This study aimed to identify the optimal winter storage temperature for preserving bulbil vigor and enhancing the efficiency of spring bulbil cultivation in garlic. Bulbils from the cultivars ‘Daeseo’ and ‘Hongsan’ were categorized into three size grades (#1: <3 mm; #2: 3–4 mm; #3: 4–5.5 mm) and stored for five months (September 2024–February 2025) under four conditions: conventional warehouse storage, 4°C, 15°C, and 25°C. The bulbils were sown in rows in an open field on 20 February 2025 and harvested on 30 May 2025. After curing for 2–3 days and air-drying for about one month, the harvested bulbs were evaluated for the number and characteristics of round bulbs. For both ‘Hongsan’ and ‘Daeseo’, storing bulbils in either a conventional warehouse or at 4°C during winter resulted in higher harvest rates. Larger bulbils consistently produced a greater number of harvested bulbs and heavier bulb weights. In ‘Hongsan’, only the #3 bulbils stored at 25°C yielded a small proportion ( 1. 2%) of multi-clove bulbs, while a ll o ther treatments resulted in single-clove bulbs exclusively. Mean bulb weight was lowest after storage at 25°C and tended to be higher under warehouse storage. In ‘Daeseo’, there was no significant difference in harvest percentage between warehouse and 4°C storage; however, the mean harvest percentage was higher and the variation among replicates was lower at 4°C. Notably, multi-clove bulbs were observed only with warehouse storage (#2: 0.35%; #3: 1.8%), while 4°C storage resulted exclusively in single-clove bulbs. Mean bulb weight increased with bulbil size across all treatments, and conditions that produced more multi-clove bulbs generally also showed heavier mean bulb weights. Overall, for spring cultivation of bulbils, 4°C storage is optimal for enhancing single-clove bulb production in ‘Daeseo’, while conventional winter storage is sufficient for ‘Hongsan’.

Efficient nutrient management during the production of plug seedlings is essential for ensuring the uniformity and mechanical transplantability of onion (Allium cepa L.) seedlings cultivated in high-density 448-cell trays. However, there is a lack of evidence-based guidelines for fertilizer composition specifically designed for tray-bench nursery systems. This study assessed the effects of four commercial water-soluble fertilizers with varying N–P–K formulations (S: 25-8-16, H: 23-5-15, M20: 20-20-20, M30: 30-10-10) against an unfertilized control to identify the optimal nutrient ratios for producing high-quality plug seedlings. Fertilizers were applied biweekly, beginning 14 days after sowing, and growth characteristics along with tissue mineral contents were evaluated at 48 days. All fertilized treatments significantly outperformed the control in terms of leaf number, pseudostem diameter, root number, and fresh weight (p ≤ 0.05). Among the fertilizers, M30 (30-10-10) yielded the highest-quality seedlings, demonstrating thicker pseudostems (2.5 mm), greater fresh weight (0.85 g), and the highest root count (13.7), indicating superior suitability for mechanical transplanting. Tissue analysis revealed elevated nitrogen concentrations (1.7–2.0%) in the fertilized seedlings, which supports enhanced early biomass accumulation in peat-based media with initially low nutrient levels. These results indicate that high-nitrogen fertilizer formulations effectively promote balanced shoot and root growth, as well as robust root-ball formation in onion plug seedlings. The findings offer practical guidance for fertilizer selection in tray-bench nursery systems, contributing to improved transplant success and increased labor efficiency in mechanized onion production.

This study evaluated the insecticidal effectiveness of eco-friendly crop protection agents against two major pests of spring onion (Allium fistulosum L.), Thrips tabaci and Spodoptera exigua. Four biopesticides—dill seed oil, paraffin oil, neem extract, and an anthraquinone (AQ) formulation— were compared to the chemical standard, carbosulfan. Both carbosulfan and dill seed oil achieved nearly 100% corrected mortality for both pests across all observation dates, with no significant difference between them (F5,45=441.88,p < 0.001). Paraffin oil and neem extract demonstrated moderate efficacy, resulting in approximately 31-33% mortality, while the AQ formulation had the lowest mortality rate at 3%. For Spodoptera exigua larvae, dill seed oil exhibited a delayed insecticidal effect: mortality was 0% at 1 day after treatment (DAT), increasing to 44.8% at 2 DAT and 51.7% at 3 DAT (F5,45=8.75,p < 0.001). Neem extract and paraffin oil also showed gradual increases in mortality, although these were not statistically significant. Overall, the findings suggest that dill seed oil is a promising eco-friendly alternative and provide valuable insights for developing pest- and growth stage-specific control measures within integrated pest management (IPM) programs for sustainable onion cultivation.

Meristem culture (MC) is a technique for producing virus-free garlic plants with high vigor and productivity. We assessed the changes in the agronomic traits of “Namdo” garlic over several generations after the cultivation of MC-induced bulbils. We examined the plant height, leaf sheath length and diameter, leaf number, bulb weight and diameter, clove number, and bulb size distribution. Compared with that of the control, bulb weights of the first-generation bulbils cultivated for three and two years and the second-generation bulbils cultivated for one year increased by 8.7–27.2, 13.9–30.4, and 36.6–46.9%, respectively. In three and two-year cultivation of the firstgeneration bulbils and one-year cultivation of the second-generation bulbils, the proportions of extra-large-sized bulb weight in meristem-cultured plants were 16.2–38.6, 24.0–35.8, and 27.1–51.1%, respectively, whereas that of the control was 7.6%. Thus, the first-generation bulbils can be cultivated for three years to renew the seed bulbs while maintaining productivity.

본 연구는 새만금 간척지와 주산지인 무안에서 재배하였을 때 양파의 생육과 퀘르세틴 등 기능성 성분을 분석하였다. 양파는 중생종 품종인 ‘맵시황’, 중만생 품종인 ‘선파워’, ‘헬시큐’를 사용하였다. 전남 무안에 9월 상순 파종 후 육묘하여 간척지와 무안에 각각 11월 상순에 정식하고 이듬해 6월 초순에 수확하였다. 중만생종 품종인 ‘선파워’와 ‘헬시큐’가 간척지에서 구중 336.5g, 248.3g으로 생육이 우수하였다. 피루브산은 ‘헬시큐’, ‘맵시황’, ‘선파워’ 순으로 높았고 지역 별로는 ‘헬시큐’, ‘맵시황’ 품종이 간척지 재배 시 각각 48.3μmol·g-1, 41.1μmol·g-1으로 무안에서 재배하였을 때보다 높았다. 총 퀘르세틴은 품종 별로 비교하였을 때 ‘헬시큐’가 219.1μg·g-1으로 가장 높았고 ‘선파워’, ‘맵시황’의 순이었으며 재배지역에 따른 차이는 확인되지 않았다. 또한 총 페놀은 총 퀘르세틴 함량과 유사한 경향을 보였으며, ‘헬시큐’의 함량이 853.7μg·mL-1으로 가장 높았고, ‘선파워’는 무안에서 재배할 경우 페놀 함량이 높은 것으로 나타났다. 결과적으로, 피루브산, 총 퀘르세틴, 총 페놀의 함량은 재배지역 보다는 품종에 따른 영향이 큰 것으로 판단되었다.

This study presents the data analysis results of groundwater chemistry and the occurrence of fluoride in groundwater obtained from the groundwater quality monitoring network of Korea. The groundwater data were collected from the National Groundwater Information Center and censored for erratic values and charge balance (±10%). From the geochemical graphs and various ionic ratios, it was observed that the Ca-HCO3 type was predominant in Korean groundwater. In addition, water-rock interaction was identified as a key chemical process controlling groundwater chemistry, while precipitation and evaporation were found to be less important. According to a non-parametric trend test, at p=0.05, the concentration of fluoride in groundwater did not increase significantly and only 4.3% of the total groundwater exceeded the Korean drinking water standard of 1.5 mg/L. However, student t-tests revealed that the fluoride concentrations were closely associated with the lithologies of tuff, granite porphyry, and metamorphic rocks showing distinctively high levels. This study enhances our understanding of groundwater chemical composition and major controlling factors of fluoride occurrence and distribution in Korean groundwater.