As the interest in urban agriculture and people’s demand for eco-friendly food grow, the number of urban gardeners who directly grow and harvest will increase. The aim of this study was to compare the effect of conventional fertilizer with the effluent water from the biofloc technology inland aquaculture in the concept of resource circulation as a substitute for fertilizer used in urban agriculture. In order to verify the effect of fertilizer on the cultivation of cherry tomato, tomato seedlings were transplanted on the horticultural soil without nutrients and treated for 8 weeks. Experimental treatment was carried out in five treatments: control, hyponex solution (HS), slow-released fertilizer (SF), effluent water daily treatment (DE), and effluent water treatment once a week (WE). The growth characteristics of the cherry tomatoes showed significant differences among the treatments except for root length. In the case of plant length was shown HS=WE›DE=SF›control, and stem diameter was shown DE=SF ›WE=HS›control. It was found that HS and WE were not significantly different in shoot length and diameter, and DE and SF showed no difference. In the case of number of leaves, HS, DE, and WE showed a significantly higher level than SF and control. In other growth characteristics, DE and SF showed higher growth. As for the growth of cherry tomato fruit, the sugar content did not show any significant difference among the treatments except control. Weight per fruit and yield were significantly higher in HS and WE than DE and SF. Based on these results, it is considered that the use of effluent water is comparable to the use of urban agricultural fertilizer as compared with chemical fertilizers in cultivating crops.

We investigated the effect of light spectra on circadian rhythm by exogenous prolactin (PRL) by using light emitting diodes (LEDs): red, green, and purple. We injected PRL into live fish or treated cultured brain cells with PRL. We measured changes in the expressions of period 2 (Per2), cryptochrome 1 (Cry1), melatonin receptor 1 (MT1) mRNAs, and MT1 proteins, and in the plasma PRL, serotonin, and melatonin levels. After PRL injection and exposure to green LED light, MT1 expression and plasma melatonin levels were significantly lower, but the expressions of Per2 and Cry1 were significantly higher than others. Plasma serotonin after PRL injection and exposure to red LED light was significantly lower than others. These results indicate that injection of high concentration PRL inhibits melatonin, and inhibited melatonin regulates circadian rhythm via clock genes and serotonin. Thus, exogenous PRL regulates the circadian rhythm and light spectra influence the effect of PRL in goldfish.

Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) have the potential for use in regenerative medicine and in the field of basic research. Therefore, effective cryopreservation and storage of hESCs are important for preservation of newly established cell line for various purposes. Despite poor survival and slow recovery after thawing, the conventional slow freezing method is most commonly used for cryopreservation of hESCs due to its simplicity and ease of use for freezing a large number of hESCs appropriate to clinical applications. Here we controlled the clump size (Group Ⅰ; 400～450 ㎛, Group Ⅱ; 800～900 ㎛, and Group Ⅲ; 1500～1700 ㎛) of hESCs at 5 days after plating using a glass pipette during cryopreservation in order to obtain a larger amount of hESCs after thawing. Attachment rates differed significantly (P<0.05) in each of the three groups and the average of attachment rate of GroupⅡ was highest in SNUhES4 and H1. In particular, the attachment rate of Group Ⅱ in SNUhES3 showed a significant improvement with ROCK inhibitor Y-27632. These results indicate that clump size and cell-cell adhesions of GroupⅡ are appropriate for cryopreservation compared to the Group Ⅰ and Group Ⅲ. This method increased cell viability and reduced the recovery time leading to various experiments, and therefore has an advantage for use with hESCs like newly established in particular. We demonstrated that use of this effective cryopreservation method with control of the clump size of hESCs can effectively improve the attachment rate and survival of post-thaw hESCs with and without Y-27632.

Ginseng (Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer) has been used as an important oriental medicine since ancient times. Ginseng roots, one of the most famous and expensive crude drugs, have been commonly used to promote the quality of life. Cultivation of P. ginseng is difficult because of its long cultivation period of more than four years, its sun shading, absence of recurring cultivation and various diseases. Conventional breeding of P. ginseng is also difficult and impractical since the procedure takes more than 50 years. In view of these facts, biotechnological applications have been considered as an alternative approach for ginseng improvement and propagation and the production of raw materials for medicinal use. The representative secondary compound accumulated in roots of ginseng species is ginsenoside, a triterpenoid saponin. Ginsenosides are considered to be the main bioactive compounds derived from the roots and rhizomes of different Panax species (Araliaceae). The enzyme squalene synthase catalyzes the first step from the central isoprenoid pathway towards sterol and triterpenoid biosynthesis. Both phytosterols and triterpenes in plants are synthesized from the product of cyclization of 2,3-oxidosqualene. The step in ginsenoside synthesis involves cyclization of 2,3-oxidosqualene to oleanane and a dammarene-type triterpene skeleton. Enzymes at the later step of ginsenoside biosynthesis are cytochrome P450s and glycosyltransferases. The genes for biochemical pathways involved in saponin biosynthesis are of considerable interest in the area of ginseng biotechnology. We investigated the roles of squalene synthase (PgSS1) protein on the biosynthesis of phytosterols and triterpenoids. Over-expression of the PgSS1 gene in adventitious roots of transgenic P. ginseng resulted in the up-regulation of the downstream genes, such as squalene epoxidase, beta-amyrin synthase and cycloartenol synthase. Transgenic P. ginseng also exhibited a remarkable increase in the production of phytosterol (beta-sitosterol, stigmasterol, campesterol) and triterpene saponins (ginsenosides). The first committed step in ginsenoside synthesis is the cyclization of 2,3-oxidosqualene to dammarenediol II by the oxidosqualene cyclase (dammarenediol synthase). The gene encoding dammarenediol synthase was characterized by our research group. We reported that ectopic expression of dammarenediol synthase gene (DDS) in yeast mutant (erg7) lacking lanosterol synthase resulted in the production of dammarenediol and hydroxydammarenone which were confirmed by LC/APCIMS. RNA interference (RNAi) of DDS in transgenic P. ginseng resulted in silencing of DDS expression which leads reduction of ginsenosides production to 84.5% in roots. Now we are focused on the characterization of cytochrome P450 for biosynthesis of protopanaxadiol and protopanaxatriol used as backbones for ginsenoside

‘Gwangan’ is a new six-rowed covered barley cultivar developed by the National Institute of Crop Science (NICS), R.D.A in 2004. This cultivar is developed from a cross between “Mirak” and ‘Milyang59’ in 1995. An F6 selection was made at Milyang in 2001 an

Male and female strobilus production was assessed annually over a five-year period for a clonal seed orchard of sugi (Cryptomeria japonica D. Don) in Korea. Clonal fertility and fertility variation, expressed by both sibling coefficient and coefficient of variation in strobilus production among 40 orchard clones, were reported. Fertility varied among clones and among years, producing five-year averages per ramet of 464.3 and 971.1 for female and male strobili, respectively. The correlation between female and male strobilus production was positive in each of the five years studied and statistically significant with the exception of one poor flowering year. The clonal status number (Ns), a measure of genetic diversity, was calculated based on the observed clonal fertility variation, varying from 27.6 (N = 40) in the poorest flowering year (2002) to 35.8 in the best year (2005). On average (pooled), the relative status number was 95% of the census number (N). Variation of female fertility was higher than that of male fertility for the five consecutive years, and the status numbers of female and male parents reflected this variation. The pooled Ns estimation from all five years was higher than any single year, implying that genetic diversity would increase when seeds collected from different years are pooled. Sexual asymmetry calculations showed that clonal contributions would be balanced between genders

A reproducible transformation system via optimized regeneration media for Korean rice cultivars was established using Agrobacterium tumefeciens LBA4404 (pSBM-PPGN; gusA and bar). Although japonica rice genotypes were easier to produce transgenic plants compared to Tongil type cultivars, transformation efficiencies were not always correlated with regeneration efficiencies of non-transgenic callus on the control medium. Regeneration efficiencies of Donganbyeo, Ilmibyeo, and Manchubyeo were over 50% in non-transgenic control, however, transformation efficiencies were significantly low when only sucrose was added to the media as a carbon source. However, the medium, MSRK5SS-Pr (or MSRK5SM-Pr), that contains 5~textrmmgL-1 kinetin, 0.5~textrmmgL-1 NAA, 2 % sucrose (or maltose), 3% sorbitol, and 500~textrmmgL-1 proline, was the most efficient not only for regeneration of non-transgenic callus but also for regeneration of transgenic callus in the presence of L-phosphinotricin (PPT). Average transformation efficiencies of 16 Korean rice cultivars were significantly enhanced by using the optimized medium from 1.5% to 5.8% in independent callus lines and from 2.9% to 19.4% in tromsgenic plants obained. Approximately 98.9% (876 out of 885) transgenic plants obtained on optimized media showed basta resistance. Stable integration, inheritance and expression of gusA and bar genes were continued by GUS assay and PCR and Southern analysis of the bar gene. With Pst1 digestion of genomic DNA of transgenic plants, one to five copies of T-DNA segment were observed; however, 76% (19 out of 25 transgenic plants) has low copy number of T-DNA. The transformants obtained from one callus line showed the same copy numbers with the same fractionized band patterns.

The object of this study was to determine the difference of the time course changes of transpiration, diffusion resistance and photosynthetic rate of rice at several different growth stages subjected to soil moisture stress (SMS) and recovery by irrigation. A japonica rice cultivar 'Dongjinbyeo', was grown under flooded condition in a plastic container filled with silty loam soil. At 5 main growth stages, the container was treated by SMS until initial wilting point (IWP) and then reirrigated. The duration of SMS until IWP were the longest, 13 days for tillering stage, and the shortest, 7 days for panicle initiation and meiosis stage. The transpiration rate rapidly decreased during SMS and the transpiration rate at IWP of the stressed plant showed 10∼20% compared with control, and the transpiration rate of stressed plant at most growth stages also recovered rapidly after irrigation and then reached 100% of control within a week. The shoot photosynthetic rate in all growth stages rapidly decreased by SMS, and the rates at IWP of stressed plants were de-creased nearly to 0%, beside the treatment at tillering stage. The recovery degree of photosynthetic rate by irrigation ranged from 20 to 90%, showed higher at early growth stages of SMS treatment than that of later stages. At all growth stages the leaf diffusion resistance of stressed plants was over 3 times that of the control resulting from a rapid increase at 3 to 5 days after draining for SMS, and showed quick recovery by irrigation within 3 days after drainage. The above physiological parameters changed in close relation with the decrease of the soil matric potential after SMS. These results indicate that at all main growth stages of rice plants the transpiration and photosynthesis reduction by stomatal closure reponded sensitively to the first stage of SMS closely related with decrease of soil water potential, while those recovery pattern and recovered degree by irrigation are little different by growth stage of rice.

In rice-barley cropping systems, efficient utilization of barley straw is essential, both to improve the soil fertility and to conserve the environment. In order to identify the effects of barley straw mulch rates in rice cultivation, a rice cultivar, 'Gancheogbyeo', was directly seeded on a no-tillage field synchronized with barley harvesting with five barley straw mulch rates, i.e., 0, 2.5, 5.0, 7.5 and 10.0 ton h a-1 and agronomic characters of rice and soil nitrogen were determined. The increasing of barley straw mulch rates. Dominant weed species, chestnut, occurred in large amounts in no mulching or lower mulch rates than in higher mulch rates. The content of N H4 ＋ -N in soil applied with high barley straw mulch rates was lower during the month after seeding, and then it was higher at heading date, compared with lower mulch rates or no mulch plot. As the barley straw rate increased, maximum tillering stage was delayed, and plant height was reduced. Although the lodging of rice plants was seldom observed in all plots, the breaking strength of the culm was significantly higher in the mulch rate of 10.0 ton h a-1 . With an increase of barley straw mulch rate, the effective tillering rate and spikelet number m-2 decreased while ripened grain ratio increased. The rice grain yield was slightly decreased with an increase of barley straw mulch rate, although significant differences were not found all barley straw mulch rates. These results suggest that there is no significant yield loss although the total barley straw production, approximately 5.0 ton h a-l in the present study, apply in the paddy for the following rice cultivation by no-tillage direct seeding.ect seeding.

벼 약배양에 있어서 배양약의 viability의 변화를 관찰하고자 밀양 2003, 대청벼, 치악벼를 재료로 품종 및 저온전처리, 약의 갈변에 따른 호흡율의 변화를 2~3일 간격으로 조사하였다. 화분의 발육시기에 따른 배양전 약의 호흡활성은 개화직전에 가장 높았으며, 배양적기인 stage 3~4에서의 호흡율은 12.46 O2 n mode/ml/h/another이었다. 배양약의 호흡활성의 변화는 3~9일경에 1차 정점을, 9~11일경에 2차 정점을 나타냈으며, Callus 형성능이 높은 대청벼에서 가장 높게 나타났다. 저온전처리는 배양 초기의 호흡활성을 저하시켰으나 15일경부터는 무처리구 보다 높은 경향이었다. 또한 저온전처리는 약의 갈변을 촉진하였으며, 갈변약에서 호흡활성이 높았다.