• Korean Journal of Medicinal Crop Science
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.246-251
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• 2003

Angiotensin converting enzyme(ACE) belongs to the class of zinc protease and plays an important role in the regulation of blood pressure. In this experiment, we investigated the inhibitory activities of ninety four plant extracts on ACE. The extracts were prepared by water and refluxing with 70% and 100% methanol. Among the extracts, two plant extracts such as Cassia tora, Persicaria cochinchinensis Kitagawa showed more than 60% inhibitory activities, and Foeniculum vulgare Gaertner, Scutellaria baicalensis Georgl, Caragana sinica (Buchoz) Rehder, Inula britannica var. chinensis showed $45.2{\sim}49.7%$ inhibitory activities. Twenty eight plant extracts such as Hemerocallis fulva L, Camptotheca acuminata Decne, Inula britannica var. chinensis, Xanthium strumarium, Polygonatum odoratum, Phellodendron amurense Rupr, Coix lachryma-jobi var. mayuen, Prunus ansu, Hibiscus mutabilis L, Thchosanthes kirilowii, Helianthus annuus, Juglans sinensis showed $30.3{\sim}39.7%$ Inhibitory activities. These results suggest that plant extracts which contain high ACE inhibitory activities may be useful as anti-hypertension agents and to the treatment of hypertension.

• The Korean Journal of Mycology
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.8-15
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• 2004

This study was conducted to discover new phytotoxins which may be used as lead molecules for the development of new herbicides. A total of 187 endophytic fungi were isolated from 11 plant species, which were collected from 8 locations in Korea. Their herbicidal activities were screened in vivo by herbicidal and duckweed bioassays after they were cultured in potato dextrose broth and rice solid media. Both fermentation broth and solid culture extract of Gliocladium catenulatum F0006 isolated from red pine (Pinus densiflora) showed 70% herbicidal activity only against cocklebur (Xanthium strumarium) out of the 10 weeds tested. Solid culture extract of F0034 isolated from arrowroot (Pueraria thunbergiana) exhibited 20 to 100% herbicidal activities against all of the weeds. Especially, shattercane (Sorghum bicolor), barnyardgrass (Echinochloa crus-galli), large crabgrass (Digitaria sanguinalis), and fall pauicum (Panicum dichtomiflorum) were sensitive to the solid culture extract of F0034. In addition, solid culture extract of F0043 isolated from red pine displayed 20% to 70% herbicidal activities only against 5 grass species, but not against 5 broad-leaf plant species. On the other hand, as the results of duckweed assay, 8 fermentation broths showed 100% growth inhibitory activity at concentrations less than 5.0% of culture supernatants and 12 solid cultures had a potent inhibitory activity against duckweed growth. A toxic metabolite was purified from the solid cultures of G. catenulatum F0006 by repeated column chromatography and bioassay. It caused a phytotoxic syndrome only on cocklebur out of the 10 weeds tested; it completely killed cocklebur seedlings at $500\;{\mu}g/ml$ and showed 85% herbicidal activity against cocklebur at $100\;{\mu}g/ml$. The molecular weight of the toxic metabolite is 238 daltons and its structure determination is underway.

• Journal of Wetlands Research
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• v.7 no.4
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• pp.67-80
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• 2005

Vegetation structure of the vascular plants was investigated from April 2003 to August 2003 in Hwangjeong wetland around Geumho River, Yeongcheon-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do, Korea. Actual vegetation of Hwangjeong wetland largely can be classified by the floristic composition and the physiognomy into 12 communities; Ambrosia artemisiifolia var. elatior, Humulus japonicus, Miscanthus sacchariflorus, Phragmites japonica, Zizania latifolia-Miscanthus sacchariflorus, Zizania latifolia-Nymphoides peltata, Miscanthus sacchariflorus-Phragmites japonica, Phragmites communis-Phragmites japonica, Phragmites japonica-Salix gracilistyla, Salix koreensis-Salix glandulosa, Salix nipponica-Salix koreensis, and Phragmites japonica-Zizania latifolia. Among them, the distribution area of the Phragmites japonica community was the largest as 49.46 ha(11.03%). The dominant vegetation type was Phragmites japonica community and Ambrosia artemisiifolia var. elatior community based on the phytosociological method, and Phragmites japonica community was classified into two subcommunities; Nymphoides peltata subcommunity and Salix glandulosa subcommunity. Differential species of Phragmites japonica community were Phragmites japonica, Miscanthus sacchariflorus, Persicaria thunbergii, Oenanthe javanica, Leersia oryzoides var. japonica, and Rorippa indica; differential species of Ambrosia artemisiifolia var. elatior community were Ambrosia artemisiifolia var. elatior, Setaria glauca, Commelina communis, Cyperus orthostachyus, Digitaria sanguinalis, Xanthium strumarium, Erigeron annuus, Erigeron canadensis, Kummerowia striata, Trifolium repens, and Medicago sativa; differential species of Nymphoides peltata subcommunity were Nymphoides peltata, Zizania latifolia, Scirpus tabernaemontani, and Eleocharis mamillata var. cyclocarpa; differential species of Salix glandulosa subcommunity were Salix glandulosa, Salix koreensis, and Salix gracilistyla. It was expected that Hwangjeong wetland is worthy of conservation contributed purifying water pollution, giving habitats of many lifes, and providing beautiful scenes of Geumho River.

• Korean Journal of Weed Science
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.191-198
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• 2010

The objective of this study was to find herbicidal compounds from seven different plant essential oils such as amyris (Amyris balsamifera), cajuput (Melaleuca cajeputi), geranium (Pelargonium graveolens), lavender (Lavendula spp.), mandarin (Citrus reticulata), pine (Pinus spp.) and rosemary (Rosmarius officinale), and determine their herbicidal activities. The in vitro herbicidal activity of cajuput essential oil was the highest among six essential oils ($GR_{50}$ value, $425{\mu}g\;g^{-1}$) and major chemical components in cajuput essential oil were eucalyptol (37.2%), ${\alpha}$-terpineol (11.6%), benzaldehyde (5.2%), linalool (4.1%), ${\alpha}$-pinene (2.5%) and ${\beta}$-pinene (2.4%), and their $GR_{50}$ values were 2,731, 500, 50, 372, 4,363, and $4,671{\mu}g\;g^{-1}$, respectively. Soil application of cajuput essential oil and benzaldehyde did not show any herbicidal activity at 80 kg $ha^{-1}$. When cajuput essential oil was applied to foliar at 80 kg $ha^{-1}$, narrow-leaved plants such as sorghum (Sorghum bicolar), barnyardgrass (Echinochloa crus-galli), and southern crabgrass (Digitaria ciliaris) were killed 100%, however, broad-leaved plants indian jointvetch (Aeschynomeme indica), velvet leaf (Abutilon theophrasti), cocklebur (Xanthium strumarium), Japanese morningglory (Calystegia japonica) were not killed, indicating the cajuput essential oil was effective to control narrow-leaved plants. Herbicidal activities of benzaldehyde at 80 kg $ha^{-1}$, to those plants were 20, 60 and 95%, respectively. Overall data showed that the herbicidal activity of cajuput essential oil was in part due to benzaldehyde.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.251-270
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• 2014

The purpose of this study is to offer the basic data and method for assessing the naturaliness of temple environment by applying the ecological index of plant to quantitatively and objectively assess the flora and to understand the flora distributed in major temple forest. The ecological index of plant was based in the surveyed flora. The whole flora were summarized as 535 taxa including 103 families, 310 genera, 426 species, 5 subspecies, 82 varieties and 22 forms. And, the numbers of taxa in the Beopheungsa were 267 taxa, 314 taxa of the Daeseungsa and 296 taxa of the Seongjusa. The rare plants were 9 taxa including Aristolochia contorta, Viola albida, Arisaema heterophyllumand so forth, and the Korean endemic plants were 11 taxa including Clematis trichotoma, Stewartia pseudocamellia, Vicia chosenensis and so forth. The specific plants by floristic region were 51 taxa including Wistaria floribunda, Celtis aurantiaca, Angelica gigas and so forth, and the pteridophyta were 26 taxa including Osmunda japonica, Polystichum braunii, Onoclea orientalis and so forth. The naturalized plants were 35 taxa including Fallopia dumetorum, Conyza canadensis, Xanthium strumarium and so forth, the invasive alien plants were 3 taxa including Ambrosia artemisiifolia, Aster pilosus and Eupatorium rugosum. In the results of analysing the ecological index of plant in whole temple forests, RI(Rare Index) was 1.7%, 2.1% of EI(Endemic Index), 9.5% of SI(Specific Index), 1.2 of PI(Pteridophyta Index) and 6.5% of NI(Naturalized Index) in narrow sense. In broad sense, FI(Flora Index) was 11.0%, 1.5% of RI, 3.4% of EI, 4.8% of SI, 10.1% of PI, 10.9% of UI(Urbanized Index) and 25.0% of DI(Disturbed Index). The FI of the Daeseungsa was the highest among the three temple forests. In narrow sense, the RI, SI, NI and DI of the Beopheungsa was high, the seongjusa was higher the EI and SI. In broad sense, the RI and SI of the Beopheungsa, the EI, SI and PI of the Seongjusa, the UI is high in the Daeseungsa. In future, if we will analyze ecological index of plant in other temple forests, we will offer the help to establishing the plan of conservation and restoration on ecosystem in whole temple forests.Environmental Specimen Banks (ESBs) are playing pivotal role in monitoring the effect of environmental pollution on the ecosystem based on the retrospective analysis of the representative samples collected regularly and stored in cryogenic condition.