• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
• /
• v.40 no.4
• /
• pp.322-329
• /
• 2021

BACKGROUND: The fungicide of benomyl, a benzimidazole group, has been commonly used for pesticides against fungal diseases in the world. However, benomyl is rapidly hydrolyzed in the environment after using to control plant diseases and has adverse effects by generating carbendazim, which is toxic to plants, humans, and the environment. METHODS AND RESULTS: In this study, the decomposition effect of carbendazim, a degradation product of benomyl was conducted in pot and field after making a prototype of benomyl-degrading microbial agent (BDMA). We found that the carbendazim-degrading microbial agent (CDMA) (10⁵, 10⁶, and 10⁷ cfu/g soil) decomposed carbendazim by 50% or more in all the treatments, compared to the untreated control in the pot tests after four weeks. The effect of 100% decomposition of carbendazim was observed at 7 days after treatment, when the prototype of BDMA was apllied at 10-folds dilution in the field. The decomposition effect at more than 60% and plant growth promoting effect were observed after 7 days of the treatment, compared with the untreated group in the second field experiment,treated with commercially available concentrations of 500-folds and 1,000-folds. CONCLUSION(S): These results might represent that the BDMA would decompose carbendazim effectively, a decomposition product of the fungicide benomyl, remaining in agricultural area, and it could be utilized practically by using a low dilution rate.

• Journal of Bio-Environment Control
• /
• v.30 no.3
• /
• pp.206-211
• /
• 2021

Hygienic behavior of Honey bees, Apis mellifera, was evaluated by uncapping and removing ability of dead broods from the nest. Hygienic behavior is originated from quantitative traits, which are expected to express key roles in colony defense against mite parasites and bacterial and fungal diseases. It is regarded as one of important characteristics of honey bee's resistance to parasites and pathogens. In this study, five inbreed and two hybrid lines of A. mellifera, the former five inbreed lines, which have been reared for over eight years at the National Academy of Agricultural Science in Korea, and the latter two hybrid lines, which have been bred by crossing between the inbreed lines, were investigated on their hygienic behavior by a pin-killed brood assay at 12hrs and 24hrs after treatment. The results indicated that after 12hrs one inbred line was proved to be hygienic (removal rate of dead brood >90%), three inbred and two hybrid lines showed intermediate behavior, and one inbred line belonged to non-hygienic (removal rate of dead brood <70%). However, after 24hrs, only one line was considered to be intermediate as removal rate was below 90%, thus all except this line had shown hygienic behavior.

• The Korean Journal of Mycology
• /
• v.46 no.4
• /
• pp.479-490
• /
• 2018

Red pepper is seriously damaged by thrips (Thrips palmi) and anthracnose caused by Colletotrichum acutatum throughout its development. Because of biotic constraints, producers often depend on chemicals that are expensive and have adverse effects on the environment, operator, and beneficial insects. In addition, resistance is developed because of the repeated use of chemicals. In recent decades, the use of microorganisms in crop protection has become a credible alternative because it is eco-friendly. In this study, we aimed to select isolates with insecticidal and fungicidal activities against the pathogens that cause anthracnose and thrips. We treated T. palmi adults and juveniles with 13 strains of entomopathogenic fungi (isolated from the soil by using the insect-bait method), and 6 strains showed excellent insecticidal activity (70-100%) 5 days after the treatment. The selected isolates were cultured with C. acutatum to screen for the strain with excellent anti-fungal activities, among which an isolate FT333 showed more than 95% control efficacy against C. acutatum in vitro. The isolate was identified as Isaria javanica through its morphological characteristics and phylogenetic analysis of the ITS and ${\beta}-tubulin$ nucleotide sequences. The Isaria javanica FT333 isolate could be used effectively for dual bio-control of thrips and anthracnose during red pepper cultivation.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
• /
• v.35 no.4
• /
• pp.351-361
• /
• 2019

In our previous study, pyrrolnitrin produced in Pseudomonas chlororaphis G05 plays more critical role in suppression of mycelial growth of some fungal pathogens that cause plant diseases in agriculture. Although some regulators for pyrrolnitrin biosynthesis were identified, the pyrrolnitrin regulation pathway was not fully constructed. During our screening novel regulator candidates, we obtained a white conjugant G05W02 while transposon mutagenesis was carried out between a fusion mutant $G05{\Delta}phz{\Delta}prn::lacZ$ and E. coli S17-1 (pUT/mini-Tn5Kan). By cloning and sequencing of the transposon-flanking DNA fragment, we found that a vfr gene in the conjugant G05W02 was disrupted with mini-Tn5Kan. In one other previous study on P. fluorescens, however, it was reported that the deletion of the vfr caused increased production of pyrrolnitrin and other antifungal metabolites. To confirm its regulatory function, we constructed the vfr-knockout mutant $G05{\Delta}vfr$ and $G05{\Delta}phz{\Delta}prn::lacZ{\Delta}vfr$. By quantifying ${\beta}-galactosidase$ activities, we found that deletion of the vfr decreased the prn operon expression dramatically. Meanwhile, by quantifying pyrrolnitrin production in the mutant $G05{\Delta}vfr$, we found that deficiency of the Vfr caused decreased pyrrolnitrin production. However, production of phenazine-1-carboxylic acid was same to that in the wild-type strain G05. Taken together, Vfr is required for pyrrolnitrin but not for phenazine-1-carboxylic acid biosynthesis in P. chlororaphis G05.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.31 no.9
• /
• pp.1231-1240
• /
• 2021

Members of the genus Bacillus are known to play an important role in promoting plant growth and protecting plants against phytopathogenic microorganisms. In this study, 21 isolates of Bacillus spp. were obtained from the root micro-ecosystem of Suaeda glauca. Analysis of the 16S rRNA genes indicated that the isolates belong to the species Bacillus amyloliquefaciens, Bacillus velezensis, Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus pumilus, Bacillus aryabhattai and Brevibacterium frigoritolerans. One of the interesting findings of this study is that the four strains B1, B5, B16 and B21 are dominant in rhizosphere soil. Based on gyrA, gyrB, and rpoB gene analyses, B1, B5, and B21 were identified as B. amyloliquefaciens and B16 was identified as B. velezensis. Estimation of antifungal activity showed that the isolate B1 had a significant inhibitory effect on Fusarium verticillioides, B5 and B16 on Colletotrichum capsici (syd.) Butl, and B21 on Rhizoctonia cerealis van der Hoeven. The four strains grew well in medium with 1-10% NaCl, a pH value of 5-8, and promoted the growth of Arabidopsis thaliana. Our results indicate that these strains may be promising agents for the biocontrol and promotion of plant growth and further study of the relevant bacteria will provide a useful reference for the development of microbial resources.

• Mycobiology
• /
• v.49 no.4
• /
• pp.406-420
• /
• 2021

Gloeostereum incarnatum has edible and medicinal value and was first cultivated and domesticated in China. We sequenced the G. incarnatum monokaryotic strain GiC-126 on an Illumina HiSeq X Ten system and obtained a 34.52-Mb genome assembly sequence that encoded 16,895 predicted genes. We combined the GiC-126 genome with the published genome of G. incarnatum strain CCMJ2665 to construct a genetic linkage map (GiC-126 genome) that had 10 linkage groups (LGs), and the 15 assembly sequences of CCMJ2665 were integrated into 8 LGs. We identified 1912 simple sequence repeat (SSR) loci and detected 700 genes containing 768 SSRs in the genome; 65 and 100 of them were annotated with gene ontology (GO) terms and KEGG pathways, respectively. Carbohydrate-active enzymes (CAZymes) were identified in 20 fungal genomes and annotated; among them, 144 CAZymes were annotated in the GiC-126 genome. The A mating-type locus (MAT-A) of G. incarnatum was located on scaffold885 at 38.9 cM of LG1 and was flanked by two homeodomain (HD1) genes, mip and beta-fg. Fourteen segregation distortion markers were detected in the genetic linkage map, all of which were skewed toward the parent GiC-126. They formed three segregation distortion regions (SDR1-SDR3), and 22 predictive genes were found in scaffold1920 where three segregation distortion markers were located in SDR1. In this study, we corrected and updated the genomic information of G. incarnatum. Our results will provide a theoretical basis for fine gene mapping, functional gene cloning, and genetic breeding the follow-up of G. incarnatum.

• The Korean Journal of Mycology
• /
• v.48 no.4
• /
• pp.381-388
• /
• 2020

Bioluminescence refers to the production and emission of light in living organisms. This phenomenon arises from luciferase-catalyzed oxidation reaction of luciferin. Bioluminescence is widely observed in marine vertebrates and invertebrates, as well as in some microorganisms and fungi. To date, approximately 80 species of fungi have been reported to be luminous. One such example is Omphalotus japonicus, which is a luminous fungus found in Korea. In this study, we examined the bioluminescence of Omphalotus japonicus mycelia. Light emission was detected at the edges of mycelia grown on solid agar medium. Notably, the intensity of bioluminescence was found to be significantly enhanced following wound induction. The increase in light intensity peaked at 3 h after mechanical damage. We also investigated the effects of extreme temperatures on bioluminescence. Unlike mechanical damage, high and low temperatures repressed the light emission from mycelia. Further investigations are required to reveal the physiological and ecological properties of fungal bioluminescent responses to environmental stresses.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
• /
• v.40 no.1
• /
• pp.49-59
• /
• 2021

BACKGROUND: Soil salinity causes reduction of crop productivity. Rhizosphere microbes have metabolic capabilities and ability to adaptation of plants to biotic and abiotic stresses. Plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB) could play a role as elicitors for inducing tolerance to stresses in plants by affecting resident microorganism in soil. This study was conducted to demonstrate the effect of selected strains on rhizosphere microbial community under salinity stress. METHODS AND RESULTS: The experiments were conducted in tomato plants in pots containing field soil. Bacterial suspension was inoculated into three-week-old tomato plants, one week after inoculation, and -1,000 kPa-balanced salinity stress was imposed. The physiological and biochemical attributes of plant under salt stress were monitored by evaluating pigment, malondialdehyde (MDA), proline, soil pH, electrical conductivity (EC) and ion concentrations. To demonstrate the effect of selected Bacillus strains on rhizosphere microbial community, soil microbial diversity and abundance were evaluated with Illumina MiSeq sequencing, and primer sets of 341F/805R and ITS3/ITS4 were used for bacterial and fungal communities, respectively. As a result, when the bacterial strains were inoculated and then salinity stress was imposed, the inoculation decreases the stress susceptibility including reduction in lipid peroxidation, enhanced pigmentation and proline accumulation which subsequently resulted in better plant growth. However, bacterial inoculations did not affect diversity (observed OTUs, ACE, Chao1 and Shannon) and structure (principle coordinate analysis) of microbial communities under salinity stress. Furthermore, relative abundance in microbial communities had no significant difference between bacterial treated- and untreated-soils under salinity stress. CONCLUSION: Inoculation of Bacillus strains could affect plant responses and soil pH of tomato plants under salinity stress, whereas microbial diversity and abundance had no significant difference by the bacterial treatments. These findings demonstrated that Bacillus strains could alleviate plant's salinity damages by regulating pigments, proline, and MDA contents without significant changes of microbial community in tomato plants, and can be used as effective biostimulators against salinity stress for sustainable agriculture.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
• /
• v.48 no.5
• /
• pp.282-289
• /
• 2022

Background: Airborne fungi are ubiquitous in the air and exposure to an airborne fungus can be a significant risk factor. The composition of fungi has been potentially important for human health, especially for respiratory diseases like asthma and atopic dermatitis. Therefore, we attempted to ascertain what kind of airborne fungi affect human health at a nationwide level. Objectives: This study was carried out to provide information on indoor fungi distribution at multi-use facilities throughout South Korea. Methods: We classified our data by region and public facility after collection, cultivation, and identification via the sequencing of the ITS (internal transcribed spacer) region. We investigated whether or not the proliferation of HaCaT cells was affected by the identified airborne fungi. Results: In our data, the most isolated airborne fungi by region were Penicillium spp (Seoul, Daegu), Periconia sp (Gyeonggi-do), Iprex sp (Gangwon-do), Phanerochaete sp (Busan), Bjerkandera sp (Gwangju), and Aspergillus sp (Jeju-do). In the public facilities, the most detected fungi were Cladosporium sp (public transport), Penicillium sp (apartment house, retail market, financial institution, karaoke room), Bjerokandera sp (underground parking lot, public toilet, medical institution), Periconia sp (retail store), and Fusarium sp (general restaurant). Next, we selected twenty airborne fungi to examine their cytotoxicity and proliferation of human skin cells. In this experiment, the proliferation of the cells was influenced by most of the identified fungi. In case of the cytotoxicity test, most genera except for Rhodotorula sp and Moesziomyces sp showed cytotoxicity in HaCaT cells. Conclusions: The distribution of mold in the indoor air in multi-use facilities in South Korea differs from region to region, and this is an indicator that should be considered in future health impact studies. In addition, as a result of culturing about 20 types of bacteria dominant in indoor air, it was found that most (90%) inhibit the growth of skin cells, which can be harmful to health. An in-depth study of the health effects of floating fungi is needed.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Grassland and Forage Science
• /
• v.42 no.3
• /
• pp.155-161
• /
• 2022

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of isolated lactic acid bacteria (LAB) on the quality of high moisture rye silage. Rye forage (Secale cereale L.) was harvested at the heading stage (27.3% of dry matter (DM)) and cut into approximately 3-5 cm lengths. Then, the forage divided into 4 treatments with different inoculants: 1) No additives (CON); 2) Lactobacillus brevis strain 100D8 at a 1.2 × 10⁵ colony-forming unit (cfu)/g of fresh forage (LBR); 3) Leuconostoc holzapfelii strain 5H4 at a 1.0 × 10⁵ cfu/g of fresh forage (LHO); and 4) Mixture of LBR and LHO (1:1 ratio) applied at a 1.0 × 10⁵ cfu/g of fresh forage (MIX). About 3 kg of forage from each treatment was ensiled into a 20 L mini-bucket silo in quadruplicate for 100 days. After silo opening, silage was collected for analyses of chemical compositions, in vitro nutrient digestibilities, fermentation characteristics, and microbial enumerations. The CON silage had the highest concentrations of neutral detergent fiber and acid detergent fiber (p = 0.006; p = 0.008) and a lowest in vitro DM digestibility (p < 0.001). The pH was highest in CON silage, while lowest in LBR and MIX silages (p < 0.001). The concentrations of ammonia-N, lactate, and acetate were highest in LBR silage (p = 0.008; p < 0.001; p < 0.001). Propionate and butyrate concentrations were highest in CON silage (p = 0.004; p < 0.001). The LAB and yeast counts were higher in CON and LHO silages compare to LBR and MIX silages (p < 0.001). However, the mold did not detect in all treatments. Therefore, this study could conclude that L. brevis 100D8 and Leu. holzapfelii strain 5H4 can improve the digestibility and anti-fungal activity of high moisture rye silage.