The increase in temperature due to climate warming is predicted to affect crop yields in the future. Until now, various types of OTC (open top chamber) that simulate the future climate condition have been developed and used to study the effect of temperature increase due to global warming on maize growth. However, in most OTCs, high equipment and maintenance costs were required to artificially increase the temperature. This study was carried to develop a cost-effective and simple OTC suitable for climate warming experiments for forage maize. Three octagonal OTCs with a height of 3.5 m × a diameter of 4.08 m and a partially covered top were constructed. The lower part of OTC covered film was opened at a height of 26 cm (OTC-26), 12 cm (OTC-12) from the ground surface, or not opened (0 cm, OTC-0). Mean air temperatures during the daytime on a sunny day in OTC-0, OTC-12 and OTC-26 increased to 3.23℃, 1.33℃, and 0.89℃, respectively, compared to the ambient control plot. For a pilot test, forage maize, ‘Gwangpyeongok’ was grown at OTCs and ambient control plots. As a result, in the late maize vegetative growth phase (July 30), the plant height was increased more than 45% higher than the ambient control plot in all OTC plots, and the stem diameter also increased in all OTC plots. These results indicate that it is possible to set the temperature inside the OTC by adjusting the opening height of the lower end of the OTC, and it can be applied to study the response of forage maize to elevated temperature. An OTC, with its advantages of energy free, low maintenance cost, and simple temperature setting, will be helpful in studying maize growth responsiveness to climate warming in the future.

Aluminum (Al) stress in acidic pH is known to decrease the growth and productivity of alfalfa. However, not much is known about how the application of silicon (Si) affects the Al stress response in alfalfa. This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of exogenous application of Si on the growth of alfalfa seedlings exposed to Al stress in pots. Alfalfa seedlings grown in pots for 2 weeks were treated either Al stress (pH 4.0, 0.2 mM Al) or Al stress + Si (1 mM) for 5 days, lengths and biomass of shoot and root, and chlorophyll and carotenoid contents in leaf tissues were analyzed respectively. Al stress treatment inhibited shoot and root growth, and decreased fresh and dry weights, and chlorophyll content in leaves, but increased carotenoid content. In contrast, when alfalfa seedlings treated with Al stress combined with Si, delayed growth caused by Al stress of shoot and root of alfalfa seedlings was restored, dry weight was increased and chlorophyll content of leaf tissue was increased, but carotenoid content was decreased. These results suggest that Si has a function of alleviating Al toxicity in alfalfa, of which it exhibits a mitigating effect by a function that overlaps with some of the intracellular functions of carotenoids.

본 연구는 이탈리안 라이그라스 원형베일 사일리지 조제에 있어서 원료작물의 수분함량과 베일러 챔버의 압력에 따른 사일리지의 사료가치와 발효품질의 변화를 구명하기 위하여 수행되었다. 수확 후 1일(고수분), 2일(중수분) 및 4일간(저수분) 각각 예건하여 서로 다른 수분함량의 이탈리안 라이그라스를 베일러 챔버 압력이 115, 130 및 145 bar로 설정된 베일러로 원형베일 사일리지를 조제하여 60일간 저장하였다. 베일 사일리지의 무게는 고수분 처리구에서 높게 나타났고, 건물중은 저수분 처리구가 유의적으로 높게 나타났다. 베일러 압력에 따른 사일리지의 무게는 유의적인 차이는 없었으나, 압력이 증가할수록 건물중은 증가하였다. 수분함량과 베일러 압력에 따른 사일리지의 NDF, ADF, CP 및 CF는 처리 간에 유의적인 차이가 없었으며, RFV (relative feed value)는 고수분 저압력 처리구에서 가장 높게 나타났다. Lactic acid는 고수분-고압력 처리구가 가장 높았으며, 저수분-중압력 처리구에서 가장 낮게 나타내었다. Butyric acid는 베일러 압력에 따른 유의적인 차이는 없었으나, 예건기간이 길어질수록 감소하였다. 사일리지 pH는 고수분 처리구가 중수분과 저수분 처리구에 비해 낮게 나타났으나, 베일러 압력에 따른 차이는 없었다. 이러한 결과는 이탈리안 라이그라스 원형베일 사일리지 조제 시 조사료의 수분함량과 베일러 챔버의 압력이 사일리지의 발효품질에 영향을 미치는 중요한 요인임을 나타내는 것이다.

Acidic soil significantly reduces crop productivity mainly due to aluminum (Al) toxicity. Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) roots were exposed to aluminum stress (Al3 +) in calcium chloride (CaCl2) solution (pH4.5) and root growth, physiological and antioxidant enzyme responses were investigated. The root growth (length) was significantly inhibited after 48 h of aluminum stress imposition. Histochemical staining with hematoxylin indicated significant accumulation of aluminum in Al stress-treated root tissues. Histochemical assay were also performed to detect superoxide anion, hydrogen peroxide and lipid peroxidation, which were found to be more in root tissues treated with higher aluminum concentrations. The enzymatic activity of CAT, POD and GR in root tissues was slightly increased after Al stress treatment. The result suggests that Al stress alters root growth in alfalfa and induces reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, and demonstrates that antioxidant enzymes involved in detoxification of Al-mediated oxidative stress.

Drought is one of the key limiting factors that adversely affects the growth and productivity of crop plants. For the enhancement of drought tolerance in crop plants, the identification of basic mechanisms of a plant to drought stress is necessary. In this study, we compared physiological and biochemical responses of five local Arundenilla hirta ecotypes to drought stress. These ecotypes were previously collected from various parts of Korean peninsula, including Youngduk, Gunsan, Jangsoo, Jinju-1 and Yecheon. A. hirta plants were exposed to drought stress for 14 and 17 days respectively, followed by re-watering for 3 days. The results showed that the lipid peroxidation (MDA), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), DPPH (1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl) radical scavenging activity, and proline level were significantly increased while the chlorophyll content was decreased by drought stress in A. hirta leaves. The highest proline content and DPPH scavenging activity were shown in Ecotype of Youngduk with least MDA and H2O2 levels while the highest MDA and H2O2 contents, and least proline and DPPH levels were shown in Gunsan, respectvely. These results indicate that the Youngduk is the most tolerant and Gunsan is the most sensitive ecotype among the five different collections. Together, these results provide a new insight of overall physiological responses of A. hirta to drought stress.