In vitro culture of panicle has been the method to accumulate starch and protein in immature grains by providing nutrients after florets crossed between remote genotypes artificially. Grain filling means embryo development and sucrose translocation from photosynthetic source, and starch manufacture in endosperm. The concentrations of sucrose used to culture immature rice panicle were 5, 10, 15, 20% and glutamine was 20 mM. When immature rice panicles at 5 days after flowering were cultured in distilled water with different concentrations of sucrose, glutamine 20 mM and MS medium with different concentrations of sucrose, glutamine 20 mM for 30 days the later was effective on grain filling. The optimal concentration of sucrose on grain filling in vitro culture of rice panicle was 10% and the weight of grain cultured was 10.14 mg that was corresponded to 57% of intact plant. In the method of treating plant growth regulators, the culture of immature rice panicle adding in MS medium with Kinetin, IAA, ~textrmGA3 were effective on grain filling than the culturing of immature rice panicle after submerging in solutions of Kinetin, IAA, ~textrmGA3 for 1day. When immature rice panicle was cultured in MS medium with sucrose 10% and Kinetin 46.47 ~mu M it was effective on grain filling, respectively. The weight of grain cultured was 13.1mg that was corresponded to 75% of intact and germination rate was 51 %. When immature rice panicles were cultured in medium with different concentrations combined with Kinetin 4.65, 46.47, 464.7 ~mu~textrmM , IAA 5.71, 57.08, 570.80 ~mu~textrmM for 30 days and in medium with IAA 5.71, 57.08, 570.80 ~mu~textrmM for 15 days after culturing in medium with Kinetin 4.65, 46.47, 464.70 ~mu~textrmM for 15 days the effect on grain filling was similar.

Soybean seeds were treated with blue, red and far-red lights for 0, 6, 12, and 24 hours during 24-hour imbibition before culture for 6 days. The soybean sprouts raised were classified by their hypocotyl lengths; normal (＞4cm), abnormal (＜4cm) and non-germination, and their lateral roots, hypocotyl diameters and component dry weights were measured. Red light treatment and dark imbibition reduced the abnormal soybean sprouts more than far-red and blue light treatments, meaning that the former treatments produced more commercial sprouts. The lateral roots were more formed in blue light and dark imbibition than the other light treatments, but were completely blocked by any light treatment lasted during the whole imbibition. Although any light quality treatment did not influence their primary root lengths, blue light one lengthened the hypocotyl more than the others treated during the imbibition, and far-red light enlarged its diameter. Despite this morphological change, component, total or economic yield was not significantly different among the light quality treatments during the imbibition.

Decomposition of green manure is necessary for the nutrient supply in farm soil. Hairy vetch as a green manure is superior to other winter legumes in terms of wintering ability and N accumulation. This experiment was carried out to investigate the decomposition and N release of hairy vetch and its effect on rice production as the following crop in paddy field. Decomposition of hairy vetch placed by soil depth of 0, 10 and 20cm at transplanting time was investigated by mesh bag method, which was enclosed chopped residue in mesh bags. The fate of 15 N derived from 15 N-labeled hairy vetch was investigated at harvest in three levels of N fertilization. Grain yield of the transplanted paddy rice cultured with hairy vetch as starter N were compared with that of applying urea as starter N in the field. Hairy vetch residue decomposed very rapidly both in transplanted and dry-seeded paddy field. In transplanted paddy field, hairy vetch residue lost 72-81 % and 86-90% of its weight after one and five month, respectively, as affected by incorporation depth. The C/N ratio of the decomposing vetch residue increased sharply during the early stages and after then, decreased slowly. The amounts of N and P released from the vetch were about 90% and 97% of initial content after one month, respectively. Recoveries of hairy vetch-15 N by rice plant were 30.6, 34.6 and 35.7% in 0, 6 and 12 kg urea-N 10 a-l application, respectively, indicating that N fertilization increased the recovery of hairy vetch. 15 N. Hairy vetch residue incorporated as starter maintained significant N H4 + -N concentration in soil water of plow layer until effective tillering stage. Grain yield in the plot applied with hairy vetch was not significantly different from that in the plot with urea. We concluded that hairy vetch incorporation could substitute starter N fertilization and showed possibility to reduce N amount of top-dressing.g.g.

The rice straw managements are essential for maintaining soil fertility as well as reducing chemical fertilizer application in paddy field. A field experiment was conducted on moderately well draining alluvial paddy soil to investigate the decomposition pattern of rice straw. The mesh bags containing the rice straw harvested in the previous year were placed at soil surface and buried into around 10cm depth and recovered periodically for determining the straw decomposition. Pot experiments were conducted to investigate the fates of N released from 15 N-labeled rice straw under different levels of N fertilizer application. The overall decomposition patterns of rice straw were similar for the two incorporation depths in transplanted paddy field. The straw incorporated at transplanting date showed weight loss of about 50%, 70% and 90% after 2 months, 5 months, and 2 years, respectively. The decompositions of straw cell wall components showed somewhat different pattern. The decompositions of cellulose and silica were similar to that of dry weight while the decomposition of lignin was slower than that of cellulose and silica. N was released from rice straw 42% and 65 % of the initial N after one month and after five months, respectively. P release was faster than N release. Recoveries of rice straw-15 N by rice plants were 10.2, 13.4 and 14.9% in 0, 120 and 240 mg N pot-1 , respectively. Soil recoveries of rice straw 15 N were 17.3, 20.6 and 18.9% in 0, 120 and 240mg N pot-1 , respectively.

This experiment evaluates wintering ability to maintain green color of lawn grasses during winter and investigates the effects of top dressing of fertilizer on improving green color during regrowth. Kentucky blue-grass could maintain green color and leaf chlorophyll content better than tall fescue and creeping bentgrass in winter. All three grasses in this experiment have shown the excellent wintering ability. In enhancing the recovery of green color at the early stage of regrowth, the mulching effect with rice straw was highly significant for creeping bentgrass. Green color recovery in grasses during its regrowth was better at the top dressing plots than at the plots without top dressing, but when fertilizer application levels were increased, green color in lawn grass did not significantly change. Although green color in tall fescue, Kentucky bluegrass, and Korean lawngrass could be maintained during summer, the green color of creeping bentgrass is reduced significantly with high temperature. Top dressing after winter and mowing improved leaf chlorophyll content and green color in tail fescue and Kentucky bluegrass significantly. However, Korean lawngrass did not respond significantly with increased levels of fertilizer.

To study the effects of an urease inhibitor, N-(n-butyl)-thiophosphoric triamide (NBPT), and a nitrification inhibitor, dicyandiamide (DCD), on nitrogen losses and nitrogen use efficiency, urea fertilizer with or without inhibitors and slowrelease fertilizer (synthetic thermoplastic resins coated urea) were applied to direct-seeded flooded rice fields in 1998. In the urea and the urea+DCD treatments, NH4 + -N concentrations reached 50 mg N L-1 after application. Urea+NBPT and urea+ NBPT+DCD treatments maintained NH4 + -N concentrations below 10 mg N L-1 in the floodwater, while the slow-release fertilizer application maintained the lowest concentration of NH4 + -N in floodwater. The ammonia losses of urea+NBPT and urea+NBPT+DCD treatments were lower than those of urea and urea+DCD treatments during the 30 days after fertilizer application. It was found that N loss due to ammonia volatilization was minimized in the treatments of NBPT with urea and the slow-release fertilizer. The volatile loss of urea+DCD treatment was not significantly different from that of urea surface application. It was found that NBPT delayed urea hydrolysis and then decreased losses due to ammonia volatilization. DCD, a nitrification inhibitor, had no significant effect on ammonia loss under flooded conditions. The slow-release fertilizer application reduced ammonia volatilization loss most effectively. As N03 [-10] -N concentrations in the soil water indicated that leaching losses of N were negligible, DCD was not effective in inhibiting nitrification in the flooded soil. The amount of N in plants was especially low in the slow-release fertilizer treatment during the early growth stage for 15 days after fertilization. The amount of N in the rice plants, however, was higher in the slow-release fertilizer treatment than in other treatments at harvest. Grain yields in the treatments of slow-release fertilizer, urea+NBPT+ DCD and urea+NBPT were significantly higher than those in the treatments of urea and urea+DCD. NBPT treatment with urea and the slow-release fertilizer application were effective in both reducing nitrogen losses and increasing grain yield by improving N use efficiency in direct-seeded flooded rice field.field.

Direct-seeding has major advantages such as labor and cost saving by eliminating preparation of seed bed and transplanting. But, it required increased input of fertilizers and pesticides because of the extended paddy period. Direct seeding in wet paddy (DSWP) gives faster growth and more uniform seedling emergence than direct-seeding in dry paddy. This research had an objective to develop an efficient N management practices for DSWP with split application of N fertilizer. A paddy field experiment was conducted to evaluate effects of starter N and N-topdressing which was delayed N application until 5-leaf stage, with comparison to transplanting (TP). Total amount of N application were two levels; 110kg and 77kg/ha. The N applications were split four times during rice growth stages; starter, topdressing at 5-leaf stage, top dressing at tillering stage, and topdressing at panicle initiation stage. DSWP had more tillers/m2 than TP, but with the delayed heading. The DSWP plots which received N-topdressing at 5-leaf stage without starter N had higher leaf area index (LAI) and leaf greenness than the TP plot. Also, these DSWP plots had high leaf-N concentration at the heading stage, as calculated from leaf chlorophyll meter readings. Rice yield in DSWP with N-topdressing at 5-leaf stage was significantly higher than that in TP and in DSWP with starter N. Energy and N use efficiency were improved in DSWP with N-topdressing at 5-leaf stage. But, there were no significant differences in grain yield between the two levels of total amounts of N applications, 77kg and 110kg/ha. We concluded that starter N could not be used effectively by rice seedlings, but topdressing N at 5-leaf stage was an efficient N management for rice growth and yield in DSWP system.