Search

The anaerobic digestion of food waste effluent through single- and two-phase process was estimated and compared in this study. The treatment efficiencies for total solid(TS), volatile solid(VS), tCOD(total COD) and sCOD(soluble COD) were invariably higher in the single-phase process, which was accounted for by the fact that the treatment efficiency of organic wastes usually showed an inverse relationship with organic loading rate in the anaerobic digestion. In fact, the organic loading rate was lower for single-phase process. The concentration of tCOD were significantly lower in two-phase process but much more biogas was produced, compared to single-phase anaerobic digestion process, which might be explained partly by the relatively higher stability of two-phase process resulting from the separation of acid phase from methane phase.

Parasitic plants can significantly influence the species to which they attach. The host response is variable however, and ranges from death of the host to no detectable effects in terms of both growth and physiology. The parasite can directly influence its hosts through resource abstraction, and indirectly by influencing inter- and intra-specific interactions. Abiotic factors interact with these direct and indirect effects to moderate the potential outcome of the host parasite interaction. This paper sets out to review a series of experiments that have been undertaken in our laboratory over a number of years that examine these effects and help us to understand mechanisms underpinning the variability in host response.

This study was to evaluate whether ionizing gamma radiation could be applied to break the dormancy of a potato minituber. The respiration rate of the minitubers was significantly affected by the storage temperature and a low dose gamma radiation. Ionizing radiation of 8 Gy enhanced the respiration rate of the potato tuber stored at for 20 days. The potato tuber subjected to 4 and 8 Gy after 40 days storage at 10 and exhibited higher respiration rates compared to the control (non-irradiated), but not at st. However, the ionizing radiation did not exhibit on significant effect on the respiration rate of the potato tuber stored for 60 days. It was observed that minitubers stored for 20 days had significant response to the storage temperature in terms of the total sugar content the higher the storage temperature, the lower the total sugar content. It was measured that the reducing sugar content was increased under the storage conditions both 5 and for 40 days, but not to . The total sugar contents in the minituber stored for 60 days were similar to those stored for 40 days. The data was discussed on the relationships among the storage duration, temperature and ionizing radiation.

Plants tolerant to polluted environments were selected, based on several criteria, to restore a coastal forest ecosystem severely damaged by air pollutants discharged from an industrial complex. In addition, a restoration plan was prepared synthesizing these results and the diagnostic ecological indicators in the area for which restoration is required. Pollution-tolerant plants of 11 tree and subtree species, 10 herb species and one shrub species were selected from field surveys in the vicinity of two representative industrial complexes in Korea, Ulsan and Yeocheon. Nine species were selected for tolerance to SO2 fumigation and six species were selected for tolerance to Al3+. Growth and photosynthetic responses of sample plants transplanted into polluted and unpolluted sites showed that 15 species out of the 26 sample plants showed a disposition for tolerance. Most of these are endemic plants and they are composed of diverse species in structure and function. This result implies that these tolerant species could play important roles in the restoration of the study area, which has several specific features. On the other hand, results from transplant tests indicate that a field survey is the most reasonable method for selection of tolerant plants to restore a pollution-damaged ecosystem, as was shown in another restoration program. Results of ecological analysis on vegetation map indicate that the spatial range within the first ridge is the sector for which restoration is required. This sector was classified into four zones on the basis of topographic conditions: lower and upper slopes of both slopes facing and opposite the pollution source. Guidelines for soil amelioration and arrangement of tolerant plants were prepared considering the degree of vegetation degradation, leaf damage of major plant species and soil pollution in each zone under the restoration plan.

We studied the effect of light availability on the growth of an angiospermatic root hemiparasite,Rhinanthus minor. When attached to its host, height growth increased in response to shading, demonstrating thatR. minor was able to detect alterations in light quality and/or quantity. However, this reduced illumination did not affect its biomass, number of haustoria, or the amount of15N transferred from the hosts, compared with its performance under non-shaded conditions. Therefore,R. minor is unlikely to have difficulty in extracting host resources under shading. This result may have been mediated by a loweredR. minor transpiration rate in response to fluctuations in external conditions, including shading and water stress, compared with non-parasitic plants. Therefore, we suggest that, as long as the extent of resources diverted from host to parasite is not significantly altered by shading, growth of the attachedR. minor will be unaffected by reduced light availabilityper se.

To restore the forest ecosystem severely damaged by air pollution around industrial complexes, plants tolerant to the polluted environment were selected by transplant and pot culture experiments. A restoration plan by arranging those tolerant species was prepared based on the ecological diagnostic results on an area that requires restoration. Transplant experiment in Ulsan and Yeocheon areas, the representative industrial complexes in Korea, selected eight tolerant species of Quercus aliena, Q. acutissima, Q. dentata, Q. mongolica, Q. serrata, Ligustrum japonicum, Styrax japonica, and Poncirus trifoliata. Cultivation in the polluted soil transported from the Ulsan and Yeocheon industrial complexes chose five tolerant plants of Q. aliena, Q. acutissima, Q. serrata, Styrax japonica, and Alnus firma. A plan to restore the forest ecosystem of Mt. Dotjil, which experienced the severest ecosystem degradation in the Ulsan industrial complex, was prepared by applying those tolerant species along with treatment fo...

The growth responses of a grass,Poa pratensis, to elevated CO2 and nitrogen were investigated. Light-saturated photosynthetic rate per unit leaf area increased with exposure to elevated CO2, while dry weight did not respond to increased CO2. Patterns of biomass allocation within plants, including leaf area, leaf area ratio, specific leaf area, and root to shoot ratios, were not altered by elevated CO2, but changed considerably with N treatment Shoot and whole-plant tissue N concentrations were significantly diluted by elevated CO2 (Tukey test, P < 0.05). Total N content did not differ significantly among CO2 treatments. The absence of a concomitant increase in N uptake under elevated CO2 may have caused a dilution in plant tissue [N], probably negating the positive effects of increased photosynthesis on biomass accumulation.

The photosynthetic and stomatal responses of several woody plants (Powlonia coreana, Firmiana simplex, Quercus acutissima, Q. variabilis and Q. serrata) to SO2 were investigated in order to understand their eco physiological tolerance to SO2. Of the plants, P. coreana showed the largest reduction in its photosynthesis in response to exposure of 0.4 ppm SO2 for 20 h. Fumigation of 0.7 ppm SO2 for 20 h caused complete leaf necrosis of P. coreana and F. simplex, which made them unavailable for the measurement of photosynthesis. Q. variabilis exhibited the smallest reduction in photosynthesis following exposure of 0.7 ppm SO2 for 20 h. Both stomatal‐ and non‐stomatal inhibition of the plants by SO2 were determined according to equations by Ikeda et al. (1992). When exposed to 0.4 ppm SO2 for 20 h, F. simplex and P. coreana showed the lowest stomatal and non‐stomatal inhibition, respectively, while Q. variabilis and Q. serrata exhibited the lowest stomatal and non‐stomatal inhibition, respectively, in response...

The effects of elevated CO2 (650 ppm) on interactions between a chlorophyllous parasitic angiosperm, Rhinanthus minor (L.) and a host, Poa pratensis (L.) were investigated. R. minor benefited from elevated CO2, with both photosynthesis and biomass increasing, and transpiration and tissue N concentration remaining unaffected. However, this did not alleviate the negative effect of the parasite on the host; R. minor reduced host photosynthesis, transpiration, leaf area and biomass, irrespective of CO2 concentration. Elevated CO2 resulted in increased host photosynthesis, but there was no concomitant increase in biomass and foliar N decreased. It appears that the parasite may reduce host growth more by competition for nitrogen than for carbon. Contrary to expectation, R. minor did not reduce the productivity of the host-parasite association, and it actually contributed to the stimulation of productivity of the association by elevated CO2.