In South Korea, the safety management of living modified organisms (LMOs) is regulated by seven government agencies depending on their use, and the Ministry of Environment is in charge of LMOs to manage environmental remediation and effects on natural ecosystems. This study aimed to develop appropriate research tools to determine the factors affecting the invasiveness of transgenic plants used for environmental remediation. We examined the persistence of sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) as a candidate by comparing the seed viability at different controlled temperatures and soil depths (ranging from 0 to 30 cm). The germination characteristics of seeds significantly differed between cultivars and temperatures. The field trials indicated that seeds buried at a depth of 30 cm mostly decayed within three weeks, whereas those buried at 0 cm persisted for eight weeks but decayed after sixteen weeks, implying a significant interaction between burial depth and seed persistence. At all soil depths, no dormant seeds were detected over one week after burial. These results suggest that sunflower seeds could not be successfully established under our experimental conditions. Since seeds on the soil surface demonstrated the highest rates of germination, such seeds may require particularly careful management to prevent unintended effects on ecosystems.

Sung Min Han , Seong-Jun Chun and Kyong-Hee Nam*. J Ecol Environ 2023;47:. https://doi.org/10.5141/jee.23.014

The objective of this study was to devise effective safety management systems for enclosed living modified organism (LMO) fields regulated by the Ministry of Environment (MOE), achieved through an assessment of the impact of LM crops on the surrounding flora. A combination of conventional survey methods and cutting-edge drone-based monitoring systems was employed, with a keen focus on their efficacy. Our investigation spans three distinct zones (forest, non-forest, and enclosed field), involving vegetation surveys, biodiversity index analyses, and drone-powered aerial observations to study topographical shifts. Over time, wild plants adjacent to the enclosed LMO field exhibited stability in terms of species composition. Nevertheless, disparities in growth patterns emerged across various areas. Predominantly, herbs thrived in enclosed and non-forest areas, while trees and shrubs flourished in forested regions. Annual plants predominantly populated the non-forest regions, whereas perennials dominated the forested areas. To this end, drones captured aerial photographs of a 31.65-hectare expanse with 40% coverage overlap, furnishing a real-time vegetation map that transcends the capacities of conventional methods. By combining vegetation surveys, drone-generated vegetation mapping, and dynamic monitoring of topographical changes, our research endeavors to facilitate the formulation of a robust safety management framework for LMO confined fields overseen by the MOE. This holistic approach aspires to prevent ecosystem contamination and establish a resilient, enduring system that averts LMO leakage, thereby safeguarding the environment.