• Korean Journal of Organic Agriculture
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.441-461
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• 2009

Switching to organic farming practices in agricultural production reaches the end of the period it takes an average of five years. During this period, agricultural soil management to improve the investment must be sustained. Results of the survey of environment-friendly agricultural lease rates appear to approximately 54.2% lower than agricultural practices. Environmentally friendly agricultural land is leased on a long transition period of the contract cost, many buried incompleteness, uncertainty of contract fulfillment(opportunistic behavior) occurs when the transaction costs. This ultimately can hinder the spread of organic farming. Thus, the qualitative development of organic farming and land leasing in order to minimize transaction costs, should that occur. The alternative 'cooperative long-term lease contract' is a system.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.19 no.5
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• pp.533-541
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• 2010

The purpose of this study is to grasp what characterizes the vegetation base of the natural forest as a latent vegetation in the middle region of Korea and thus to offer basic data when improving the vegetation base in the middle region being built or to be built in the future. The findings of this soil section survey show the following: The soil is brown to red color soil group on the whole. In addition, the soil's physical features like soil hardness are rated as high level, which results from the fact that the forest soil exits in its natural form under less influence of stamping. The pH of soil shows a weak acidity, like Korean normal soil. Specific electrical conductance is also rated as middle to high level in accordance with the standards of landscape architecture. The Salix koreensis community and the Pinus rigida community are different from other communities in terms of total nitrogen, available phosphate and exchangeable $K^+$ content. Specifically, the two communities are opposed to each other in terms of total nitrogen and available phosphate, while being similar to each other in terms of available phosphate and exchangeable $K^+$ content. This seems to result from the fact that they are located near each other. In addition, the two communities are characterized by the fact that they are distributed at the altitude mean relatively lowest and in the valley. To sum up, the forest soil around Goesan Gun is of middle level on the whole according to the landscape standards, when judging it in terms of vegetation base. Accordingly, it seems that the construction of the vegetation base around Goesan Gun will not require large investment expenses for soil improvement. Also, it seems that the spatial scope of research is needed to expand the basic data on the construction of the vegetation base for the whole middle region of Korea.

• Structural Monitoring and Maintenance
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.187-202
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• 2024

For the problems of high compressibility and low strength of peat soil formed by lake-phase deposition in Dianchi Lake, microbial-induced calcium carbonate deposition (MICP), phyto-urease-induced calcium carbonate deposition (EICP) and phyto-urease-induced calcium carbonate deposition combined with lignin (EICP combined with lignin) were used to reinforce the peat soil, the changes in mechanical properties of the soil before and after the reinforcement of the peat soil were experimentally investigated, and the effect and mechanism of peat soil reinforcing by the three reinforcing techniques were tested and analyzed using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscope (SEM). The results show that: compared to the unreinforced remolded peat soil specimens, the unconfined compressive strength (UCS), cohesion and internal friction angle of the specimens reinforced by MICP, EICP and EICP combined with lignin techniques have been greatly improved, and the permeability resistance has been improved by two, two and three orders of magnitude, respectively; the different methods of reinforcing generate different calcium carbonate crystalline phases, with the EICP combined with lignin technique generating the most stable calcite, and the MICP and EICP techniques generating a mixed phase of calcite and spherulitic chalcocite. Analyses showed that for peat soil reinforcement, the acidic environment of peat soil inhibited the growth and reproduction of bacteria, EICP technology was superior to MICP technology, and the addition of lignin solved the defect of the EICP technology that did not have a "nucleation site", so EICP combined with lignin reinforcement was preferred for the improvement of peat soil.

• Korean Journal of Breeding Science
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• v.43 no.5
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• pp.349-359
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• 2011

Agriculture plays a vital role in the sustenance of human society and is the fundamental of developing economies. Nitrogen is one of the most critical inputs that define crop productivity. To ensure better value for investment as well as to minimize the adverse impacts of the accumulative nitrogen species in environment, improving nitrogen use efficiency of crop plants is of key importance. Efforts have been made to study the genetic and molecular biological basis as well as the biochemical mechanisms involved in nitrogen uptake, assimilation, translocation and remobilization in crops and model plants. This review gives an overview of metabolic, enzymatic, genetic and biotechnological aspects of nitrogen uptake, assimilation, remobilization and regulation. This review presents the complexity of nitrogen use efficiency and the need for an integrated approach combining physiology, quantitative trait genetics, system biology, soil science, ecophysiology and biotechnological interventions to improve nitrogen use efficiency.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Environment and Ecology Conference
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• 2003.10a
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• pp.105-126
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• 2003

In Korea most of annual rainfall is concentrated in several episodic heavy rains during the season of summer monsoon and typhoon. Because of uneven rainfall distribution many dams have been constructed in order to secure water supply in dry seasons. The Han River system has the most dams among Korean rivers, and the river is a series of dams now. Reservoirs need different strategy of water quality control from river water. Autochthonous organic matter and phosphorus should be the major target to be controlled in lakes. In this Paper some problems are discussed that makes efforts of water quality improvement ineffective in lakes of Korea, even after the substantial investment to wastewater treatment facilities.1) Phosphorus is the key factor controlling eutrophication of lakes and the reduction ofphosphors should be the major target of water treatment. However, water quality management strategy in Korea is still stream-oriented, and focused on BOD removal from sewage. Phosphorus removal efficiency remains as low as 10-30%, because biological treatment is adopted for both secondary treatment and advanced treatment. The standard for TP concentration of the sewage treatment plant effluent is 6 mgP/l in most of regions, and 2 mg/l in enforced region near metropolitan water intake point. TP in the effluents of sewage treatment plants are usually 1-2 mg/1, and most of plants meet the effluent regulation without a further phosphorus removal process. The generous TP standard for effluents discourages further efforts to improve phosphorus removal efficiency of sewage treatment. Considering that TP standard for the effluent is below 0.1 mg/l in some countries, it should be amended to below 0.1 mg/l in Korea, especially in the watershed of large lakes.2) Urban runoff and combined sewer overflow are not treated, even though their total loading into lakes can be comparable to municipal sewage discharges on dry days. Chemical coagulation and rapid settling might be the solution to urban runoff in regard of intermittent operation on only rainy days.3) Aggregated precipitation in Korea that is concentrated on several episodic heavyrains per year causes a large amount of nonpoint source pollution loading into lakes. It makes the treatment of nonpoint source discharge by methods of other countries of even rain pattern, such as retention pond or artificial wetland, impractical in Korea.4) The application rate of fertilizers in Korea is ten times as high as the average ofOECD countries. The total manure discharge from animal farming is thought to be over the capacity of soil treatment in Korea. Even though large portion of manure is composted for organic fertilizer, a lot of nutrients and organic matter emanates from organic compost. The reduction of application rate and discharge rate of phosphorus from agricultural fields should be encouraged by incentives and regulations.5) There is a lot of vegetable fields with high slopes in the upstream region of the HanRiver. Soil erosion is severe due to high slopes, and fertilizer is discharged in the form of adsorbed phosphorus on clay surface. The reduction of soil erosion in the upland area should be the major preventive policy for eutrophication. Uplands of high slope must be recovered to forest, and eroded gullies should be reformed into grass-buffered natural streams which are wider and resistant to bank erosion.

• Magazine of the Korean Society of Agricultural Engineers
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.3170-3180
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• 1973

This study of the subject will review past and present irrigation development in Korea. Particular attention will be given to water pricing structure and a case study on the purpose of rational operation and management of irrigation water and organizations, and the optimum irrigation water and organizations, and the optimum irrigation water fee inorder to reduce farmers burden and to rationalize the farmland associations management so as to achieve development of the rural environment. In 1971, the reservoir of the Farmland Improvement A sociation (FIA) produced only 775 millison $m^3$ of irrigation water or 77% of planned capacity of 1,015 million $m^3$. It was caused by inefficient maintenance of irrigation facilities; for instance, about 21% of reservoirs, pumping stations and weirs in Korea have been silted by soil erosion which hinder to water production according to an ADC survey. The first Irritation Association was established in 1906, whcih was renamed the Farmland Assoeiation by the Rural Development Enouragement Law in 1970. By the end of 1971, 411,000 ha of rice paddies were under the control of 267 associations nationwide. The average water price assessed by Associations nationwide rose from 790 won per 0.1 ha. in 1966 to 1,886 won in 1971. The annual growth rate was 20%. The highest water price in 1971 was 4,773 won her 0.1 ha. and the lowest was 437 won. This range was caused by differences in debt burden, geographic conditions and management efficiency among the Associations. In 1971, the number of Associations which exceeded the average water price of 1,886 won per 0.1 ha. was 144, or 55.1% of all Association. In determination of water price, there are two principles; one is determined by production cost such as installation cost of irrigation facilities, maintenance cost, management cost and depreciation ect. For instance, the Yong San River Development project was required 33.7 billion won for total construction and maintenance cost is 3.1 billion won for repayment, maintenance and management cost per year. The project produces 590 million $m^3$ of irrigation water annually. Accordingly, the water price per $m^3$ is 5.25 won. The other principle is determined by water value in the crop products and in compared with production of irrigated paddy and non-irrigated paddy. By using this method, water value in compared with paddy rice vs. upland rice(Average of 1967-1971) was 14.15 won per $m^3$ and irrigated paddy vs. non-irrigated paddy was 2.98 won per $m^3$. In contrast the irrigation fee in average association of 1967-1971 was 1.54 won per $m^3$. Accordingly, the current national average irrigation fee(water price) is resonable compared with its water value. In this study, it is found that the ceiling of water price in terms of water value is 2.98 won per $m^3$ or 2,530 won per 0.1 ha. However, in 1971 55% of the associations were above the average of nationwide irrigation fees. which shows the need for rationalization of the Association's management. In connection with rationalization of the Association's management, this study recommends the following matters. (1) Irrigation fee must be assessed according to the amount of water consumption taking intoaccount the farmer's ability. (2) Irrigation fee should be graded according to behefits and crop patterns. (3) Training personnel in the operation and procedures of water management to save O&M costs. (4) Insolvent farmland association should be integrated into larger, sound associations in the same GUN in order to reduce farmers' water cost. (5) The maintenance and repair of existing irrigation facilities is as important as expansion of facilities. (6) Establishment of a new Union of Farmland Association is required to promoted proper maintenance and to protect the huge investment in irrigation facilities by means of technical supervision and guidance.