• Journal of Korean Society of Rural Planning
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.1-17
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• 2015

The value of rice-fields is being graded down in Korea because it has been estimated only from the size. The purpose of this study is to suggest a management plan in which the location and the size of valuable rice-fields for conservation are based on the results of appraising the worth of ecosystem services of rice-fields in Chungcheongnam-do region. The study is as follows; (1)selecting the indicators for evaluating the ecosystem services of rice-fields considering both general functions and special functions in the regional environment conditions, (2)classifying the grades of rice-fields in ecosystem service values, (3)suggesting the location and the size of valuable rice-fields for conservation, (4)calculating the total economic value of the ecosystem services of rice-fields. The results of this study are that the valuable rice-fields' locations for conservation are the grade I rice-fields and their total area is 100,000ha. Also, the value of the ecosystem services of rice-fields in Chungcheongnam-do region was equivalent to 32.8 trillion won. This amount is over 18 trillion won more than the amount obtained if the total rice-fields in Chungcheongnam-do region were to be transformed to other land-use types. The value of ecosystem services should be considered in the future when appraising the worth of rice-fields, and methods of estimating the ecosystem services of rice-fields need to be developed with a more objective and suitable index.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
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• v.39 no.4
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• pp.545-553
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• 2012

In Asia, including Japan and Korea, rice paddies occupy the largest cultivated area in agricultural land. Rice paddies provide the habitats for many organisms including endemic species, sustaining high biodiversity. Insect natural enemies inhabiting rice paddies have an important function for rice production as agents of 'ecosystem services' because they play a major role in suppressing rice pests. The diversity and abundance of natural enemies can be a good index reflecting the 'healthiness' of agro-ecosystem services in rice paddies. The present study investigates whether insect natural enemies could be good biological indicators for general arthropod biodiversity and agricultural practice. First, the concept of ideal bio-indicators was summarized. The strategy to explore and select such bio-indicators was then proposed. Lastly, field survey was made to evaluate the abundance and biodiversity of natural enemies in Japanese rice paddies where chemical inputs, i.e., insecticide use, were different. The results showed that reduction of chemical inputs led to an increase in species richness or diversity of natural enemies including parasitoids and predators. Then, the data were analyzed to examine suitable indicator species to assess environmental soundness of agricultural practice and biodiversity in rice paddies. The density of several species of natural enemies did respond both to pesticide use and to general arthropod biodiversity. The analyses thus have indicated that natural enemies can be suitable as bio-indicators. Usefulness of indicator species in rice paddies is discussed in the context of ecologically sound agriculture.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.23 no.8
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• pp.1022-1027
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• 2010

Effects of increasing dietary rice straw on chewing activity, ruminal fermentation, and fibrolytic enzyme activity in growing goats were investigated in a $4{\times}4$ Latin Square experiment. The goats were offered four diets with an increasing proportion of rice straw (i.e. 0.05, 0.10, 0.15 and 0.20, respectively, on dry matter basis). Increasing level of rice straw increased ($P_{linear\;effect}$ <0.05) the time spent on eating, ruminating, and chewing. The ruminal pH and acetate: propionate ratio were increased ($P_{linear\;effect}$ <0.05), while the $NH_3$-N concentration was decreased ($P_{linear\;effect}$ <0.01). Increasing level of rice straw in the diet increased ($P_{linear\;effect}{\leq}0.01$) molar proportion of acetate and isovalerate, and decreased ($P_{linear\;effect}$ <0.01) molar proportion of propionate. The CMCase, xylanase and cellobiase activities in the rumen were decreased ($P_{linear\;effect}$ <0.05) with increasing level of dietary rice straw, whereas the avicelase activity was increased ($P_{linear\;effect}$ <0.01). In summary, increased level of rice straw elevated the dietary neutral detergent fibre (NDF) content in the diet and had a great impact on chewing activity and ruminal fermentation.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.168-177
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• 2015

BACKGROUND: In recent year, there has been great concern regarding agricultural land uses and their importance for the conservation of biodiversity. Rice fields are managed unique wetland for wildlife, especially waterbirds. A comprehensive monitoring of the waterbird assemblage to understand patterning changes was attempted for rice ecosystem in South Korea. This rice ecosystem has been recognized as one of the most important for waterbirds conservation. METHODS AND RESULTS: Biweekly monitoring was implemented for the 4 years from April 2009 to March 2010, from April 2011 to March 2014. 32 species of waterbirds were observed. Self-organizing map (SOM) and random forest were applied to the waterbirds dataset to identify the characteristics in waterbirds distribution. SOM and random forest analysis clearly classified into four clusters and extract ecological information from waterbird dataset. Waterbird assemblages represented strong seasonality and habitat use according to waterbird group such as shorebirds, herons and waterfowl. CONCLUSION: Our results showed that the combination of SOM and random forest analysis could be useful for ecosystem assessment and management. Furthermore, we strongly suggested that a strict management strategy for the rice fields to conserve the waterbirds. The strategy could be seasonally and species specific.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.22 no.9
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• pp.1256-1266
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• 2009

Effects of particle size and physical effective fibre (peNDF) of rice straw in diets on chewing activities, feed intake, flow, site and extent of digestion and rumen fermentation in goats were investigated. A 4${\times}$4 Latin square design was employed using 4 mature Liuyang black goats fitted with permanent ruminal, duodenal, and terminal ileal fistulae. During each of the 4 periods, goats were offered 1 of 4 diets that were similar in nutritional content but varied in particle sizes and peNDF through alteration of the theoretical cut length of rice straw (10, 20, 40, and 80 mm, respectively). Dietary peNDF contents were determined using a sieve for particle separation above 8 mm, and were 17.4, 20.9, 22.5 and 25.4%, respectively. Results showed that increasing the particle size and peNDF significantly (p<0.05) increased the time spent on rumination and chewing activities, duodenal starch digestibility and ruminal pH, and decreased ruminal starch digestibility and $NH_{3}$-N concentration. Intake and total tract digestibility of nutrients (i.e. dry matter, organic matter, and starch) and ruminal fermentation were not affected by the dietary particle size and peNDF. Increased particle size and peNDF did not affect ruminal fibre digestibility, but had a great impact on the intestinal and total tract fibre digestibility. The study suggested that rice straw particle size or dietary peNDF was the important influential factor for chewing activity, intestinal fibre and starch digestibility, and ruminal pH, but had minimal impact on feed intake, duodenal and ileal flow, ruminal and total tract digestibility, and ruminal fermentation.

• Journal of Korean Society of Rural Planning
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.49-58
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• 2021

Rural and agricultural landscapes are important forms of land use in maintaining biodiversity. In addition humans are provided with various public functions from ecosystems and agricultural ecosystems. But the creation of a facility horticultural complex can be a space that can undermine the public interest function of the agricultural ecosystem. Therefore, this study aims to quantify the function of ecosystem services that land use changes affect biodiversity in Korea's rice paddy fields. The area subject to the study was selected as the largest agricultural complex in Korea due to rice paddy fields and land use changes, and field agriculture was also carried out simultaneously. The survey was conducted only in the fields of vegetation, insects, amphibians, and birds, four areas of biodiversity that are believed to have a high impact on changes in land use in agricultural landscapes. The valuation of ecosystem services in four areas of biodiversity derived from this study was evaluated as non-market value. As a result of quantitative evaluation, about 25 species of vegetation were reduced due to changes in land use. The diversity of about 40 species of aquatic insects that inhabit rice paddies among insects has disappeared due to the creation of a horticultural complex. Birds and amphibian reptiles were also found to have decreased diversity and populations. This research is expected to be used in various ways to develop policies to enhance ecosystem service functions.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.19-25
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• 2009

An arthropod community in a rice ecosystem was surveyed to determine the impact of two insecticides frequently used in Korean rice ecosystems: carbofuran 3GR, which targets the rice water weevil, Lissorhoptrus oryzophilus Kuschel (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) in the early season and fenobucarb EC, which targets the brown planthopper, Nilaparvata lugens ($St{\aa}l$) (Hemiptera: Delphacidae) in the mid- and late seasons, respectively. Overall, the application of the insecticides reduced density of total arthropods by 48.4% compared to the untreated field, but their impact on each functional group were different. Carbofuran GR treatment on 1 June reduced the L. oryzophilus population significantly until mid-season. The population of filterfeeding chironomids was also reduced by 50%, whereas the spider population was less disturbed. Fenobucarb EC treatment on 16 August significantly reduced N. lugens and detrivorous entomobryid populations until the late season. Both web-building and wandering spiders were also significantly disturbed by fenobucarb EC although the impact differed according to their behavioral differences. While the population of web-building spiders significantly decreased over time, that of wandering spiders recovered from the disturbance a few weeks later.

• Journal of Wetlands Research
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.286-294
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• 2020

This study aims to economically evaluate rice production and various ecological services provided by organic rice paddy carrying out rice-fish mixed farming. It was also conducted to find a stable structure for increasing the income of rice-producing farmers and promoting ecological services by evaluating the economic feasibility of organic rice paddy for rice-fish mixed farming. As a result of the analysis of expected effects by ecological service functions according to the types of agriculture in the rice-fish mixed farming, general conventional paddy fields were evaluated to have an effect of continuously decreasing biodiversity such as amphibian reptiles, aquatic insects, bird habitats, experience and ecological education, and vegetation diversity, while the biodiversity of organic and rice-fish mixed paddy fields was assessed to increase. As a result of evaluating the economic value, as the area for fish production increases compared to the common practice and organic paddy fields, rice production decreases, but fish production increases and total income was analyzed to increase. In addition, if the value of ecosystem service functions is assessed in the future, it will increase further. It is hoped that these findings will be used as basic data for solving oversupply problems in the rice industry, preserving safe farm income, and improving sustainable farming and ecosystem service functions.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.41 no.1
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• pp.32-40
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• 2022

BACKGROUND: Climate-smart agriculture (CSA) has been proposed for sustainable agriculture and food security in an agricultural ecosystem disturbed by climate change. However, scientific approaches to local agricultural ecosystems to realize CSA are rare. This study attempted to evaluate the weather condition, rice production, and greenhouse gas emissions from the rice cultivation in Hwaseong-si, Gyeonggi-do to fulfill CSA of the rice cultivation. METHODS AND RESULTS: Over the past 3 years (2017~2019), Chucheong rice cultivar yield and methane emissions were analyzed from the rice field plot (37°13'15"N, 127° 02'22"E) in the Gyeonggi-do Agricultural Research and Extension Services located in Gisan-dong, Hwaseong-si, Gyeonggi-do. Methane samples were collected from three automated closed chambers installed in the plot. The weather data measured through automatic weather station located in near the plot were analyzed. CONCLUSION(S): The rice productivity was found to vary with weather environment in the agricultural ecosystem. And methane emissions are high in a favorable weather condition for rice growth. Therefore, it is necessary to minimize the trade-off between the greenhouse gas emission target for climate change mitigation and productivity improvement for CSA in a local rice cultivation.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural and Forest Meteorology
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.273-281
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• 2013

Based on the results of continuous flux measurements at the Gimje paddy flux site in the southwestern coast of Korea, carbon dioxide and energy exchanges between customarily cultivated rice-barley double cropping paddy field and the atmosphere during the 2012 rice growing season (from $9^{th}$ Jun. 2012 through $20^{th}$ Oct. 2012) were analyzed. Carbon dioxide and energy (H, LE) fluxes were estimated by the eddy covariance method. Environmental parameters (net radiation, precipitation, etc.) and plant biomass (LAI, plant height, etc.) were measured along with fluxes. After the quality control and gap-filling, the observed fluxes were analyzed. The results have been showed that net ecosystem exchange (NEE), gross primary production (GPP), and ecosystem respiration (Re) during the rice cropping period were -277.1, 710.3, and 433.2 g C $m^{-2}$, respectively.