• Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
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• v.50 no.3
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• pp.479-488
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• 2023

As the interest in sustainable and environmentally friendly agriculture continues to grow, there is a corresponding increase in organic fertilizers utilization. However, studies on ammonia (NH₃) emissions, which are primarily generated in the agricultural sector, by organic fertilizers are lacking. Additionally, the reliance on imported ingredients in the production of organic fertilizers hinders the widespread adoption of organic fertilizers. This study aims to evaluate NH₃ volatilization by incorporating rice husk biochar into organic fertilizers. The study also aims to assess whether domestically produced rice husk biochar can serve as a viable substitute for imported ingredients. Here, the dynamic chamber method was used under controlled conditions. Results show that inorganic fertilizers readily undergo hydrolysis, thereby rapidly generating significant amounts of NH₃, particularly in the initial stages. In contrast, organic fertilizers decompose gradually, leading to relatively long-term NH₃ emissions. The incorporation of rice husk biochar into organic fertilizers demonstrated diminished daily NH₃ emissions compared to those from commercial organic fertilizers, resulting in decreased total NH₃ volatilization. These findings show that the combination of rice husk biochar can reduce NH₃ volatilization and serve as an alternative to imported ingredients for organic fertilizers. The results of this study can be utilized as fundamental information for the assessment of biochar as a potential ingredient for organic fertilizers.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
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• v.49 no.4
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• pp.709-718
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• 2022

Nitrogen (N) is a vital element in growing crops and is essential for improving the yield and quality of crops. Thus, N fertilizer is the most widely used fertilizer and the primary N input source in soil-crop systems. Inorganic fertilizers such as urea are known to improve crop productivity and increase soil fertility. However, application with excessive amounts can interfere with crop growth and accelerate soil acidification. For these reasons, the use of organic fertilizers, which mainly contain organic nitrogen, has gradually increased worldwide. Therefore, this study evaluated the effects of N fertilizer on the growth of Chinese cabbage including its functional compounds glucosinolates (GSLs). For the cultivation of Chinse cabbage, inorganic fertilizer was used for urea, and organic fertilizers were divided into conventional and biochar-based fertilizers. The growth parameters of Chinese cabbage treated by organic fertilizers was better than those of the inorganic fertilizers. Additionally, it was found that their co-application was more efficient. However, their GSL contents were lower with the application of the organic fertilizers. The characteristics of the experimental soil also changed according to the type, amounts and co-application of fertilizers. Therefore, this study presents the basis for an eco-friendly method that can increase the functionality and productivity of Chinese cabbage compared to conventional cultivations.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.44 no.2
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• pp.308-315
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• 2011

Ammonium- and potassium-loaded zeolite (NK-Z) and other four kinds of environmental friendly fertilizers/agents were applied to characterize their effectiveness on garlic (Allium sativum L.) growth and soil amelioration. Selenium dioxide ($SeO_2$) and germanium dioxide ($GeO_2$) liquid treatments significantly increased selenium (Se) and germanium (Ge) contents in garlic stems, garlic cloves and clove peels. In soil treated with ZBFC, Se contents in garlic stems, cloves, and clove peels was 13.89-, 12.79-, and 10.96-fold higher, respectively, than in the controls. The inorganic contents of plants grown in soil treated with functional strengthened fertilizers were also higher than in plants grown in control soil. Soil treated with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) agents exhibited significantly greater spore density and root colonization rate than in untreated soil. The density of chitinolytic microorganisms in soil treated with colloidal chitin was also significantly higher than in untreated soil. The cation exchange capacities (CEC) in ZAFC-, ZBFC-, and ZBF-treated soils was 16.05%, 8.95%, and 8.80% higher than in control soil 28 weeks after sowing.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.26 no.10
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• pp.1755-1764
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• 2016

The application of Bacillus sp. in the biological control of plant soilborne diseases has been shown to be an environmentally friendly alternative to the use of chemical fungicides. In this study, the effects of bioorganic fertilizer (BOF) fortified with Bacillus amyloliquefaciens SQY 162 on the suppression of tomato bacterial wilt were investigated in pot experiments. The disease incidence of tomato wilt after the application of BOF was 65.18% and 41.62% lower at 10 and 20 days after transplantation, respectively, than in the control condition. BOF also promoted the plant growth. The SQY 162 populations efficiently colonized the tomato rhizosphere, which directly suppressed the number of Ralstonia solanacearum in the tomato rhizosphere soil. In the presence of BOF, the activities of defense-related enzymes in tomato were lower than in the presence of the control treatment, but the expression levels of the defense-related genes of the plants in the salicylic acid and jasmonic acid pathways were enhanced. It was also found that strain SQY 162 could secrete antibiotic surfactin, but not volatile organic compounds, to suppress Ralstonia. The strain could also produce plant growth promotion compounds such as siderophores and indole-3-acetic acid. Thus, owing to its innate multiple-functional traits and its broad biocontrol activities, we found that this antagonistic strain isolated from the tobacco rhizosphere could establish itself successfully in the tomato rhizosphere to control soilborne diseases.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Crop Science Conference
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• 2017.06a
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• pp.190-190
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• 2017

Chemical fertilizers have been used to increase crop production and contributed to escaping food shortages. However, excessive use of chemical fertilizers over a long period caused many problems such as environmental pollution and the hampered production potential of the land. Thus, it is necessary to develop eco-friendly bio-fertilizers that can replace the use of chemical fertilizers. Here, we tested the effect of some nitrogen-fixing microorganims on the plant growth promotion. Seventy free-living nitrogen fixing microorganisms were isolated from rhizosphere of crop cultivation fields, streamside soils and sludge in Ansung, Korea. Of them, three strains (NF2-4-1, Yeast; EMM409, Mesorhizobium; Gsoil662, Burkholderia) were selected to be most efficient in the capacity of N-fixing nitrogen based on colony forming cell assay in N-free media. To investigate the ability to promote plant growth, these strains were inoculated into the soil and cabbage were grown for 4 weeks in the grown chamber. Fresh weight, dry weight, and leaf area were measured from 4-week-old plants. Phenotypic analysis revealed that the growth of the plants inoculated with NF2-4-1 and EMM409 strains were significantly promoted compared to the mock-treated control plants, while Gsoil662-inoculated plants did not show statically significant promotion. These results indicate that these nitrogen-fixing microorganims can be used to develop plant growth promoting bio-fertilizers. Further analysis on nitrogen fixing level in soil by these strains will be tested.

• Journal of the Korea Organic Resources Recycling Association
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.132-140
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• 2006

This investigation into unfermented soybeans, which were left from the soybeans used to make cheongguk-jang, was conducted to find out its availability of the application to the environmental-friendly fertilizers. The test of cultivating lettuce, using 1/5000a Wagner pot, was carried out inside the affiliated farm glasshouse, belonged to University of Chung-Nam National. The results showed that in the category of leaf length, the control and cheongguk-jang soybeans treatment plot had similar outcomes and in the category of the extract of the cheongguk-jang soybeans, it increased by about 26~33%. And in the categories of width and number of leaves it showed that the extract treatment increased by about 9~20%, in compared to the control. Finally, in the category of fresh weight, the results showed that cheongguk-jang soybean and the extract of the cheongguk-jang soybean effectively increased by about 9~27%, and that pig manure compost treatment plot with the extract of the cheongguk-jang soybean also significantly increased by about 26%, compared to the control. Accordingly, the unfermented soybean left in the production of cheongguk-jang and the extract of the cheongguk-jang soybean are considerably appeared to be valuable environmental-friendly fertilizers.

• Journal of Environmental Policy
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.61-81
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• 2007

Types of agricultural policy can be catagorized into two general cases: price and income supports. Income supports are any government program designed to provide farmers with higher incomes than they would receive otherwise. These direct cash payments to farmers are known as "deficiency payment" or "direct payment" because they compensate the farmer for the failure of the market to provide farmers with adequate prices. The direct payment to environment-friendly agriculture is a form of income supports for the agriculture production using less pesticides and chemical fertilizers. Because no significant regulation exists on the use of fertilizers substituting chemical fertilizers for crop, the role of the payment on reducing environmental impacts of agriculture is not entirely clear. This uncertainty is likely to be particularly severe in the case that farmers with low-quality land showing greater demand for fertiliser have an incentive to transition to environment-friendly agriculture. The paper shows the case of the current payment system in Korea.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.316-327
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• 2018

Liquid fertilizers made from livestock manure contain high concentrations of nitrogen and phosphorus and thus are used as a fertilizer. However, excessive use of liquid fertilizer causes eutrophication of agricultural land and nonpoint source pollution. In this study, as a means of lowering the nutrient concentrations, struvite ($MgNH_4PO_4{\cdot}6H_2O$) production from the liquid fertilizer was investigated. When liquid fertilizers produced in Gyeonggido were analyzed, its characteristics differed by region and season, but the phosphorus concentration was commonly lower than that of nitrogen. When $K_2HPO_4$ and $MgCl_2$ were added to the liquid fertilizers, the optimal pH for struvite formation was pH 9.5. For environmentally friendly sources of magnesium and phosphate, ferronickel slag (FNS) and sewage sludge ash (SSA) were suspended in deionized water and extracted by sulfuric acid with various mass ratios. The optimum conditions for extracting FNS and SSA were 4.0 M sulfuric acid and 0.35 mass ratio of sulfuric acid to sewage sludge ash, respectively. For forming struvite, 0.233 L of SSA leachate (SSAL) was added into 0.3 L of liquid fertilizer containing 2,586 mg/L of ammonia and 110 mg/L of phosphate, pH was then adjusted to pH 9.5 using 10 M of NaOH. Afterwards 0.333 L of FNS leachate (FNSL) was added to this mixed solution. After a reaction for 1 hr at room temperature, the remaining concentrations of magnesium, ammonium, and phosphate were less than 50 mg/L, 500 mg/L and 150 mg/L, respectively, and 30 g of precipitates were obtained, most of which were struvite.

• Korean Journal of Organic Agriculture
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.27-54
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• 2001

This paper aims to provide a basic framework to make a regional plan for the environment-friendly agriculture. To prepare the regional plan is mandated by the Environment-friendly Agriculture Promotion Act of 1998. Here is proposed the input/output analysis framework, which includes the shifts of fertilizers, herbicides, pesticides, and livestock manures Basically, the discharged amount of polluted elements means the difference between the amount of the elements entered into the crop and livestock sectors and the amount of the elements absorbed or used by the crop and/or livestock. A few suggestions are offered for better regional environment-friendly agricultural plan. The foremost important thing is to establish a data collection system. The \"Green Accounting System\" is suggested. It is also crucial to create a standard guideline or manual which Provides detailed procedures to follow in making the plan by the local planners. More fundamentally, many experts on the regional planning will be demanded in the near future. Some compound model which links, for instance, the forestry, the livestock sector, and the crop sector, needs to be devised. Finally, it is argued here that more elaborated model will work as an integrated environmental improvement plan which embraces living environment as well as agricultural environment.vironment.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
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• v.50 no.4
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• pp.967-976
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• 2023

Biochar is emerging as a promising substance for achieving carbon neutrality and climate change mitigation. It can absorb several nutrients via ion bonding on its surface functional groups, resulting in slow dissociation of the bonds. Biochar, like organic fertilizers, contributes to sustainable nutrient management. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of nutrient-coated biochar amendments on leafy vegetables production and soil fertility. The nutrient-coated biochar was produced by soaking rice husk biochar in a nutrient solution containing nitrogen (N), phosphorus, and potassium for 24 hours. Nutrient-coated biochar and organic fertilizers were applied to soil at a rate of 120 kg·N·ha^-1. The growth components of the leafy vegetables showed that nutrient-coated biochar led to the highest fresh weight (FW) of both lettuce and kale (i.e., 146.67 and 93.54 g·plant^-1 FW, respectively). As a result, nutrient-coated biochar amendments led to superior yield compared to the control treatment and organic fertilization. The elemental composition of leafy vegetables revealed that soil amended with nutrient-coated biochar resulted in higher nutrient contents, which was attributed to the high nutrient contents supplied by the rice husk biochar. Soil amendment with nutrient-coated biochar positively enhanced the soil fertility compared to amendment with organic fertilizer. Therefore, nutrient-coated biochar is a promising substance for enhancing agronomic performance of leafy vegetables and improving soil fertility.