• Research in Plant Disease
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.112-118
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• 2014

A liquid bio-formulation containing chitinolytic bacteria, chitin and their products was assessed for its potential biological control against root-knot nematodes on cucumber. The bio-formulation was prepared by cultures of three chitinolytic bacteria, Chromobacterium sp. strain C-61, Lysobacter engymogenes and Serratia plymuthica in minimal medium supplemented with chitin. Under pot conditions, the bio-formulation showed better growth of cucumber plants, and less root galls and population density of Meloidogyne spp. than control media without the bio-formulation. In a greenhouse, 75-fold diluted bio-formulations were treated instead of water around cucumber plants through hoses for drip irrigation six times at 5-day intervals from the transplanting date. After 30 and 60 days, the treatment provided about 7% and 10% enhancement in the plant height and about 78% and 69% reduction in population density of Meloidogyne spp. in the rhizosphere, respectively. In addition, the experiments showed that the control effects occurred only in the soils contacted with the bio-formulation. Undiluted bio-formulations were drenched three times at 10-day intervals around cucumber plants severely infested with Meloidogyne spp. The treatment showed about 37% plant enhancement without dead plants compared with 37% death in the untreated control, and about 82% nematode reduction. These results suggest that the bio-formulation can be practically used to control the root-knot nematode on cucumber.

• Horticultural Science & Technology
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.50-55
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• 2013

The objective of this research was to investigate the impact of Ca fertilizer on the growth of mother plants, physiological disorders, and occurrence of daughter plants in propagation of 'Seolhyang' strawberry through plastic bag cultivation. To achieve this, chemicals of 1.125 mM $Ca(OH)_2$, 0.375 mM $MgCl_2$, 1.250 mM KCl were blended and designated to combined fertilizer (CF). Then, the effect was compared to the treatment of no Ca application (control) and a commercial fertilizer, CalMag (13-0-1.9-16-6:N-$P_2O_5$-$K_2O$-CaO-MgO), when those were applied every two weeks with controlled electrical conductivity (EC) of solution such as 0.6 or 1.0 $dS{\cdot}m^{-1}$. The number of plants showing Ca deficiency symptoms was the highest in control treatment, but those decreased significantly in CF or CalMag treatments. The differences between CF and CalMag in appearance of Ca deficient plants were not significant when two fertilizers were applied with same EC. The fresh and dry weights of mother plants were the greater in the treatments of CF or CalMag than those of control treatment. The treatments of 1.0 $dS{\cdot}m^{-1}$ of CF or CalMag were more effective than those of 0.6 $dS{\cdot}m^{-1}$ on the fresh and dry weight of the mother plants. The runner lengths in the treatment of 1.0 $dS{\cdot}m^{-1}$ of CF were the longest among the all treatments tested. The treatments of 1.0 $dS{\cdot}m^{-1}$ were more effective than those of 0.6 $dS{\cdot}m^{-1}$ of CF or CalMag in lengths and fresh and dry weight of runners. The fresh and dry weights of daughter plants were heavier in the treatments of CF than those of CalMag. Based on the above results, we concluded that the Ca deficiency in raising 'Seolhyang' strawberry can be lessened by the application of Ca containing fertilizers, but combined application of Ca, K and Mg was more effective than that of Ca alone for seedling production.

• Horticultural Science & Technology
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• v.32 no.6
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• pp.872-878
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• 2014

This study aimed to enhance storage and freshness of strawberry fruits and foliage vegetables by spray treatment with Chlorella vulgaris as a bio-fertilizer. The tested strain, C. vulgaris CHK0008, was isolated from an organically cultivated rice paddy and identified as C. vulgaris by its morphology and 18S rDNA and 23S rDNA sequence homology. We successfully cultured C. vulgaris CHK0008 in BG11 modified medium (BG11MM) and adjusted $2.15{\times}10^6cell/mL$ C. vulgaris CHK0008 to one OD value by measuring the optical density at 680 nm using a UV-vis spectrophotometer. The soluble solid content of 'Seolhyang' and 'Yukbo' strawberry fruits treated by spray application with C. vulgaris CHK0008 was enhanced by 22.2% and 11.5% respectively, compared to untreated controls. Additionally, the decay rates of treated 'Seolhyang' and 'Yukbo' strawberry fruits decreased 63.8% and 74.4% respectively, compared to untreated control. Surface color changes and chlorosis of leaves in leaf vegetables such as lettuce, kale, red ornamental kale, white ornamental kale and beet were observed in samples treated with water spray for 10 days after cold storage. However, the decay rate of leafy vegetables treated with foliar application of 25% C. vulgaris CHK0008 liquid culture was significantly decreased compared to that of the untreated control during storage at $4^{\circ}C$.