Agrophotovoltaic (APV) system is an integrated system producing crops as well as solar energy. Because crop production underneath Photovoltaic (PV) modules requires delicate management of crops, smart farming equipment such as real-time remote monitoring sensors (e.g., soil moisture sensors) and micro-climate monitoring sensors (e.g., thermometers and irradiance sensors) is installed in the APV system. This study aims at introducing a decision support system (DSS) for smart farming in an APV system. The proposed DSS is devised to provide a mobile application service, satellite image processing, real-time data monitoring, and performance estimation. Particularly, the real-time monitoring data is used as an input of the DSS system for performance estimation of an APV system in terms of production yields of crops and monetary benefit so that a data-driven function is implemented in the proposed system. The proposed DSS is validated with field data collected from an actual APV system at the Jeollanamdo Agricultural Research and Extension Services in South Korea. As a result, farmers and engineers enable to efficiently produce solar energy without causing harmful impact on regular crop production underneath PV modules. In addition, the proposed system will contribute to enhancement of the smart farming technology in the field of agriculture.

This study tested a hypothesis that the bacterial immunosuppresants enhance BtI susceptibility of two mosquitoes, the forest mosquito (Aedes albopictus) and the house mosquito (Culex pipiens pallens). Three symbiotic bacteria Xenorhabdus nematophila (Xn), X. hominickii (Xh), and Photorhabdus temperata subsp. temperata (Ptt) were isolated from their symbiotic nematodes and cultured in nutrient broth to allow them to produce the secondary metabolites. BtI gave significant toxicities to A. albopictus and C. pipiens pallens larvae: 50% of lethal concentration to be 2.9 × 105 spores/mL and 2.2 × 105 spores/mL at 16 h after treatment, respectively. Addition of each bacteria-cultured broth significantly enhanced BtI toxicity to the mosquito larvae by lowering LC50 values of BtI to A. albopictus larvae (1.5 × 105 to Xn, 1.7 × 105 to Xh, and 1.9 × 105 to Ptt, respectively) and to C. pipiens pallens larvae (1.2 × 105 to Xn, 1.3 × 105 to Xh, and 1.5 × 105 to Ptt, respectively). Based on these results, we developed a new mosquitocidal Bt formulation called ‘Dip-Kill’, which consisted of 80% Xn-cultured broth, 10% BtI (1010 spores/mL), and 10% preservative. Only 400 ppm of Dip-Kill showed 100% mortality to fourth instar larvae of A. albopictus and C. pipiens pallens 16 h after treatment.

본 연구에서는 기생성 맵시벌과의 4종에 대하여 새로운 숙주를 보고하고자 한다. 4종의 맵시벌과는 황오색나비 (나비목: 네발나비과), 밤색하 늘소 (딱정벌레목: 하늘소과), 황다리독나방 (나비목: 독나방과)의 번데기에서 각각 발견되었다. 본 논문에서는 맵시벌과 4종의 간략한 식별형질과 사진정보, 황다리독나방에 기생하는 맵시벌과의 목록을 제시 하였다.

Evolution of resistance to entomopathogenic bacterium, Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), can potentially reduce the efficacy of insecticidal proteins from Bt to insect pests in fields. Bt resistance is involved in modification of the toxin binding to its specific midgut membrane receptors, such as cadherin, aminopeptidase N, alkaline phosphatase, and ABC transporters. The beet armyworm, Spodoptera exigua, is one of major lepidopteran insect pest in Korea and showed highly susceptible to Cry1Ca. We investigated the Cry1Ca toxicity with respect to its binding affinity to a Bt receptor, cadherin compared with Cry1Ac. RNA interference (RNAi) of a cadherin of S. exigua (SeCad1) significantly suppressed the Cry1Ca to the toxic level of Cry1Ac. Binding affinity of Cry1Ca to brush border membrane vesicle (BBMV) of S. exigua midgut was significantly lost after SeCad1 RNAi. Binding affinity of Cry1Ac to BBMV was much low compared to that of Cry1Ca and less sensitive to SeCad1 RNAi. Direct binding assay of Cry toxins to SeCad1 was assessed using a recombinant cadherin repeat 10-11 (rCR10-11) of SeCad1. The addition to rCR10-11 to Cry1Ca significantly enhanced the toxicity under SeCad1 RNAi. However, the synergistic effect of rCR10-11 on toxicity of Cry1Ac was not much significant with poor binding affinity of Cry1Ac compared to Cry1Ca. These results indicate that the differential toxicity of Cry toxins against S. exigua is caused by the different affinities to the Bt receptor, cadherin.

Six of cadherins have been selected from the P. xylostella genome 52 open reading frames are annotated as cadherin-like genes. Compared to other 5 cadherins of P. xylostella (PxCads), PxCad1 has the highest homology with other lepidopteran insect cadherins and PxCad1 was expressed in all developmental stages specially in gut tissue. Expression of PxCad1 was suppressed by feeding its specific double-stranded RNA (dsRNA, 150ng/larva) and treatment of dsPxCad1 significantly reduced susceptibility to Bt Cry1Ac toxin. To confirm the specific interaction between PxCad1 and Cry1Ac, a toxin-binding assay was performed using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The ELISA indicates that BBMV extracted from PxCad1-silenced P. xylostella have significantly lower binding activity to active form of Cry1Ac than control BBMV. Moreover, the analysis of the binding parameters showed that the toxin affinity (Kd) of the control BBMV extract (BBMV-dsCON) was 6.08 ± 0.84 nM, which was not much different to the affinity value (6.72 ± 0.81 nM) of the dsPxCad1 treatment. However, there was a remarkable difference in number of binding sites (Bmax), in which BBMV-dsCON extract had 1.61 ± 0.04, but the BBMV-dsPxCad1 extract had 0.88 ± 0.02. Taken together, these results are suggest that PxCad1 is a functional receptor for Cry1Ac toxicity against P. xylostella larva.

Integrin is a cell surface protein that is composed of α and β heterodimer and mediates cell interaction with extracellular matrix or other cells including microbial pathogens. A full length cDNA sequence (2,517 bp) of a integrin subunit β1 (HaITGβ1) was cloned from the oriental tobacco budworm, Helicoverpa assulta. Phylogenetic analysis showed that HaITGβ1 was clustered with other insect β integrin subunits with the highest amino acid sequence identity (61%) to β1 of other Noctuidae such as Spodoptera exigua and S. litura. Structural analysis of the HaITGβ1 possessed all functional domains known in other insect β1 integrins. RT-PCR analysis showed that HaITGβ1 was expressed in all developmental stages and all tested tissues of H. assulta. Injection of double-stranded HaITGβ1 RNA (dsHaITGβ1) into third instar of H. assulta suppressed HaITGβ1 expression and resulted in significant delay from last larval stage to pupal stage. The dsHaITGβ1 injection significantly impaired nodule formation of H. assulta in response to bacterial challenge and hemocyte adherence. These results suggest that HaITGβ1 plays crucial roles in cellular immune responses as well as development in H. assulta.

Glycerol is a polyol that is responsible for the cold hardiness of insects. Glycerol kinase gene, which is an important key enzyme for glycerol biosynthesis, was predicted from whole genome sequencing data from the diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella. Four of P. xylostella glycerol kinase genes (PxGKs) were determined as a functional glycerol kinase through in silico study. Pre-exposure of P. xylostella larvae to 4°C for 7 h significantly enhanced survival (rapid cold hardiness: RCH) under a freezing temperature (-10°C) and increased glycerol titers. To determination of functional GK gene, expressions of all GK genes were measured by RT-PCR analysis. All GK genes were expressed in all larval stage and tissues (gut, hemocyte, and fat body). Expressions of all GK genes were suppressed by its specific dsRNA treatment into 4 th instar larva. Each 150 ng of dsRNA PxGK2 treatment significantly decreased glycerol amount in hemolymph by HPLC analysis. Larval treated by dsRNA PxGK2 also significantly lost the RCH under -10°C exposure. These results indicate that glycerol is a crucial RCH agent and its synthesis is regulated by a specific PxGK2 gene among GK gene isoforms in P. xylostella. In addition, the beet armyworm, Spodpotera exigua, encodes RCHassociated SeGK1, which has been functionally identified by RNA interference.

Putative cadherin genes, which are a receptor of the Bacillus thuringinesis toxins, were predicted from a whole genome sequencing data from the diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella. After the sequence and expression analysis, a Bt receptor cadherin gene was selected. The P. xylostella cadherin gene (PxCad1, GenBank Accession no. GU901158.1) encodes 11 cadherin repeats and a transmembrane domain. The PxCad1 gene was expressed in all developmental stage specifically in gut tissue by RT-PCR analysis. Expression of PxCad1 gene was suppressed by feeding of its specific dsRNA PxCad1 in 4th instar larval stage. The suppression of PxCad1 expression did not significantly feeding of its specific dsRNA PxCad1 in 4th instar larval stage. The suppression of PxCad1 expression did not significantly influence on pupal and adult development of P. xylostella. However, the larval treated with dsRNA PeCad1 (150 ng/larva) significantly reduced susceptibility to B. thuringiensis Cry1Ac (4.83 μg/ml). By contrast, the dsRNA PxCad1 -treated larvae did not show any change in susceptibility to B. thuringiensis Cry1Ca (0.24 μg/ml). These results suggest that PxCad1 is a specific receptor of Cry1Ac toxin from B. thuringiensis in P. xylostella.

Cold tolerance of the palm thrips, Thrips palmi Karny, was investigated to predict its survival in field during winter. Supercooling temperatures of T. palmi ranged from -26.4 to -18.4°C. However, exposure to subzero temperatures (from -5°C to -15°C) gave significant mortality to all developmental stages of T. palmi. Thus, T. palmi was determined to be a freeze-susceptible and suffered with cold injury. A brief pre-exposure to a low temperature (4°C) for 7 h significantly increase the cold tolerance of all stages of T. palmi with respect to survival at -10°C and supercooling capacity. A pre-exposure of T. palmi at 4°C significantly increased the survival rate on all developmental stages at -10°C. The rapid cold hardiness (RCH) was dependent on the duration of the pre-exposure period at 4°C in adult stage. Cryoprotectant analysis using an HPLC showed that the pre-exposure treatment increased the adult to synthesize glycerol, trehalose, mannitol, and mannose, at which trehalose represented the highest content. This study suggests that all stages of T. palmi are able to become cold-hardy by RCH, in which several polyols may play crucial roles as cryoprotectant.

Cadherin gene, which is a receptor of the Bacillus thuringiensis toxins, was predicted from 454 pyrosequencing transcripts from fifth instar larvae of the beet armyworm, Spodoptera exigua. The S. exigua cadherin gene (SeCad1) encodes 9 cadherin repeats and a tranmembrane domain. The SeCad1 gene was expressed in all developmental stage specifically in gut tissue by RT-PCR analysis. Expression of SeCad1 gene was suppressed by both injection and feeding of its specific dsRNASeCad1 in 5th instar larval stage. The suppression of SeCad1 expression did not significantly influence on pupal and adult development of S. exigua. However, the larval treated with dsRNASeCad1 (100 ng/larva) significantly reduced susceptibility to B. thuringiensis ssp. aizawai (3 × 106 CFU/larva). By contrast, the dsRNASeCad1-treated larvae did not show any change in susceptibility to B. thuringiensis ssp. krustaki (4 × 107 CFU/larva). These results suggest that SeCad1 is a specific receptor of Cry1A toxin from B. thuringiensis in S. exigua, but not Cry1C toxin.

The beet armyworm, Spodoptera exigua, is a freeze-susceptible species and overwinters without diapause in temperate zone. Depression of supercooling point (SCP) and rapid cold hardiness (RCH) allow S. exigua to survive at low temperatures. This study reports a polyol which is responsible for the cold hardiness of S. exigua. Pre-exposure of S. exigua larvae to 4°C for 6 h significantly enhanced survival under a freezing temperature (-10°C). This pre-exposure treatment also significantly depressed larval SCPs. Analysis of polyols indicated that glycerol titers significantly increase with increase of pre-exposure time. Glycerol kinase (GK) and glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GPDH) are involved in glycolysis pathway of insect. The S. exigua GK (SeGK1) and G3PDH (SeG3PDH1) genes were predicted from 454 pyrosequencing transcripts from fifth instar larvae of the beet armyworm, S. exigua. The SeGK1 and SeG3PDH1 genes both were expressed in all larval stage by RT-PCR analysis. Expression of SeGK1 and SeG3PDH1 genes were suppressed by its specific dsRNASeGK1 or dsRNASeG3PDH1 injection into hemocoel of 5th instar larva. Each 200 ng of dsRNASeGK1 or dsRNASeG3PDH1 injection also significantly decreased glycerol amount in hemolymph. Larval treated by either dsRNASeGK1 or dsRNASeG3PDH1 significantly lost the RCH under -10°C exposure. These results indicate that glycerol is a crucial RCH agent and its synthesis is regulated by SeGK1 and SeG3PDH1 genes in S. exigua.

본 연구의 목적은 시간 분해능이 향상된 비지역적 평균 (fast non local means, FNLM) 노이즈 제거 알고리 즘을 모델링하여 광학 현미경 영상에서의 적용 가능성을 확인하는 것이다. 이를 위해 실제 흰쥐 (mouse)의 첫째어금니 치아를 사용하여 영상을 획득한 후 기존에 널리 사용되고 있는 노이즈 제거 알고리즘과 제안 하는 FNLM 알고리즘을 각각 적용하여 비교하였다. 정량적 평가는 대조도 대 잡음비 (contrast to noise ratio, CNR), 변동계수 (coefficient of variation, COV), 그리고 최근에 개발된 no reference 기반의 방법인 natural ima ge quality evaluator (NIQE)와 Blind/referenceless image spatial quality evaluator (BRISQUE)를 사용하였다. 결과적으로 모든 정량적 평가 인자에서 제안하는 FNLM 노이즈 제거 알고리즘이 가장 우수한 값을 나타내었다. 특히나 치아의 전체적인 형태학적 영상을 분석할 수 있는 NIQE와 BRISQUE 인자는 원본영상에 비하여 각각 1.14와 1.12배 향상됨을 확인할 수 있었다. 결론적으로 소동물 치아 광학 현미경 영상에서의 FNLM 노이즈 제거 알고리즘의 유용성 및 가능성을 증명하였다.