Vinegar has been considered as a potential organic herbicide, but more knowledge is needed about acetic acid concentration, application volume and use of adjutants on weed control. In this study, we determíned optímum acetic acid concentration and spraying time on several weed species. Vinegar is more effective in broadleaf weeds than grasses. Vinegar is also effective in controlling younger weeds such as 3rd weeks to 4th weeks after emergency. For example, 3rd weeks after emergency weeds were easily controlled at 2-3% of vinegar solution. But 4th weeks after emergency weeds were controlled at 4-5% of vinegar. Therefore vínegar concentration was recommended about 5%, and application time was when the weeds were young - within 31eaf stage.

Among the developed bío-degradable polymer fílms as compared wíth transparent fílm(Whíte), black polymer fílm was sígnífícantly more effectíve for controllíng weeds ín red pepper. Also, we found that whíte and black polymer mulchíng had 81.8% and 97.9% of managing weed controllíng effects in rice, respectively. Compared to nonmulched rice paddy with water supply, the non-mulched rice paddy wíthout any water supply has stopped its growth at 41 days after transplantíng, whíle polymer -mulched rice paddy without water supply had about 60% of normally growing rice plants. This shows the polymer treatment has a remarkable effect on water and power saving, solution of herbicidal resistance, avoidance of herbícidal influence to eco-system etc. When the naturally decomposíng polymer was used, a temperature was elevated as high as 4.7 ℃ on maximum and 2.6 ℃ on average. Also the naturally decomposing polymer accelerated rooting by 7 days and lowered a stress level from transplanting. The weed control effect mulched by polymer was remarkable as 98. 7%. The p이ymer now, after 294 days treated on the rice paddy, has been completely decomposed.

This study was performed to analyze the improvement of soil physical property and soil biota characteristics through cultivation of green manure crops for a one-year period before creation of a tea plantation as follows. The study revealed that the contents of available phosphate tended to decrease after sod-culture by green manure cultivation and open-pollination, when compared to the level before cultivation. The ratio soil porosity increased by approximately 30% when Crotalaria juncea and Sorghum bicolar L. Moench were cultivated, while the soil bacteria and fungi also increased. In a research on microfauna using a pit fall trap, the population number of the microfauna was 174 of 27 species in the plot of open-pollinated sod-culture and no organic matter application, and 268 of 26 species in the plot of Sorghum bicolar L. Moench. Consequently, the culturing tool of Crotalaria juncea recorded the highest level of species diversity at 2.5, the evenness index at 3.7 and richness at 4.6, with the lowest level of a dominance index. The ecological quotient of microfauna was 0.76 in the plot of Sorghum bicolar L. Moench, and 0.63 in the plot of Crotalaria juncea.

Drought is one of the most important types of abiotic stress that affects stability and amount of yield. This study was conducted to screen for drought tolerance at early seedling stages for 318 ecogeographically diverse wild barley (HordeumvulgareL.spp.spontaneum) diversity collection (WBDC). Considerable variation was observed for all the seedling characters examined. Seedling growth was significantly reduced by 17% polyethyleneglycol -induced osmotic stress with significant variation among accessions. Comparison of mean performance under normal and osmotic stress conditions indicated that shoot length was the most sensitive trait, followed by seedling length, seminal root number, root-shoot length ratio and root length. The mean of root-shoot length ratio, however, increased under osmotic stress. Correlation studies indicated that the root length was the most important trait, followed by shoot length and root-shoot length ratio. The accessions from the Fertile Crescent and North Africa showed more drought tolerance than those from the other geographical regions. The accessions WBDC009 (Jordan), WBDC075 (Libya), WBDC181 (Jordan), WBDC242 (Jordan) and WBDC280 (Israel) exhibited the lowest stress susceptibility index ‘S’ values. Consequently, these accessions showed tolerance to drought at the early seedling stage and are considered to be good sources of drought tolerance for cultivated barley improvement. This work was supported by a grant from Regional Subgenebank Support Program of Rural Development Administration, Republic of Korea .

The cloning of canids was succeeded in 2005, several years after the birth of Dolly the sheep and also after the cloning of numerous other laboratory and farm animal species. The delay of successful somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT)was due to the unique reproductive characteristics of the female dogin comparison to other domestic mammals, such as ovulation of immature canine oocyte and a requirement of 25 days for the completion of meiosis within the oviduct (Holst & Phemister, 1971). When the technology for the recovery of in vivo matured oocyte was established, the application of cloning also became possible and cloned dog offspring were obtained. This report summarizes the progress of technical procedures that are required for cloning canids and the application of this technique. The first cloned dog, Snuppy, was achieved using an in vivo-matured oocyte which was enucleated and transferred with an adult skin cell of male Afghan hound. After establishment of a criterion of well-matured oocyte for the improvement of SCNT efficiency, we obtained three cloned female Afghan hound and a toy poodle cloned from 14 year-old aged Poodle using SCNT through this factor. To date, cloned dogs appeared to be normal and those that have reached puberty have been confirmed to be fertile. Through application of canine SCNT technique, first, we demonstrated that SNCT is useful for conserving the breed of endangered animal from extinction through cloning of endangered gray wolves using inter-species SCNT and keeping the pure pedigree through the cloning of Sapsaree, a Korean natural monument. Secondly, we showed possibility of human disease model cloned dog and transgenic cloned dog production through cloning of red fluorescent protein expressing dog. Finally, SCNT can be used for the propagation of valuable genotypes for making elite seed stock and pet dog. In summary, dog cloning is a reproducible technique that offers the opportunity to preserve valuable genetics and a potential step towards the production of gene targeted transgenic cloned dogs for the study of human diseases.