• Journal of Forest and Environmental Science
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.370-377
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• 2014

There are very few studies about soil chemical and biological properties under tropical dry evergreen forest Coromandel Coast, India. The present study was conducted in six tropical dry evergreen forests sites such as Oorani, Puthupet, Vadaagram, Kotthatai, Sendrakillai and Palvathunnan. We measured the quantity of soil chemical, biological properties and selected soil microorganisms for investigating the impacts of soil microbial populations on soil chemical and biological properties. The result showed that total N, P, Ca, S, Fe, Mn, Cu, Co, exchangeable K, Olson P, extractable Ca and phosphobacterial population were higher in the soil from Kothattai forest site. Organic carbon, total Mg, extractable Na, soil respiration, ${\beta}$-glucosidase activity, bacterial population, fungi population and actinomycetes population were higher in the soil from Palvathunn forest site. Total K, $NH_4{^+}$-N, $NO_3{^-}$-N, exchangeable K, extractable Ca, extractable Na, azotobacter population, bacillus population and rhizobacteria population were higher in the soil from Sendrakillai. Beijerinckia population, rhizobacteria and soluble sodium were higher in Puthupet forest soil. Total Si, total Na and exchangeable K were higher in soil from Oorani forest site. Total Mo and exchangeable K were higher in the soil from Vadaagaram forest site. The results showed that organic carbon, total N, $NH_4{^+}$-N, $NO_3{^-}$-N, extractable P, extractable Ca, soil respiration and ${\beta}$-glucosidase were significantly correlated with soil microbial populations. Therefore soil microorganisms are important factor for maintaining soil quality in tropical dry evergreen forest.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.50 no.1
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• pp.56-64
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• 2017

Soil quality has been regarded as an important factor for maintaining sustainability of ecosystem. Main purpose of this research was i) to select minimum factor for predicting biomass, and ii) to calculate soil quality index for biomass according to soil chemical properties. Result showed that soil pH, electrical conductivity (EC), soil organic matter (SOM), cation exchange capacity (CEC), and available phosphorus are minimum data set for calculating biomass production in soil. Selected representative soil chemical properties were evaluated for soil quality index and rated from 1 to 5 (1 is the best for biomass production). Percentage of each grade in terms of biomass production in national wide was 14.52, 35.23, 33.03, 6.47, 10.75% respectively. Although, only soil chemical properties were evaluated for calculating optimum soil quality, result of this research can be useful to understand basic protocol of soil quality assessment in national wide.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.73-81
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• 2013

Various remediation methods have been applied to clean soils contaminated with pollutants. They remove contaminants from the soils by utilizing physicochemical, biological, and thermal processes and can satisfy soil remediation standards within a limited time; however, they also have an effect on the biological functions of soils by changing soil properties. In this study, changes of the biological properties of soils before and after treatment with three frequently used remediation methods-soil washing, land farming, and thermal desorption-were monitored to investigate the effects of remediation methods on soil biological functions. Total microbial number and soil enzyme activities, germination rate and growth of Brassica juncea, biomass change of Eisenia andrei were examined the effects on soil microorganisms, plant, and soil organisms, respectively. After soil washing, the germination rate of Brassica juncea increased but the above-ground growth and total microbial number decreased. Dehydrogenase activity, germination rate and above-ground growth increased in both land farming and thermal desorption treated soil. Although the growth of Eisenia andrei in thermal desorption treated soil was higher than any other treatment, it was still lower than that in non-contaminated soil. These results show that the remediation processes used to clean contaminated soil also affect soil biological functions. To utilize the cleaned soil for healthy and more value-added purposes, soil improvement and process development are needed.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.50 no.2
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• pp.88-96
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• 2007

Organic farming systems based on ecological concepts have the potential to produce sustainable crop yields with no decline in soil and environmental qualities. Recent expansion of sustainable agricultural systems, including organic farming, has brought about need for development of sustainable farming systems based on value judgments for key properties of importance for farming. Chemical and microbiological properties were chosen as indicators of soil quality and measured at soil depth intervals of 5-20 and 20-35 cm in conventional and organic-based apple orchards located in Yeongchun, Gyeongbuk. The orchards were two adjacent fields to ensure the same pedological conditions except management system. Soil pH in organic farming was around 7.5, whereas below 6.0 in conventional farming. Organic farming resulted in significant increases in organic matter and Kjeldahl-N contents compared to those found with conventional management. Microbial populations, biomass C, and enzyme activities (except acid phosphatase) in apple orchard soil of organic farming were higher than those found in conventional farming. Higher microbial quotient ($C_{mic}/C_{org}$ ratio) and lower microbial metabolic quotient for $CO_2(qCO_2)$ in organic farming confirmed that organic farming better conserves soil organic carbon. Biological soil quality indicators showed significant positive correlations with soil organic matter content. These results indicate organic-based farming positively affected soil organic matter content, thus improving soil chemical and biological qualities.

• Asian Journal of Turfgrass Science
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.95-102
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• 2005

USGA green specification is currently accepted in construction method of Korea. This study was carried out to find the factors influencing growth of turfgrass associated with soil physical properties of soil root-zone on golf green constructed with USGA method. Three putting greens in poor turfgrass and one in good turfgrass condition were selected for investigation on one golf course site at mid-South Korean peninsula. Soil hardness, moisture content, root length, and turf density were measured on-site greens, and soil physical properties and soil chemical properties also analyzed in laboratory. As a result of on-site surveys and soil physical tests in laboratory, soil physical properties were most important factors which influenced on turfgrass growth at tested greens. The results of soil particle analysis on green No. 2, in good turf condition, matched USGA sand particle recommendations. But those greens such as Nos. 1, 11 and 16, in poor putting greens, showed high soil compaction and improper soil particle distribution. Those factors created low leaf density, poor root depth, and higher moisture content compared with lower part of topsoil. Such phenomena caused inadequate turfgrass growth with soil hardening associated with poor drainage. Therefore, declines of soil physical properties associated with improper particle distribution caused a major factor influencing on turfgrass growth in golf green. Adequate test of soil particle analysis by USGA specification and proper construction method followed by adequate turf maintenance should be performed to obtain optimal turf quality on putting green.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.50 no.1
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• pp.65-70
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• 2017

Soil was regarded as infinite resources but recently, soil is considered as invaluable resources that we need to protect and conserve. Main objective of this research was to evaluate soil value in terms of soil carbon contents. Soil was classified into forest, paddy, upland, and grass. Carbon contents in each soil was calculated based on soil chemical properties. Calculated soil carbon contents was ranged $15.31-108.86mg\;kg^{-1}$. Based on soil carbon contents, soil value was assumed adapting economic concepts. Calculated total soil value based on soil carbon contents was about 18.46 trillion won. Among others, carbon contents in forest was the highest and value was assumed 11.95 trillion won followed by paddy field (3.7 trillion won).

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.47 no.6
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• pp.500-505
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• 2014

In recent years, organic ginseng cultivation has increased because customers prefer organic ginseng products due to the morphological quality as well as the safety such as the residuals of chemically-synthesized pesticides. Therefore, some of paddy and upland fields were converted into organic ginseng fields. Soil chemical properties, soil microflora, and soil-inhabiting animals were investigated in paddy-converted and upland organic ginseng fields in Sangju city, Korea. There was few difference in the soil chemical properties, and the soil nutrient concentrations, such as nitrate-N, Av. $P_2O_5$ between the two field types, and exchangeable cations such as K and Ca were within the ranges which are recommended by the standard ginseng-farming manual. Changes in microflora were also assessed by analyzing phospholipid fatty acid composition. Overall, indicators of microbial groups were greater in the upland field than in the paddy-converted soil, but they were not significantly different. In addition, there was no significant change in the abundance of nematodes, collembolans, and mites between the two field types probably because of the high variation within the field types. In this study, it was suggested that soil chemical and biological properties for organic ginseng cultivation were greatly influenced by the variation of topography and soil management practices rather than field types. Further study may be needed to investigate the influence of these factors on soil chemical and biological properties in organic ginseng soils.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.44 no.4
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• pp.177-179
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• 2001

Traditional wet chemical methods for testing of soil properties require extensive time and labor, and cause the discharge of pollutants, making them undesirable for routine soil analyses. This research was conducted to improve the accuracy of soil properties in soil fertility assessments. A total of 140 finely ground soil samples were used to obtain accurate calibrations and validation for estimating soil moisture, OM, and T-N. Finely ground soil samples satisfied the improved accuracy for routine NIR measuring of the field soils. The results indicated that NIR spectroscopy could be used as a routine method for quantitatively determining OM, moisture, and T-N of field soil, although this technique requires many combinations of sample pretreatments and data manipulations to obtain optimal predictions.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.44 no.1
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• pp.67-77
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• 2011

Heavy metal remediation in shooting range soil is a challenge over the world. The excessive Pb accumulation in the soil can deteriorate soil quality and fertility. The objectives of this research were to evaluate the efficiency of biochar (BC) in improving the physicochemical and biological properties of the soil and to evaluate its effect on Pb availability in a military shooting range soil. Sandy loam soil was collected from shooting range of Gyeonggi Province, South Korea and was incubated for 30 days with different application rates (0-30% w $w^{-1}$) of BC. The results showed that the addition of BC increased aggregate stability, nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) contents, and enzyme activities in soil. Sequential extraction showed that residual and organic bound fractions in the soil amended with BC increased by 33.1 and 16.7%, respectively, and the exchangeable fraction decreased by 93.7% in the soil amended with BC, compared to the unamended soil. We concluded that the application of BC could not only improve physicochemical and biological soil qualities but also stabilize Pb in a shooting range soil.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.234-241
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• 2007

Biological amendments consisting of suspensions of selected microorganisms are often used in conjunction with various organic materials for amending soils to improve soil quality and plant growth. The effects of the biological amendment on chemical and biological properties of soil were investigated for a biological amendmentalone and when combined with different organic materials includingmunicipal compost (MC), poultry litter (PL), and cover crops (red clover (RC) and spring oats). A liquid preparation of a biological amendment called Effective Microorganisms was sprayed on the tested plots three times over a two-year period. Effective Microorganisms alone did not influence pH, K, or organic matter content in soil. However, increases in P in PL-treated soils in fall of both years andCa in MC-treated soil in fall 2001, and decreases in Ca, Mg, and cation exchange capacity (CEC) in RC-planted soil were associated with EM. Increased dehydrogenase(DH) activitiesassociated with Effective Microorganismswere only detected in July (P=0.0222) and October (P=0.0834) for RC-planted soils in the first year. Fluorescein diacetate (FDA) hydrolysisappeared to be enhanced by Effective Microorganisms in soils untreated or treated with MC and oatsbut only sporadically during the sampling period. FDA hydrolysis in both PL- and RC-treated soils as well as DH activity in PL-treated soils decreased with Effective Microorganisms treatment. Effective Microorganisms did not influence substrate utilization patterns expressed by the BIOLOG assay. We conclude that Effective Microorganisms effects on soil chemical and biological properties varied depending on the added organic materials. Effective Microorganisms periodically increased soil DH activity and FDA hydrolysis with RC and with MC plus oats, respectively.