• Weed & Turfgrass Science
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.184-190
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• 2013

It is important for genetic resources to collect and identify in native medium-leaf type zoysiagrasses species distributed in Korea. This study was conducted to investigate morphological variation and characteristics of native medium-leaf type zoysiagrasses from coastal, island and inland regions in Korea. Among them, 75 collected lines was confirmed to have various morphological variations, accessions were classified into 2 main based group coastal and inland regions by morphological characteristics and site environment. Group I included Z. sinica type, this group showed 3.7 mm in leaf width, 29 in number of seed per spikelet and 5.0 mm in seed length. Group II included Z. japonica type, this group showed 4.4 mm in leaf width, 42 in number of seed per spikelet and 3.5 mm in seed length. There is a need for additional research on growth characteristics and the molecular level for the introgressive hybridization between species which confirmed that cross-pollination is possible due to protogyny. The individuals showing variations should be preserved as valuable genetic resources for the expansion of variations in zoysiagrasses, and the results of this investigation on the genetic resources collected will be highly valuable in breeding high quality turfgrass.

• Weed & Turfgrass Science
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• v.5 no.4
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• pp.247-255
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• 2016

This study was conducted to provide basic information for weed control by surveying the occurrence of weed species in turf sod production areas. Surveys of weed species occurred in turf sod production areas were conducted in Jangsung-gun, Jeonnam province from September 2014 to May 2016. Total 50 sites of turf sod production areas in two soil conditions were investigated. On the upland soil condition in turf sod production areas, 66 weed species in 27 families were identified and classified to 49 annuals and 17 perennials and on the paddy soil condition, 69 weed species in 22 families were identified and classified to 53 annuals and 16 perennials. Based on the importance values, the most dominant weed species on the upland soil condition in the first survey (September 2014) was Digitaria ciliaris (8.49%), followed by Erigeron annuus (7.94%) and Rorippa indica (6.56%). In the second survey (May 2016) was Oxalis corniculata (7.26%), followed by Capsella bursa-pastoris (6.21%) and Conyza canadensis (6.21%). Whereas the most dominant weed species on the paddy soil condition in the first survey (September 2014) was Erigeron annuus (9.52%), followed by Mazus pumilus (7.41%) and Cyperus iria (6.82%). In the second survey (May 2016) was Commelina communis (5.08%), followed by Alopecurus aequalis (5.08%) and Erigeron annuus (4.79%). This information could be useful for estimation of future weed occurrence and effective weed control methods in turf sod production areas in Jangsung-gun, Jeonnam Province.

• Asian Journal of Turfgrass Science
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.237-251
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• 2006

This study was carried out to provide data on current sod production in South Korea. Fifteen items were surveyed including production acreage, species and cultivars, experience on farming, production cost and the others during April to October in 2006. To estimate production acreage, 73 turfgrass growers were interviewed. Estimated acreage for turfgrass production was 2,947 ha. Acreages by province were 1,417 ha in Jeollanam-do(48%), 442 ha in Jeollabuk-do(14.9%), 344 ha in Gyeonggi-do(11.6%), 248 ha in Gyeongsangnam-do(8.4%), and 240 ha in Chungcheongnam-do(8.1%), respectively. The major sod producing regions were Jangseong-gun, Hampyeong-gun, Yeonggwang-gun, Gochang-gun, Sacheon city, Iksan city, Yeoju city, Yeoncheon-gun. Percentage of turf growers over 50 years old was 72.4 percent, which means production was carried out mainly by old farmers. Grower's career over 10 years was 84.8%. Cultivated species and varieties were 'Junggi'(55.5%) of fine-textured Korean lawngrass, common Korean lawngrass(37.4%), Kentucky bluegrass(3.8%), and new zoysiagrass cultivars(0.1%), respectively. Sod size were variable. Sod size of $18{\times}18cm $ was 43.5 percent. Sales route was mainly through sod distributor(40.5%). Sod producing cost was $2,160{\sim}2,730$ won per square meter at Jeolla-do areas.

• Horticultural Science & Technology
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.342-353
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• 2016

This study was initiated to evaluate green color retention under three different soil systems. Several turfgrasses were evaluated in multi-layer, USGA, and mono-layer systems. Turfgrass entries were comprised of three cultivars of Korean lawngrass (Zoysia japonica Steud.) as warm-season grass (WSG) and three blends and three mixtures of Kentucky bluegrass (KB, Poa pratensis L.), perennial ryegrass (PR, Lolium perenne L.), and tall fescue (TF, Festuca arundinacea Schreb.) as cool-season grass (CSG). Significant differences were observed in visual turf color and green color retention among soil systems and turfgrasses. Both the multi-layer and USGA systems were highly associated with better color ratings and longer color retention, as compared with the mono-layer system. Seasonal variation of visual turf color greatly occurred from late December to early spring. CSG exhibited longer color retention than did WSG. The latter maintained green color for approximately 6 months, regardless of the soil system. Spring green-up of Korean lawngrass occurred from early to middle May, while it underwent discoloration from late October to early November. Among the CSGs green-up occurred between early March and early April and leaf color was maintained until middle December to early February. Therefore, the CSGs were green for 8.5 to 11 months, depending on turfgrass and soil system. The mean period of green color duration across all soil systems was approximately 10-11, 9-10 and 8.5-9.0 months for PR, KB and TF, respectively. As for the CSG mixtures, the greater the proportion of PR, the longer the green color retention, while the higher the proportion of TF, the shorter the color retention. There was greater variation in green color duration among the CSGs than the WSGs. Across soil systems, color retention differences of 2 to 6 days were observed for the Korean lawngrass, but 7 to 36 days for the CSGs. These results demonstrate that green color retention varied greatly according to soil systems and also among turfgrasses. Selections of turfgrass and soil system should be made using a concept-oriented approach, when establishing garden, park, soccer field, golf course and other sports field. Information obtained in this study can be used to select soil systems and turfgrasses based on the expected degree of leaf color retention.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.43 no.4
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• pp.450-456
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• 2016

Rhizoctonia leaf blight (large patch) has become a serious problem in Korean lawn grass, which is extremely hard to treat and develops mostly from the roots of lawn grass to wither it away. Rhizoctonia leaf blight (large patch) is caused by Rhizoctonia solani AG2-2 (IV). To develop zoysia japonica with strong disease tolerance against this pathogenic bacterium, ${\beta}-1,3-glucanase$ was cloned from zoysia japonica, which is one of the PR-Proteins known to play a critical role in plant defense reaction. ${\beta}-1,3-glucanase$ is known to be generated within the cells when plant tissues have a hypersensitive reaction due to virus or bacterium infection and secreted outside the cells to play mainly the function of resistance against pathogenic bacteria in the space between the cells. This study utilized the commonly preserved part in the sequence of corn, wheat, barley, and rice which had been researched for their disease tolerance among the ${\beta}-1,3-glucanase$ monocotyledonous plants. Based on the part, degenerate PCR was performed to find out the sequence and full-length cDNA was cloned. E.coli over-expression was conducted in this study to mass purify target protein and implement in vitro activation measurement and antibacterial test. In addition, to interpret the functions of ZjGlu1 gene, each gene-incorporating plant transformation vectors were produced to make lawn grass transformant. Based on ZjGlu1 protein, antibacterial activity test was conducted on 9 strains. As a result, R. cerealis, F. culmorum, R.solani AG-1 (1B), and T. atroviride were found to have antibacterial activity. The gene-specific expression amount in each organ showed no huge difference in the organs based upon the transformant and against 18s gene expression amount.

• Horticultural Science & Technology
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.648-655
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• 2010

This study is the first comprehensive report on the molecular cloning, structural characterization, sequence comparison between wild and mutant types, copy number in the genome, expression features and activities of a gene encoding 5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase (EPSPS) in Korean lawn grass ($Zoysia$ $japonica$). The full length cDNA of the EPSPS from Korean lawn grass ($zj$EPSPS) obtained from a 3' and 5' RACE method was 1540 bp, containing a 1176 bp ORF, a 144 bp leader sequence (5' UTR) and a 220 bp 3' UTR, which was eventually decoded 391 amino acid residues with a molecular mass of 41.74 kDa. The Southern blot detection of the $zj$EPSPS showed that the gene exists as a single copy in the Korean lawn grass genome. Sequence comparison of the $zj$EPSPS gene demonstrated that the glyphosate-tolerant mutant (GT) having a Pro-53 to Ser substitution in the gene seems to have a preferred binding activity of the enzyme to phosphoenol pyruvate(PEP) over glyphosate, which allows the continuous synthesis of aromatic amino acids in the shikimate pathway. From the Northern blotting analysis, the $zj$EPSPS was found to be highly expressed, with continuous increase until 36 hours after 0.5% glyphosate treatment in both wild and mutant samples, but 1.5-fold higher EPSP synthase activity was observed in the tolerant mutant when exposed to the glyphosate treatment. The molecular information of the $zj$EPSPS gene obtained from this study needs to be further dissected to be more effectively applied to the development of gene-specific DNA markers and zoysiagrass cultivars; nevertheless, the glyphosate-tolerant mutant having the featured $zj$EPSPS gene can be provided to turfgrass managers for weed problems with timely adoptable management options.

• Horticultural Science & Technology
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.344-360
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• 2017

Zoysiagrasses are important turf plants used for school playgrounds, parks, golf courses, and sports fields. The two most popular zoysiagrass species are Zoysia japonica and Zoysia sinica. These are widely distributed across different growing zones and are morphologically distinguishable from each other; however, it is phenotypically difficult to differentiate those that grow along the coastal line from those in beach area habitats. A combination of morphological and molecular approaches is desirable to efficiently identify these two plant cultivars. In this study, we used a rapid identification system based on DNA barcoding of the nrDNA-internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions. The nrDNA-ITS regions of ITS1, 5.8S nrDNA, and ITS2 from Z. japonica, Z. sinica, Agrostis stolonifera, and Poa pratensis were DNA barcoded to classify these grasses according to their molecular identities. The nrDNA-ITS sequences of these species were found at 686 bp, 687 bp, 683 bp, and 681 bp, respectively. The size of ITS1 ranged from 248 to 249 bp, while ITS2 ranged from 270 to 274 bp. The 5.8S coding region ranged from 163 - 164bp. Between Z. japonica and Z. sinica, nineteen (2.8%) nucleotide sites were variable, and the G+C content of the ITS region ranged from 55.4 to 63.3%. Substitutions and insert/deletion (indel) sites in the nrDNA-ITS sequence of Z. japonica and Z. sinica were converted to cleaved amplified polymorphic sequence (CAPS) markers, and applied to the Zoysia grasses sampled to verify the presence of these markers. Among the 62 control and collected grass samples, we classified three groups: 36 Z. japonica, 22 Z. sinica, and 4 Z. japonica/Z. sinica hybrids. Morphological classification revealed only two groups; Z. japonica and Z. sinica. Our results suggest that used of the nrDNA-ITS barcode region and CAPS markers can be used to distinguish between Z. japonica and Z. sinica at the species level.