Bongsu Choi

Effects of rapeseed residue on lead and cadmium availability and uptake by rice plants in heavy metal contaminated paddy soil.

Rapeseed (Brassica napus L.) has been cultivated for biodiesel production worldwide. Winter rapeseed is commonly grown in the southern part of Korea under a rice-rapeseed double cropping system. In this study, a greenhouse pot experiment was conducted to assess the effects of rapeseed residue applied as a green manure alone or in combinations with mineral N fertilizer on Cd and Pb speciation in the contaminated paddy soil and their availability to rice plant (Oryza sativa L.). The changes in soil chemical and biological properties in response to the addition of rapeseed residue were also evaluated. Specifically, the following four treatments were evaluated: 100% mineral N fertilizer (N100) as a control, 70% mineral N fertilizer+rapeseed residue (N70+R), 30% mineral N fertilizer+rapeseed residue (N30+R) and rapeseed residue alone (R). The electrical conductivity and exchangeable cations of the rice paddy soil subjected to the R treatment or in combinations with mineral N fertilizer treatment, N70+R and N30+R, were higher than those in soils subjected to the N100 treatment. However, the soil pH value with the R treatment (pH 6.3) was lower than that with N100 treatment (pH 6.9). Use of rapeseed residue as a green manure led to an increase in soil organic matter (SOM) and enhanced the microbial populations in the soil. Sequential extraction also revealed that the addition of rapeseed residue decreased the easily accessible fraction of Cd by 5-14% and Pb by 30-39% through the transformation into less accessible fractions, thereby reducing metal availability to the rice plant. Overall, the incorporation of rapeseed residue into the metal contaminated rice paddy soils may sustain SOM, improve the soil chemical and biological properties, and decrease the heavy metal phytoavailability.

Applicability of PAM(Polyacrylamide) in Soil Erosion Prevention: Rainfall Simulation Experiments

Surface runoff and erosion are responsible for extensive losses of top soil and agricultural productivity. In this study, a laboratory experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of different polyacrylamides (PAM) on the protection of soil from erosion and turbidity in loamy sand soil. To accomplish this, 10 and 40 kg of PAM were applied to the soil surface. The effects of rainfall on 10 and 20% slopes were then evaluated in the laboratory using a rainfall simulator. After air drying, the surface was subjected to rain at 30 mm . The silt+clay of the runoff from samples treated with 10 kg PAM reduced by 43% and 13% when the 10% and 20% slopes were evaluated, respectively, when compared with the tap water without PAM treatment as control. The mean contents of silt+clay were reduced as the amount of PAMs applied increased at both slopes. Specifically, samples treated with 40 kg PAM showed reductions in the silt+clay of the runoff to 88% and 85% when the 10% and 20% slopes were evaluated, respectively, when compared to control. Furthermore, the mean turbidity of runoff in the 40 kg PAM treatment was reduced to 94.7% and 84.8% when the samples were subjected to 10% and 20% slopes, respectively, when compared to the control. Taken together, these findings indicate that PAM treatment will improve water pollution and agricultural productivity on sloped land via a reduction in soil erosion.

Effect of Biomass and N Production by Cultivation Methods of Leguminous and Gramineae Green Manures on Rice Growth in Central Regions of Korea

The cultivation methods are important for determining crop yield of green manure. The effect of cultivation methods of green manure crops (GMC) on biomass and rice yield was investigated. This experiment was conducted at Sinheung series (fine loamy, mixed, nonacid, mesic family of Fluvaquentic Endoaquepts from Oct. 2007 to Oct. 2008 at the National Institute of Crop Science (NICS), RDA, Suwon, Gyeonggi province, Korea. Seven GMC (hairy vetch, barley, Chinese milk vetch, rye, crimson clover, oats, rattail fescue) were cultivated and incorporated on paddy soil by broadcasting before rice harvesting (BBRH) and partial tillage seeding (PTS). Among the three leguminous GMC, the biomass and N production were the highest at the hairy vetch of PTS. Among the four gramineae GMC, the biomass and N production tended to be higher in the rye of BBRH and barley of PTS. The C/N ratio (56.5～74.2) of rye was high compared with hairy vetch (14.1). Among the GMC, the incorporation of hairy vetch increased NH4-N contents in rice paddy soil at 14 and 42 days after transplanting. These results showed that hairy vetch had no significant to rice yield compared with conventional fertilization. Therefore, hairy vetch seems to be the most efficient green manure crop as an alternatives to chemical N fertilizer in the central regions of Korea.

Monoculture and Mixture Effects of Green Manure Crops on Soil Quality, Weed Suppression and Organic Red-pepper Production

Organic farming is rapidly expanding worldwide. Crop growth in organic systems greatly depends on the functions performed by soil microbes, and nutrient supply weed suppression by green manure crops input. Four red-pepper production systems were compared: 1) bare ground (conventional system); 2) hairy vetch monoculture; 3) rye monoculture; and 4) hairy vetch-rye mixture. Soil inorganic N reached the peak at 30 DAI and hairy vetch monoculture was the highest (192 mg kg -1 ) and soil total carbon was fluctuated sporadically during the experiment. Carbohydrate and phenolic compounds in soil kept significantly higher in green manure crops systems from 10 DBI to 30 DAI, however the level was the maximum at 10 DBI (carbohydrate) and 30 DAI (phenolic comounds). Incorporation of green manure crops residue enhanced soil microbial biomass C and N throughout the growing season except that MBN in rye was reduced after incorporation. Green manure crops systems suppressed weed occurrence and, in particular, it was prominent in rye monoculture. Mineral elements composition and production in red-pepper fruits were markedly decreased in green manure crops systems although hairy vetch monoculture has come close to bare ground (NPK-applied). Therefore, it was suggested that higher biomass production should be performed not only to improve soil quality and suppress weeds but to yield suitable red-pepper fruits in green manure crops-based organic farming.

Effect of Monoculture and Mixtures of Green Manure Crimson Clover (Trifolium incarnatum) on Rice Growth and Yield in Paddy

Green manure crops are mainly used to reduce the application of chemical fertilizers. Mixture of green manure crops have beneficial effects in agroecosystem. In this study, experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects of monoculture and mixtures of crimson clover (Trifolium incarnatum) on rice growth and yield in paddy. This experiment was conducted at Sinheung series (fine loamy, mixed, nonacid, mesic family of Fluvaquentic Endoaquepts) from Oct. 2007 to Oct. 2009 at the National Institute of Crop Science (NICS), RDA, Suwon, Gyeonggi province, Korea. Seeding rates of crimson clover (CC) were consisted of monoculture (CC2, 3, 4 kg and hairy vetch 5 kg ) and mixtures (CC 2 + barley 7, CC 3 + barley 7, CC 4 + barley 7, and CC2 + hairy vetch ). Seeds were drilled by partial tillage machine on 9th Oct. in 2007. Monoculture and mixture of crimson clover as a green manure crop was incorporated in soil for rice cultivation on 15th May in 2008. Chemical fertilizers had not been applied to monoculture and mixture plots. The biomass and N production of monoculture plots were lower than mixture plots. The biomass and N production of CC 2 + hairy vetch plot were the highest among mixtures treatments. In rice growing season, ammonium nitrogen concentrations in soil were a little high trends at CC 2 + hairy vetch plot. And soil bulk density and porosity were improved at mixture plot after rice harvesting. The rice yield of CC 2 + hairy vetch plot was not significantly different from conventional practice plot. These results indicated that cropping of crimson clover with hairy vetch mixture was better than barley mixture for environmental friendly rice cultivation.

Adsorption Characteristics of Heavy Metal Ions onto Chemically Modified Rice Husk and Sawdust from Aqueous Solutions

ABSTRACT: Biosorption uses adsorbents derived from non-living biomass and removes toxic metals from industrial wastewater. The objective of this research was to evaluate the potential of low cost biosorbents to remove heavy metal ions (Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn) from aqueous solutions using chemically modified rice husk and saw dust ( Pseudotsuga menziesi, Quercus, Populus ). Batch-type adsorption experiments were carried out using rice husk and saw dust treated with NaOH and/or tartaric acid in artificial wastewater (100 mg metal/L). The experimental results showed that the adsorption specificity of each biosorbent was Pb > Cu > Cd > Zn irrespective of the types of biosorbents. The adsorption capacity of Pb and Cu onto NaOH-treated sawdust was increased 2~3 times compared to the untreated one. In addition, the tartaric acid treatment increased the adsorption capacity of rice husk for Zn and Cd approximately 5~10 fold compared to the untreated one. Surface conditions and changes in functional groups by chemical modification of each biosorbent were confirmed by SEM and FT-IR. Overall, the results show that chemical modification increases the metal removal capacity of rice bran and sawdust.Key Words:

Effect of Rapeseed Green Manure Amendment on Soil Properties and Rice Productivity

Green manure crops can be used as alternatives to mineral fertilizers because they improve soil structure and nutrient content of soil. Here, we evaluated the effect of partial replacement of mineral nitrogen (N) fertilizer with rapeseed residue green manure on soil properties and rice productivity in a rice–rapeseed double-cropping system. The treatments were comprised of four levels of mineral N fertilizer and recommended levels of phosphate and potash fertilizers. Rice clum and panicle length did not differ between treatments. However, the proportion of ripened grains and 1,000-grain weight of rice plants were greater under rapeseed residue amendments than those under 100% conventional mineral N fertilizer treatments. Paddy soils treated with rapeseed residues had greater soil organic matter and exchangeable cations than those treated with mineral N fertilizer alone. Thus, rapeseed residues applied as green manure can serve as alternative N sources in sustainable rice–rapeseed double-cropping systems.

Effect of Waste Nutrient Solution and Reclaimed Wastewater on Chinese Cabbage Growth and Soil Properties

This study evaluated the effect of using waste nutrient solution (WNS) and reclaimed wastewater (WW) on the growth of Chinese cabbage and soil quality. The pH and electrical conductivity (EC) values of waste nutrient solution were 6.3 and and being 6.8 and in reclaimed WW, respectively. WNS found to be included more than of , , and , thereby enhancing Chinese cabbage growth. However, and contents were higher than other nutrients in WW. Among the three irrigation resources, no significant differences were found for the growth of Chinese cabbage plants. On the other hand, pH was decreased in WNS-treated soil when compare to that in WW-treated soil which pH was increased. In spite of the uptake of nutrients by the growing plants, irrigation of the WNS led to an increase in available and exchangeable cations such as and in the soil when compared to soil that irrigated by groundwater or WW. Taken together, the use of WNS can remarkably reduce the amount of the chemical fertilizer for Chinese cabbage production; however, WNS can possibly cause a problem as nutrients accumulation in soil.

Effects of Reclaimed Wastewater and Waste Nutrient Solution Irrigation on Seedling Growth of Chinese Cabbage

ABSTRACT: Water shortages are expected to be a major impact of climate change. This study examined the growth of Chinese cabbage seedling using reclaimed wastewater and waste nutrient solution as alternative irrigation resources. Generally, the concentration of nutrients, such as K + , NH 4+ , Mg 2+ , Ca 2+ , Cl - , NO 3- , PO 4- and SO 42- , in waste nutrient solution was higher than that in wastewater. However, Chinese cabbage seedling irrigated with wastewater was supplied a higher concentration of Na + and Cl - than waste nutrient solution. The growth of Chinese cabbage seedling irrigated with waste nutrient solution was similar or higher than those irrigated with groundwater as control, while the growth of those irrigated with wastewater was similar to those irrigated with groundwater. The total nitrogen uptake in Chinese cabbage seedling irrigated with groundwater, waste nutrient solution from organic and inorganic hydroponic cultures, and wastewater was 5.47, 10.02, 5.20, and 4.59 mg/plant, respectively. The nitrogen uptake of Chinese cabbage seedling irrigated with waste nutrient solution from organic hydroponic substrates in a 50% lower dose than recommended was 8.34 mg/plant, which is higher than that of the cabbage irrigated with groundwater. Overall, the results suggest that waste nutrient solution and wastewater can be used as alternate water resources, and can allow a reduction in the amount of fertilizer needed to raise Chinese cabbage seedling.Key Words:

Methodology of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) for Environmental Impact Assessment of Winter Rapeseed in Double-cropping System with Rice

Life cycle assessment (LCA) is acknowledged as a valuable tool to quantify the environment impact of agricultural practice as well as final product (biodiesel) considering whole life cycle of the target product. As a preliminary research of LCA study for rapeseed (Brassica napusL.) biodiesel, the methodological issues which have to be regarded with high priority were dealt with. No life cycle inventory (LCI) based on local data are currently available for LCA of rapeseed cultivation, crushing, and conversion to rapeseed methyl ester (RME) in Korea. In this paper, the life cycle of rapeseed and methodological factors which have to be measured for building LCI of each process are provided and discussed, which are including seed, fertilizer, energy use in rapeseed cultivation environment; and crushing, RME conversion, and transportation in biodiesel production.