Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer ISSN:0367-6315(Print) 2288-2162(Online) 한국토양비료학회 학회지

In South Korea, the concentration of fine dust is highest in spring, when the consumption of fossil fuels for heating and power generation is high, and thus efforts to reduce it are underway nationally. Cultivation of forage crops in the Saemangeum reclaimed land can not only increase the income of farmers and decrease the cost for forage, but also reduce the concentration of fine dust. Cultivating forage crops increases the adsorption of fine dust and reduce the generation of scattering dust by stabilizing the soil. However, there is no study on the effects of winter crop cultivation on fine dust in reclaimed land. Therefore, this study evaluated the effects of cultivation of winter crops (forage crops and grassland crops) on fine dust reduction during the high-concentration season (spring). Tall fescue (TF) and Italian ryegrass (IRG), which have evaluated to have excellent adaptation in reclaimed land, were sown in October 2019, and fine dust concentration was measured at 1 m and 2 m above ground in April to June 2020. The concentration of fine dust in the early stage of crop growth (April) was not affected by the treatment and the measured height. However, on May 12 - 13, the period when crops are growing vigorously, and May 20 - 21, just before harvest, the concentration of fine dust decreased at all measurement times by IRG at a measurement height of 1 m. However, there was no effect of reducing the concentration of fine dust by the TF. This is thought to be because the IRG leaf area is wider than the TF and the concentration of fine dust has decreased due to the adsorption of fine dust to the IRG leaf. At a measurement height of 2 m, there was no difference in concentration regardless of the monitoring location, which means that there was an effect of reducing the concentration of fine dust by the crop only at the point close to the crop. In this study, the effect of cultivation of winter crops on reducing fine dust in Saemangeum reclaimed land was identified, and it is judged that the mechanism of fine dust reduction can be elucidated through analysis of components according to the treatment area after collecting fine dust.

Fine dust concentration reduced by Italian ryegrass at the period when crops are growing vigorously.