• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.33 no.6
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• pp.760-770
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• 2023

Continuous cropping obstacles have become a serious factor restricting sustainable development in modern agriculture, while companion planting is one of the most common and effective methods for solving this problem. Here, we monitored the effects of companion planting on soil fertility and the microbial community distribution pattern in pepper monoculture and companion plantings. Soil microbial communities were analyzed using high-throughput sequencing technology. Companion plants included garlic (T1), oat (T2), cabbage (T3), celery (T4), and white clover (T5). The results showed that compared with the monoculture system, companion planting significantly increased the activities of soil urease (except for T5) and sucrase, but decreased catalase activity. In addition, T2 significantly improved microbial diversity (Shannon index) while T1 resulted in a decrease of bacterial OTUs and an increase of fungal OTUs. Companion planting also significantly changed soil microbial community structures and compositions. Correlation analysis showed that soil enzyme activities were closely correlated with bacterial and fungal community structures. Moreover, the companion system weakened the complexity of microbial networks. These findings indicated that companion plants can provide nutrition to microbes and weaken the competition among them, which offers a theoretical basis and data for further research into methods for reducing continuous cropping obstacles in agriculture.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.29 no.5
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• pp.777-784
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• 2015

This study verified the correlations between vegetation factors, such as the number of individual species and species diversity, and soil factors in Chamaecyparis obtusa (CO) stands in Jeollanam-do. Also, the site environmental factors that affect the annual growth of CO ring width were analyzed. Positive correlations were found between the species diversity index and Cation Exchange Capacity (CEC), available phosphate, and exchangeable $K^+$ (P<0.01). In addition, strong positive correlations were also found between the number of species that appeared in the study site and CEC, available phosphorus, exchangeable $K^+$ and exchangeable $Mg^{2+}$ (P<0.01). Tree ring growth showed strong correlations with the nutrient holding capacity and fertility of soil, including available phosphate, exchangeable $K^+$, CEC, and electrical conductivity (P<0.01). The explanatory variables of tree ring growth in CO were composed of exchangeable $K^+$, organic matter content, and soil pH. The regression model had a high level of explanatory power, 74.4%. In this model, the annual growth of CO ring width increased when exchangeable $K^+$ and organic matter content were higher but decreased when soil pH was lower. According to the analysis, it is found that the annual growth of CO ring width was significantly affected by soil fertility, including available phosphate, exchangeable $K^+$, CEC, and electrical conductivity. In addition, the soil fertility of CO stands seems to be significantly affected by the supply of fallen leaves from the understory vegetation of CO.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Tobacco Science
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.37-52
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• 1980

Two-year experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of phosphorous, lime, increased compost, and/or boron application on the yield and quality of leaf tobacco growm in the results are summarized as follows; 1) Compared to the conventional treatment, plants grown in the treated plots in the second year showed much better growth and their yield components such as leaf area index and unit leaf weight were much greater. 2) At the end of first year crop, the pH and amount of exchangeable cations in the treated plots reached those in mature soil, but the amount of organic matter and of available phosphorous were still below those of the mature soil. Application of additional compost was more effective in enhancing soil fertility than was additional phosphorous application. 3) The yield of tobacco grown in the second year was 15-20% higher in the treated plots, compared to conventional plot, with high statistical significance. Though the quality of leaf tobacco was not significantly different among treatments, the increase of 3-7% was obtained in the treated plot. The highest total income(yield x price/kg) came from the plot treated with additional compost and phosphorous application (adjusted at 3% level on the basis of phosphorous absorption coefficient), which produced 34% more than the conventional plot.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.350-358
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• 1998

To determine the optimum application of fertilizers for the cultivation of tomato in plastic film house, eighteen soils which contained different salt contents were taken from four different areas under plastic film house cultivation, Youngdong, Boeun, Cheongweon county, and Cheongju city. The dry weight and the amount of N, P, and K uptakes of tomato in the plot with no fertilization were considered as the factors representing the fertility of the soil. The differences in the dry weight and in the amounts of N, P, and K uptakes of plants between the plots with fertilization and with no fertilization were considered as the factors representing the total effect of fertilizer and the effects of fertilizer N, P, and K, respectively. These factors of soil fertility and fertilizer effects were estimated by correlation and regression with the chemical properties of the soil in order to find the critical levels and recommended method for optimum fertilization of tomato. The standardized partial regression coefficients of inorganic nitrogen ($NO_3-N+NH_4-N$) contents in soil for the factors of fertility ranged from 247 to 1,159, showing the best, while those of the others ranged from 0.02 to 4.02. Those of inorganic nitrogen ($NO_3-N+NH_4-N$) contents in soil for the electrical conductivity were also the best and were ranged from 35.2 to 36.0 compared with the values of less than 1.0 of the others. These results demonstrate that the content of inorganic nitrogen in the soil is the best index for both soil fertility and electrical conductivity of the soil. The critical level of inorganic nitrogen ($NO_3-N+NH_4-N$) in the soil for maximum productivity with zero value of fertilizer effects for tomato, estimated through Cate-Nelson split method was $220mg\;kg^{-1}$. This was the same value as evaluation for the cultivation of chinese cabbage. In conclusion, for optimal application of fertilizer in plastic film house, 1) no fertilization is recommended when the contents of inorganic nitrogen in the soil is more than $220mg\;kg^{-1}$; however, 2) in the case of less than $220mg\;kg^{-1}$ of inorganic nitrogen content in the soil, the optimal level of fertilization could be estimated through the regression equation between fertilizer effects and content of inorganic nitrogen in the soil.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.92-103
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• 2003

Research and technological advances in the field of remote sensing have greatly enhanced the ability to detect and quantify physical and biological stresses that affect the productivity of agricultural crops. Reflectance in specific visible and near-infrared regions of the electromagnetic spectrum have proved useful in detection of nutrient deficiencies. Especially crop canopy sensors as a ground remote sensing measure the amount of light reflected from nearby surfaces such as leaf tissue or soil and is in contrast to aircraft or satellite platforms that generate photographs or various types of digital images. Multi-spectral vegetation indices derived from crop canopy reflectance in relatively wide wave band can be used to monitor the growth response of plants in relation to environmental factors. The normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), where NDVI = (NIR-Red)/(NIR+Red), was originally proposed as a means of estimating green biomass. The basis of this relationship is the strong absorption (low reflectance) of red light by chlorophyll and low absorption (high reflectance and transmittance) in the near infrared (NIR) by green leaves. Thereafter many researchers have proposed the other indices for assessing crop vegetation due to confounding soil background effects in the measurement. The green normalized difference vegetation index (GNDVI), where the green band is substituted for the red band in the NDVI equation, was proved to be more useful for assessing canopy variation in green crop biomass related to nitrogen fertility in soils. Consequently ground remote sensing as a non destructive real-time assessment of nitrogen status in plant was thought to be useful tool for site specific crop nitrogen management providing both spatial and temporal information.

• Journal of Forest and Environmental Science
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.292-303
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• 2021

Studies that relate the structure of tropical regrowth vegetation to soil properties are generally lacking in the literature. This study proposes three indices for assessing the structural regeneration of secondary forests. They are: (1) the tree diameter class, (2) the plant life form and (3) the woody/herbaceous plants ratio indices. They were applied to assess the regeneration status of forest regrowth vegetation (aged 1-10 years), derived savanna regrowth vegetation in south western Nigeria, and to secondary forests in different stages of succession in Columbia and Venezuela, Bolivia, Mexico in South and Central America and semi-arid savanna in Ethiopia and seasonal deciduous forest successional stages in India. In all the cases, the indices increased with increasing age of regrowth vegetation and hence, with increasing structural complexity of regenerating vegetation. The tree diameter class index increased from 32.1% in a 9-year secondary forest to 69.0% in an 80-year-old secondary forest in Columbia and Venezuela and from 0.4% in a 1-year fallow to 20.9% in 10-year regrowth vegetation in southwestern Nigeria. In semi-arid savanna in northern Ethiopia, the woody/herbaceous plants ratio index increased from 18.1% in a 5-year protected grazing enclosure to 75.1% in 15-year protected enclosure, relative to the status of 20-year enclosure. The indices generally had correlations of 0.6-0.90 with species richness and Simpson's/Margalef's species diversity, implying that they are appropriate measures of ecosystem development over time. The proposed indices also had strong and positive correlations with soil organic carbon and nutrients. They are therefore, significant indicators of fertility status.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.133-147
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• 1976

1. The purpose of this study is to provide a series of statistical "bench marks" from which one can begin to think systematically about the required development of the Korean food and fertilizer needs over the next quarter-century. 2. The Korean population has been estimated by the characteristics of the population and its social and political situations today. Because fertility and mortality rates are relatively stable and are under control of politics concerned, the estimation rates were established with 1.6% over 1975-1980, 1.3% over 1981-1990, and 1.0% over 1991-2000. 3. Annual per capita absorption of milled rice has fluctuated rather closely around 140kg, since 1968, with no evidence of declining trend. Per capita absorption of barley and wheat around 120 kg, and legumes around 10.6kg, However because the case of wheat and corn productions are rather difficult the self-sufficiency in the future, the rice is considered to be accelerate its yield growth surplus the level of self-sufficiency to export. 4. The fertilizer demand in each element has been calculated by mechanical multiplication of "the recommend index of fetilizer application" to yield a unit production over the need of national food supply by crop year. 5. As a results refer to Table (8), the estimated quantities of total fertilizer demand to meet the national food supply of the years of 1974, 1980, 1985, 1.990, 1995, and 2000 are reached around 871500, 1138150, 1375480, 1515030, 1652090 and 1799850 metric tons in each year.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Crop Science Conference
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• 2017.06a
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• pp.46-46
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• 2017

We developed a rice simulation model for remote-sensing (SIMRIW-RS, Homma et al., 2007) to evaluate rice production and management on a regional scale. Here, we reports its application trial to estimate rice production in farmers' fields in Sendai, Japan. The remote-sensing data for the application was periodically obtained by multispectral camera (RGB + NIR and RedEdge) attached with unmanned air vehicle (UAV). The airborne images was 8 cm in resolution which was attained by the flight at an altitude of 115 m. The remote-sensing data was relatively corresponded with leaf area index (LAI) of rice and its spatial and temporal variation, although the correspondences had some errors due to locational inaccuracy. Calibration of the simulation model depended on the first two remote-sensing data (obtained around one month after transplanting and panicle initiation) well predicted rice growth evaluated by the third remote-sensing data. The parameters obtained through the calibration may reflect soil fertility, and will be utilized for nutritional management. Although estimation accuracy has still needed to be improved, the rice yield was also well estimated. These results recommended further data accumulation and more accurate locational identification to improve the estimation accuracy.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.87-96
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• 2016

BACKGROUND: The objective of this study is to evaluate the soil quality to cultivate crops in urban garden.METHODS AND RESULTS: During the period of six month from March to August 2015, measured eight heavy metals, seven Organic items and Fluorine on seventeen urban sites and thirty-one suburban sites in Gwangju city.METHODS AND RESULTS: The average concentration and range of heavy metal in soil are 0.15 mg/kg(ND-0.6) for Cd, 14.9 mg/kg(1.5-33.3) for Cu, 4.4 mg/kg(0.4-71.8) for As, 0.05 mg/kg(ND-1.366) for Hg, 24.7 mg/kg(13.1-62.7) for Pb, 102.5 mg/kg(49.1-276.4) for Zn and 9.2 mg/kg(ND-90.1) for Ni but Cr⁶⁺ is not detected. The average value and range of soil fertility items are 253.5mg/kg(76.6-1766.0) for fluorine, 6.4(4.8-7.7) for pH, 20.3 g/kg(5.0-44.0) for orangic matters, 562.7 mg/kg (28.0-1672.0) for available phosphate, 0.6 cmol⁺/kg (0.1-2.3) for K, 9.7 cmol⁺/kg (2.7-22.0) for Ca, 3.0 cmol⁺/kg (0.9-7.4) for Mg, 1.0 ds/m(0.2-2.9) for conductivity. The concentration of Hg in Suburban area is 0.005 mg/kg lower than 0.134 mg/kg in urban area. Also, the concentration of As, Cd, Ni and Zn is lower than urban area as 32%, 37%, 51%, 71% respectively.CONCLUSION: According to SPI index of soil contamination, 39 sites are first degree and 8 sites are second degree and 1 site(41th) is fourth degree. Pb and Cd are not detected and As is detected tiny amounts in plants grown polluted soil, so heavy metals have not moved to plants.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Agricultural Engineers
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• v.48 no.7
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• pp.73-86
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• 2006

Concentrated poultry production in the State of Alabama, U.S.A. results in excessive poultry litter. Application of poultry litter to pastures and row crops serves as a cheap alternative to commercial fertilizer. However, over the years, poultry litter application to perennial forage crops in the Appalachian Plateau region of North Alabama has resulted in phosphorus (P) buildup in soils. Phosphorus index (P-index) and comprehensive nutrient management plans (CNMP) are often used as a best management practice (BMP) for proper land application of litter. Because nutrient management planning is often not done for small animal feeding operations (AFOs), and also because, in case of excess litter, litter transportation infrastructure has not been developed, over application of poultry litter to near by area is a common practice. To alleviate this problem, optimal poultry litter management and transportation infrastructure needs to be developed. This paper presents a methodology to optimize poultry litter application and transportation through efficient nutrient management planning and transportation network analysis. The goal was accomplished through implementation of three important modules, a P-Index module, a CNMP module, and a transportation network analysis module within ArcGIS, a Geographic Information System (GIS). The CNMP and P-Index modules assist with land application of poultry litter at a rate that is protective of water quality, while the transportation network analysis module helps transport excess litter to areas requiring litter in the Appalachian Plateau and Black Belt (a nutrient-deficient area) regions. Once fully developed and implemented, such a system will help alleviate water quality problems in the Appalachian Plateau region and poor soil fertility problems in the Black Belt region by optimizing land application and transportation. The utility of the methodology is illustrated through a hypothetical case study.