the NT plots than the Saybrook and Catlin soils. However, there was no significant difference between the nitrate content of the two soil types in each year. $NO_3-N$ content in NT fields were slightly higher than that observed in CT fields throughout the season before harvest. It means that NT plots may reduce the nitrate leaching to the ground water.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.88-94
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• 2015

An investigation was conducted on the effects of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus, Glomus etunicatum on the formation of soil aggregate and mycorhizal development in the roots of Robinia pseudoacacia seedlings in coal mine tailings and forest soil. G. etunicatum formed mycorrhizas by 35.1 % in coal mine tailings and by 48.9 % in forest soil. Its infection was the typical Arum-type forming inter-cellular hyphae and intra-cellular arbuscules. Ergosterol contents were 3.20 ppm in forest soil and 1.92 ppm in coal mine tailings. The formation of soil aggregate per 50 g pot soil was 19.6 g and 9.5 g in inoculated and noninoculated forest soil and 16.5 g and 11.0 g in inoculated and non-inoculated coal min tailings, respectively. In conclusion, G. etunicatum inoculation increased the formation of soil aggregate both in forest soil and coal mine tailings, but was less effective in the latter.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.245-257
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• 2013

Lately, besides promoting the biodiversity of the natural ecosystems, there is a demand for climate change mitigation features that will reduce greenhouse gases and prevent disasters that will bring damages such as torrential rains. However, there was not a lot of discussion on the soils that are key in these features. Therefore, this paper proposes a network (Gold Network) as an alternative that will solve the problem that was filed earlier by figuring out how to compose the soil environment. First, in order to maximize the ecological status and value of the soil, a soil network can be proposed through the vertical and horizontal connections of the fragmented soil. Second, there is a need to understand and research the organic system of the ecosystems as well as the complex perspective of the ecosystem services, not only the fragmentary perspectives of the soil remediation, planting improvements or the other existing elements. Third, there is a need to apply the integrated perspective of the Landscape Ecology, Ecological Engineering and Restoration Ecology for the connectivity of the soil (network) due to it being in the execution of the soil network. If a soil network was to be built, a fundamental ecological network would be realized to not only promote biodiversity but also to prepare effective adaptation to climate change.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Soil and Groundwater Environment Conference
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• 1998.11a
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• pp.3-5
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• 1998

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.443-450
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• 2015

The east coast of the Korean Peninsula is susceptible to fires because of the low rainfall in winter and spring, and large forest fires have occurred in this area. Lack of fresh water to combat fires has hampered efforts to prevent widespread forest fires in this region. Seawater has not been used as a suppressant because of possible detrimental effects of salt. We investigated the mobility of saline water in the forest soil and their effect on the microbial activity. Using a fire-fighting helicopter, seawater was sprayed over three plots (50 × 100 m) located on the eastern slope of the Baekdu mountain range in South Korea in April, 2011. We sampled the soil in April 4, May 20, and August 5 to determine the amount of salt that remained in the soil. The electrical conductivity value of the soil decreased to <400 μS/cm over a 1-month period. Approximately, four months after the application of seawater, the electrical conductivity value and Na⁺ content in all treatment plots did not significantly differ to those of the control plot, and total microbial activity also recovered to that of the control. Our results indicate that the amount of rainfall, soil physical-chemical properties, and topological factors may be a critical factor determining the mobility of saline water in forest soil.

• Journal of Forest and Environmental Science
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.177-191
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• 2015

The effect of environmental variables on the presence and abundance of tree species in a tropical lowland undisturbed limestone and non-limestone forest in Ben En National Park, Vietnam was investigated. The relationships between 13 environmental variables and 29 tree species with a DBH ${\geq}10cm$, as well as between six 6 physical variables with 26 species of seedling and sapling communities were assessed by canonical correspondence analysis (CCA). Data concerning all tree species ${\geq}10cm$ DBH were collected from eighteen $400m^2$ sample plots, while the abundance of regeneration (all individuals ${\leq}5cm$ DBH) was counted in fifty $2{\times}20m$ strip-plots. The significance of species-environments correlations were tested by distribution-free Monte Carlo tests. The CCA of the 29 examined tree species and 13 environmental variables indicated that the presence and abundance of the tree species were closely related to topographic factors. We may confirm that soil properties including pH, soil moisture content, and soil textures, were the most crucial factor in tree species composition and their distribution. Several species including Pometia pinnata, Amesiodendron chinense, Gironniera cuspidate, Cinnamomum mairei, and Caryodaphnopsis tonkinensis were not controlled by soil properties and topographic variables. The CCA also indicated that the abundance of regeneration tree species at all sites had positive and significant correlations with soil depth, while the occurrence of several other tree species (such as Koilodepas longifolium and Aglaia dasyclada) was positively correlated with a higher slope and rocky outcrop.