From 2017 to 2024, we surveyed 43 diverse aquatic habitats in South Korea, leading to the identification of 18 cyanobacterial taxa that are newly recorded for the country, found across eight sites (about 18% of the surveyed locations). These taxa exhibit a wide range of morphological forms, including unicellular, colonial, filamentous, and heterocytous types, and belong to various orders such as Chroococcales, Synechococcales, Nostocales, and Stigonematales. Notably, this study provides a provisional record of Gomphosphaeria aponina in Korea, correcting its previous misidentification as G. natans. We also documented Dolichospermum compactum, a species that has been genetically reclassified. Additionally, we identified species with the potential to cause harmful algal blooms (HABs), such as Microcystis botrys and Gloeotrichia aurantiaca, which are crucial for domestic water quality monitoring. Currently, only 414 cyanobacterial taxa are recorded in Korea, representing less than 8% of the estimated global total of approximately 5,300 species. This significant gap underscores the considerable unrecorded diversity within Korean aquatic ecosystems. These findings substantially enhance the national cyanobacterial checklist and underscore the need for ongoing monitoring in understudied aquatic environments. They also highlight the importance of integrating classical morphological and ecological observations with advanced molecular methods. This polyphasic approach can accurately detect cryptic diversity and support robust ecological assessments. Overall, this comprehensive floristic expansion offers valuable baseline data for biodiversity inventories, ecological monitoring, and the development of microbial resources within Korean aquatic environments.

Heavy metal contamination from abandoned mines presents long-term risks to soil ecosystems by altering physicochemical conditions and limiting microbial functions. To investigate these effects, we analyzed soils from the Deoksan Pb-Zn abandoned mine in Korea using community-level physiological profiling (CLPP) with Biolog EcoPlateTM. Soil samples were collected from three contaminated sites and one uncontaminated control, and we assessed their physicochemical properties, heavy metal concentrations, and microbial substrate utilization patterns over a 7-day incubation period. The results revealed significant site-specific differences in soil chemistry, with Zn and Pb concentrations exceeding ecological safety thresholds near the mine adit. Average well color development (AWCD) increased over time across all sites, but functional trajectories differed: highly contaminated soils exhibited prolonged increases, while low-contamination soils plateaued earlier. Substrate utilization patterns shifted over time, with carbohydrates and carboxylic acids dominating in the early incubation phase, while phosphorylated chemicals became more prominent in later stages. Multiple regression and relative importance analyses identified Cd, Pb, and Zn as key regulators of substrate utilization, with phosphorylated chemicals showing strong negative correlations (R 2>0.95). These findings indicate that heavy metal stress not only decreases overall microbial activity but also disrupts specific metabolic pathways. The utilization of phosphorylated chemicals emerged as a particularly sensitive functional indicator, underscoring its potential for ecological risk assessment and soil health monitoring in contaminated sites.

The genus Pleurastrum is a coccoid green alga comprising 10 species worldwide. Pleurastrum exhibits simple morphology and high polymorphism, which complicates the understanding of its diversity. We examined the morphological and ultrastructural characteristics of Pleurastrum using light, confocal, and transmission electron microscopy. Additionally, we performed phylogenetic analysis based on multigene sequences (nuclear SSU rDNA, 5.8S, internal transcribed spacer (ITS2) region, and plastid rbcL and tufA genes) from Pleurastrum strains to report two previously unrecorded freshwater species (Pleurastrum insigne and Pleurastrum microstigmatum) in Korea. The vegetative cells were predominantly spherical, with a few being ellipsoidal, and each cell contained a chloroplast with one pyrenoid. The sporangia produced several daughter cells, while the biflagellate zoospores were ellipsoidal and motile. Phylogenetic analysis confirmed that P. insigne and P. microstigmatum form well-supported monophyletic clades. Analysis of ITS2 secondary structures revealed similar patterns, with several differences in nucleotide sequences and insertions between the two species. The findings of this study expand the known distribution of Pleurastrum and enhance our understanding of its species diversity in Korea.

This study investigated butterfly communities in riparian zones adjacent to dams, comparing agricultural (AG) and non-agricultural (NAG) areas. From April to October 2024, biweekly butterfly surveys were conducted using a standardized line transect method across three dam regions in Jeollanam-do, South Korea. NAG sites consistently showed higher species richness and total abundance than AG sites, although these differences were not statistically significant. Extrapolated diversity estimates indicated variations between the two areas, except for species richness. Seasonal patterns of species richness and abundance differed between land-use types. Rank-abundance distribution analysis revealed that NAG areas had more even species distributions, best described by the Log-normal model, while AG areas exhibited steep dominance patterns consistent with the Zipf-Mandelbrot model. The five most dominant species comprised 73.4% of individuals in AG sites, compared to just 51.4% in NAG sites. NMDS ordination illustrated distinct community clustering between NAG and AG sites, though PERMANOVA and MRPP did not identify statistically significant group differences. These findings suggest that reduced disturbance and greater habitat heterogeneity in NAG areas promote more resilient and balanced butterfly communities. The study emphasizes the ecological importance of natural riparian zones and highlights the potential of butterfly assemblages as indicators for biodiversity monitoring and conservation planning.

Grapevine l eaf rust (GLR) c aused b y Phakopsora euvitis diminishes fruit quality and reduces yield in viticulture, making it one of the world’s most significant fruit crop threats. To develop GLR-resistant grape varieties, substantial efforts have been made to select rust-resistant genes and determine effective strategies f or achieving durab le resistance in grapevines. This study aims to identify genetic resources resistant to GLR by investigating disease incidence in vineyards and symptom development in grapevines inoculated with pathogens. Fifty-seven genotypes from Ampelopsis brevipedunculata, Vitis acerifolia, V. aestivalis, V. amurensis, V. cinerea, V. coignetiae, V. flexuosa, V. labrusca, V. labruscana, V. rotundifolia, and V. vinifera were evaluated for rust disease incidence over four years (2021 –2024) at Yeunganm University. Three plants per genotype were potted and sprayed with a pathogen suspension to assess disease incidence on their adaxial leaf surfaces in a greenhouse. Variation in resistance to GLR was observed among genotypes within each species. Resistant genotypes of V. coignetiae exhibited no symptoms on their leaves, while severe infections were noted in the leaves of susceptible genotypes of A. brevipedunculata, V. amurensis, V. flexuosa, V. labruscana, and V. vinifera. None of the tested V. rotundifolia genotypes displayed yellow pustules and remained unaffected for three weeks after artificial inoculation. These findings highlight the potential of V. rotundifolia and V. coignetiae as valuable genetic resources for breeding rust-resistant grapevines. Chlorophyll content was comparable across all uninfected genotypes. While resistant genotypes maintained relatively stable chlorophyll levels, the average chlorophyll content in the majority of susceptible genotypes was significantly lower following inoculation than before. This negative relationship indicates a general decline in photosynthetic capacity due to disease development in grapevines. Identifying resistant genotypes among both resistant and susceptible genotypes across different Vitis species provides crucial insights for developing new grape varieties with improved resistance to GLR.

This study aimed to improve and refine climate exposure indicators developed in a previous study by incorporating and analyzing two years of Italian ryegrass field trial data from the Jinju and Jangheung regions. The objective was to evaluate the relationships between productivity and climatic factors. The field trial results demonstrated that plant height, fresh yield, and dry matter yield of Italian ryegrass was significantly higher in 2018–2019 than in 2017–2018. Precipitation and temperature during the winter and spring seasons of 2018–2019 were also greater than those recorded in 2017–2018. Correlation analyses revealed significant positive associations between productivity and precipitation in Oct, Dec, Feb, and Mar. Productivity was also positively correlated with mean temperature and mean minimum temperature in Oct, Dec, Jan, Feb, Mar, and Apr, as well as with growing degree days in Oct, Dec, Jan, Feb, and Mar. The climate exposure indicators derived in this study are expected to serve as valuable tools for predicting Italian ryegrass productivity and assessing vulnerability to climate impacts. Nevertheless, considering the complex interactions between climatic factors and field conditions, further refinement through additional experiments and analyses remains necessary.

This study evaluated the impact of sowing dates on the growth, yield, and nutritive quality of three corn cultivars including Gwangpyeongok, Dacheongok, and Shinhwangok. Plant height and total yield components declined with delayed sowing across all cultivars. Gwangpyeongok achieved the highest plant height (289 ± 14 cm), grain yield (9,108 ± 82 kg/ha), and total yield (18,973 ± 2,560 kg/ha) at the April 29 sowing. Dacheongok recorded the highest stover yield (17,227 ± 137 kg/ha) and total yield (22,236 ± 1,053 kg/ha) on May 13. Shinhwangok reached its maximum total yield (19,158 ± 604 kg/ha) at May 13 but showed the sharpest declines by May 16. Nutritional quality also deteriorated with later sowing. In stover, crude protein (CP) declined to 3.58% in Shinhwangok at May 16, accompanied by a rise in neutral detergent fiber (NDF) to 69.9%. In contrast, Dacheongok maintained stable CP levels (5.27–5.60%) and the lowest fiber fractions. Gwangpyeongok exhibited the highest stover CP at April 29 sowing, along with the lowest NDF and acid detergent fiber (ADF) contents. Grain CP was highest in Gwangpyeongok (8.1 ± 0.4%) and Shinhwangok (9.6 ± 0.9%) at April 29, while Dacheongok showed its maximum grain CP (8.0 ± 0.3%) at the same sowing date, coupled with relatively low fiber content. Overall, the findings highlight that timely sowing is crucial for achieving both high yield and optimal nutritive quality in maize. For Gwangpyeongok and Dacheongok, sowing from late April to mid-May provided the best balance between yield and nutritional quality. In Shinhwangok, the highest stover, grain, and total biomass yields were obtained at the May 13 sowing.

The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of sowing dates on the growth, yield, and forage quality of two triticale cultivars, Joseong and Hanmiso-1ho. Field experiments were conducted with sowing dates ranging from September 25 to November 13, 2023. The results indicate that both cultivars and sowing date significantly influence growth characteristics, dry matter yield, and nutritional composition. The highest yields were obtained from the earliest sowing (September 25), with Joseong producing 10,979 ± 366 kg/ha and Hanmiso-1ho 12,201 ± 2,124 kg/ha. Yields remained relatively high on October 5 and 16 sowings but declined sharply after October 25, reaching the lowest levels on November 13 (Joseong 4,991 ± 458 kg/ha; Hanmiso-1ho 6,353 ± 338 kg/ha). Delayed sowing increased plant height but reduced forage biomass. Forage quality also varied with the sowing date. Crude protein (CP) ranged from 8–11%, with higher values in early sowing (10.7% for Joseong, 10.3% for Hanmiso-1ho) and lower at mid to late sowing dates. Fiber content such as NDF and ADF levels increased with the sowing dates delayed, but declined slightly with the November sowing dates. Overall, end September to early October sowings provide optimal yield and forage quality for both triticale cultivars.

This study was conducted to provide comprehensive information on the current status, constraints, and policy responses regarding rice cultivation in Uzbekistan for researchers and policymakers engaged in rice production in Central Asia. Despite annual fluctuations, Uzbekistan’s rice cultivation area has consistently exceeded 100,000 hectares each year. The yield per unit area improved by 19.2%, increasing from 4.21 t/ha in 2021 to 5.02 t/ha in 2024. In terms of cultivation methods, the proportion of doub le c ropping rose f rom 50.7% t o 71.6%, a lthough productivity remained h igher in s ingle cropping (5.35 t/ha) compared to double cropping (4.88 t/ha). Rice demonstrated an economic advantage of 2-5 times per hectare compared to major crops such as wheat, corn, and cotton. However, domestic production growth has not kept pace with rising consumption demands, leading to a sharp increase in imports, from 9,000 tons in 2019 to 108,800 tons in 2023. The structure of rice imports is shifting from a heavy reliance on Kazakhstan (90%) toward diversification, including partnerships with Pakistan, Thailand, and other countries. Major constraints to rice production in Uzbekistan include an arid climate, chronic irrigation water shortages, and soil salinization, which affects 50-70% of irrigated farmland. In response, the government established a comprehensive development strategy through Cabinet Resolution No. 986 in 2019 and is currently promoting economies of scale by establishing 42 clusters across 8 provinces (covering 41,440 hectares, or 29.7% of the total area). To address water scarcity, laser land leveling technology has been implemented on over 700,000 hectares as of 2024, aimed at reducing irrigation water usage and increasing yields, with plans to further expand water-saving cultivation technologies. In terms of international cooperation, the KOPIA project is enhancing quality seed production and distribution, as well as establishing machine transplanting cultivation technology. Partnerships with IRRI and participation in the Council for Partnership on Rice Research in Asia (CORRA) are strengthening the development of climate- adaptive varieties and international networks. Overall, Uzbekistan’s rice industry has the strategic potential to contribute significantly to food security, rural economic development, and regional trade activation through systematic policy implementation and enhanced international cooperation.