• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.30 no.5
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• pp.717-725
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• 2020

The use of plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria is economically viable and environmentally safe for mitigating various plant stresses. Abiotic stresses such as flood and drought are a serious threat to modern agriculture. In the present study, the indole-3-acetic acid-producing rhizobacterium R. sphaeroides KE149 was selected, and its effects on the growth of adzuki bean plants under flood stress (FS) and drought stress (DS) were investigated. IAA quantification of bacterial pure culture revealed that KE149 produced a significant amount of IAA. Moreover, KE149 inoculation notably decreased stress-responsive endogenous abscisic acid and jasmonic acid and increased salicylic acid in plants under DS and FS. KE149 inoculation also increased proline under DS and methionine under FS. In addition, KE149 inoculation significantly increased the levels of calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), and potassium (K) while lowering the sodium (Na) content in the plant shoot under stress. KE149-treated plants had markedly greater root length, shoot length, stem diameter, biomass, and higher chlorophyll content under both normal and stressed conditions. These results suggest that KE149 could be an efficient biofertilizer for mitigating water stress.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.43 no.1
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• pp.96-104
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• 2010

A comparative study was performed in gnotobiotic and greenhouse conditions to evaluate the effect of exogenous application of indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) and inoculation of Methylobacterium spp. possessing 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate deaminase (ACCD) and IAA activity on red pepperand tomato seedling growth and development. Application of 1.0 ${\mu}g\;mL^{-1}$ IAA positively influenced root growth while high concentrations (>10.0 ${\mu}g\;mL^{-1}$) suppressed root growth of red pepper and tomato under gnotobiotic condition. On the other hand, inoculation of Methylobacterium strains with ACCD activity and IAA or without IAA enhanced root growth in both plants. Similarly, under greenhouse condition the inoculation of Methylobacterium sp. with ACCD activity and IAA enhanced plant fitness recorded as average nodal length and specific leaf weight (SLW) but the effect is comparable with the application of low concentrations of IAA. Seedling length was significantly increased by Methylobacterium strains while total biomass was enhanced by Methylobacterium spp. and exogenous applications of < 10.0 ${\mu}g\;mL^{-1}$ IAA. High concentrations of IAA retard biomass accumulation in red pepper and tomato. These results confirm that bacterial strains with plant growth promoting characters such as IAA and ACCD have characteristic effects on different aspects of growth of red pepper and tomato seedlings which is comparable or better than exogenous applications of synthetic IAA.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.35 no.6
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• pp.692-697
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• 2019

Agrobacterium rhizogenes-mediated transformation of sugar beet hairy roots expressing single-chain variable fragment (scFv) was exploited to evaluate the efficacy of four antibody-based constructs for interfering with the Beet necrotic yellow vein virus infection. The scFv specific to a major coat protein of virus, p21, was targeted to various cellular compartments including the cytosol (pIC and pICC constructs), apoplast (pIA), and mitochondrion (pIM). After mechanical virus inoculation, most of the hairy root clones expressing scFv in the cytosol displayed low virus titers while the majority of transgenic hairy root clones accumulated antibody in outer membrane of mitochondria or apoplast were infected. This hairy root system provided an efficient and rapid approach to initially investigating root disease resistance like rhizomania prior to transform whole recalcitrant plants such as sugar beet.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.195-199
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• 2003

Pink root of onion occurred in the fields of the Onion Experimental Station and in the main onion cultivation area in Korea in 1998 and 1999, respectively. The casual fungus of pink root was isolated only from apricot agar. Formation of pycnidia and pycnidiospores of the fungus was highest in alternating cycles of 12 hours near ultraviolet light and 12 hours in dark condition. Its morphological characteristics and pigment formation on water agar were identical with that of Pyrenochaeta terrestris. The optimum temperature for the growth of the fungus and disease development was $25-28^{\circ}C$. When onion seeds were inoculated with the spore suspension, incubated in test-tube and sown in potted soil, disease symptoms developed in onion roots 7 and 30 days after inoculation.

• The Korean Journal of Mycology
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• v.48 no.4
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• pp.499-503
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• 2020

Clubroot symptoms were frequently observed on the roots of Baecheongchae plants grown in vinyl greenhouses of a farmer located in Yangpyeong area of Korea during a disease survey in June 2019. The incidence of diseased Baecheongchae plants ranged from 30 to 90% in the vinyl greenhouses investigated. Many resting spores were found in the tissue of root galls collected. The resting spores were hyaline and spherical and measured 2.5-4.2 ㎛ in diameter. Three inoculum suspensions of resting spores prepared from the root galls were inoculated to the roots of healthy Baecheongchae plants. All the inoculum suspensions caused clubroot symptoms to appear on the roots of the inoculated Baecheongchae plants. The symptoms on the roots induced by artificial inoculation were similar to those observed in the plants of the vinyl greenhouses during the disease survey. Resting spores of the pathogen were recovered from the root galls of the inoculated plants. Three root gall isolates obtained from the inoculated plants were used for molecular identification. Comparing the isolates to the Plasmodiophora brassicae strains in GenBank, the amplification products demonstrated 100% similarity with the internal transcribed spacer (ITS2) sequences. The clubroot pathogen was identified as P. brassicae according to its morphological, pathological, and molecular characteristics. This is the first report of P. brassicae causing clubroot in Baecheongchae.

• KOREAN JOURNAL OF CROP SCIENCE
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.198-206
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• 1981

A field research was conducted to evaluate the effects of inoculation of Rhizobium meliloti and lime application on the early growth of alfalfa, var. Luna, in an acid soil. Alfalfa seeds were inoculated by lime-peat pelleting method with $A_3$ strain isolated from alfalfa roots. Both inoculated and noninoculated seeds were sown in acid soil (pH 5.5) with three levels of lime application (1, 3, 6 ton/ha) on mid-April. Inoculated seeds produced many effective nodules in early stage and increased nitrogen and chlorophyll contents of leaf, consequently stimulating alfalfa growth. Pseudo nodules were found in noninoculated, while they were seldom formed in inoculated. Lime application increased soil pH, plant height, root length, and shoot and root weight. Liming effect on nodulation was significant at first cut, but no longer after then. Both inoculation and liming increased the forage yield of alfalfa. Inoculation and liming of 6 ton/ha together produced the highest yield. As compared to control plot of nitrogen application, the effect of seed inoculation only could be equal to about 120 kg/ha nitrogen application. The total nitrogen contents of forage were little affected by number or weight of nodules and amounts of lime application.

• Research in Plant Disease
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.101-108
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• 2012

In 2006, pinewood nematode, Bursaphelenchus xylophilus, was isolated from about 50 years old trees of Pinus densiflora and P. koraiensis showing leaf-wilt and -drying symptoms in Gwangju, Gyeonggi-do and Chuncheon, Gangwon-do. Isolation of pinewood nematodes from sapwood of infected pine trees showed no difference in population density between tree species and among the sampling heights on the main stem. Migration of pinewood nematodes in the host tree were investigated by inoculation of red pine (P. densiflora, 3 years old) seedlings with B. xylophilus. The nematodes seemed to move in red pine seedlings prior to multiplication and it might have taken about 20 days to start multiplication and expression of symptoms including wilt and dieback. In initial time after inoculation, nematodes started migration through the cortical resin canal from inoculated site and further showed upward and downward movements. More nematodes were observed in cortical resin canal during early period of inoculation and later in resin canal of xylem and tracheid also while, the pith still remained free from nematode. The density of B. xylophilus was higher in seedlings of low-vigor with poor root growth than in seedlings of normal root growth. Seedlings showing high density of B. xylophilus exhibited stem discoloration and secondary infection by fungus at the inoculation site.

• The Korean Journal of Mycology
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• v.47 no.4
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• pp.427-435
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• 2019

The occurrence of the crown and root rot on strawberry (Fragaria×ananassa Duch.) has been reported in greenhouses in Sancheong and Hamyang, Gyeongnam province, Korea in June, 2019. The infected plants showed browning rot of the inner crown and root, causing delayed development, lack of growth, and poor rooting. The browning rot of the inner crown and root can sometimes lead to wilting and collapsing of plants. Fungi were isolated from the symptomatic root and crown. Based on the results of morphological and phylogenetic analyses, the causal agent of the disease was identified to be Neopestalotiopsis clavispora. The fungal isolates were then used for inoculation into strawberry plants to determine the causal agent of the crown and root rot as per Koch's postulates. The inoculated strawberry plants showed the same symptoms as the originally infected plants, and the fungal pathogen re-isolated from the lesions showed the same morphological characteristics as the original pathogen. This is the first report on the occurrence of crown and root rot on strawberry (Fragaria×ananassa Duch.) caused by N. clavispora in Korea.

• The Korean Journal of Pesticide Science
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.236-242
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• 2008

Laboratory and greenhouse experiments were conducted to evaluate the effect of root zone application of some systemic insecticides for control of the brown planthopper (BPH), Nilaparvata lugens, as one of the management option to minimize the adverse effects and maximize the efficacy of insecticide application. Five systemic insecticides, namely, carbofuran, carbosulfan, diazinon, ethoprophos and imidacloprid, as granular formulation were placed in the root zone and measured the mortality, fecundity, and nymphal survivorship of the planthopper. Diazinon and ethoprophos did not show the significant mortality of the BPH. When the BPH were inoculated at the day of carbofuran treatment, adult mortality was shown almost 100% at seven days after treatment and BPH nymphs were remained very few on rice at 25 days after treatment. When carbofuran were placed 10 days before the BPH inoculation, it showed almost 100% adult mortality after one day, and no nymphs were found until 25 day after inoculation. Efficacy of carbofuran on BPH when applied in 10 day-old rice was higher than in 30 day-old rice. These results indicated that the root zone application of carbofuran can control N. lugens effectively with less adverse effect to the natural enemies inhabited on rice plants.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.29 no.11
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• pp.1777-1789
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• 2019

Drought is more concerned to be a huge problem for agriculture as it affects plant growth and yield. Endophytic bacteria act as plant growth promoting bacteria that have roles for improving plant growth under stress conditions. The properties of four strains of endophytic bacteria were determined under water deficit medium with 20% polyethylene glycol. Bacillus aquimaris strain 3.13 showed high 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate (ACC) deaminase production; Micrococcus luteus strain 4.43 produced indole acetic acid (IAA). Exopolysaccharide production was high in Bacillus methylotrophicus strain 5.18 while Bacillus sp. strain 5.2 did not show major properties for drought response. Inoculation of endophytic bacteria into plants, strain 3.13 and 4.43 increased height, shoot and root weight, root length, root diameter, root volume, root area and root surface of Jerusalem artichoke grown under water limitation, clearly shown in water supply at 1/3 of available water. These increases were caused by bacteria ACC deaminase and IAA production; moreover, strain 4.43 boosted leaf area and chlorophyll levels, leading to increased photosynthesis under drought at 60 days of planting. The harvest index was high in the treatment with strain 4.43 and 3.13 under 1/3 of available water, promoting tuber numbers and tuber weight. Inulin content was unchanged in the control between well-watered and drought conditions. In comparison, inulin levels were higher in the endophytic bacteria treatment under both conditions, although yields dipped under drought. Thus, the endophytic bacteria promoted in plant growth and yield under drought; they had outstanding function in the enhancement of inulin content under well-watered condition.